Finding new friends

Two sisters tickle our fancy with their quirky colors and designs on PolymerClayDaily.com

I went out looking for new friends. Not that you’re all not just lovely but who couldn’t use a few more friends?

What I found was a mystery. Two sisters, one from Texas and one from Nebraska, teamed up 12 years ago to exercise some creative muscle under the Crone Art label. They make and market buttons and pendants and earrings and whatever suits their fancy in polymer.

The sisters keep their identities on the down-low but someone out there probably knows this duo.

What words would you use to describe their Instagram? Oddball? Seriously mischevious? Minimalists? Modern?

In this pendant, they stack their round buttons in oval cups to form a pendant on a thick cord. Wearable and whimsical.

Polymer chic

Betsy Baker brings her chic polymer to NYC on PolymerClayDaily.com

Boston’s Betsy Baker makes her Manhattan debut June 8 & 9 at the Craft New York show.

Merely visiting her site makes you feel much more chic and sophisticated. Betsy limits her palette to a monochromatic mix set against grunge textures. Often there’s a hidden bit of silver and gold sparkle that appears like buried treasure.

Betsy branched out from her Boston market to the ACC shows and now she’s taking on New York. Betsy thinks big! If you want to see what that looks like, read her site and Instagram.

Bowl morph

Linda Loew begins with a bowl that becomes a pendant on PolymerClayDaily

What started out as a small bowl by Baltimore’s Linda Loew became a layered, moody pendant.

A photo transfer of a man stares off into the distance from the second layer topped by a multicolored oval frame on top.

Turns out that this bowl wanted to be a pendant.

Just because you’ve made a bowl doesn’t mean it can’t morph into something else. See more on Instagram.

Exuberant colors

Christine Pecaut lets her spring colors dance on PolymerClayDaily.com

France’s Christine Pecaut (Chifonie) works in colors that speak to us on Thursday.

Shimmery teal, navy, and cobalt patterns show up in her exuberant spring line. On the hair barrette, small triangles line up jauntily with one pop of rhinestone bling. The pendant is more flowery with one connecting blue element.

Enjoy Christine’s vision of spring colors on Instagram.

Fiber/polymer flip-flop

Heidi Helyard circles back to textiles with this pendant on PolymerClayDaily.com

This sewn polymer pendant by Sydney’s Heidi Helyard may make you smile.

The juxtaposition of thread and polymer is refreshing. Did she have matching thread on hand or did she build her palette to match the thread? The neat stitches nearly convince us that this is a new sort of textile.

Quilting meets polymer on many fronts but this one is delightfully different. The interview in FindersKeepers about Heidi reveals that her background is in textiles.

She first started incorporating polymer into her textile work. That flip-flopped into incorporating fiber into her polymer clay pieces! Here on Instagram.

Known by our marks

Genevieve Williamson leaves her distinctive mark on PolymerClayDaily.com

In this newest pendant from Pennsylvania’s Genevieve Williamson, she fuses all her carving, scratches, colors and shapes into one beautifully balanced pendant.

Funny, how we become known by our marks. Hers are spare, stony, weathered and worn. And sold!

I counted three polymer artists (Block Party Press, Sun Ah Blair Jewelry, and Genevieve) in last weekend’s Pile of Craft show in Baltimore. Nice to see polymer popping up in the trendy shows!

You can see more of Genevieve’s marks on Instagram.

Sideways stripes

Meike Lucia Friemel lines up bright stripes into a horizontal pendant on PolymerClayDaily

Germany’s Meike Lucia Friemel (Lucia Lucia) was trained as a metalsmith who delights in “…the difference between “slow” metalwork and “fast” clay work and also the contrast when the piece of jewelry is finished.”

These yellow and orange stripes were created for a challenge among friends. The horizontal stripes curl around the cord while the center beads have surprising open backs. It’s as if Lucia was showing her friends a couple of metalsmith tricks in polymer.

Here she is on Flickr and Facebook

Getting into shape

The shape that Vancouver’s Janet Bouey uses for her pendants is a pleasing and popular one.

Janet has synthesized what can be a complicated design to its simplest form with the use of a jump ring on either side on the top edge of the pendant.

It’s simple to construct and can still be elegant to wear. That’s a win-win in my book. Of course, it helps to have compelling veneers for your pendants too!

Spring shapes and colors

Cecilia Leonini blends inks into a spring fantasy of color on PolymerClayDaily

Thinking of spring? This pendant from Italy’s Cecilia Leonini (ImpastArte) says it all – fresh colors, delicate lines, light flowery shapes. Here she is on Instagram.

Cecilia is teaching her Comic and Chopped techniques at an April 13 workshop in Turin sponsored by Staedtler.

Her background is in illustration so drawing smooth blends and fine lines with inks on raw polymer suits her just fine and delights the rest of us.

Harmony through pattern

Now that the Baltimore show is over, one of the ACC Emerging Artists Amy Blair is focusing on filling orders and designing new collections. Here she stacks patterned angular polymer shapes into a jaunty pendant,

Amy has moved from neutrals to brighter colors and intends to go even bigger, bolder and brighter this year.

Her tag line is Harmony Through Pattern. Acquaint yourself with her on Instagram and enjoy her fresh colors as we tiptoe into spring.

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