Utah’s Maryanne Loveless suits up her polymer power women in armor and gives them superpowers (magnets).
She calls them the Hang On girls with their articulated arms and legs.
“Sometimes the best we can do is armor up and hang on,” says Maryanne. These make great reminders to stick on your fridge. They shout, “You can do it!”
Here she is on Etsy.
Spain’s Fabi Perez Ajates (Con Tus Manos) makes stacks of beads and bangles and brooches look like fascinating ceramic sculptures.
The holes and ridges and shapes in her imitative ceramic pieces all have dual purposes.
They can be worn or piled up in endlessly entertaining ways that form totems.
Fabi calls this her Coraline Jewelry since the pieces were inspired by oceanic reefs.
Scroll down Fabi’s blog to see how she plays with her jewelry. (via Sue Ossenberg)
In Thursday’s NYTimes, San Francisco’s Rebecca Ackermann reinforces the joys of polymer in her article called, I Cured My Pandemic Anxiety by Making Tiny Food Out of Clay.
She watched friends extract comfort from cooking and tried that. “It was just another thing I was failing at,” she says. She moved on to tie-dye, yoga, face painting, and more. One day she bought some polymer clay to pass the hours with her daughter.
You know the rest of the story!
“My daughter and I still do clay together when she’s in the mood, but she gets angry if her results don’t look like mine. So I’m working to teach her the word “experiment” and the notion that each time she tries, the trying makes her better. It’s a lesson I’m still learning at the end of every strange, horrible, or hopeful day in quarantine when I sit down with my clay and my little tools and I try again to make one small piece of the world just right.” Rebecca is on Instagram and Twitter.
Thanks to Seth Savarick (still in Chicago, moving to Palm Springs) for pointing PCD to this article. If you’re ready to get more newsy bits in one weekly digest, sign up for Saturday’s StudioMojo.
No, no, no…that’s not me on the cover of the beautiful Polymer Week magazine! That’s the evocative, delicate polymer sculpture of Israel’s Edith Fischer-Katz.
Lucie
S?truncova? did interview me for this issue. I blush at how glamorous she made me look (then I flip through the pages again to make sure it’s me.)
But more to the point, these quarterly magazines are collector’s items because they elevate polymer art to the level of fine art that we have dreamed of. The paper is slick and weighty. The photography is stunning. The quality of the work is breath-taking. The tutorials are first-rate.
I don’t know how Lucie and her crew do it. Snatch up these gems for your collection.
Russia’s Daria Telegina (Balambeshka on IG) is smitten with moths.
Her Facebook and Instagram are filled with these exotic creatures which she refers to as cute things.
Each one is more complex than the last with exquisite details on their polymer wings, cane-slice antennae, and minutely textured bodies.
Don’t you wonder how she became fixated on moths? What do you feel compelled to make and why?
Atlanta’s Lisa Mathews demonstrates the power of polymer with her sculptures that illustrate the black experience. This Fourth of July, Americans are being forced to see the nation’s celebration for independence differently.
In this polymer diorama, Lisa looks at the controversial third stanza of our national them which is being scrutinized for its racial wording. The song wasn’t meant for all Americans when Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics in 1814.
Lisa’s clear portrayals of the black experience help us look at our patriotism in a new light.
At the age of 45, with no advance planning, Lisa threw caution to the wind and pursued a career as an artist. She happened upon an instructional book, How To Make Clay Characters by Maureen Carlson. It was through this book that she discovered what would become her passion as an artist.
Stories of artists’ passion are part of tomorrow’s StudioMojo. We’ll look at how Carissa Nichols turned her lack of vision into a passion for light and giving back. Join us to see how current events impact us all.
New York’s Donna Greenberg creates Hydra, a 3-spout vessel built over glass bottle forms.
Donna bonded the wine bottles together with Apoxie clay and covered them with Ultralight which she sculpted and painted. Watching the process on Facebook is fascinating.
Could you envision a prickly, sculptural multi-headed water monster emerging from your recycle bin?
Don’t go looking for this exquisite dragon from Jon Stuart Anderson. It’s already gone and yes, there are problems with the site but let’s focus on the bigger picture.
We’re coming up on Father’s Day and the site is being handled by Jon’s daughter. Transitions are sometimes difficult. I like the story of father and daughter getting back together, no matter how messy. Let’s just sit with that for a moment.
Jon’s pigs and bowls are available. He is a character. Brilliant but not easy. Jon has wormed his way into our hearts and he has a loyal staff in Bali who can execute the wild ideas in Jon’s head when his health is challenged. You’ll find him on his site, on his daughter’s and on Facebook. Be patient. Happy Fathers Day.
Here’s my interview with Debbie Jackson from last week’s StudioMojo. We often talk about color in polymer but we rarely broach the subject of the black experience. The conversation will be on-going. We’ll settle for easier news items in StudioMojo this week. But don’t get too comfy, we’ve got work to do.
Kentucky’s Leslie Blackford (MoodyWoods) wanted to make clear that she wasn’t planning for the good witch in her new Oz series to look like me. It just happened…and I’m honored.
Leslie’s been offering online classes and everyone who joined in has been delighted at the creatures that fly off their fingers. There’s still time to jump into the Oz group by messaging Leslie.
Don’t we all wish we had a wand right now? Leslie shows you how to find yours. She has a special gift for putting you in touch with your inner Oz character.
Vancouver’s Joan Tayler has a way with birds like this little one she’s calling “Dicky Bird” that’s now a zipper pull. She also makes them into whistles, earrings, necklaces, and more.
Joan is creating a flock of various species for her 100-day challenge. Her drawings and in-process shots on Instagram are captivating. Joan knows her birds.
