France’s Cristalline signed into the guest book with this polymer clay roses necklace. It’s a bountiful botanical piece that combines crystals, wire, seed beeds and polymer into a virtual garden.
It will take a diva to wear this lovely sumptuous piece.
The English translation of her blog isn’t really helpful but the pictures are explanation enough. I particularly enjoyed Cristalline’s tutorials…no English translation necessary. Thanks for getting our week off to a rosey start.
These hot summer days have made me lazy and my polymer clay research has consisted of thumbing through the guestbook and clicking artist links to see who’s showing new work. While these names may be familiar, their new work is not.
Judy Dunn has a whole page of new feathery and soft shapes that she’s calling "Organic Chemistry."
I’m still pondering faces and self-portraits and thought the face pin that Julie Picarello dropped in the guestbook was worth a second look. Simple and bright mokume gane faces. Have a lovely lazy weekend.
Some polymer clay floral morsels for your Monday morning from Barbara Fajardo’s blog. You’ll have to scroll to the bottom of her page to see this New Mexican artist’s newest works. She says she got a bit carried away with the paint.
We’re seeing a nice revival of 3-D designs with surprising textures and delightful twists.
Barbara has also published her "rules to live by" in her polymer clay life. It’s worth reading. Her commercial site is located here.
Another look at Turkish artist Alev Gözonar’s new works can invigorate us this Friday. She takes a bold, self-possessed approach to polymer clay in her art. It’s helpful for those of us who take a smaller, more self conscious view of our craft (myself included) to see this display. Sometimes it takes another culture’s perspective to shake our preconceived notions.
Alev says, "I want to make art that is new and accessible in order to reach a wider public." Have a bold weekend.
Off the Hook
NPCG show coordinator Diane Villano responded to yesterday’s concern about the web publishing of works that might be entered in the Progress and Possibilities show. Says show coordinator Diane, "Previously published means in print format, i.e., magazine, book, etc. Images mounted on web sites are perfectly okay to submit to the exhibit."
Regatta is what Julie Picarello has named this luscious piece that’s among the designs she’s working on for submission to NPCG’s Progress and Possibilities show. The colors really sing and she manages to incorporate her signature watch parts into the necklace.
She’s fleshed out her web site and added a page of works in progress. You’ll want to take a second look.
You have a couple more days to get your entry into the NPCG show. Go online for the paperwork and have another look at the new NPCG site. There’s a terrific article on Robert Dancik by Marcia Laska with an accompanying hollow bead trick.
What I’m really hungry for right now is a touch of spring and I was thrilled when Camille Campos’ name came up again (thanks to Chel Micheline).
Camille (I’ve got her listed as Camille Young) works in a bright clear palette in a most interesting, flat, graphic way in air-dry polymer clay. I’m sure some of the works on her sculpture page are new.
Don’t let the flowers fool you, she also has some dynamite masks, mythical creatures and robots in her repertoire.
You won’t want to miss the last few pictures in her photo album page which show how she assembles some of her jewelry. Think spring!
Christelle van Lingen, born and raised in South Africa and now living in Ohio, has named her newly developed polymer clay technique "ruffle beads" and is working to refine this popular design.
She’s added a few new examples on her site and even combined it with PMC petals and findings.
Christelle found her inspiration in Yuka Salto’s work featured on Polymer Clay Notes. What a lucky find and a terrific adaptation.
A bit of the green for St. Patrick’s Day. Have a lucky weekend.
See more polymer clay work on the updated site from Mary and Lou Ann who will exhibit at the ACC show in St. Paul this month.
Their new work has a more primitive and ethnic feel with carved and stamped clay and a continued reliance on strong metal work. (A sample of their earlier work is shown here at the right.)
They divulge this about their process, "We create our colors primarily through oil pigments and integrate both synthetic and organic materials, such as sugar or sand, to create texture."
Note that Celie Fago has added a blog to her site. In her blog she updates the list of classes being held in her Bethel, Vermont, studio as well as an up-to-date roster of her classes in other venues.
Laura Balombini shows some new lovelies on her site. She credits Tim Burton and Shakespeare among her influences!
Laura is one of those polymer clay artists whose works are often emulated. Donna Kato addressed the issue of unauthorized copying on her blog this weekend.
It’s considered good manners to tip your hat to your muse with a mention in print or a link online. Before you benefit financially from teaching a technique to others, be sure to get approval from its originator. Most artists only want credit for their ideas and innovations.
While there are gray areas in matters of design, it’s best to err on the side of politeness and to make apologies and corrections where necessary. I’ve suffered a red face and offered a mea culpa or two myself.
The polymer clay community has a long history of generosity and sharing. We can help sustain that spirit by minding our manners and acknowledging those who have worked hard to blaze a path ahead of us.
More Canadian teapots! These are from from Gera Scott Chandler’s updated site which sports lots of new work. I like the way that the glass base of these teapots is not completely covered with polymer clay.
Each of Gera’s creations are a celebration of the beauty, color and texture of the natural west coast environment. She’s teaching a 2-day Secretive Woman workshop in April if you’re in the Victoria area.
