Uncharted Waters - A Creative Journey

Art on Whidbey

2012-02-17T16:01:00.000-08:00

Whidbey Island is a pretty place that inspires artists who visit or live here. One gathering spot for local artists is The Pacific Northwest Art School, formerly known as the Coupeville Art Center, where I used to work. They held their annual volunteer dinner a couple weeks ago. There were lots of familiar faces, good food, and Artists in Action. One of the Artists in Action was Cartoonist and caricature artist Milt Priggee.

In the course of about two hours he enthusiastically drew about two dozen caricatures. He seemed to capture the essence of the person quickly and with only a few marks. Do you recognize the one below? I am going to use it on my blog and web site.
Check out Milt's web site www.miltpriggee.com. You will have fun wondering through all the cartoons he has posted there from many years of work.

The Move

2012-01-12T22:58:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
You probably wondered what happened to this blog, since nothing has been posted for quite a while. First, I was away at Clay Carnival, and while there, my stepfather died. That let to 6 weeks with my mother on the east coast. Since returning, I've been packing for our move back to Whidbey Island. The movers come tomorrow. Yikes!
We will miss our terrific friends and beautiful San Diego, but you can see it is pretty up there too.
Once we are settled, I'll post some of the work from Clay Carnival.

View from our house

Deception Pass

Deception Pass Bridge

Rosario Beach

Colorful Chair

2011-10-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what this colorful chair is made from? If you guessed balloons you would be right. Doesn't that make you smile? What fun. The chair, seen in the Financial Times weekend magazine, How to Spend It, was created by artist Pini Leibovich and sells for 3,500 English pounds. That is over $5,600 US dollars! I'd love to know if it would bounce up and down when you sit in it.

Sandy Campers

2011-10-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

There were some interesting characters at Sandy Camp this year. Here is a sample of some of my favorite photos of them.

The lovely witch Marni, is modeling the wonderful hat she made herself.

I hate spiders, but the wiry little guys you see crawling on Patti's shirt were much nicer then the real thing. Quite a creative outfit Ms. Patti.

This zombie's intense look just spoke to me. Most of the time, Shelly N. was cracking me up and did a fabulous job making all the zombies on the organizing committee look the part. Thanks for being you Shelly.

Here is Princess Maria getting comfortable front and center, for viewing the movie Young Frankenstein. Everyone said Maria's laughter and joy made the film even more fun for them too.

By far, my favorite photo from Sandy Camp is this one of my fellow zombies, Shelly D, Ellie, and Pat. It makes me laugh every time I look at it. It is now on my bulletin board to keep me smiling. Thanks zombies - you are the best.

Sandy Camp Fun

2011-10-13T13:23:00.000-07:00

After four days at Sandy Camp, the San Diego Polymer Clay Guild's annual retreat, I came away with new ideas, new friends and lots of memories of laughter and camaraderie. That is what it is all about: seventy-five artists and invited guests all working on diverse, and amazing projects.

Two creative and fun loving polymer artists and I got to know a bit better were Kasi Althaus and Yvette Macy. Not only does this dynamic duo make amazing polymer work, they also get my vote for most creative costumes and getting into the Halloween spirit. I wish I had a photo of the extruder twins, but you just have to take my word for it. (Halloween, by the way, was our theme this year)

Check out these cute bugs Yvette made for her friends at work.

Here is a photo of Yvette too. Don't you just love the whiskers and nose?

Thinking ahead to Thanksgiving, Kasi was busy making these cute little turkey pins. They are so sweet, I had to get one for my mom.

Here is a photo of Kasi. She is not a gypsy although she looks like she could tell your fortune. Hey, maybe you could supplement your clay habit with a few readings next year!

Bracelet a la Carte

2011-10-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

I made this bracelet about a year and a half ago in Connie Fox's class. It was fun trying out the possible combinations of metal "bits" and charms to find the right choice for this project.

You can see how to make this bracelet in the Oct/Nov issue of Art Jewelry Magazine. Yep, this is my first published article. I would never, ever, ever attempt creative writing. A "how to" article was much less threatening since it was just an extension of how I broke subject content into steps in the art and photography classes for so many years.

Repurposed Art

2011-09-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

Finding people who are repurposing objects in interesting ways is such fun. David Mach is making some amazing sculptures using repurposed materials. Can you guess what material was used to make this Giant Gorilla?

Believe it or not, the entire Gorilla has been created from coat hangers.

Link Via [The Design Blog]

Check out more amazing sculptures on his website www.davidmach.com. He has also created a series of heads out of match stick heads. - very cool.

