Vermont’s Marie Davis takes viewers on a walk through her studio for a Friday treat. Many of her works are large wall pieces created from canes. She’s been working in polymer since 1987 and you can tell that she still delights in the medium.
I’ve taken the liberty of editing one of her studio tours to make it manageable for PCDaily. My edited version is show here at the top of the right column. Visit her YouTube site for the full treatment.
Karly West’s polymer clay sweets, like this toasted marshmallow, have anger management issues. During the day, Karly works as a cake decorator and at night she makes non-edible polymer versions. She suggests that the creatures’ bad attitudes may be the result of her eating too much cookie dough.
It’s easy to see how her techniques with fondant translate readily into clay.
The link came via the Cakery Fakery blog. Don’t you love the name? Who knew that cupfakes had their own genre?
This picture of Mareike Scharmer’s bright polymer finials on a fence in Germany threw me completely off track. The time I should have spent researching and writing other projects was sucked away and replaced with hours of tracking down links, translating captions, joining groups, and laughing at her riotous designs. You’ve been warned.
Mareike is a designer who specializes in rooms and library spaces for children, complete with furniture and murals. Her own house makeover is simply stunning with a Wonderland/Dr. Seuss feel from top to bottom.
There’s a smattering of polymer in Mareike’s projects. I’m betting there will be more. It’s interesting that her favorite Flickr pictures are mostly from other polymer artists (which led me all over the globe). You’re on your own. I’m not responsible.
Wanda Shum is only inspired to create one or two polymer-covered teapots a year. This year’s Space Girls theme was prompted by the Jetson-like shape of the pot. The best view of the rest of her line of jewelry and accessories is found on her Facebook page (it’s public).
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If you click on these images, you’ll see the smooth, flawless finish on Wanda’s intricate collage of canes and textures.
She provides inspiration to rocket us into a new week.
Dan Friedlander’s series of 4″x4″ white polymer tiles is a study of textures. This Colorado artist makes the process sound like a meditation – sculpting the clay with only his hands, firing the tiles in a solar oven, and giving each a poetic title. You can see how he digs deep to come up with his wide range of variations…and titles! Ann Kruglak sent the link along.
Jon Anderson lives and works in Bali. His distinctive animal sculptures, densely covered with rich polymer cane patterns, have for years been found in galleries across the US.
Now Anderson has branched out, covering custom electric guitars with polymer for Hand Guitars. Hear him talk about his 50-pound, 12-foot canes in this video (at the top of the column at right) taken at a trade show in Nashville. The guitars range from $1800 to $6000. Here are more pictures and videos of the new venture.
I’ve returned to the midwest with a head full of ideas and a suitcase full of dirty laundry. I’ll be unpacking both this week.
Maureen Carlson examines her more soulful side in her new collection of polymer totems. She says it’s a relief to sometimes leave her sweet fantasy characters behind and examine other ideas, emotions and cultures.
These modern tribal images are based on her face molds. Further decoration and coloring with alcohol inks and pencils give them distinct identities and stories. She makes the process look loose and fun.
Maureen will be teaching her new totem designs as part of her narrative bead class at the Florida Fandango retreat next May.
Leslie Blackford is breathing a sigh of relief as she finishes her first major batch of orders for galleries. The tagline for her “carnies” series is “Damn everything but the circus.” The theme continues through the sculptures to her imaginative packaging.
Pendant cords travel up through the top of her boxes through a slit that holds each pendant in place. Stacked together they form an impromptu fun house display of her sideshow characters. Her catalog is printed as a circus flier.
Leslie’s companion packaging and promotions amplify the impact of her intensely personal and engaging work, an edgy combination of dark and whimsical.
Leslie’s theme is based on an e. e. cummings quote that may resonate with you on a Monday, “…damn everything that is grim, dull, motionless, unrisking, inward turning, damn everything that won’t get into the circle, that won’t enjoy, that won’t throw its heart into the tension, surprise, fear and delight of the circus, the round world, the full existence.“
Nicole Johnson’s polymer Mealy Monsters finish our mostly non-jewelry week in style, monster style.
Her monsters have pets and sweetly flawed personalities that help you get past their horns, fangs and bulging eyes.
Leslie Levings’ Beastlies have that same sort of friendly monster appeal with their cute spots of color and tiny teeth. Check out pictures of her sales table at the recent Comic Con.
Friendly monsters are all the rage in August but beware, the Halloween fanatics are mixing batches of orange and black polymer for darker, scarier creations. Thanks for playing along and have a monstrously fun weekend.
This four-foot polymer mosaic for our home’s new front porch was icing on this summer’s cake. The shape of our house had come to resemble a bowling alley after several long additions. It needed some details to restore its curb appeal.
Architect/polymer artist Maggie Maggio helped us with the porch design which I envisioned in Photoshop and my husband made into reality. He was happy to add more square footage to his man cave in the bargain. You can follow the porch progress here.
My mosaic (polymer glazed with colored liquid polymer) balances out the offset front door. The drawer of rubber stamps and molds that I’ve collected were finally put to good use. I was surprised at how the variety of stamps could make a cohesive aesthetic.
Even though I created some of the stamps myself, I’ll always look at this piece and express gratitude to Laurie Mika for inspiration and to Barbara McGuire, Wendy Malinow, Victoria James and Helen Breil for favorite images.
Long ago Richard Bassett brought his stash of metal stampings to a Shrinemont retreat and we scurried to make molds. All those collected bits and bobs found a home in a colorful and sentimental piece.
Now it looks like the old front door needs a similar embellishment! My husband cut out a masonite base so it’s back to the studio to make more tiles. To be continued.
