Houses, homes have appeared frequently in polymer imagery of late. These small brooches from Minnesota’s Chris Baird (BairdPlayWorks) celebrate “Gratitude for home, nature, and curiosity” according to her tag line. This series is all made of small stripes and solids with touches of gold.
Her striped birds on Facebook are charming as well.
We may be missing the parades and parties today but we can enjoy the beauty of home as we celebrate Memorial Day.
Florida’s Deb Groover (@debortinastudio) has loosened her approach to painting with polymer on wood. She cures these quickly formed bright stripes, arranges them on a wood substructure, and finally paints the background.
I didn’t think she could create her large paintings in a more loose, vibrant way but she’s managed to do just that in recent works. They’re more abstract, more geometric.
Whether it’s beaches or birds or just stripes, there’s a lively attitude that permeates her paintings.
Here’s my old video interview with fuzzy audio (the microphone slid down her blouse). Persist through it for an explanation of this former ceramic artist’s unfettered style in polymer.
When Monday chores won’t allow you to work on your clay, following another artist’s process can be very satisfying. That’s why these step-outs from Washington’s Kristi Thorndike-Kent and Jen Young (GoInsideandclay) are enticing.
The straight strips of color overlap slightly for a beautiful bend. The vibrant blend thins out and then stacks up into sporty stripes. Kristi and Jen share how they arrived at these cutouts that are just a few steps away from finished jewelry.
They make it look so easy! See the in-between steps on their Instagram.
Croatia’s Nikolina Otrzan (Orsons World) tempts us with a new downloadable tutorial coming out at the end of the month. On her slim collaged tube pendants, dots join stripes along with distressed solids.
Her tutorials are full of surprising methods, copious photos, and sophisticated designs. This could be an end of the year gift to yourself that will properly launch your skills into 2020.
Here she is on Facebook and Etsy.
This necklace from France’s Christine Pecaut (Chifonie) reminds us that falling leaves will quickly be back in fashion.
Christine’s leaves are a combination of shapes, textures, and stripes bisected by thin spines of twisted clay rolls or sharply cut slivers.
The angles mimic the way leaves fall from the trees and a few random dark beads break up the symmetry. Is it fall in your studio?
Happy birthday USA from Kentucky’s Ron Lehocky on Instagram with an assist from another cane donation from Maine’s Jayne Dwyer.
These hearts were made using Jayne’s donated canes. “She created a subtly shaded stripe pattern that was awesome,” Ron says.
Have a terrific holiday!
Italy’s Allesia Bodini keeps her options open. When confronting the decision of whether her beads should be faceted or striped, she merely says “Yes.”
Are they cut from solid blocks of stripes? Or created as faceted beads and covered with slices of stripes? Is it too early in the week for this brain teaser?
Inquiring minds want to know. Take another look on Facebook.
Germany’s Meike Lucia Friemel (Lucia Lucia) was trained as a metalsmith who delights in “…the difference between “slow” metalwork and “fast” clay work and also the contrast when the piece of jewelry is finished.”
These yellow and orange stripes were created for a challenge among friends. The horizontal stripes curl around the cord while the center beads have surprising open backs. It’s as if Lucia was showing her friends a couple of metalsmith tricks in polymer.
Oklahoma’s Katie Way made stripes in her own distinctive palette using Carol Blackburn’s clever instructions. By cutting slim slices and incrementally jogging their positions, Katie re-assembled her stripes into a veneer that looks like a miniature afghan. It could provide warmth in some dollhouse this winter.
The result is so alluring she probably hates to cut it to make her holiday jewelry line. Go to Katie’s Instagram to see what her veneer becomes.
Over at StudioMojo this weekend, I’m taking a deep breath and revealing the subject of a new book I’m writing. I won’t be alone. There are several other polymer artists who are writing this fall. Join us to read about the bumper crop of books and the trends that have started a buzz.
Expect flowers this week. We’re in bloom and they’re popping up online too!
These earrings from Czech Republic’s Pavla Cepelikova (SaffronAddict) use her subtle stripe tricks from a recent tutorial. (Full disclosure, I bought the tutorial and am hooked.)
Thin slices of striped cane are backed by companion colors which are repeated in the center balls. Springy, trendy, blooming studs to start your week.