Translucent Polymer Beads

2011-09-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

There are so many effects that can be achieved with translucent polymer clay. I have a lot of fun working with it. Here are a couple examples of necklaces I recently made from beads that combined translucent clay, inks and stamps. I generally don't make beaded necklaces because they take so long to make and string. The stringing part is particularly tedious. I started to make some beads and actually liked them, so kept going until the clay ran out. Needless to say, there won't be more of these any time soon, but it was a good exercise in patience and the results are satisfying.

Lemons to lemonaide

2011-08-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

I've been taking metal jewelry classes off and on for two years now. The first pair of earrings I made were nice but boy, were they heavy.(This was back when silver was less then half the price of what it costs now) They are made of sterling silver with copper and brass bits soldered on top. After years of working in polymer clay my design didn't account for the weight of all that metal. If you wore these earrings continuously, your ear lobes would be down to your shoulders. So, I stuck them in a box, (like so many unfinished or unsuccessful projects), and didn't think about them much until recently.
I decided to solder the tops together and make a pendant out of them. With the texture and reticulation, it might not solder well, but the planets must have been aligned correctly because the soldering took hold on the first try.

You can see they are now one piece. I should have photographed them as earrings, but you can kind get the idea.

You can see the patina brings out the texture and provides a bit more contrast. This is much better, and I will actually wear it now.

Here is a view from the back where you can see the small holes where they were once individual earrings. Notice the holes are not centered. Their placement balances the weight so they hang evenly.

Charity Events

2011-08-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a busy day. My mannequin, Rene, needed to be dropped off at the Fashion Show/Lunch for St. Madeleine Sophie's Center at the Sheraton Harbor Drive. They had 800 people for lunch and hopefully raised a lot of money for a very worthy cause.
You can see from these photos Rene was in good company.

This beautifully tailored jacket was made from window screen.

Stopped by the SDPCG Clay Day between chauffeuring Rene, and made a few Bottles of Hope. If you refer back to the 10-20-10 post you can read a bit more about how Bottles of Hope came into being. This photo shows some of the creative bottles that were baked and ready to go to Moores Cancer Center.

Repurposed Computer Art and Fashion

2011-08-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

Steven Rodrig at www.pcbcreations.com creates some great work out of old circuit boards including some great strappy sandles, and even pumps. "Supporting Her Data", made me chuckle. (Gotta love an artist with a sense of humor). Rene, my mannequin, would look great in that, wouldn't she?
Speaking of Rene, she will be making another fashion statement at:

Haute With Heart
Enjoy lunch, a fashion show, and support St Madeleine Sophie's Center.

Saturday, August 20, 2011
10 am - 2 pm
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina
1380 Harbor Island Drive
San Diego, CA 92101

Honorary Chairs - Sally B. Thornton, Jeanne Jones and Don Breitenberg Produced by Leonard Simpson's Fashion ForwardHonoring Sr. Mardel and the Kraemer Endowment Foundation
For 34 years St. Madeleine Sophie's Center has benefited from the Haute with Heart Fashion Show. T.V. personality Leonard G. Simpson will be producing the fundraising fashion show, who introduced the theme,
"Big Dreams, Blue Skies" for this year's show. This show will include a "meet-and-greet" with well-known St. Madeleine Sophie's Center artist, John Agostini, whose artwork, Art Meets Fashion, is featured on all of this year's print materials.
In addition to the fashions that will be displayed at the event, the original founder of St. Madeleine Sophie's Center, Sr. Mary Mardel, will be honored by giving the invocation that day. Sr. Mardel is a Religious of the Sacred Heart and founded the center for children with disabilities in 1966.
The Kraemer Endowment Foundation will also be honored for its fundraising and financial support of SMSC. The Foundation was established in 1992 to ensure the financial future of SMSC.
In addition to the fashion show, vendors, and auctions, the Haute with Heart event will feature opportunity drawing prizes and both music and dance performances from St. Madeleine Sophie's Center's students.
All net proceeds from the event will make a difference in the lives of nearly 400 development developmentally disabled adults within the San Diego region.
For further information call: 619-442-5129 ext. 115
Email: jredondo@stmsc.org

awesome kinetic sculptures

2011-08-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

This video about artist Reuben Margolin's work is well worth watching. You will be amazed by the creative unfolding of ideas. Let me know if you have trouble viewing it. Its my first video post and I'm a bit insecure about it working OK.

Red Dot

2011-07-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

The Spanish Village Art Center, where our studio (34-B) is located, is having an open house this weekend. Art in Bloom is the theme and artists will be painting flowers plein air all over the patio.The Village has suggested we showcase our work that has a flower theme. I love flowers, even grow some at home, but my jewelry is just not about that. So, I made this today instead. It has a red dot on the piece. Think micro rose. OK.

