Alexis Pier (of Pier and Penina) has also shifted her interest to making polymer clay “objet d’art”.
The small sculptures below and the 4″x10″ tile at the left show her first steps toward larger wall pieces and more sizeable sculptures.
Air-filled closed shapes build on a technique introduced by Pier Voulkos in 1997 with refinements and new style added more recently by Jeff Dever and others.
Note: I’ll try to pry Carol Simmons’ cane reducing secrets out of her before I leave at the end of the week.
Alexis Pier and Penina Meisels (Pier and Penina) stopped by for a visit on Friday. They’ve both moved from California to Santa Fe to continue their polymer clay collaboration.
Their focus has moved from jewelry to sculpture. These two small sculptures are from Penina (look for Alexis’ tomorrow). The hollow form on the right is made of polymer and covered with organza which is painted with Prizmacolor markers and blender pen.
Since their web page hasn’t been updated recently, I’ll add a picture of Penina’s earrings here for your Monday inspiration.
I’m blitzing through my weekend polymer clay reading as I get ready to go on vacation this week (not to worry, I’ll have wifi and I’ll post on the road).
You simply must click through the list of web sites of the finalists in NPCG’s Progress and Possibilities competition. There are some new faces and several familiar names have new work on their sites.
On the PolymerArtArchive, Elise is featuring a couple of Jeff Dever’s recent pieces (here and here as well) that must be seen to be believed. Go mine the riches on these sites while I pack.
Georgia’s Lisa Mathews called it with her polymer clay image of Barack Obama. Her African-American characters exhibit lots of hands-on-hips attitude and style.
“My work is generational, past and present,” she says, “It reflects the tremendous love I have for this culture and the pride I have for the strength and perseverance of its people. I endeavor to use my artistic gift to create sculpted images that capture the spirit and essence of a people who through great trials and tribulation have birthed traditions of family, faith, social contributions and human conscientiousness that are the foundation of our existence.”
This polymer clay covered flash drive speaks to my inner geek. Manila’s Aileen of ClayCreations and her two sisters have carved out a nice niche making custom designed drives as well as whimsical charms, figures, cake toppers and more.
The flash drives created for one couple’s wedding (Karl and Mimi) figure prominently in their wedding video. Watching it was a fun way to kick off the week.
The link came to us from Ruth Ann Husted via gadgenista.com.
Following up on yesterday’s trend report here’s Christi Friesen newest line based on the steampunk aesthetic. (I had to look it up on wikipedia.) I see a promising new polymer clay trend here.
Christi explains steampunk as, “viewing the future from the vantage point of the turn-of-the-century — all gears and hydraulics and brassy screws – very rich and slightly gothic, and quite in keeping with the whole altered art/assemblage movement!”
As science fiction author Bruce Sterling explains, “Steampunk’s key lessons are not about the past. They are about the instability and obsolescence of our own times. A host of objects and services that we see each day all around us are not sustainable. They will surely vanish, just as Gone With the Wind like Scarlett O’Hara’s evil slave-based economy. Once they’re gone, they’ll seem every bit as weird and archaic as top hats, crinolines, magic lanterns, clockwork automatons, absinthe, walking-sticks and paper-scrolled player pianos. We are secretly preparing ourselves for the death of our own tech.” Fascinating concept.
Christi’s book showing all her new work will be out in November and she’ll soon have a steampunk project tutorial on her site. Have a fascinating weekend.
Jana Roberts Benzon has transformed her polymer clay sea sculptures into fall harvest creations. Her organic shapes flow from one environment to the other nicely.
Here are the links that accompany my extrusions article in the December issue of Polymer Cafe. The magazine is full of tips and tricks and things you won’t want to miss.
I waded into a swamp of alligators when I posted about monkeys yesterday. I was unaware that in these heated political times an innocent monkey icon has been appropriated for mean political use. Absolutely no political comment was insinuated. Lighten up…and vote.
I’m still coding furiously behind the scenes and looking for a WordPress expert if anyone has one they can recommend.
I thought my code monkey days were behind me! It seems not. Thank you all for your email condolences and your patience with that big ugly “Server Error” message yesterday. It’s fixed for now.
These polymer clay sock monkey ornaments by Texan Waxela Sananda caught my eye and seemed right for today. She carries an eclectic mix of artwork on her Etsy site and her blog.
Do me a favor
My sweet nomadic daughter has launched a new website. Please go visit and click around on her This Tiny House blog. She’s fascinated with small spaces and, as a web consultant, can take her office on the road and work from anywhere.
She’s lived in a small room on a commune in Virginia, a miniscule NYC apartment, a houseboat in Sausalito, and more. It’s quite the life and I’d like to help her get her latest venture started with a burst of traffic. She’s got an eye, a way with words and a fascinating view of the world. Thanks for your help.
She explains that, “Halloween (and Christmas) seem to bring out the manic in my personality and I can do the work of three ordinary mortals.” On her blog she shows the process for this polymer clay spell book and other spooky party props.
“I used an old, ratty looking book and sculpted directly onto the cover with polymer clay. I embedded a glass eye and some metal findings and the baked the whole thing (watching VERY carefully) for around 20 minutes. I then painted the entire surface with acrylic paints and added spider web and a lovely glass bead tassel. Voila!….creepy spellbook!”
Jenn McGlon of Noodle and Lou Studio takes a lighthearted approach to Halloween. Her polymer clay witches have style and sass without scare. Who could be afraid of witches in polka dot hats?
We last visited her in July. Her signature little house sculptures, Lulettes, have taken on fall colors and themes. I always spend a little time listening to Jenn’s music and leave her site feeling hip and snappy.
