Start with a smile

Michelle Sansonetti spontaneously creates Monday's cat on PolymerClayDaily.come

Melbourne’s Michelle Sansonetti (Zedembee) can’t predict what polymer creatures will take shape in her fingers.

Here it’s a bemused cat with a bird on its head.

It made me smile and that’s the main criteria for a Monday post. The cat’s stripes are comfortably rumpled and the expression is satisfyingly silly (Felix and Philomena). It’s a good way to start the week.

The fashion of Fall

Christine Pecaut's necklace mimics falling leaves on PolymerClayDaily

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?

Let go and see what happens

Libby Mills lets nature inspire her world of geometry on PolymerClayDaily

Swap anxiety hits everyone! Connecticut’s Libby Mills felt threatened by the requirement that swap items must be “nature-inspired.”

Look at how she invites nature into her geometrically-inspired comfort zone! She stacks irregularly shaped layers into lovely natural forms.

As we pack our supplies for a week of claying, we laugh at ourselves for worrying. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.

In my rush to get everything done before I leave, I popped a fresh video into this week’s StudioMojo which is all set for Saturday delivery. I’ll be traveling so next week’s PCD posts may be sporadic. And StudioMojo will be full of mountain air polymer (whatever that means). Come find out!

Monday wake-up call

Jana Lehmann's action-packed pendant starts the week on PolymerClayDaily.com

Germany’s Jana Lehmann is on a roll. Her newest pieces include extruded strings, dots, stripes, textures, gradations, cutouts, dangles. Oh, and did you notice the closure that’s also a design element?

Jana packs this piece with action for your Monday wake-up call. Feast your eyes on other juicy examples on her Instagram.

Statement earrings

Bettina Welker airs her Patchwork earrings this spring on PolymerClayDaily.com

These arty, carefree collaged earrings from Germany’s Bettina Welker feel playful with their contrast and deep texturing.

Bettina offers a whole collection of these springy Patchwork accessories on Flickr.

I’m having a hard time deciding which spring creations from Clayathon to include in this Saturday’s StudioMojo. There was so much going on and people were so willing to share that I’m having a grand time sorting out the ideas that were blooming all over the workroom. I may have to spread them out over the next two issues so that we can savor them properly. Come on over to discover what’s new. 

Pins with pizzazz

Marion Le Coq arranges graphic squares into brooches with pizzazz on PolymerClayDaily.com

France’s Marion  Le Coq (FancyPuppet) enlivens our week with these graphic collages on Instagram.

She’s been reviving her YouTube channel and taking her work in new directions like this.

Instagram is the best place to get an overview of her work and to get a sense of where she’s headed. Are these textured and painted or silk screened? I’m not sure. We’ll have to follow along and find out.

This week’s snowstorms lengthened my visit with family. I was out of action longer than I anticipated. Not to worry, I’m back and raring to go. 

Colors from another hemisphere

Heidi Helyard brings us warm vibes from down under on PolymerClayDaily.com

Enough with the cold weather already! For those of you in my frigid hemisphere, here’s something different from Australia’s Heidi Helyard. It’s summer there.

Heidi unleashes hot colors, streaking them across this textured bowl. I feel better already.

If you need more warmth and frivolity, go find her on Instagram and shop in her store.

And then if you still need something to keep you snuggly, join us over on StudioMojo. On Saturday morning we dish about what’s happening and dream up new designs while we warm up our clay and wake up our mojos. It’s fun! Come out and play. 

Balancing act


Olga Lednova's balancing act on PolymerClayDaily.com

Maybe this complex piece from Russia’s Olga Lednova appeals because it mirrors the weekend. There’s a lot going on! Houseguests, friends, family, work!

Note the textures, colors, graduations, patterns, layers and a slight shift in size. If we’re very lucky, all the things we balance in our lives come together as well as Olga’s.

See more of Olga’s balancing act on Instagram and Flickr. She’ll be teaching at this year’s Polymer Week.

Mini polymer paintings

Leanne Fergeus creates abstracts in polymer on PolymerClayDaily.com

Melbourne’s Leanne Fergeus makes you believe you’re looking at a painting on a small canvas in her most recent series of polymer and acrylic brooches and pendants.

As her 100 Day project winds down she’s just hitting her stride with a whole series of acrylics.

Go to Instagram to look closely at the rich canvas texture of these mini-paintings. She paints thickly on a larger sheet and cuts the polymer into pieces that she backs with a thick black layer.

A day at the beach

Lyn Tremblay's small triptych takes us to the shore on PolymerClayDaily

Ontario’s Lyn Tremblay completed these small tiles at the recent Morrisburg Polymer Clay Retreat. The colors on the wonderfully textured beach-like triptych are enhanced with pan pastels. See more on Facebook.

Deep conversation with house guests (and maybe that glass of wine) made me forget all about writing a post for Friday!  PCD is a wee bit slow today.

Luckily my meandering assortment of discoveries, links, and ideas for Saturday’s StudioMojo is already composed. Join us for some lovely weekend morsels to savor and explore.