Guild Inchies

2011-07-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

The San Diego Polymer Clay Guild decided on inchies for the current swap. Here are the wonderful results. I was impressed and delighted to see we had 100% of our participants either bring or send in their inchies by the due date. That meant everyone went home with a full count. Well done!

The Orange County Guild had a couple inchie swaps too. Check out the link to one of my favorite blogs: Sometimes Daily, Always Random. http://cassymuronaka.wordpress.com Scroll down to her post for June 29th. Keep scrolling down to see some patriotic inchies made by their guild too.

Inchie Swap

2011-07-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

Our guild, SDPCG, is having another swap. Members that participate make one inch polymer clay squares that they share with the other people that sign up. Below are my inchies. I can't wait to see what everyone else has done. I will share the results here next week.

Hummingbird charm

2011-06-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

This pendant was made with one of my big translucent beads, assorted glass beads and a hummingbird charm made from a little mold I got at Sandy Camp. The big beads are such fun to make, using gold or silver leaf and inks. The pendant was created for a friend who has so many hummingbirds in her yard, it is fun to watch them all fly around. I miss feeding the little ninjas here in San Diego. They fly around Spanish Village, feeding on all the lush flowers we are blessed to have there.

Copper and Polymer Bracelet

2011-06-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

Other then cuffs, I haven't made a bracelet for a long time. Here is my latest effort. I used a polymer clay spiral cane and rolled it to the size of the bezel. That was easy. Getting the clay slices to fit snug inside each bezel took a bit more time. It looks OK, but it doesn't wow me. Sometimes that is how it goes.

Fabric-Free Fashions

2011-05-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

Check out some of the awesome fashions using non traditional materials at the Visions Gallery in Liberty Station. If you click on their web site http://www.quiltvisions.org/ you will see a preview slide show of some of the creative designs. It is a lot of fun to see. I can only imagine what it is like to wear.
Rene, AKA L751 is right around the corner (in the same building) at Sophie's Gallery. Stop by and see her and her friends at the Mannequin Project. http://stmsc.org/programs/sophies-gallery-and-gift-shop

Gaskin Anomaly Detector

2011-05-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

In March, the Balboa Park Online Collaborative launched Balboa Park’s first-ever steampunk design contest. The contest offered steampunk enthusiasts the opportunity to show their creativity by creating a version of the Anomaly Detector used by the characters Pandora and Drake in Giskin Anomaly, Balboa Park’s park-wide cell phone adventure. I didn't win anything, but had fun designing a detector for the contest. To see the winning design, go to http://www.balboapark.org/ and type in Gaskin Anomoly Detector.
In my entry below, there is a sliding door that opens to a secret compartment that holds the actual device.

Here you can see the sliding door where the device fits inside.

Close-up of the hidden detector. It is made of polymer clay, jewelry parts, and computer parts.

Close up of the top of the case composed mostly of computer parts and watch parts.

Mannequin Project

2011-05-02T19:19:00.000-07:00

You are invited to the opening of The Mannequin Project, Friday night at Sophie's Gallery. My mannequin, titled " L751" will be on view until the end of May. Unfortunately, I will be teaching a class during the opening, but if you go, you will have fun. There are lots of things going on regarding Art Meets Fashion so check out the big fashion kick off and other "fringe events" at San Diego Visual Arts Network. http://www.sdvan.org/. (Rene's outfit is part of their web site banner right now too)

Mixed metals

2011-04-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

Wearing earrings is part of getting dressed for many of us. Even if we don't wear much jewelry, we tend to wear earrings. After making so many in polymer clay a shift in thinking is needed when working with metals.
Not only do they need to be lighter in proportion to size but other elements need to make up for the lack of color. My solution, use as many metals as possible. Here, you see silver, copper and brass. And..............if at first it doesn't look right, just keep adding more stuff. That isn't usually a the best strategy, but in this case it somehow worked out, or maybe not.
What do you think?

Mannequin Project continues

2011-04-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

I finished the mannequin project and wanted you to see the progression of ideas and the final form.

In this first photo you can see Rene wearing tights to highlight the metal disks in the skirt. (I was OK with her wearing nothing underneath, but the contrast wasn't enough to make the skirt stand out). Notice on the right side of the photo the tights are lower then on the other side. Actually, her entire left "cheek" is exposed in the back, and I think I now know where the phrase "having a stick up one's butt" comes from. Rene has one embedded in her left cheek that attaches to the glass base on the floor. No way those tights were going up over her butt unless they were cut and somehow reattached. That wasn't gonna work, so they had to come off.

