Stalking polymer

Philadelphia’s Emily Squires Levine has moved from bowls to wall art and her Celestial Spring hides six constellations (the red dots) among a grid of openwork polymer panels.

The 16″ x 21″ composition of squares and rectangles is set on pins that project out at varying distances. The shifting sense of the piece is easier to understand from the angle below.

Even better, Emily’s friend and admitted art stalker, Veruschka Stevens, gives us an absolutely fascinating look at Emily in a lovely post on her blog. You get a devoted fan’s view of Emily’s work, her studio, her process.

Be careful, you’ll easily be sucked into Veruschka’s world of color and fashion as well. She set up a serious handmade, custom-designed fashion jewelry business several years ago. Her site quickly grabs you and you’re drawn in by her vivacity.

The two artists share a love of color and a methodical approach to design and construction. Emily earned an MBA and spent 30 years in finance. Bolivian-born Veruschka worked as a software engineer and brings determination and an energetic style to all that she does.

But you’re probably already stalking these two yourself. Find Veruschka on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Flickr. Follow Emily on Facebook, Flickr and her site.

And then slip over to Craftcast to see what Loretta Lam will be teaching this evening.

Namaste

If you’ve followed PCDaily for long, you’ll know that we have a special affection for Nepal and the ladies of the Samunnat project in Birtamod. Wendy Moore is there now, visiting and planning for the future which was surely shaken by Saturday’s earthquake. (She created these polymer sculptures.)

While Birtamod is 250 miles east of Kathmandu, the quake was definitely felt. The building that the polymer community helped fund still stands tall. Open fields around the building give the ladies a place to run to during continuing aftershocks. The country and many, many Nepalis are in great distress.

You’ll feel like you’re there as you follow Wendy’s first-hand accounts of this disaster on their Facebook page and blog. Your comments and thoughts are very meaningful to them. Please like and comment. It’s quite amazing to see how connected we are to our sisters a world away.

The donation button on their blog says Raise the Roof should you wish to help them. You can buy individual polymer beads at KazuriWest, their US distributor.

Because their Etsy shopkeeper (Wendy) is not at home in Australia, their finished jewelry is not available until she returns. For disaster relief, Wendy suggests giving to reputable organizations like the Red Cross. If you want a delightful snapshot of Nepali life, take some time to look through her After the Monsoon blog. Namaste.

Tropical polymer

Melissa Terlizzi’s tropical delights end our week with a hit of color and a touch of whimsey. The tropical business card holder (left) was commissioned. The structure wraps around the cards with a bouquet of flowers and frogs added for a happy effect.

The Feathers and Foliage piece was created for a 3D show at her gallery. Enjoy progress pictures of the scarlet macaws on Flickr and follow her antics in polymer on Facebook.

Have a colorful weekend.

Dishing with polymer

Little dishes are all the rage as polymer artists venture beyond jewelry. Florida’s Sherri Kellberg (BeadazzleMe) shows us her fun footed 3.5″ bowl made using polymer, gold leaf and inks.

Sherri’s been experimenting with larger polymer bowls like this dramatic caned version as well as teapots.

She’s also developed several tutorials that mix polymer with resin to create glowing glassy effects. See her work on Etsy, Flickr, Pinterest, her blog and Facebook.

GPS in polymer

Looking for direction? Western Australia’s Debbie Crothers shows you which way to go with her new Affirmations Totems class on CraftArtEdu. She talks about these meaningful pieces and the techniques she uses in this brief free intro.

Debbie started making totems when she was looking for help with the letting go process as her children grew up and moved on. She guides students through identifying their own issues and affirmations. Then she shows how to create a personalized and symbolic polymer piece that inspires and encourages.

Debbie has come up with cool chalk, pastel and polymer processes as she’s taught and traveled the outback. Visit her on Facebook, her blog and check out all her classes as you head into the week.

Spring scenes in polymer

Ontario’s Karen Pasieka replaced a career in architecture with polymer. Both careers demanded attention to SubtleDetails, her business name since 2007. Bouquets, cake toppers, ornaments and framed sculptures suit her better, she decided.

