Bright colors reflect a bright spirit

Polymer and a bright spirit helped Rachel face challenges and look forward to a bright spring on PolymerClayDaily.com

If the holidays are truly over, spring can’t be far behind, right?

Need a shot of springy colors? Here’s a super one from the UK’s Rachel (madebyracheluk)

Her colors remind you that brighter days are coming and her story will certainly lift your spirits. Rachel had her heart set on a career in medical science but health challenges made her change directions.

The bright colors reflect the bright and determined spirit of the artist. Here’s Rachel’s story on Facebook. Her can-do spirit shines through in these delightfully colored flower cane beads gathered into bouquets on a string.

Polymer beshert

Joey Barnes explains "beshert" and her timely donation on PolymerClayDaily.com

How did Texas’ Joey Barnes happen to have a spare Lucy clay roller that she donated to the women at the Ohio Reformatory? She explains that “When these machines came out several years ago, lots of customers were having difficulty understanding the machine’s roughly translated Czech/English instructions.”

Joey offered to improve them. That led to her translating their teachers’ contracts and operators’ manuals. When she refused payment, Lucy Tools sent Joey their biggest “Elephant.”

But the Elephant was too big for Joey’s workspace so she set it aside waiting for the right use.

When she saw that the ORW students needed a second Lucy Elephant, she thought, “Beshert!” That’s the Yiddish word for “meant to be.” The funds raised on PCD will go to other needs of the prison program.

Ever the collaborator, Joey credits Carol Simmons, Ivy Niles and Corrie Beth Hogg for giving her inspiration for her flower box (shown here) and garden series.

Sending happy out

Pamela Carman sends happy out for your Monday on PolymerClayDaily.com

“It’s the joy of riotous color and pattern that drives me to create my work. It is my way of sending happy out into the world,” says Florida’s Pamela Carmen.

Nothing better than a bird of happiness to fly into your Monday. Can you picture the supply of canes Pamela must have on hand to feather her large menagerie? See her creations on Flickr.

Her entry in a recent show called Woof, Meow, Chirp, and Slither: Artists interpret the world of pets earned a top award from Florida CraftArt. When you send happy out, some of it returns to you.

Let go and see what happens

Libby Mills lets nature inspire her world of geometry on PolymerClayDaily

Swap anxiety hits everyone! Connecticut’s Libby Mills felt threatened by the requirement that swap items must be “nature-inspired.”

Look at how she invites nature into her geometrically-inspired comfort zone! She stacks irregularly shaped layers into lovely natural forms.

As we pack our supplies for a week of claying, we laugh at ourselves for worrying. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.

In my rush to get everything done before I leave, I popped a fresh video into this week’s StudioMojo which is all set for Saturday delivery. I’ll be traveling so next week’s PCD posts may be sporadic. And StudioMojo will be full of mountain air polymer (whatever that means). Come find out!

Whipped into shape

Nancy Nearing brings veneers to life with dimension on PolymerClayDaily.com

What a difference dimension makes! Ohio’s Nancy Nearing has been on a roll since taking Lindly Haunani’s class.

The flat veneers below are very much Lindly-inspired but they are infused with Nancy’s aesthetic.

When Nancy ruffles and bends

and sculpts the flat collages, she takes them to a whole different place.

Nancy’s a neighbor so I caught this project mid-process. They’re not even on her Instagram yet! We will revisit them when she adds more flowery details and mounts them in shadow boxes.

Polymer mosaic entry

Bobbi Fraser Davis enters a local exhibit with her tiger lilies on PolymerClayDaily.com

Kentucky’s Bobbi Fraser Davis finished this lovely entry for the Louisville Artisan Guild Annual Exhibit. She shows a grouping of tiger lilies in pinks and rose colors mosaicked on a 5.5″ square shallow polymer dish in rusts and tans.

It’s time for guild shows and fair exhibits. Go ahead, jump in with your work.

Summer blooms

Karen Pasieka hangs nosegays of flowers everywhere on PolymerClayDaily

I pulled aside this tile of a field of flowers from Ontario’s Karen Pasieka (SubtleDetails). Later I discovered that she wasn’t finished and was soliciting advice about stems and leaves.

The dreamy colors on the cloud-like background were enough for me.

Her display of polymer flower necklaces “on” vases rather than “in” vases made a visual pun that I admired too. Go to her Instagram to see lots more summer blooms and display ideas.

Showing off studs

Iryna Chajka's girls show off her earrings on PolymerClayDaily.com

We rarely look at packaging and branding and such on PCD but Ukraine’s Iryna Chajka (eteniren) has gathered a gaggle of girls on cards to show off her stud earrings.

Iryna specializes in pale and delicate polymer succulents and flowers that show up particularly well against her girls’ hairstyles. The cards make the earrings much more dramatic. Smart marketing. Do you have a favorite?

Winter garden on the trail

Jen and Kristi leave art along the trail on PolymerClayDaily.com

Washington’s Jen and Kristi (GoInsideAndClay) couldn’t wait to leap into spring so they gave themselves a headstart with this polymer garden.

They are inspired by their time playing in nature among the trees and mountains and by the beauty of kindness. They call themselves “trail fairies” because they like to leave little pieces of art out in the world as a way to bring smiles and joy to others.

You smiled, right? It works.

Summer bouquet

Karen Pasieka gathers the flowers from her garden on PolymerClayDaily

Ontario’s Karen Pasieka has gathered the blooms in her polymer garden into a bright bouquet on a 4×4 tile. See what varieties of flowers she has in her studio garden on Instagram.

Her creation may remind you to run outside and admire summer’s bounty while you can. Karen has returned to her studio to get ready for the fall and holiday shows.

It looks like lots of you got back to the studio this week. StudioMojo is full of links to new works as we try to wring every bit of summer creativity out of this month. We’d love to have you join our Saturday newsletter where we chat about all the fun stuff we couldn’t cram into PCD.

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