Polymer Clay Daily

Johnson’s holiday monsters

Something about Nicole Johnson’s recent polymer clay MealyMonsters makes sense when it’s cold and snowy and the holiday rush is breathing down your neck. Deviant, dark and humorous looks just right and makes me smile at the madness.

Even Nicole’s ornaments have been taken over by monsters. “You see…monsters have a fondness for shiny and colorful objects so it makes sense that my monsters have begun to claim Christmas ornaments as their own,” she explains.

Visit her blog for ramblings on life with monsters and her Flickr site for more pix. Have a humorous weekend and make peace with your monsters.

Flaky, funky, folksy holiday polymer

Much of the country is in a snowy mood and I drifted to the snow-inspired polymer works of two artists.

Kim Owens (folkartfromtheheart) antiques her folk art/primitive characters (the one at right is Frosty Frightcicle) to give them her signature funky folk look. She’s from California and must have to imagine her snowy scenes.

Janell Berryman (pumpkins-seeds) lives on the Oregon coast where I doubt she’s seeing snowmen like those in her newest collection (pictured at left) either.

Janell has been sculpting and selling her pieces since 1997 and she’s part of a group of like-minded “sweet and spooky” sculptors on the spookytimejingles site. The rich polymer and paperclay links on that site provide a perfect diversion when you need a break from your studio.

Sahl’s winter wonderland polymer

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When Sharon Sahl unveils her polymer clay gingerbread houses, I know the holiday season has begun. Sharon’s attention to detail is phenomenal and her knowledge of Christmas cookies and candies is comprehensive. Every butter cookie and ribbon candy is mouthwateringly accurate and the scenes are magical (so much so that I keep mine on display all year long).

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The houses are decorated with candy and cookies and icing, requiring multiple bakes before the bases are started. Finishing the bases with paths, fences, trees, gingerbread men, snowmen, candy gardens and perhaps a pond or stream is the last step,” she says.

Sharon’s only made ten of these beauties this year. Please buy them quickly so that I can stop obsessing. She’s been making ornaments and sculptures since the 1970s, first in bread dough and in polymer since 1983. Her long-time collectors are happy she’s moved back to Ohio.

Enjoy her winter wonderlands and have a wonderful weekend.

Friesen’s polymer crowd

Each year this 8″x8″ polymer clay wall piece by Christi Friesen pretty much sums up my Thanksgiving. Today you’d have to add more organic vegetables and a spray of Pacific Ocean surf to get the full effect. Our celebration combines a wild mixture of California friends and family for which I am very thankful.

Of course I’m also thankful for you readers from around the globe. Perhaps that’s who Christi had in mind when she created Just a Face in the Crowd! Happy turkey day.

West’s fantasy creatures

More wings! This time they’re on “Angel”ina, the polymer clay fantasy sculpture of Nevada artist Nicole West (wingdthing).

Nicole has an uncanny ability to imbue her creations, from pin ups to pixies, with hyper real features and emotions. It’s easy to see why she was selected this year’s Most Promising Sculptor by her peers on the Deviant Art site.

I’m in the Hollywood vicinity and couldn’t resist the pull of Nicole West’s sexy creatures. Thanks to Andrea Polite for the link.

Toops in progress/Tajvidi’s leaves

You can look behind the scenes at Cynthia Toop’s latest polymer clay work by visiting the Flickr site of her Seattle jeweler/metalwork designer, Chuck Domitrovich.

His descriptions give you a sense of how the two collaborate and design their projects like this Summer Storm brooch which was part of a two-piece series.

Leaves

Raking the last of the colorful leaves in our yard today made me think of this recent delightful polymer/wood branch by Afsaneh Tajvidi (JooJoo). The piece provides a fall landscaping backdrop for her snail series.

Gould’s mini masks

Brita Gould’s collection of miniature polymer clay masks, this one from The Breath Series, seems like a good Tuesday choice with Tropical Ida blowing in the south.

This photo gives you a better idea of the size of her art. The polymer clay is covered with metal leaf, painted and embellished with metal sheeting and wire.

Here’s her Coppertone series.

Brita lives in Portland, Oregon and has been intrigued by masks for years, inspired by native exhibits and celebrations as she grew up in Alaska.

Her small expressive faces gleam as they blow and pucker and laugh. Thanks to Maggie Maggio for the link.

Segal’s small set designs

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Thyrza Segal of Vancouver arrived at polymer clay after ten years in set design and costuming. Now she works on much smaller sets. Her plantscapes combine terrariums, vintage glassware and polymer clay sculptures into miniature organic dioramas.

Thyrza gathers glassware and ceramics from local thrift stores and fills them with succulents, minature tropicals, mosses and air plants. What brings the plantscapes to life are the sculptures – alien figurines and fantasy plants sculpted from polymer clay.

This combination of green-conscious, recycled, fantasy and sculpture is one terrific example of the future of crafts that experts envisioned at the conference I attended last week.

Schiller’s polymer in a nutshell

Dawn Schiller (OddFae) was last featured on PCDaily two years ago. I’d lost track of her site and she’s been busy with her woodland creatures tucked in nutshells, in pocket watches, in seashells and now with needlefelted bodies.

Dawn explains that, “Chrono Seidh can be very helpful in watch repair, as they can repair the tiny works without need for tools.” The other one, called Xmas Stockings, blends Christmas and Halloween as he waits patiently for the holidays.

Dawn is on Flickr and Etsy and other sites. Following links to her and her friends will keep you quite busy. Thanks to Randee Ketzel for pointing me to this artist again.

Note: I finished my walnut bowl with polymer inlay. My husband has to sand and polish it to a sheen before I feel comfortable showing it to you. Maggie Maggio was in town visiting her parents and signing books. She stopped by my house for tea and gave the bowl’s colors an approving nod. Whew!

Creagers’ Punkie Sprites

One last bit of Halloween and polymer clay fine art fantasy for a Friday. Jodi and Richard Creager have been full time professional doll makers for 32 years. This Punkie Sprites sculpture (available on Ebay) gives you a glimpse of their skill and their wit.

On her entertaining blog Jodi tells of her struggle to make realistic pumpkin glop, a painstaking process that had Jodi covered in glue, paint, strings and moss. Nice to know that they’re enjoying their work and sharing a chuckle after all those years in the studio.

The Creagers had a giveaway for their blog followers a few weeks back and winner Lisa (Spritebites) positively gushed at the box of happiness they sent her. It’s a very cool story of generosity and surprise. Have a happy weekend.