Feeling beastlie
If you were one of Leslie Leving’s polymer beastlies, which one would you be?
There are loads to keep you guessing.
Vacation posts from another part of my Internet brain
Beach party polymer
How kind of you to do online research for me while I’m on vacation! Chris Kelsey sent in this link to Florida polymer painter Debortina, Deborah Groover.
Your eyes will flit around like these Beach Party birds, checking out the wealth of patterns and colors pieced together into larger images.
To give you a size idea, the work shown here is 22″ x 32″. The process comes closest to applique.
Deborah explains, “Once my clay is heat set, I cut apart sheets and reassemble them into a polymer collage. I then add color and washes, use sgrafitto to remove color then add more color, and on and on until I am satisfied. The backgrounds are not clay (except for the small ones). I use layers of ink pens and paints to create the texture.” Experience the whole shebang on Flickr.
Vacation is lovely! Class begins on Monday and maybe I’ll try polymer painting!
Polymer worlds
France’s Celine Roumagnac specializes in quirky worlds in polymer. From mushroom cottages in the forest to mountain villages captured under glass, she shares her colorful, happy worldviews.
Celine’s Au Pays des Rêves (Dreamland) provides a perfect setting for me as I leave for England and France. I feel a bit like this explorer chosing his path. The hardest part has been to narrow the tools I’m packing to just a few necessities. Sorting has been a good exercise.
I look forward to joining Dayle Doroshow’s group for a week of playing and flea marketing. The area looks luscious on her blog, doesn’t it? I’ll try to stay in touch with you. Enjoy Celine’s world travels on her Flickr site and her shop.
Vacation posts from the archives.
Polymer heartstrings
Fabienne Avranche’s (Terre d’Effa) polymer string bowl struck a chord with us back in 2008 and five years later, readers are still snatching it from the archives.
Now I can post a somewhat larger photo. The bowl’s colorful playfulness appeals to the child in all of us. Five years later we can see Fabienne’s work more easily on her Pinterest site as well as on her original website.
Vacation posts from the archives
Gone fishin’
Leslie Blackford doesn’t think much about photographing her extraordinary small sculptures but I can’t resist snapping pictures of them.
The segmented fish and smiling alligator wiggle and writhe on the cords that run through them. I snagged these recently as Leslie was preparing samples for the Las Vegas Clay Carnival where she’ll be teaching with a great cast of characters in late August.
Leslie grew up in the woods of Kentucky and Tennessee and she has an affinity for snakes and birds and other woodsy creatures. She dresses her versions in costumes and puts them in baffling situations that charm and delight. Here’s a reclining bird, a deer in camoflage, a girl with a bucket of snakes, and a wine glass that might give you pause.
Yesterday’s broken link to the PolymerClayGlobal site has been fixed. Thanks for letting me know.
Intense polymer
Put on your sunglasses to enjoy Dusdee Chotipruk’s small sculptures, hangings and jewelry. This picture of her work area shows how she immerses herself in color.
Thailand’s popular Dichan magazine featured Dusdee in its June issue. “I am a very low profile person but my creations may be loud,” she says.
She mixes crocheted rounds, bright polymer canes and glass beads into an updated ’60s fashion statement.
Micro polymer babies
Camille Allen’s polymer babies are not made of soap or marzipan or chocolate! They’ve been the subject of many internet myths and viral hoaxes. Camille uses her polymer originals to create a less expensive line of resin molded babies. The originals are rare and very pricey and most everything on her site is soldout.
It is extremely difficult to create a lifelike baby in polymer at micro size and Camille does it very well. Here’s an early PCD post about her. We’re expecting another grandchild in July and I gravitate to babies in preparation for our own tiny miracle.
Polymer toppers
What are June brides choosing to top off their wedding cakes this year? There’s incredible variety! Like these polymer kissing fish from Indigotwin (Cortney Rector and Kirsten Arundt). The duo include birds, robots, whales, lobsters, apples and much more in their wedding toppers and favors.
For a more traditional approach, check out Spain’s Noemi Hurtado‘s Flickr page. She copies every ruffle and ringlet for her polymer toppers. Or try Dawn Stubitsch, or Elizabeth Bonura (she did a lifesized one), or Italy’s Mary Tempesta or Sophie Skein’s animals.
Polymer toppers have gotten so popular that you can launch yourself into a weekend’s worth of research by googling the term. I just wanted to put you in the mood for June!
Colorblind polymer
White popped up today so let’s run with it. Barcelona’s Sona Grigoryan disregarded the color in Gaudi’s architecture and concentrated on the famous architect’s shapes that she interpreted into a polymer cuff.
Wendy Malinow took the color out of flowers and bones and applied them as a background on the platform of some summer sandals she’s working on.
Sometimes you can disregard color, focus on form instead and end up somewhere entirely new.
Painting on polymer
Vermont’s Meta Strick combines bits of wood, wire, beads and yarn on her art dolls. Then she dresses them in polymer. Often they carry inspirational messages. There are mixed media shrines, dolls, sculpture, buttons and more under construction here in Virginia. We’re not limited to jewelry.
Meta (rhymes with pita) is also a painter (see more here). An unexpected gift of Genesis heat-set paints prompted her to try painting on polymer this week. Turn this ragged-edged slab of polymer over and you’ll find a portrait that looks like an ancient relic. Painting on polymer could offer you a diversion next time you’re feeling exasperated with jewelry-making.
Here’s a photo of Lindly Haunani’s progress on her cane from yesterday’s post.