Here you can see the skirt now lined in black felt. Much better.

This gives you an idea of the overall look. The ruffled top is made of floppy disks and the jewelry is mostly computer parts and polymer clay.

The hat is made with recycled tubing, the pantie hose that didn't work out that you saw in the first photo, styrofoam, computer parts, wire and pins. She still need a few accessories. The clip on earrings I made didn't stay on, so I need to figure out something because she needs earrings. A few more arm bands with computer parts, will be added later, but you get the idea. You can see Rene in person during the Art Meets Fashion Event in Liberty Station. Details will follow soon.

Dainty digits

2011-04-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

Here you can see the progression of work on my mannequin, Rene's hands.
Notice the color difference. I thought only the navy, purple and red polymer clay darkened with baking. This really darkened quite a lot. Possibly because I baked it longer due to the thickness of the fingers. Anyway, they fit pretty well and are in the poses she previously held.

The painted view, including a new nail color, alizarin crimson is seen below. If alizarin crimson was a nail polish color, it would never fly. It would need JUICY, SEXY or SENSUAL in the title to sell. Right?

If there was more time, I would have sanded the joints and made them seamless.

But, under the circumstances, covering them up with jewelry was more fun and served the purpose.

Making this jewelry pushed me creatively and made me want to do more.These pieces are made from our old portable hard drive I took apart and a couple other things destined for the trash. The flashy part of the rings are anchored with polymer clay or wire. The only thing not from the computer is the marble I found and embedded into the clay on the left third finger. It is probably good there wasn't a lot of extra time and parts because making these made me want to make more. You should try it. At least try taking an old keyboard or CD player apart. It is fascinating to see the mechanisms and circuit boards inside.

Rene's skirt

2011-03-24T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here is a preview of my mannequin, Rene's skirt. I can't tell you how many little disks I've individually wired together. Anyway, it is finally finished and photos will follow with her wearing it.

No, this isn't Cousin It. Remember him from the Adam's Family? These are Rene's hands. I was told she got bumped around and knocked over in the costume shop where she lived previously. She obviously needs way more then a manicure, so I've been creating new clay fingers for her today. After spending quite a while carefully matching the clay color, the fingers darkened during baking. Doh! I should have taken that into consideration. I may just paint over them since you can see her hands are slightly different colors too.

I'll post the finished digits next time.

The Mannequin Project

2011-03-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in the Mannequin Project coming up in May. Yep, I got a life size female mannequin. Actually, my husband had to go pick it up while I was away for several weeks. We can only guess what our neighbors thought as he brought her into the house.( He says I owe him big time for that.) Our friend Matt, thinks her name is Rene. She has many positive qualities but is missing a few fingers, which I hope to fabricate and attach. She is also sooooooooo very thin, like Barbie. Did I mention she is naked most of the time? The girl has no shame. Check back here for progress on Rene's crazy couture as it evolves, and check out the links below.

Art Meets Fashion - The Mannequin Project

In collaboration with Art Meets Fashion, San Diego County artists were invited to create works of art from mannequin forms. Visit the Galleries of the amazing artists involved in The Mannequin Project. Also, stay tuned for the details of the group show that will be posted here when details are finalized.

Pinkie Ring

2011-03-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

This is the second metal ring I've ever made. It is sterling silver with liver of sulfur to give it contrast.
It was created during Aaron Whilloby's metal jewelry class. Thanks Aaron for all your help and advice during class. Thanks too for taking this shot. I learned a lot about photographing jewelry from watching you photograph these tiny little things.

Polymer clay hearts

2011-03-04T16:21:00.000-08:00

These hearts are some of the results achieved while working with transparent layers of polymer clay. I will be teaching this technique in my surface design class being offered summer semester through continuing education at the West City Campus. In the meantime, I can keep practicing and come up with some more examples.

Stone and driftwood

2011-02-26T11:57:00.000-08:00

I love searching for interesting treasure when we are at the beach. Finding unusual pieces of driftwood to use in jewelry is a real bonus. This necklace is made with polymer clay faux stones and a fun piece of driftwood I drilled.
A big thank you to my friend Deni, who bought the piece for a friend and also took this photo.
Also, I'll be teaching a faux stone workshop in April through San Diego Continuing Education at the West City Campus. You can make some of these lightweight faux stones too. I'll post more about date and time soon.

