Polymer Clay Daily

Big moon and Supernova

This Galaxy bracelet and Supernova pendant are from Austria’s Izabela Nowak. They’re updated, upscale polymer versions of the familiar rolled paper beads which were such fun to make. She calls it the spiral up technique.

Monday meanderings

In case you missed the weekend’s big moon, enjoy this Michigan version from polymer artist/photographer Babs Young.

The pictures and reviews from the UK’s first Polymer Pamper Play weekend make it an event you’ll want to pencil on your calendar for next year. Who couldn’t use a little pampering along with their play?

Learn to knit

UK’s Claire Wallis offers a “tada!” of her own with this knitted polymer cuff bracelet. She says that faux knitting was an experiment which she shares in a short visual tutorial on Flickr. My eyes had a hard time believing what I was seeing.

Claire used light cream colored polymer to keep the focus on texture in this piece. Imagine the possibilities that colored “yarn” would add.

Volkova’s photo shoot

Oxana Volkova’s photo shoot fascinates me! Her glamour and over-the-top chunky polymer, felt and knit creations make me clap and smile. And the matching makeup makes me wonder if I have those eye shadow colors in my bathroom.

While she was waiting for the professional photographer to show up, Oxana started snapping some behind the scenes shots. They give us a peek at how this Moscow artist works.

If you’re feeling uptight or bored with your work, a few minutes with her Flickr site will freshen your perspective.

Greenberg’s new craters

Donna Greenberg has been a textile and ceramic artist and muralist for years. Seven months ago she was introduced to polymer clay and she hasn’t looked back. I particularly like the way her drawings and illustrations spill over into her polymer jewelry work.

These bangles are part of her Craters, Meteorites and Moons series. If you check her Facebook fan page you’ll see her latest springy thingy craze. The enthusiasm and energy of a newcomer is just what we need for Monday.

Donna sent me the link to her new site…hint, hint.

Fairy tales and artichokes

Lopez del Prado's fairy tale polymer necklace

Barcelona’s Elvira Lopez del Prado wraps and spins wire around her fanciful polymer clay flowers and baubles to create what she calls her Fairy Tales series.

Meanwhile Austria’s Eva Ehmeier (Hoedlgut) folds and stacks her polymer slices into undulating rows that create the cuff shown below from her Artichoke series.

Both artists are this week’s poster girls for thinking outside the box, breaking the rules and following their muses.

Eva Ehmeier's polymer artichoke cuff

Links

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First contest for the girls next door in the Netherlands

Breukelman's faux jade embroidered cuff

Karin Breukelman’s faux jade embroidered cuff took top honors in Dutch Polymer Clay Forum’s oriental contest. This was the group’s first contest. The variety and quality of the entries surprised them.

Van Engelen's polymer rice fields ring
veltenaar's polymer sunset

Karin’s design was based on a Chinese coin replicated in polymer jade with faux coral accents. Lanterns, fans, geishas, bamboo and cinnabar inspired participants’ imaginations. Nicole van Engelen’s ring plays on the contours and colors of rice fields.

The other top winners were Marij de Bruijn, Saskia Veltenaar, and Paula van Veen. Enjoy this glimpse of the orient by way of the Netherlands. You’ll find some interesting tutorials on the group’s Girls Next Door site too. I particularly like the idea of faux pearls.

Polymer dipped fabrics from O’Neill

O'Neill's liquid polymer dipped gauze cuff

Susan O’Neill (11BoldStreet) brings us a Friday smack-your-forehead moment with her bracelet made of liquid-polymer-soaked fabric wrapped around a faux stone.

O'Neill's liquid clay cuff on model

O’Neill tinted white gauze with alcohol inks, dipped the gauze in liquid polymer clay, shaped it around a form and baked it. Brilliant!

Check her Etsy and Flickr sites for more views of her creations. Thanks to Doreen Willey for tipping us off to this technique that will keep us thinking all weekend.

Fashion/fantasy from Cat and Cleo

It’s time to revisit the fashion/fantasy work of Florida sisters Cleo and Cat Pieschacon. Their current collection, Drama, Fusion, and Nocturnal, pairs semi-precious stones, silver, gold, and leather with polymer clay in dramatic, oversize jewelry. The cuffs in the collection are based on jewel-encrusted polymer layered on large silver or leather bases.

Cleo and Cat’s website is glamorous. Their press clippings (read here and here) and this news video reveal marketing savvy as well as fashion sense. Both artists are design school graduates. Cat was a home furnishing designer for Polo Ralph Lauren.

Last spring the duo presented at Henri Bendel’s spring trunk show and their line was recently picked up by Nordstrom. The sisters plan to open their own Miami boutique in 2010.