Last but not least

If you thought you were the only one who worried over their FIMO50 entry, think again. Even Julie Picarello fretted about working in a size and shape she wasn’t used to. “I have never made anything that size before and was honestly a little overwhelmed. I’m just so glad my tile is done,” Julie admits.

What better way to start May and end the project than with Julie’s dreamy colors and ethereal mokume gane? There’s more on Flickr and her website.

If your entry is just getting to the mailbox (the official deadline was extended to May 3), let me know.

Over a hundred tiles from the US have been individually wrapped and I’m looking forward to boxing and shipping what looks suspiciously like a large heap of contraband.

Heartfelt thanks to all of you who worried and worked to help others.

Polymer persistence

France’s Irene Hoiles keeps a low profile online. The snippets and clues she leaves on Facebook and Pinterest point to someone who knows how to persist until she finds a solution.

About the earrings at the left Irene says, “When you’re not Julie Picarello and your mokume gane doesn’t go quite as you planned…dot it.”

Consider how those dots salvage the pattern and take it in a new direction. Sort of aboriginal.

Fine extruded strings wind around to make dramatic caps for Irene’s mokume gane beads at right. They needed another element for drama.

What a good way to start the week. Let’s channel Irene’s no-fail approach to her polymer designs. What’s on your work surface that needs a little TLC to make it sing?

Intentional Monday

This pendant is part of Dan Cormier’s new Intentional Mokume Gane which he’s teaching this Tuesday in Slovenia as part of a week of workshops. He’ll demonstrate how to use dies and cutouts as templates for cutting more predictable patterned veneers with nature-inspired organic shapes.

Dan leaves little to chance and the idea of making mokume gane a less random process gets our attention.

He moves on to France later in March and then returns to the US for summer classes. Check out his schedule and his other new classes here and on Facebook – a good start for your intentional week.

Same, same but different

Ron Lehocky took my folded inchie suggestion and ran with it! This is his Ronnie Gane applied to thin 1-inch squares that have been folded into beads. The necklace has lively movement that looks like kerchiefs fluttering in the wind. Isn’t it fun to chase a design from Margit Bohmer to Ford and Forlano to Lehocky in one week? Same, same but very different.

Here’s Ron’s mokume gane method applied to rolled beads. The high contrast makes the beads pop. He’ll be teaching his technique this morning.

Tool freaks

What’s the first thing we do at a conference? Shop!

There are some terrific new gizmos and gadgets. I cover this side of events more thoroughly in StudioMojo on the weekends.

Next Wednesday tune in for a free ToolTime presentation over at Craftcast. I’ll show off my new set of extruder disks there plus you’ll find plenty of other tool temptations. Reserve your seat.

Mokume gane treat

This brooch by France’s Isabelle Chatelain speaks to me and it’s too delicious to just let it float by on Flickr. Let’s grab it and mull it over for a Friday minute.

The repeating circle patterns both change and stay the same. This is polymer mokume gane at its best and the color combination shows off the pattern nicely. It hints at Moorish mosaics and Byzantine ceilings.

Isabelle mixes bits of this design into other brooches. Her ability to assemble compositions from small chunks of mokume gane plus textures and colored shapes is remarkable. Yummy.

Find more on Facebook and in her online shop. Isabelle also teaches on CraftArtEdu.

Polymer contained

This all-polymer lidded round container is from Isabelle Bordelais (Lilaroz). By combining the hidden magic technique and Victoria James’ natural textures Isabelle developed this bark-like mokume gane pattern that resembles a map.

On her Flickr page you can see how she has moved from building small boxes to larger ones, perfecting kaleidoscope canes along the way.

Where will Isabelle head next? Even larger, perhaps? And where will your work take you this week?

Meeting your maker

Melanie Muir has upgraded her site just in time for her debut at the National Museum of Scotland in Endinburgh on November 29 and 30. Her tools, coaching, and workshops are easily accessible in one neat presentation on the updated site.

Melanie was selected as one of a handful of artists to share her techniques, processes and inspirations by Craft Scotland for their Meet Your Maker events.

The selected makers will talk informally to the public, demonstrate their work and show working pieces. Melanie will also teach a workshop at the museum.

“I am constantly inspired by the colours and patterns that surround me at my coastal home in Nairn, in the Scottish Highlands,” Melanie says. This cuff is part of her Rock series and is entitled Beach Net.

Polymer graduate degree

On her profile Marie Segal lists her educational institution as Hellenback University. Her latest line of work reflects a graduate degree with honors! And she’s got new tricks up her sleeve.

Mokume gane, textures, cane slices and luscious colors are stacked onto lentil shapes. She repeats the shape again and again with each iteration more enticing than the last.

You should know that Marie is credited with being the first person to use the pasta machine to flatten polymer. She’s been at this a while and she’s teaching in the UK in November.

See what Marie’s been creating on her Etsy shops here and here, on her blog, and of course at the Clay Factory. Her most recent works are on Facebook.

Exhibit catalog lucky winners

Linda Prais
Carolyn A.
Kathy Koontz
Christina Nevin
Ann Schroeder

Finding Klick

With a name like “Klick” it would take time to sniff out this French artist’s identity (and I want to get to my studio) so I’ll leave it to you to share her proper name with us.

Her necklace turned up on FB and caught my eye. Are we color-depleted? It felt like we could use another dose and there it was. Her photo gallery is full of more great color combos.

Klick says she used Dan Cormier’s templates to make the smooth oval shapes. Each bead is a mokume gane painting. Her work pops with energy and I’d love to share non-FB links if you can find them.

Sarah Simpson Connor pointed out that Klick’s name is clearly Caroline Cornic-Isola.

Pattern swapping polymer

Exhale, take a break and let Francoise Haon’s (Arliane) colors wash over you. On this Onéida cuff, her mokume gane is interrupted by stamped panels. Color and textures shift and change.

Francoise has developed her own way of handling mokume gane and in this necklace she crackles some of the surface and swaps circles of pattern while gracefully curving each bead. There’s lots going on! I hope there’s lots going on in your weekend.

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