Polymer Clay Daily

Polymer on the farm

Damm on PCDaily

Christine Damm has uploaded a new batch of her distinctive polymer art. These paddle-shaped modern relics dangle provocatively from a curled wire.

Christine lathers on the color, adding and subtracting layers until it suits her. She divulges her coloring process in my new book (yep, it's in the stores).

If you want to catch more of her boho spirit, she'll be teaching at ArtBLISS outside Washington, D.C. in late September. She's also decided to start teaching twice a year at her Vermont farm. Her next small intensive Vermont workshop is scheduled for October.

Picture yourself in her Bonnybrook Farm studio with Battles Brook running nearby and think about fall in New England. What a great vision to start the week. Here she is on Flickr too. Oops, had a broken link...here's Christine's blog.

Deep textures

O'Dell on PCDaily

These beads are from Mari O’Dell’s Deep Textures workshop that she holds in her treehouse in Annapolis, Maryland. She has a distinctive way with textures. Mari’s a whiz with extrusions and she has a real love of Asian designs.

While you can find some small pictures and lots of descriptions on her website, the place to find her most recent work is on Facebook. Look in on her classes, check out her latest extrusion patterns and see samples of her cake decorating there. Be sure to check out how Mari adds buttons to flipflop sandals to improve their fashion statement.

Polymer language

Katie Way on PCDaily

Alaska’s Katie Way made this 12″x12″ polymer and reclaimed wood piece for the silent auction at her son’s Spanish immersion school.

Katie’s been in high gear with circles and reclaimed wood lately and if you’re a circle lover, you’ll need some time to flip through Flickr to see how she works. Katie’s messy work table looks downright tidy to most of us. That woman knows how to use cutters to full advantage as texture tools! Here she is on Facebook.

Her torn edges, judiciously placed color and big energetic doodles highlighted with a wash of dark paint speak a language all their own.

Lazercut polymer

Benzon on PCDaily

Fakir (Bed of Nails) and Finn from Jana Roberts Benzon may tax your Monday brain. Huh? How’d she do that?

Benzon on PCDaily

Jana’s been improvising on her lazercut technique and has taken her 3D textures to a whole new level. Keep your eyes peeled for her classes on this (I couldn’t find them and let me know when you do). Here she is on Facebook.

Namaste

The Orkney Springs 2012 group sent a heartfelt “Namaste” to the ladies of Samunnat. Last spring the Virginia retreat raised a generous donation which enabled the Nepali ladies to grow the project.

Before Samunnat, the women had to stay in abusive situations because their parents couldn’t afford to allow them to return to their homes and living alone wasn’t financially possible. Recently several women offered a “day-in-the-life” glimpse of their typical day (once they were removed from harm) which generally includes early rising for farming and cleaning chores before their work at the rented Samunnat office.

You raised over $1000 on Friday and Ron Lehocky is matching each dollar. That is fabulous! CLICK NOW to connect with other artists who are helping Samunnat take the next step and build their work facility. Your donation begins a small miracle that enriches lives.

Emerging polymer

Melanie West is on a roll too! She’s added two vessels along with three new textured necklaces in a series she’s calling Beautiful Uglies.  Note the clever use of small rubber O-rings as spacer beads.

Melanie moves between heavy texturing on her new beads to a cane-slice encrusted 6″ tall vessel in her signature style. She’s calling this vase NudiFlounder.

If she tires of one style, she can move to the other. Smart! Melanie was working toward these new series when we played together in the spring. What a gift to see them emerge.

Polymer power

Michigan’s Adriana Allen created what she calls her Flower Doodle earrings using her stamp pressed deeply into polymer. Several colors of paint are washed into the crevices and hollows to create what you’d swear was aged copper.

Adriana has had arthritis since childhood and says, “I never gave into it. I decided to ignore it, which has not been easy since it had paralyzed me at one point in my life and now it is close to claiming my hands. Every piece I create reminds me of this fact, but the disease cannot stop me from doing what I love.”

She doesn’t like to talk about herself but will in this case because, “…I consider it a proof of the strength of mind over body, and the power of creation over everything else.” Adriana tells more of her story in this month’s Polymer Arts Magazine. She sells on Etsy. She’s also on Facebook.

More buttons

These button-like polymer pendants from Tel Aviv’s Hila Bushari were inspired by a glass artist. Multi-layered, multi-colored, multi-textured designs make for a sumptuous effect. And here’s Hila’s Etsy shop. Would some of her candle holders look good on your holiday table?

You may be waiting for a report on my Las Vegas experience but it’s taking me a while to digest all that I learned. This quiet midwestern girl is easily overwhelmed by the glitz and glamor of sin city. I didn’t lose a nickel in the slot machines but I managed to drop a significant sum in the Clay Carnival store. Polymer is a much safer bet for me.

Ornamental polymer

Slovenia’s Klavdija Kurent gets a head start on holiday ornaments with this domed and pierced layered polymer creation. Hitting the highlights with metallic paste gives it a rich, old world warmth.

Klavkija’s strong designs (and her articles in Unikat magazine) have brought her quite a following as you can see on her Facebook page.

This textured, monochromatic necklace, Klavdija claims, is from leftovers. Isn’t that the way? The leftovers often turn into your favorite pieces.

Summer polymer report

Genevieve Williamson’s latest blog posts read like a charming and fun-filled “What I did with my summer” report for the start of school. She includes sea glass, shells and rock souvenirs from the beach. Check out her Buoy Necklace inspired by a family vacation.

Williamson deep carving

Genevieve’s muse is calling for more carving, more distressing and she’s itching to get back into the studio. The surfaces on these Fragment Drop earrings on Etsy have gotten smaller and more interesting. It’ll be a busy fall for JibbyandJuna that you can follow here.