She most recently began teaching how to create 31/2″ square polymer scenes like the ones above which she mounts in deep 10″ frames. “The potential for themes is endless,” she says and they can be rearranged into endlessly interesting groups. Some scenes like this alphabet, require a larger format.

Karen’s clear palette is fresh air for your Monday morning. Take a look on her blog, Instagram, Etsy and Facebook.

Collaborative clock

It may take you a while to see the clock in this picture. The red dots on the heap of black and white patterns provide the clues.

Carol Blackburn made some of the polymer designs and then taught Tory Hughes. Tory combined her own black and white layers with Carol’s to build this sculpture/clock. “Movement feeds my spirit and nourishes my psyche,” Tory admits.

“It’s a great challenge with Carol’s patterned skins because I respond like everyone else: they are so gorgeous as a sheet of stunningly precise pattern and color that I don’t want to cut them up either! But part of why Carol and I work so well together is that the creative threshold is different for the maker versus the viewer,” Tory explains.

The two collaborators will teach their unique magic tricks on June 26-28 in Santa Fe, NM, as the next step in their Take Two series. This one’s called Take Two, Moving Along. Learn to build stunning patterns (Carol) and turn them into sculptural fabrications (Tory)!

Read more about Tory’s recent experiments with sculpture and motion here. See some of Carol’s precise patterns here and here and on Pinterest.

Who’s got the button

Angelika Arendt’s Purple Swan was at the end of a wild goose chase. You can see how her sculptures were a natural progression from her lush, dense drawings. Angelika’s catalog and collections are fascinating and impressive. This juicy purple polymer ends the week on a bright note.

I hesitate to send you on the same wild goose chase I fell into. But it’s Friday and you have the whole weekend to get lost in wonderful, colorful links so here goes. Scotland’s Buttons by McAnaraks Facebook page was where the road to Angelika began.

Fran Harkes and Steve Cormack make resin buttons and they pull inspiration from textiles, fibers, ceramics, polymer and whatever. Their posts lead you to an eclectic mix of styles and media pulled together by a great eye for pattern and color. I was surprised to find my own art there!

I forced myself to stop looking/linking or I’d never get this post written. McAnaraks’ Pinterest boards continue the fun and they sell their buttons on Etsy and on their site. Enjoy a colorful wild ride this weekend.

Evolving talking heads

A class with Ronna Weltman pushed Seattle’s Sue Ellen Katz to begin making polymer Talking Heads five years ago as a daily creative meditation. (Here’s a PCD post about the beginning of her work.)

The talking heads have evolved into elegant magnetic brooches embroidered with glass beads and semi-precious stones. Sue Ellen has created hundreds of polymer faces in three collections: Ancient Entities, Goddesses and Chinese Zodiac.

Alese, The Light Bearer, is an Ancient Entity painted with alcohol inks and surrounded with seed beads, vintage beads and crystals. She is a 2″ x 4″ magnetic brooch.

When not worn, Sue Ellen’s pieces are richly framed in shadow boxes that she designed. The deep, fabric-lined frames have metal backs that hold the brooches and create a dramatic presentation grouped on a wall.

The effect of these collections (photographed by Douglas S Yaple) is captured on Sue Ellen’s new site (click the Display it/Wear it headings to see the frames). See more on her blog, Facebook and Pinterest.

Feel good Friday polymer

My new polymer alter ego from Erica Sturla may skip around the pages of PCD to dress up the place and brighten some nooks and crannies. (What a fun business expense!)

Today she’s waiting for you on the “How to get noticed” page.

A roof over our heads

Give yourself a feel good moment and take pride in the lives you helped improve as you watch this 3-minute video of progress on the Samunnat Raise the Roof campaign that you funded last year in Nepal.

The Samunnat Etsy shop is back online now that Wendy Moore has returned home to Australia with fresh inventory. Catch up with her and the ladies from Nepal on the blog, in the store and at KazuriWest.com. Thank you for your continuing support.

‹ 1 … 15 16 17 … 43 ›