Our lady of the pandemic

Laurie Mika loves crowns so the corona figures prominently in her new art on PolymerClayDaily.com

California’s Laurie Mika has created a whole body of new mixed media work that she calls During the Pandemic.

Her polymer mosaic shrines are heavily textured, encrusted with found jewels, and stamped with prayers and sayings.

Laurie is a lover of crowns so coronas figure prominently in her shrines which have names like “Our Lady of the Pandemic” and inscriptions like the Latin “Momento Mori” (remember, we will all die).

“This pause in our lives has been one of reflection, self-discovery, re-evaluating what’s important, and finding new ways of coping,” says Laurie.

Read more about her newest creations in her newsletter and on her Etsy site. Has the pandemic affected your art?

Walk a mile in my shrine

Laurie Mika's class of shoe shrine worshippers on PolymerClayDaily.com

Laurie Mika’s home/studio class turned antique wooden shoe lasts into vintage jewelry and polymer-encrusted shrines topped with regal crowns.

What a treasure to tuck on a bookshelf or feature on a coffee table. Important dates and words are stamped into the clay and mysterious photos become focal points. Laurie makes us want to haunt the flea markets and antique stores. Read about them on Instagram and look for a class near you on Laurie’s site.