Berry Inspired!

Russian artist Oksoon recently created these wonderful polymer clay berries that make me long for the warmer days of spring. As soon as I saw them, I was reminded of one of my favorite Flickr photos and sure enough, that's exactly where her inspiration came from.

Tamara, of Block Party Press, in addition to being a talented polymer clay artist, takes amazing macro photographs like the one of these berries she discovered on a walk last year.

Nature provides us with a bounty of free inspiration. Embrace it!

Talking to the Trees

I'm drowning in a sea of things that need to be done! I may be on the mend but I'm overwhelmed with how far behind I am. It's so bad that I may just have to change my name and start over. I have lots of half-finished blog entries sitting around but I chose this one today because I find the artwork so calming and peaceful.

Tamara of Block Party Press shares several photos of this piece during the creative process and being able to see it in these various stages makes me love it even more. You can't even IMAGINE how wonderful it would look in my studio against the aqua walls. I hear the trees telling me to breathe deeply and begin . . .

Something Fishy's Going on . . .

Tamara, of Block Party Press, is one of my favorite polymer artists. She designs wonderful pieces that have such a fresh, clean style. She recently posted a slideshow that explains a little of her process. Her fantastic designs are available on Etsy if you'd like to see more.

After seeing her fish, I decided to gather some photos together of a few of my favorite aquatic vertebrates made from polymer clay and share them with you. Some of the pictures are a little small but don't blame me!

Here's Leslie Blackford's "Always a Bigger Fish". What a face on this guy!

Jeanette Kandray of Columbus, Ohio started making these beautiful fish when she ended up with an overabundance of flower and leaf canes after taking workshops with Marla Frankenberg and Donna Kato. I have one of these in my collection and I have to say that the picture doesn't really do it justice.

Denise Baldwin has an online photo gallery that's one of my favorite places to visit when I want to look at fun and whimsical art. This fish is actually a rattle and I believe Denise makes some of her sculptures over burned out light bulbs. Her work is divided into several categories and all of it is wonderful. The most recent things showing up appear to be lampworked beads (also very beautiful) so I hope she hasn't decided to move on.

As much as I love fish, I don't think I've ever made one with polymer clay. I'll have to add that to my growing list of things I want to do. At the top? Find a great restaurant when I get to Synergy and have a wonderful salmon dinner with a baked potato and steamed asparagus. It's fuel for creativity!