Metal and polymer clay

2011-02-18T12:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not posting in a while. I was freezing on the east coast for the last month helping my elderly parents who are experiencing all the joys of aging, especially loss of memory and loss of physical ability. I did very little clay work and left the messy workspace just the way you saw it in the last post. That mess triggered a discussion about rearranging the work spaces for my husband and me. When the dust settles, (where did that choice of words come from) or should I say, when I am caught up on a few things, we will move my entire work area to the bedroom. So, an "after" photo will be posted eventually.
Meanwhile, my metal jewelry class ended the day before flying east and I wanted to share a couple of the earrings I made during class. Playing around with a lot of little bits and trying different combinations was fun. Here are a few examples.

Copper and polymer clay

Copper and brass

Start the New Year Fresh

2010-12-30T21:22:00.000-08:00

OK, you skinny people may not relate to this but those of us carrying around a few, (think way too many) pounds, will relate to how hard it is to share a photo of yourself in a bathing suit with just about anyone. Wearing a bathing suit is bad enough, but to be frozen in time in a photo means the truth is there for all to see. Yikes!
This is my studio equivalent. Yes, this photo records the embarrassing work space I really can't "work" in, because of all the junk and unfinished projects that slowly (actually, as quick as a day) reduce the usable surface area to about 6 inches. It is probably just as well that you can't see the piles of stuff under the table too. I bare all here in the hopes that by doing so and committing to a fresh start in 2011, the work area will be transformed and I will be able to get back to creating some jewelry. OK, transformed is a too strong since this isn't a room makeover, but a very small area with limited storage. Tomorrow is devoted to organizing, cleaning up, throwing away and giving away stuff that just isn't all that important to keep. (tough for artists, since every scrap of paper and found object might find its way into a project) Saturday, I hope to post another photo of the organized space. Keep your expectations low, and you will be impressed!

The studio I share in Spanish Village is such a treat where work space is concerned. I spread out on an empty 6 foot table and don't even fill the thing with all the junk I bring to work on. Yep, we're livin' large up there in the Village. No heat, but plenty of room. Counting my blessings as we say goodbye to 2010!

Village Artisans Gallery

2010-12-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

Village Artisans is a lovely gallery located in the picturesque village of Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. The owner, PJ Heyman, carries a beautiful and varied selection of paintings, sculpture, photography and hand crafted items. This year PJ won a Niche Award for being one of the top ten craft retailers in the U.S. Congratulations Village Artisans! I am happy to say they are now carrying some of my pendants and earrings too. Check out their web site at http://www.villageartisansgallery.com/

Holiday Color

2010-12-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not posting for a while. I've been busy making jewelry to sell, getting Christmas gifts ready to mail and doing all the usual stuff we all do. You are probably too busy to read this anyway, but maybe just sitting at the computer a minute is a break for you as it is for me.
Been thinking about reds and experimenting with silver foil. Here are some of the results.

Tweet Tweet

2010-12-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of a couple more bird houses. I like the bright primary colors and some birds do too. On the "Life" series, from the Discovery Channel, they showed a bower bird gathering bits of "bling" and color to decorate his place to attract a mate. Really, this bird is the Candice Olson of the bird world.

I plan to make the next house in soft colors for the understated tweeters out there.

Ohio Bead Swap

2010-11-30T12:18:00.000-08:00

Our guild decided to try a swap with another guild recently. We swapped beads using metallic foils, glitter, or metallic powders with the creative people in the Columbus Ohio guild. Here is a photo of the beads we sent.
Everyone came up with such creative and unique solutions to the challenge. Too cool!
Thanks everyone for participating.

Nobody Here But Us Chickens

2010-11-22T16:13:00.000-08:00

OK, I promise I won't mention pirates after today, really, scouts honor. I just wanted to share the adorable chicken I bought at Sandy Camp. What you say, do chickens have to do with pirates? Good question, and not much of a connection really, except that the only photo I have of Tina Goodrich, the wonderful chicken's creator, is, as you guessed it, a pirate at Sandy Camp! See her holding another one of her creations, Jack Sparrow. Both are much cuter in person, but this wasn't a Vogue photo shoot after all. You can see more of Tina's work by clicking on the link to her blog, KT Did Clay, from the list of blogs on the right. Thanks Tina for all your fun creations. They always make me smile.

This little rooster is now the guardian of my kitchen cupboard. Anyone taking a dish, sees this colorful feathered sentry and hopefully has a little chuckle.

Hey, this guy means business!

Scull & Crossbones

2010-11-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

Have you had your fill of pirate stuff yet? I had to mention my friend Shipwreck" Shelly Neal, who made the awesome cane you see below. The scull & crossbones design runs all the way through the cane, and is sliced like a jelly roll for use in jewelry or other applications. Reducing the cane size without too much distortion is no easy task. Shelly makes it look easy.

You can see by the grid lines that this cane measured at least 3 1/2 inches across before reducing it's size.

