Strings of polymer

These polymer pieces from Russia’s Victoria Mkhitarian are probably extruded strings. Either way, you’re going to enjoy a trip through her Flickr site to see her earthy colors tinged with an updated ethnic vibe.

In her Polymer with Spices necklace Victoria makes a Natasha bead look like a folk museum piece. Natasha beads are fun but they are rarely put to such good use.

Wednesday extrusions class

Only one more day of my rant about extrusions. There’s so much to pack into one online Craftcast class that I had to enlist the help of friends to give a bunch of techniques a try.

I had no idea that these longtime polymer artists were extruder newbies and it was fun to watch them “get it.” Still time to reserve a good seat (and of course you can download and watch later too).

Blazing new polymer paths

Sandra Trachsel’s works will have you squinting and scratching your head. How is that kind of precision possible?

Sandra (ST-art-clay) explains that she combined an illusion quilt pattern from Caryl Bryer Fallert and Dan Cormier’s matrix cane idea. For her mud cloth bracelet, she credits Donna Kato for the cane ideas and Dan Cormier for the forms.

A trip through Sandra’s recent work shows that while she’s been inspired by great teachers, she’s veering off on her own path which we’ll happily follow.

Polymer snails

This Snails 17″ necklace from Madrid’s Silvia Ortiz de la Torre shows us bright new ways with extruded polymer. We’ll have to guess how the coiled strips reveal their hints of other colors. Are they mounted on a backing or baked as a single unit?

Admire more of Silvia’s works on her blog and in her Etsy shop. Learn easy and time-saving extrusion tricks in my Craftcast class next Wednesday…I’m adding more to wow you.

Have a great weekend!

Polymer grapes

The way these polymer earrings and necklace by Rositsa Mohamed hang makes me think that she lives near vineyards in Bulgaria. They look like bunches of grapes that are full and ripe and ready to pick.

Small bits of canes appliqued on the surfaces add an ethnic flavor to simple colors and patterns. See more of Rositsa’s work on Flickr and Facebook.

Rositsa fooled us with flowers the last time she was featured on PCD.

Polymer and coffee

Over a cup of coffee Slovenia’s Renata happened upon the inspiration for this graphic, eye-popping polymer necklace.

For her birthday Renata had requested a set of the Illy coffee mugs designed by Tobias Rehberger. Once she had the cups she felt compelled to make a companion polymer necklace. More pieces may follow.

You can see what Renata and her friends are teaching in their classes here and follow her on Flickr and on Facebook.

Entry submitted? Check!

Send your entry into IPCA’s 2014 Awards competition. No muss, no fuss…it’s all electronic. What are you waiting for? Click and go.

Listening to polymer

On Facebook Ronna Sarvas Weltman recently let us look over her shoulder as she shaped, sorted and tweaked this polymer bead soup into gloriously funky wearable art. Finding all the steps on Facebook is challenging so here’s my compiled page of the basic pictures.

Ronna added washes of color on beads to highlight some colors and mute others. She gave the necklace a good shake at the end to make sure the focal beads would settle where she predicted they would.

All along she changed the arrangement until she felt the love. She made sure the piece spoke to her. It’s a good lesson in listening and in playing around.

French snapshots

If you’re in the mood for more snapshots, take a look at Dawn-Marie DeLara’s reporting on our summer trip to France. Dawn-Marie is a muralist (she says decorative artist), mixed media and polymer artist from Minnesota.

She posts about Blair and Cynthia, Judy Belcher and Julie Eakes, Ruth Krug and Nona Flores, Anne Beach and Beverlee Stafford and our fearless leader Dayle Doroshow.

Trying new ways of working is easier when you’re in a beautiful setting among friends who cheer your successes and laugh off your missteps. Dawn-Marie chronicled our time together with a light-hearted approach. She brings the same great style to her publication, 365 Being. There’s a free sample online full of great craft, food and project tips.

Polymer pods connect

John and Corliss Rose have been experimenting with shooting less exhibition style photos and aiming for a looser, weirder vibe. You’ll have to click on their Absolum Pod Necklace photo to see this spunky shot.

PCD crops right into what we know you’ll want to scrutinize – the upturned shapes of the pods and the way the lively beads are connected to the tubing.

This California mixed media duo are driven by experimentation and exploration. Absolum Pods are part of their Alice in Wonderland series that started as an exercise in simplicity. You can sample the results on their Flickr site and their Etsy gallery.

Corliss is heading up the IPCA Awards this year – that’s the competition you’re planning to enter October 1, right?

Tuesday’s quiz!

Tune in online tomorrow (August 20) at 1PM EST as CraftyLink’s Wendy Strain quizzes me about my new book. Got a comment? You can ask questions and enter their drawing for a free copy of the book.

The interview will be also be recorded. You must be a member of the free Tuesday Shmoozeday group to watch and chat live. Here’s the sign-up info.

Polymer on the farm

Christine Damm has uploaded a new batch of her distinctive polymer art. These paddle-shaped modern relics dangle provocatively from a curled wire.

Christine lathers on the color, adding and subtracting layers until it suits her. She divulges her coloring process in my new book (yep, it's in the stores).

If you want to catch more of her boho spirit, she'll be teaching at ArtBLISS outside Washington, D.C. in late September. She's also decided to start teaching twice a year at her Vermont farm. Her next small intensive Vermont workshop is scheduled for October.

Picture yourself in her Bonnybrook Farm studio with Battles Brook running nearby and think about fall in New England. What a great vision to start the week. Here she is on Flickr too. Oops, had a broken link...here's Christine's blog.

Polymer jitters

This week's theme seems to center around the jitters! We all get jitters about what lies ahead and sometimes those jitters lead us into new creative territory.

Today you're looking at Wendy Moore's necklace Tsarang Mala #4 that she created for the exhibit she mounts in two weeks at the Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery in Australia. It started with the stripes in Nepali aprons and then Wendy added the horn shapes that she remembered above the doorways on her latest trek in Mustang province. Then flowers appeared. Her story about this evolving creation is fascinating.

Her exhibit is described as, "…inspired by the contrasts of living in the Outback and her frequent travels to Nepal where she works helping women to create jewellery and objects to sell, enabling them to escape lives of poverty, trafficking and abuse."

If you'd like to try some of your own Tibetan style, check out Wendy's project in the new book! Or visit the Samunnat shop on Etsy.

Octopus polymer

Ukraine's Katya Tryfonova shares her new Octopus beads with us. They're brightly stamped and colored polymer sheets rolled into jagged tube beads.

She then strung them into the angular necklace that she wears below.

On Katya's Flickr page you can see how she's taken classes and tried various styles, always giving the pieces a hint of her own voice. With her Octopus beads Katya is stretching her wings.

Taking flight

Your response to Melanie Muir's project yesterday was amazing and your generosity has been heartwarming. Thank you.

Art Jewelry, Bead & Button and BeadStyle magazines have all added 1-year subscription giveaways to the event so your chances keep improving and there's still time. Melanie will draw the winners on August 19.

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