Donna Kato posted these New Mission pieces yesterday to great acclaim on her Facebook page. One comment called them “…stunning and vaguely mystical.”
Donna admits that these designs were based on 10-year-old prototypes that she’d forgotten about until someone saw them in the background of a photo and inquired. Now she’s wondering what else she forgot about that she can resurrect! It’s always fun to see what Donna’s up to here and here.
Melanie West has revived her appetite for beads. She’s added a hole and modified the shapes of her squid, cicada and cephalopods that usually become bangles.
The new creations retain her unmistakeable undersea aesthetic.
Explaining her “two steps back” approach, Melanine says, “I have found that sometimes going back to a form that comes easy (i.e., simple round balls with holes in them) helps coax out a sleeping muse.”
And speaking of muses, we’ll post the winner of the “Creative Sparks” giveaway here this afternoon.
It may not look like much but these polymer pebbles (mine) and lichen focal bead (Lindly’s) represent a stretch for both of us and a leap into new territory. Our team experiments may or may not work but we trust each other and egg each other on.
Judy Belcher and Tammy Honaman engineered this week at a sumptuous off-season Outer Banks, North Carolina beach rental as a way to force artists who were comfortable with each other into a situation where they would play and push and tolerate some discomfort.
At the end of the project, after the discards and false starts, some new directions will emerge from the collaborations. They’re hoping that you will be interested in reading their upcoming book about what happens during processes like this.
It’s cold and gray outside but we’re warm and colorful. Here’s a toast to you readers from the group at dinner tonight. Thanks for following along. We’ll see what happens.
After yesterday’s perfectly patterned polymer eggs and and symmetrical canes, Doreen Willey’s penchant for grunge beads feels delightful. Wednesday yin, Thursday yang.
California’s Doreen says, “It’s beginning to look like the grungier I can make my beads, the better I like them. Seems like I’m trying to make a mess.”
I so sympathize with her sentiments but I also know how tricky the fine line between grunge and garbage is. Doreen does good grunge. See it all on her Flickr site.
I’m still finding bugs in the code as well as gems like this series of polymer insects from Franscoise Guitton.
Her creatures are wonderfully complex and dressed in colorful French finery. Two other framed collections of fashions and chocolates/cocktails give cohesion to her work and her vision.
Every evening I upload a revised version of the featured artists links page. Thanks for your help with the corrections.
Mary Filapek and Lou Ann Townsend had fallen off my radar and their polymer and silver work continues to evolve. They explain that, “Chemistry, cellular structure, DNA, spirituality, the nature of reality and our planetary travels provide the primary inspiration for color, form and texture.”
We first featured them in 2006 and it’s time to take another look.
Lots of the featured artist links are out of date and a few accidentally dropped off the list. Thanks for helping me untangle this corner of the web. I’ll be updating the file every evening.
Mai McKemy’s polymer accessories keep her true to her Woodland Belle name. She makes tiny succulents, terrariums and branches that become rings, pendants and hair pins.
She mixes sophistication with a rustic aesthetic that has fashion appeal. Her work has appeared in Real Simple, Teen Vogue and Glamour Weddings magazines.
Read more about Mai in an interview at this link and see her galleries at Etsy and BigCartel. Thanks to Susan Lomuto (DailyArtMuse) for the link.
Are polymer ruffles too formal for a Monday? This new variation is from Ohio’s Cristelle Van Lingen who has twisted her earlier version of petals into a frilly bracelet.
Thin circles of polymer in muted and graduated colors have been folded in half and teased into wavy layers that nestle against each other. Amazing how a simple pinch or fold can turn polymer into a new organic shape. It’s a good thing to remember as we start the week.
It’s October and you can predict a month of polymer skulls, candy corn and pumpkin art. We’ll start with this new skull and bones necklace by Wendy Malinow. She’s loaded up her Etsy site with dark and quirky works that are on the cutting edge (including this poison cameo bracelet).
Wendy’s ability to stay edgy netted her first place in the 2010 Saul Bell Award competition in the metal clay category competition. It was her fourth year as a winner! The competition challenges jewelry designers to push the boundaries of creativity to come up with innovative pieces. Here’s her winning Song and Eggs necklace that includes metal clay, gemstones and polymer.
Finland’s Pörrö Sahlberg and Petteri Leppikallio collaborated on this 13″ polymer and wood cabinet that appears in the latest Lark book, 500 Cabinets. Their Trilobite Cabin is made of polymer, dye, sand and larch (wood).
I’m not sure if other polymer artists appear in the book but I’m happy to see this little gem make it. No polymer appeared in the 500 Plastic Jewelry book. How did that happen?
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