Check out the bracelet she made with some of the smaller slices. Well done Shelly!

Beads of Courage & Hearts for Heroes

2010-11-05T06:21:00.000-07:00

A great outreach project we work on at the guild retreat is the Beads of Courage Program. This program is for children undergoing treatment for cancer and other serious illnesses. Children tell their story using colorful beads as meaningful symbols of courage that commemorate milestones they have achieved along their unique treatment path. You can read more about this program on their website: http://www.beadsofcourage.org/. In August they received a Pepsi grant of $25,000. Way to go!
While making these beads is an ongoing project of our guild throughout the year, you can see the ones we made at the retreat below.

Our other outreach project is Hearts for Heroes. Small heats are sent to deployed troops as a reminder that they are loved and appreciated and to thank them for their service to our country. Below, are some of the hearts we made. They have a website too. http://www.hearts4heroes.com/.
Below are some of the hearts we made.

A Halloween Treat

2010-10-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

One of the awesome and imaginative artists at Sandy Camp was Dawn Schiller. Dawn sculpts amazing figures with lots of personality. I love all the details and the expressive and unique nature of each little character. She states on her web site http://www.oddfae.com/

"Among my creations you'll find treefolk and witches, merfolk and wizards...fugitives from fairy tales; Figments of the Imagination, Odd Fae, the slightly-off-center, Autumn Things, the Green Man and Others....all having very little to do with the real world and everything to do with giggles 'n' snickers and Things that go Bump in the Night". Dawn was kind enough to give us a glimpse into her process by giving a workshop on creating tiny face pins. I bought a couple of her pin frames and feel inspired to make some characters of my own one of these days. Famous last words. Anyway, thanks Dawn for giving us a chance to see your process and for giving us these expressive and interesting sculptures.

Here you can see Dawn hard at work on one of her character pins. Kathy Davis, a collaborator on the skull below, is seen in the background looking this direction.

Close up of the character taking shape. He looks quite satisfied with himself. I'm not so sure about the guy hiding behind Dawn's tools in the upper left part of the photo.

Don't you love this wonderful skull collaboratively made by Dawn and Kathy for the Opportunity Drawing?

Hope you have a Happy Halloween.

Bottles of Hope

2010-10-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

The Bottles of Hope Program began in 1999 by Diane Gregoire, a polymer clay artist who had survived breast cancer and a member of the Southern Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild. While sitting for hours during treatments, she noticed all the empty medicine bottles being thrown away and the idea was born.
We take these bottles, all from medications that are non-toxic, such as Heparin or sterile water, clean them, remove the tops and labels, and decorate them with imaginative polymer clay designs. Patients receiving these bottles, and the staff that cares for them, are so touched by the thought behind them that they become cherished tokens of the care of strangers. Some bottles have optional notes inside them with wishes for good health, poems, or inspirational messages.
At Sandy Camp this year, our guild made over 80 bottles for patients at Moores Cancer Center here in San Diego. You can see the creativity that went into each one.

Thanks to all the participants.

Sandy Camp

2010-10-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

Ahoy mateys!
Just came back from several days of fun at Sandy Camp, the San Diego Polymer Clay Guild's annual retreat. We had so many talented artists all together under one tent, creating awesome and diverse works in jewelry, sculpture and an assortment of other things like Bottles of Hope, tiny boxes for treasure, and clay picture frames.
Our theme this year was Pirates. arg! Marie Segal, clay artist extraordinaire, made everyone on the organizing committee these beautiful and intricate heart necklaces. Aren't they awesome? Pirate treasure indeed. Thank you Marie for all the work you put into making these. I love mine and will treasure it as will everyone else on the committee, for sure. Marie's generosity and thoughtfulness didn't stop there. She also made us hoop earrings with the cutest parrot perched on one hoop you can see below. We were quite a crew of bejeweled pirate wenches thanks to you Marie. Check out Marie's blog by clicking on the link: Art From My Heart found on the right.

Here is "Mad Dog Marie" with the cutest little pirate at Sandy Camp.

Northwest road trip

2010-09-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not posting for a couple weeks, but I've been on the road. We needed to check on things at our house in WA and decided to drive. It was almost boarder to boarder and although that meant a long time in the car, we got to see our son, old friends, and outstanding scenery along the way. The west coast is stunningly beautiful and I felt so fortunate to see some gorgeous vistas and terrain as we drove along. Landscapes have found there way into my clay work and you can see by these photos that there is much food for thought.

Light House

Lake Quinault, Olympic National Forest

Rainy weather provided some interesting photos

Ruby Beach

The rain did not deter us from going back to this magical place. Found the huge banana slugs in the forest on the way down to the beach too.

