Sharon Sahl, formerly of Ohio and now from Washington, has added her 2007 line of polymer clay ornaments to her web site enabling her Ohio collectors to get their annual fix of her charming and precise works.
Sharon’s added a couple of interesting demos. If you scroll down her demo page you’ll see an example of her process for a cathedral windows quilt and witness Sharon’s legendary attention to detail. Be sure to browse the gingerbread houses section.
A couple of mind-expanding miniatures in polymer clay may start you thinking smaller this week.
On the left, New York’s Peter Luber puts polymer clay dioramas in vacuum tubes. A painter, modeller and writer, Luber says that the vacuum tubes encapsulate moments that matter to him.
Singapore’s Garie Sim has been working in micro-size art since the early 80s. He’s also become a supplier (check out his experiments), a teacher, and a therapist, using the clay to help people with learning disabilities.
If you don’t have any big ideas for your week, perhaps these small ones sent in by Lindly Haunani and Barbara Reider will help.
The first thing you have to know about these polymer clay "Wiiremote" earrings is that they’re replicas of a very popular video game controller. They are made by Thiakosia and sold on Etsy. These clever copies are a hit, appearing on every geek and gadget site on the internet…they’re geektastic.
The second thing you need to know about this post is that it was sent to me by my artist/geek son. Now isn’t that just too sweet? Of course, I’m going to feature it.
One more oddity for your Friday amusement is Dawn Schiller’s Seidh (pronounced "seed"). According to her, Seidh take up residence in empty pods on the forest floor.
Fantasy characters usually scare me but Schiller’s make me smile. Her website is populated with all sorts of happy/creepy creatures perfect for your fall weekend viewing.
When Texas artist Elizabeth Bonura couldn’t find a suitable sculpture for the top of her wedding cake, she created one for herself out of polymer clay and then started a business making them for others. She has been sculpting since 1994.
A recent project – life size and with a two-week deadline – had her struggling. "I was having trouble capturing a likeness of the bride so I contacted the members of the Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy and the members of the Professional Doll Makers Art Guild for help," says Elizabeth. She documented her progress on her Flickr site. "I could not have finished this project without these wonderful art communities!" she says. That’s synergy.
Speaking of Synergy! The online registration for next February’s conference opens next Monday. Check your calendar. Early birds are offered some tasty worms.
Here are two examples of a branch of polymer art that we sometimes overlook – religious art. The Lord Shiva sculpture is by Spanish polymer clay artist, Maria Saiz, on Craftster and Flickr which was sent in by Lea Hernandez.
Iowa’s Patricia Kimle has published a second web site, PreciousText, for her new line of fine art jewelry that is a source of encouragement and a reminder of faith.
Made from a combination of polymer clay and precious metal clay, her verses and sayings are the newest facet of her career that includes 15 years creating and writing about polymer clay.
Washington’s Jessica Acosta pushes the idea of the polymer clay doll by combining figurative forms with unusual elements such as landscapes and building architecture. "Simple emotions and the small pleasures taken from life, such as sitting in the sun, or the feel of sand on bare feet are the inspiration for my dolls," she says.
I ran across Jessica as I was poring over the list of Art and Soul classes this October in Portland. Their roster of artists and classes is very tempting. Jessica teaches "Layered Dolls" and "Time Busted."
Her site contains a veritable who’s who of polymer clay doll links.
I’m doing laundry, mixing clay, packing my techno-gear and filling my I-pod for vacation so it’ll be total silliness for Friday. I’ll report from the road next week.
Thinking Big?
This Play-Doh bunny in NYC is rumored to be part of a new Sony Bravia ad. View the "Balls" and "Paint" ads if you haven’t seen them. The new campaign is all very hush-hush.
Freebies
Send a 2" square polymer clay tile to The Satin Cord folks in Florida and you’ll get a free satin cord necklace or a length of cord. They’ve moved and want to embellish a 30" round table in their store. There are other prizes too. Here are the details.
Have a big fun weekend.
North Carolina’s Bobby Wells incorporates themes based on her own spiritual and meditative practices into her polymer clay altar pieces and jewelry.
She mixes gold leaf and semi precious stones into works that reflect the beauty of her Appalachian Mountain surroundings. The setting for her long studio career sounds idyllic and we can thank Nadja Fuenfsinn (from Switzerland) for sending us the link.
Utah’s Kim Detmers’ creepy crawly polymer clay artforms were a huge hit at the New England Pest Management Association’s winter training seminar and sold out within the first 15 minutes of the conference.
Now her creations can be found not only on on the pest control group’s web store but also on her Etsy site. Last year Detmers sold 650 bugs locally and at Utah Artists Hands Show and the Tubac, AZ Center. I’m particularly fond of the card holder above that she made for a local beekeeper.
Claudia Zafran-Rona (Kim’s fan and student) sent us to Etsy to check out Detmers’ other works like this new line of her art nouveau pins.
I hooked the computer up to the tivo/tv this weekend and spent lots of time on wiring and software and having computer fun with my son….which left me no time for the slideshow this week. Please keep signing the guestbook, the slideshow will be back.
Fran Abrams’ small-scale three-dimensional polymer clay works are on exhibit through August 19 at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center in Federick, MD. Many of her pieces are sculptural and are presented in deep shadow box frames. Viewers often think that they are seeing fabric. The piece at the left is called "Stay Warm."
"I find polymer clay fascinating because I can work with color, form and texture at the same time," says Abrams.
Mary Sumner sent the link along after her aunt saw the exhibit and remarked on the pieces. There’s not much on Abrams on the web and we’d love to see more of her work if you’ve got a source.
