48,283 and 500

Ron Lehocky turns scrap in love on PolymerClayDaily.com

48,283 – That’s the number of hearts that Ron Lehocky has created for his Kids Project since 2005. Year by year he moved the goalposts and predicts he’ll crack 50,000 in 2021. Each heart raises $10.

When Ron put out the word, scraps from artists far and wide started arriving. He transforms scrap into heart brooches. This scrap is from Canada’s Susan Andrews. Ron rolled, twisted, and textured her cane end into all these variations.

“I certainly have enough “remnants” from generous and supportive fellow polymer artists to help me reach the goal,” Ron says. Happy Valentines Day to our King of Hearts.

“And the 500?” you ask? This Saturday’s StudioMojo is my 500th edition of the weekend insider’s newsletter. Hard to believe where one step after another will get you! I’m turning 500! Come celebrate with your StudioMojo friends.

The Queen of hearts

When the King of Hearts loses his Queen, we all grieve with him.

Ron Lehocky’s wife Peg passed away on Monday, September 21, 2020, after a long and valiant battle with pancreatic cancer. What a wonderful partner she was to Ron!

As a physician’s wife, she knew she shared him with countless patients and their families, and in the polymer clay world, she shared him with all of us as well. Ron’s hearts are a testament to his love for Peg, as every heart he has made and will continue to make will have Peg enshrined in it.

Peg was an artist in her own right as well. Her skills with Swedish weaving were treasured gifts for anyone lucky enough to receive one. She worked hard to make sure that all the kids and grandkids had one as a keepsake after she was gone.

Peg and Ron had a love affair that lasted for 46 years. May her memory be a blessing.

Posted by Joey Barnes

Scrap zeitgeist

Ron Lehocky uses Laurie Prophater's scrap to make sense of our world on PolymerClayDaily.com

What is it about these scrap collaborations that seem so au courant? Ron Lehocky uses Laurie Prophater’s scrap veneers to make controlled, comprehensible patterns. Ron makes order out of what looks like colorful chaos.

That’s what we’re hungry for. Wouldn’t we all like to know how to make beauty and sense of what swirls around us?

Enough with the philosophy. How does Ron tap into fashion and zeitgeist at the same time? It has to do with his special brand of Ronnie Gane and the long threaded rod you see in this photo.

I’m hoping that he’ll jump in here to explain the mystery. Here’s the back story.

Ron is mighty close to reaching his goal of 50,000 hearts sold to benefit the Kids’ Project in Kentucky.

Early Lehocky

An early Ron Lehocky heart for 2020's V-Day on PolymerClayDaily.com

I went way back into PCD archives to pick out my 2020 Ron Lehocky valentine.

This is an early Ron though I’m not sure what year. Maybe he can tell us.

The background dots are black on color. They frame the dimensional heart whose dots reverse to color on black. It’s loose and carefree, probably from before he set his goal of 50,000 hearts.

Ron can make beautiful hearts in his sleep now. This playful version still sings.

Ron will probably reach his goal this year. That’s $500,000 raised for his Kids Center Heart Pin Project. Who better to feature on this day of love?

You gotta have heart

Learning how Ron Lehocky and others say "YES" to whatever comes their way on PolymerClayDaily.com

…miles and miles and miles of heart…as the song goes. Ron Lehocky had a table full of his hearts at Clay Out West. Even as Ron struggles through his own bumps in the road he plods on to reach his goal of 50,000 hearts to support The Kids Project.

StudioMojo will focus on all the people I encountered this week who specialize in saying “YES”. With only a split-second hesitation, they grab at what comes their way and say an emphatic yes. How do they do that?

They follow their gut, their instinct, their heart. I’m fascinated with how diving headlong into whatever comes your way can turn out.

I’m on hiatus from daily posts and having a marvelous time learning how to say yes. Join me over at StudioMojo.

Luminous hearts

Follow Ron Lehocky and his collaborative hearts on Instagram via PolymerClayDaily.com

There’s a lovely luminosity about these most recent hearts from Kentucky’s Ron Lehocky. The gold dots popping through watery colored layers lead us to summer’s end.

Because Ron builds his hearts from lots of others’ scraps, it’s hard to know the provenance of the bits and pieces he uses. His heart brooches are lovely collaborations between other’s scraps and Ron’s magic.

He’s close to making 50,000 of these for his Kids Project that receives all the proceeds from sales.

Did I mention that Ron’s on Instagram now? Be sure to follow him. He’s also teaching at ClayOutWest in late September.