Crater Lake

See the cute little tour guide we had at this lookout? He is at the top edge of the sign.

Copper Cuff #2

2010-08-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

Making these cuffs is fun and challenging. Lining up the mini bolts with all the holes is critical, otherwise adjusting them with a pliers distorts the threads. The brass layer is some screen my friend Patti gave me. Thanks Patti, I love that stuff. The top piece of metal is sewn on with thin wire. Having a drill press would help with this type of project since there is a lot of drilling, but where would we put it. Maybe one in the living room could double as a lamp or something.

Brown & Aqua Cuff

2010-08-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

Don't know why these color combinations keep inspiring my jewelry. I sure make a lot with brown and aqua. Must be the beautiful ocean and sky colors found here and maybe dirt. Or should I say the terra firma? Or earth and air? Who knows how much our surroundings influence us? More than we can say. Anyway, here is the latest.

Faux Stone

2010-08-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

As part of the faux stone venture I've been working on, turquoise had to be included. A lapidary guy, that really knows a lot about rocks, saw the faux stones and said he would know the difference right away. So, now I'll just call them aqua faux stones. They are still lighter then the real thing and I enjoyed the challenge of trying to imitate rock. What do you think?

Faux Jade

2010-07-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

I've been working on creating several faux stones with polymer clay. So far, the jade has been the most satisfactory. I made the beads for this necklace a couple weeks ago and before I had them assembled, a new friend came to the studio, saw the stones, and asked me to make them into a necklace for her. This is the result. Actually it hangs better but I was in a rush to get it ready and took this photo in a hurry. Hope you are enjoying it Coleen.

Copper Cuff with Silver Nugget

2010-07-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at making a copper cuff. Three different solder joints on top of each other and luckily they all held. The surface was textured then treated with liver of sulfur. The inside of the blank was lined with polymer clay since it fits snug to the wrist and green wrists just aren't my thing. Hope the polymer holds tight as the cuff needs to flex a bit each time it is worn. Next time, I will rough up the inside to give the polymer more tooth for adhesion.

Artists & Creativity

2010-07-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered how artists do what they do? What is their inspiration? I've always been fascinated by the creative process and enjoy reading about how other artists have set about bringing ideas to fruition and how they get moving when the ideas aren't flowing. Rice Freeman-Zachery has written a book where she interviews 15 artists about their inspiration, creative process and how they jump start their work if they are temporarily stalled out. Easy reading and validation that other adults have to stop and pick up leaves, trash and "treasure" when they are supposed to be doing other things. Check it out.

For the Birds

2010-07-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

The bird house I made was a lot of fun so I thought I'd try another one. Earth tones and a little more texture complete this little polymer abode.

Bangles

2010-07-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Got into making a few bangles lately. Made a copper cuff too that I'll post later. These bangles were made with scraps from, you guessed it, black & white beads. Will it ever end? They have a metal core and should be durable. I guess there is the possibility of clay breaking off since I didn't glue the clay on or sand the metal first. Time will tell.

These purple ones were fun to make and are made entirely of polymer. I don't know how well they will hold up since they are a bit flexible and have no internal support. If anyone reading this has any experience with solid polymer bangles, let me know.

Have a great 4th of July!

Earthy inspiration

2010-06-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

Finally finished something from a workshop I took with Julie Picarello last year. Yes, last year! You are probably thinking that is a long time and it is, but some times I can't come up with how to finish something and have mentally moved on. This pendant required adding a clay tube in the back to carry the wire.

The workshop was my first from a professional polymer clay jewelry artist and it was fun and informative. Thanks Julie. You are a great teacher

Black and White continued

2010-06-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

After making all the black and white beads for the swap (oh, there are more, but I won't bore you with those), there were leftover canes that I thought might look good as pendants. The first one is bold and geometric as you see below.

This one has a finer, linear design. Different strokes for different folks.

Goldilocks and the three...

2010-06-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

Remember Goldilocks? Yeah, the picky little girl that goes into a strange house and has the nerve to complain about the food. This porridge is too hot and this porridge is too cold. yada yada yada. Well, I had a bit of sympathy for the kid when I tried out a couple ideas for the recent guild bead swap, Black and White Beads.

This one is too big, this one too gray, and this one too busy! Will I ever get anything "just right". NO, but there must be something closer to "just right" then these. Keep going and something will resonate right?

This half and half design was what I decided to make. It looked reasonably straightforward until I dropped a couple on the floor and the itty bitty black beads in the middle popped out. A coat of liquid polymer and hopefully they were good to go. Due to the uneven number of participants in the swap, I ended up making another set of 10 beads like the original bead, (above left), but smaller.

