The history channel

Susan Hyde's polymer madonnas are favorites on PolymerClayDaily.com

In my quest to bring more fun into what I do, I decided to refashion PCD into the “History Channel” for a while. The history of polymer, that is.

As I pinned Susan Hyde’s angel on my down vest this morning, I thought about the works and the artists who have caught my eye since 2005. I’ll be thumbing through my collection for pieces that moved me to shell out money and made me feel so good that I wear them over and over. This clever ploy requires less time online and reacquaints me with my collection.

Susan’s angels always call to me during the holidays. Her madonnas were dark-skinned before that was a statement. She and I met at a weeklong Kathy Amt class on Whidbey Island in 1997 and she’s high up on my list of favorite artists. Her polychromatic color sense and affinity for textiles, inclusions, and faces, get me every time. Click on the Instagram link to look more closely at her construction. If you put “Hyde” into the search box at the top of this page, you’ll see how she’s been my go-to girl for years. Here she is on Facebook.

The trap of looking easy

Vasso Tzima makes charming ornaments look simple on PolymerClayDaily.com https://wp.me/pegT3-7pl

Every once in a while a polymer artist like Vasso Tizma (ClaylandStudio) from Greece makes us think that we can all be polymer clay sculptors.

You’d think we’d learn that “making it look easy” is a trap. I’m trying to resist rolling out some red and green clay and giving it a go. Is there time to become an expert before the holidays? Hope springs eternal.

Plan B is her Etsy shop.

Stories in polymer

Helena Bogosian pares holidays down to their essence on PolymerClayDaily

New Jersey’s Helena Bogosian celebrates Hanukkah in polymer and illustrates how families of all faiths gather for the holidays.

Simple flat circle heads with a dot for eyes and the slightest dashes for other features still read very powerfully and clearly. We know those curly beards and hair! We recognize those foods and the menorah. Helena pares everything down to its wonderful essence.

Managing the holidays

Cynthia Tinapple kvetches about holiday production on PolymerClayDaily.com

Is your workspace littered with earring parts? My collection of “possibilities” was getting impossibly large as it outgrew snack, sandwich, quart, and gallon baggies.

Finding the pairs among all the parts was soothing. But the steps after that became less and less interesting. Finding findings. Finding reading glasses and pliers. Assembling. Are we done yet?

Punching cards and mounting, labeling, pricing. My back hurts. This is tedious.

My hat is off to all who repeatedly grind through these chores, particularly at this time of year. Keep it up! I’ll cheer you on from the sidelines. A blog, a newsletter, and a few bowls a year are all I can manage.

I’m just showing off while I can. I feel your pain.

Remind me again why we do this. Oh yeah, colors, patterns, shapes. That part never loses its appeal.

I laugh when I watch jewelry appear with a finger snap on TikTok. Mountains of packages disappear under a shower of digital glitter. In your dreams.

Festive critters

Nichol Johnson calls out her Christmas creepies on PolymerClayDaily.com

Just when we thought Halloween was over, New York’s Nicole Johnson (mealymonster) shows us how we can extend the monster season.

But then Nicole (and plenty of other polymer sculptors) envision monsters lurking around every imaginable event. I can’t conjure up these creatures but I’m fascinated by what fantasies lurk in the minds of other artists.

Take time to ponder this trick

Lynn Yuhr makes us believe in magic on PolymerClayDaily.com

My head knows that if you put light to dark next to dark to light you’ll get the sensation of curving dimensional color.

So why does the trick surprise me every time?

Lynn Yuhr shows us how it’s done with her ornaments. Flipped alternating Skinner blends produce the magic.

German artist, Philip Wiegard takes this concept even further and his free tutorials will wow you.

Too much for your brain on a Monday? So sorry. Pour yourself another cuppa.

Mix and match tree decorations

Erika Bregani decorates her trees on PolymerClayDaily.com

These bright, cheery trees are from Italy’s Erika Bregani (Centodiecigrad).

Their sharp-edged shapes are covered with happily collaged patterns. Because Erika consistently uses bright colors and strong contrasts in her canes, even the smallest bits play nicely with each other and make sense.

She mixes and matches her earring pairs, putting a tree on one and an ornament on the other.

Tomorrow’s StudioMojo takes a look at some of polymer’s current cutting edge artists who are reflecting current cultural thoughts in their work. Join us for a look at what our work says about us.

Let’s get this rolling

Michigan’s Georgeann Galante helped launch polymer lessons at the Ohio Reformatory for Women with her donation of 14 Atlas pasta machines several years ago. Those machines did not fare well when they were screwed down tightly to the tables. They eventually worked themselves apart.

We added a Lucy machine when we won the bid on it at the IPCA Synergy 4 auction. That machine is designed to be bolted down and continues to work well.

But one lone machine shared among the whole group slows production. So we’re raising money to buy another prison-approved roller to be used by the students in the Kindway polymer program.

Buy Helen Breil's newest tutorial and support the ORW prison program on PolymerClayDaily.com

You can help by buying Helen Breil’s newest In the Loop tutorial (a portion goes to the ORW program) or by donating to the program directly.

PCD will tell you more about the prison program as we sail through the holidays. Click in the right column to keep us rolling along.