Polymer Clay Daily

Polymer shrine 2.0

Germany’s Georg Dinkel has rolled out version 2.0 of his TonSchrein. This shrine measures four feet tall (120 x 45 cm) and houses an Ipad. See several closeup views here.

“The shrine grew up to 120 cm – you, know, the gothic architects and their early skyscrapers! It holds an ipad, LEDs and a sound system,” Georg reports.

He embellished the polymer and wood structure with metal powders, leaf and acrylic stone. Here’s edition 1.0 which PCDaily featured in 2011.

Georg looked at polymer for many years in his job as a photographer for Fimo manufacturer, Staedtler. A couple years ago he started playing with Fimo to build a housing for his daughter’s ipod nano.

Lonely-hearted polymer

You may not be acquainted with Munny, Zukie, Bub, Trikky, Raffy, Rooz and the vinyl character gang but you have to admire what Dave Webb does with them. This Phoenix artist sculpts polymer over the plain DIY vinyl toys. His sculpts are both dark and cute. How does that happen?

It’s unclear whether Dave bakes his creations on the form. The manufacturer recommends sculpting on the form then freezing the piece. According to their instructions, the blank toy is removed from the cold sculpture and the hollow polymer shape is baked. (Let me know if that’s not correct.)

Take a walk on the wild side at his Pinterest and Facebook sites. The link was sent by Annie Pennington who was charmed by the little creatures. Have a wild weekend.

Polymer with legs

When you deconstruct these wonderful yellow bugs by Debbie Jackson, you’ll see how she parlays limited colors and basic cane shapes into delightful insects with quirky personalities and a fashion sense.

Even those who don’t like creepy crawlies will be won over. You can see how she used these canes in other applications on Debbie’s Facebook page.

Taking new directions

Dorothy Siemens has veered  in a new direction with her latest polymer sculptures like this 4-inch by 6-inch Tri-pod and her Scorpion which are much looser and less structured than previous works. Her precise knitting and beadwork make these sculptures a surprise. Polymer invites her to play.

Posting from my iPad is a challenge so I’ll just have you go explore Dorothy’s  lovely work for yourself. You’ll see what I mean.

Festive polymer

This polymer wall piece, Garden of the Hesperides, by Florida’s Jayne Hoffman suited the season and even though there are only small versions online, it felt right to share something Friday festive.

Individually cut strips of polymer clay were accented with inks, glitters and foils, textured and swirled next to each other giving the piece a quilt-like appearance.

Jayne’s also working on some pencil-colored, inked and patinaed pendants found on her Pinterest site.

Polymer phone decorations, bookmarks

Olena from Kiev, Ukraine has filled her entire Etsy shop with polymer bookmarks and cell phone accessories guaranteed to elicit smiles.

PCDaily first spotted the bookmarks with legs last May and the phenomenon has exploded. Look at all Olena’s legs and shoes designed to help keep you on the right page.

Too late to order for this holiday? You can make your own using cell phone jack plugs. Hang a festive bead from your cell phone. Thanks to Genevieve Williamson for the link!

Potted polymer

Toronto’s Afsaneh Tajvidi designs lovely delicate jewelry and sells her jewel-tone watercolors and prints on Etsy. Every once in a while she gets the urge to play with polymer – usually when she’s inspired by her window sill succulent garden or has a request for a cake topper.

Afi rediscovered a stash of tiny flower pots that she had collected and started making a new miniature cactus collection in colors that delight the eye. Is it the gelato colors that make them so mouthwatering?

Here’s her polymer collection on Flickr, her Facebook page, her Etsy site (with a feature on Afi) and her blog.

Moveable polymer

Nova Scotia’s Kate Church has uploaded a stash of recent work that will keep you thinking about sculpture. The posture and expression of each of Kate’s polymer sculptures imparts emotion, drama, action and joy.

Most of them are made to be adjusted, posed and moved. “Each piece is meant to become an artful muse for those who collect them,” she says.

The 21″ tall Betti and Geranium is one of Kate’s current favorites. Look out, her site is full of treasures! Don’t miss the gallery, her blog, her list of classes and even this student’s class pix.

Distilled polymer

Cat of Prague’s Hamlin Designs distills the essence of her subjects into small smooth sculptures. Using only a lump of polymer Cat packs action and personality into simple shapes that convey energy and attitude.

Each piece is around 2″ long and is hand formed, then sanded and buffed. “Often times, when I have a hunk of clay in my hands, I try to hear/feel what it wants to become,” she says.

Janet Hoy sent the link along because she admired the artist’s economy of line. See Cat’s entire menagerie on her Etsy shop.

Simple gifts

As long as we’re talking gifts, we’d better think about the kids. These poseable pieces from Australia’s HollyJayne are so cute and simple (she has a 2-year-old son). Of course Holly’s mastered the devilish details that can make simple spectacular.

Holly shows the pieces and parts on her Facebook page and she sells them on Etsy. See all her creatures on Flickr.

Speaking of simple, don’t you just love these little striped Christmas trees from Ukraine’s Masha Shupova? These are just the thing for that sylish, minimalist friend. Here’s her Etsy gallery.