Here are 17 of the 18 total beads. You can see they fell into two general types. Those with flowers or fine intricate designs...

...and these, with more geometric and bold designs. I love 'em all. What a creative guild we have!

Hope you enjoy them too and are inspired to create some for yourself.

Bubbles and more Bubbles

2010-06-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Playing around with circle cutters during Lindly's workshop was a lot of fun. Space bubbles come to mind.

You can see the basic unbaked bubble clay in the photo below. Good composition was the biggest challenge in the final pieces.

Here are some pendants and earrings made with more bubble clay.

Below you can see how I used left overs to personalize a blade keeper.

Lindly Haunani Workshop

2010-05-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

Finally got some of the pieces finished from all the clay I prepared in Lindly's workshop. Lindly, is such a knowledgeable teacher especially in the area of color mixing. I appreciate her generous spirit and easy going nature.

We conditioned and prepared lots of clay.

Here are some of the pendants I finally finished.

For The Birds

2010-05-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make a present for a friend to celebrate her beautiful new home. After visiting her place I had an idea. She has a collection of beautiful bird houses and I decided to make her an addition to the group. I used a wood base and covered it with textured polymer clay sheets and cane slices. It was tedious at first, but lots of fun. If my friend prefers, she can put it in her beautiful garden and maybe some sweet little birds will make it their home.

I might even make one for my little ninjas (what I call the hummingbirds at my house). You could make one too. Just keep in mind that if you intend it for outdoors, you need to put a coat or two of varnish on the outside to protect it from the weather. The colors may fade over time, but that should be minimal.

Recycled Floppy Bracelets

2010-04-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Do you still have some old floppy disks floating around? If you do, you could have some fun making jewelry with the recycled parts. I took apart some floppy disks we finally decided to toss and saved the metal tops and the round disks found in the middle. I wasn't sure how I'd use them, but knew that sometime I would make either jewelry or sculpture with them. Isn't that what a typical pack rat artist would say? Meanwhile I needed to recondition a LOT of old polymer clay for the Lindly Hanani workshop coming to my guild. The recycled scrap clay looked so beautiful, (doesn't it always) that I had to divert from the conditioning task and make a couple bracelets to celebrate Earth Day. Here are the basics.

Taking apart the floppy is easy. The challenge comes when you try to drill holes in each metal disk to attach them together. I would recommend a very small drill bit, 1/16 or finer. You could also put wire through the center hole to the back and string them together that way.

Roll out the clay on the pasta machine at the thickest setting. Cut with a circle cutter about the same size as the disk or a little smaller. You can always flatten it out to fit. Push the clay into the metal disks. Bake. After the disks are cool, remove the clay, and spread some glue on the back side.

Reposition the clay on the metal disk and let dry. Add jump rings to connect the disks together and add a clasp. You can see I used magnets for one, and wire for the other. Have fun!

A Working Studio

2010-04-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

I think of my studio as a vegetable garden, when things follow their natural course, they grow, they ripen. You have to graft. You have to water.
Joan Miro

After a year of feeling like a gypsy selling my wares on the Spanish Village patio, I have moved into Studio 34-B with three talented artists: Danielle Deaton, and Sally Bly, water color painters, and Linda Lepeirs, a photographer. I feel like a real artist now. Funny how having an actual studio outside the little table or desk designated as a home work space makes it legitimate. It declaration to the world that an actual "artist" works here; not just a mom squeezing in a creative project, or a teacher making a demonstration piece to show students. I look forward to being in this great community of artists and hope you will visit if you are in the area.

Studio 34-B is in the middle of the lower photo on the left.
Spanish Village is in beautiful Balboa Park. For more information, check out the link on the right.

Venturing Out

2010-04-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

Uncharted Waters – A Creative Journey; It seemed like the perfect title for this blog. Whenever I do art, it is an adventure. There is no telling where things will go even if I begin with a plan or direction. That might just be my short attention span, but I have finally learned to just go with the current. Mistakes are part of the process. In fact, that old saying about making lemonade out of lemons is true and if you happily embrace those lemons it can really be fun too.

One quote that really resonates with me comes from the wonderful book Art and Fear, by David Bayles and Ted Orland. They say, “The function of the overwhelming majority of your art work is simply to teach you how to make the small fraction of your artwork that soars. Even the failed pieces are essential. You learn how to make your work by making your work.” Wow, that says it all. Keep making art.

Sometimes beginning is a bit scary, like writing this was, (did I mention I hate to write), but with each post I hope to have something to share about my work, (think photos) or techniques I’ve learned (think more photos) or just stuff to amuse you. Let me know what you think and thanks for visiting.