Polymer Clay Daily

When pigs…

What is Alice Stroppel telling us with her flying pigs on PolymerClayDaily.com?

Sometimes it’s clear what message polymer artists want to tell us.

What could Florida’s Alice Stroppel possibly be communicating with her latest edition of flower-covered pigs with wings?

Alice hints that “Serious fun happens when pigs fly.”  There’s no holding Alice back. Her pigs will happily fly whenever she wants them to. There’s a lot we could learn from the spunky, irreverent Alice.

Speaking of unexpected fun, come on over to this week’s StudioMojo where we follow Into the Forest exhibit creators Laura Tabakman, Julie Eakes and Emily Squires Levine. Teaching their polymer methods to incarcerated women was a more joyful experience than they ever anticipated. Come find out why. 

Wackadoodle bunnies

Nicole Johnson's Wackadoodle bunnies hop right out of her shop on PolymerClayDaily.com

New York’s Nichol Johnson (mealymonster) creates Wackadoodle bunnies that have scampered right out of her online store. They’re so cute that they’re hard to catch!

How can you not fall for a purple big-eyed polka-dotted creature that looks quite scared?

Watch them dance on Nichol’s Instagram.

Hop right over to StudioMojo if you want to catch up with this week’s polymer news. There are two more tutorials from Clayathon plus lots of spring creations. It’s the perfect remedy for your spring fever. Join us!

Natasha bugs

Bugs crawl out of Gael Keyes' scrap pile on PolymerClayDaily

New Mexico’s Gael Keyes makes fantastical bugs and beetles with fancy wire legs dressed in polymer and beaded antennae. They’re composed of scrap clay twisted into a Natasha bead pattern to create the bookend pattern on their backs and wings.

Polymer is a family affair with Gael. She’s here at Claython in New Jersey with her mother (Carole Centrella) and sister (Linda O’Brien). Retired from a school principal job, Gael’s online exposure had to be limited. She launched onto Instagram today! Follow her.

 

Dustin’s students’ purse beginnings

Kathleen Dustin students sculpt their purse shapes on PolymerClayDaily

What is so soothing about the golden shapes from students in Kathleen Dustin’s purse class in Georgia? The forms have a round-edged, ponderous, shape that puts me in mind of Henry Moore sculptures.

This “before” shot may make you scurry over to the Creative Journeys Facebook to see the “after” shots here.

The student work gives me “class envy.” You too? It’s almost spring and time to wake up our spirits with a class.

There’s no hiding in polymer


Miranda Farrand mirrors my mood on PolymerClayDaily.com

Funny how what I choose each day reflects my mood. This severed head from Ohio’s Miranda Farrand (MirandasCritters) looks spot on. Damned head cold.

Makes you wonder what’s in Miranda’s head, doesn’t it? She seems normal but strange things fly off her fingers when she picks up a hunk of clay. See more on Facebook.

I was feeling quite smug when my friends suffered through germy maladies this winter. Not so smug now. My cold medicine was 10 years out of date but it did the trick.

You know what’s good when you’re feeling sniffly? Cups of ginger tea, kleenex, and sifting through links on your phone! Tomorrow’s StudioMojo will be full of polymer wonders I sorted out just for you. Gather with us for the results of my deep dive.

Better than hearts

Candid moments in polymer from Maria Saracino on PolymerClayDaily.com

The polymer sculptures from Canada’s Maria Saracino will melt your heart in this week of romance.

This couple is part of a 10″x24″x6″ sculpture on view at Montreal’s Shane Gallery. Through her figurative sculptures, Maria tries to trigger a memory or feeling in the viewer.

Having started her career in illustration, Marie says that it was Norman Rockwell who influences her most as she tries to capture candid moments in time.

Her commissioned works will warm your heart. Follow her on Instagram.

 

 

Lighthearted horror

Nicole Johnson approaches the season with horror on PolymerClayDaily.com

New York’s Nicole Johnson takes a lighthearted approach to horror.

These grimacing big-eyed Christmas trees remind us that there are only eight days until Christmas. And at some point in the last minute frenzy, horror becomes a sensible way to cope.

We made Christmas trees at a young friend’s birthday party this weekend and It would seem that several of the young artists share Nicole’s vision. Their spontaneity tickles me.

See all Nicole’s quirky antics on Facebook and Instagram. 

Swimming in polymer

Donna Greenberg dives into a 10' commission on PolymerClayDaily.com

Imagine making this 10′ x 28″ triptych commission! New Jersey’s Donna Greenberg takes viewers on a deep dive to an ocean floor filled with her fantasy biosystems.

Donna’s studio must have been swimming in undersea pieces and bio parts for months.

Shapes that look strange and foreign on their own, come together in a believable new landscape. Her last step is to adjust the painted surfaces slightly to lead the eye comfortably through the new 10′ wonderland she created. Immerse yourself in the close-ups and in-process shots on Facebook.

Over at StudioMojo, we explore everything polymer from simple to sumptuous. This week we’ll also link you to the best tools of the year. Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, you’ll find something on the list that will tickle your fancy. You’re more than welcome to join our Saturday gathering.

Kindly monsters celebrate the season

Leah Lester's dragons celebrate Halloween on PolymerClayDaily

Apparently, dragons enjoy celebrating Halloween as you can see in this edition of Little Lazies from Seattle’s Leah Lester.

Very benign and cute creatures are what we need this year and Leah’s is a happy story. She started out as a cake decorator but really wanted to create monsters and so she did.

Legions of polymer lazies appear on Instagram and fly off her Etsy shelves. Sometimes that happens when you follow your heart.

Here’s wishing you a Happy Halloween. I’ll be taking time off to write and play for the entire month of November. PCD will be on hiatus but StudioMojo will come out every Saturday. So if you’re needing to check in with your buddies in polymer, come on over for our Saturday confab. See you back here in December!