Feathers float you through the week

Debbie Crothers combines patterns for upcoming feather classes in the US on PolymerClayDaily

These patterned feathers on Instagram from Australia’s Debbie Crothers will take you right over the mid-week hump.

Debbie loves her veneers and surface treatments so I’m betting that she’s made herself a stash of veneers for source materials.

Assembling them in perfect balance like this is no quick project but they’re worth the effort. The occasional splice on the edge and bend in the shape gives each one distinct look.

On Facebook, Debbie says she’s refining her methods and these are prototypes for her sessions at Clay Out West from September 30 to October 3 in Albuquerque. Registration opens February 1.

Debbie offers a few clever hints about her methods in her blog post today.

Finishing your homework

Elizabeth Hamilton's quilt bowls help her remember what she learned on PolymerClayDaily

North Carolina’s Elizabeth Hamilton turned her veneers from Lindly Haunani’s class into these charming square dishes.

This week PCD has featured homework of students from a variety of classes and tutorials. Finishing your homework and turning what you’ve learned into a finished product is often a struggle.

The benefits of persisting are worth it. Not only do you have a tangible memory of the event, but you also cement the process firmly in your fingers and your brain.

Hungry for more? Jump on over to StudioMojo and join the growing group of polymer fans who are figuring out how to put more of themselves in their art.

Eye-catching fish

Lynn Yuhr builds her fish on beginner concepts on PolymerClayDaily.com

Florida’s Lynn Yuhr created this Gone Fishin’ as one of her class samples for 2019’s Bead and Button. In her post about deadlines and creativity, she wonders if the two concepts are compatible and concludes that the two are at odds until you jump in and start.

Lynn listened to feedback about her fish and even though the piece looks complicated, she based a new class on these basic shapes and beginner canes.

Her advice is particularly good for a Monday. Time to jump in and get started.

Mini-book class story

The mystery of Lucy Frykova's mini-book on PolymerClayDaily.com

The mini-book samples like this red one from Lucy Frycova came out of a recent class taught by Spain’s Fabi Ajates.

The cover swivels on a screw (I’m guessing) to show the book’s hidden message. Lucy shows several other versions on her FB page. This one is mysterious and multilayered.

Fabi designs the coolest projects that retain their freshness no matter that they’re samples from classes. How does she get her students to do that?

Benzon branches out

Why a branch on PCD today? Because it’s polymer and over the past year Jana Roberts Benzon has refined and refined her tools and technique for shaving polymer until it looks spiky. It’s remarkably durable.

Like yesterday’s Julie Picarello and her hardware store appropriations, Jana grabbed tools from a nail tech’s drawer for her new trick.

This is just one of the goodies from Jana’s Nature Walk workshop scheduled for March 17 and 18 in Texas. Taking classes from artists who have already done the laborious research saves you oodles of time and allows you to daydream about how you could integrate their research into your own style.

Trending Moroccan?

Now’s the time of year to consider what you’d like to learn in 2017. Who’s teaching what and where? Which classes and events fit your schedule and your budget?

PCD will cover just a few as we move into the new year. Even if travel is out of the question, it pays to track what’s trending.

These Moroccan Lantern beads from Lisa Haney caught my eye. They’re from her class offerings at February’s Cabin Fever in Laurel, Maryland. Check out Lisa’s fish too! Registration has opened and the lineup looks terrific.

Prefer a warmer climate? Look at Florida’s Fandango May 4-8 with a great roster of trailblazing artists. Sign up before the end of the year and save. What’s on your calendar?

Bobblehead bounty

It’s not often that inmates can send art home to their families. When Leslie Blackford offered to mail their sculptures to families, students in the Ohio prison classes put extra effort and humor into their Bobblehead creations. Leslie and Tammy Dye are two of their favorite visiting polymer artists.

Just look at this prison cat named Fendor (short for Offender, I’m sure). There are more examples on Leslie’s Instagram. Tammy’s cone beads were also a big hit.

One very devoted friend from rural Ohio prints each PCD post which she mails in a weekly package to incarcerated artists who study and share them. They’ll be seeing this in next week’s delivery so shout a big virtual hello!

Few tools, no internet, no air conditioning, lots of rules! A pretty stripped down studio setup but a terrific learning experience for both teachers and students. There’s nothing better than when a student says, “For an afternoon, I felt free.” Where could you teach and brighten someone’s day?

About face

Lisa Renner’s sculpted busts have wistful, pensive looks with lovely touches of fashion and mystery. Lisa avoids the telltale ways of working that scream “plastic”. Her strong expressions and ceramic-like fabrics pull you right past the material and into the art.

It’s an enviable trick that Lisa teaches in her 2-day About Face class (the next one’s in September in Albuquerque). See if you can figure how how she performs this sleight of hand by flipping through the work on her website. Check out her class schedule and friend her on Facebook.

Gold rush

Pennsylvania’s Staci Louise Smith created these latest crackled, rustic beads in a big hurry when she was asked to prepare an online course for CraftArtEdu.

Rather than carefully consider all that might be required, Staci said yes and jumped in. The result is gold…in a rush. Gold Rush!

She talks about her leap-before-you-look experience on the LoveMyArtJewelry blog. You can sample her class at CraftArtEdu. You’ll also find her on Facebook, Pinterest and her own site.

Staci has taught several popular classes on organic beads built on white clay. She takes the color and bling up a notch on this iteration and adds another variation to the crackle craze.

Hollowed beads revisited

When teachers begin to prepare for their 2016 classes, we get an early look at what’s ahead in polymer. Here Eva Haskova shows off her January 31 class samples with their graffiti-like marks and hollowed out interiors.

Eva and her students will be pushing the boundaries of the bead in her class in Prague. Wouldn’t you like to know how she uses embossing powders to achieve those spotty edges and slashes of color? See the other classes here and more of Eva’s newest work on Flickr and Facebook.

‹ 1 2