Wisdom and Beauty from Synergy

I actually got to see Kathleen Dustin wearing this amazing work of art while I was in Baltimore. Not only that, but, I got to meet her and take her seminar on earring design. She couldn't have been nicer! When I went downstairs to see a bit of the ACC Show, I was in awe of her booth and seeing so much of her artwork (most of it marked with SOLD signs) in one place was almost overwhelming. Her talent can't be described in words, it needs to be experienced by all the senses simultaneously. She is truly a remarkable lady.

I wanted to share some tidbits of wisdom and a few fascinating facts from the seminar presenters. My first seminar was "Beyond the Blend" with Dan Cormier. I was blown away by the material he presented and amazed at the amount of time and work he put into developing this revolutionary blending method. Here's a bit of trivia he discovered during his research: After 20 passes through the pasta machine, a two-color blend will actually exhibit 1,048,077 different colors. He's promised to unveil a new website very soon so keep your eyes open.

Next was Judy Kuskin's "Silver Bezels" . She did a wonderful job presenting information in a way that those of us with little or no experience in metalworking could understand. Her handout was excellent and so well thought out. She gave me the confidence to attempt this on my own and as soon as I order a few supplies, I'm jumping in. Thanks Judy for this very valuable gift!

I mentioned Kathleen's "Earring Design" seminar above and I have to say that I learned so much from the examples she presented. She spoke from the perspective of a juror who would be evaluating your work and I appreciated her honest and critical feedback. Wisdom from Kathleen: Every aspect of design should have evidence of decision making. There should always be some relationship between the finding and other elements.

I was quite excited about "Polymer Clay Blogging" with Cynthia Tinapple, Susan Lomuto, and Alison Lee. They each offered us their "top 10" tips and they were charming, witty, and wonderful, as always. From Cynthia: Know what you care about. Know your audience, respect your readers. Write simply and often, be authentic. From Susan: Bank your posts. Edit, edit, edit. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. From Alison: Be ready to stay up late. Be ready to give up American Idol. Restart is your friend.

"Dancing to your own MUSEic", presented by Robert Dancik, was a true eye-opener. I've taken a workshop from him before so, I knew he was fabulous but, I got SO MUCH out of his talk and his wonderful handouts. From Robert: Learn to relinquish control. When you're not in charge, it's freeing to you and you can be more creative.

I really admire Dayle Doroshow and I was looking forward to "Creative Sparks". She is the queen of simple creativity exercises designed to lead you down new and exciting paths. From Dayle: Take a universal symbol (such as a heart or a spiral) and see how many ways you can apply it. Her examples were wonderful and it was great fun to interact with all of the people who were sitting around you.

In yesterday's post, I asked for you to comment on the most bizarre thing you've ever used as an inclusion with polymer clay. So far, only one person has actually mentioned what they used and, although I'm sorry about what it did to her hands, I adore her sense of adventure. You have until 8 AM eastern standard time on Friday to share and don't forget, there's a prize involved here, people!

How the Seeds of Synergy Were Sown

Sorry for the delay in posting, it's taken me way too long to get back in the swing of things after last week! By now, I'm sure you've seen and read about many of the wonderful things that occurred in Baltimore. It goes without saying, although I'll say it anyway, that everyone who's a member of the NPCG owes our thanks to the board members and all of the volunteers for the tremendous amount of work that it took to make Synergy a reality. One of the things that I enjoyed most about the conference was listening to Lindly Haunani tell the story about how the NPCG was born. I'm a bit of a history buff and I loved getting the details from someone who was there from the beginning. And maybe, Lindly can be convinced to share the funny and fascinating talk she presented during the Synergy banquet on her blog sometime soon.

And now, if you're up for a long post, I have a story of my own to tell . . .

Sometimes, the stars line up just so and fate steps in and quietly opens the door to new and exciting possibilities. We're rarely aware of this as it's happening, but afterwards, when we think back on certain moments in our life, we realize just how magical they really were. When I arrived in Baltimore last week, I looked across the room and saw Robert Dancik (that's his gorgeous pendant in the photo) and I suddenly realized the actual origins of this conference.

In August 2006, Judy Belcher and myself were asked to teach a workshop for the Columbus Polymer Clay Guild. While we were there, we had dinner with Cynthia Tinapple and Hollie Mion. Hollie, an accomplished metal clay artist, offered to come to West Virginia and give both of us some lessons. When she arrived a few weeks later, she mentioned an exciting workshop that the Columbus Metal Clay Guild was hosting with Robert Dancik the following week. There were only a few spots left and after reading Robert's class description, both Judy and myself, along with our friend Marcia Laska, decided that we really wanted to attend. Marcia, who is Recording Secretary for the NPCG, had, a few days earlier, recruited Judy to run for President in the upcoming elections. We joked about the fact that Judy had volunteered me to serve as election coordinator several years ago and I had recruited Marcia (sorry, Marcia!) who in turn had recruited Judy. In the event that she ever regretted her decision to run, we made it perfectly clear that Judy had no one to blame but herself!

It just so happened that the weekend of Robert's workshop was also the same weekend that the Columbus Polymer Clay Guild was hosting a workshop with Maggie Maggio (her amazing pendant is shown above). Maggie was staying with Cynthia Tinapple and her husband Blair and they kindly invited Robert, Hollie, Judy, Marcia, and myself to dinner at their lovely home. The conversation during dinner eventually led to all of us discussing how to improve the NPCG. The deadline for entering the upcoming elections was less than 24 hours away and somehow, by the time the dishes were cleared away, we were all gathered excitedly around the computer cheering Maggie on as she completed the questionnaire which would allow her to add her name to the ballot for Vice-President. Afterwards, we enjoyed an exciting, impromptu drumming performance by Blair and Robert. It was a pleasant evening spent with wonderful people and, at the time, that's all it seemed to be.

When I saw Robert again in Baltimore, I immediately thought back to that night in September 2006 and I realized how many things had simply fallen into place during that time. Being a believer in serendipity, it's not a stretch for me to acknowledge that the events that brought all of us together that weekend had a "synergy" of their own. None of us realized that the tiny seeds that were being sown around Cynthia's table that night would grow into an event that would revitalize and strengthen the polymer clay community the way that Synergy has. Thank you Judy and Maggie for nourishing those little seeds so wonderfully!

And, my apologies to Cynthia, Susan, and Alison for breaking most, if not all, of the 30 blogging "rules" that I learned during your wonderful seminar with this one single post.

A Special Synergy Offer

Several years ago, I tried the Krafty Lady Art Moulds from Australia and fell in love with them! These are, without a doubt, the best molds that I've ever used with clay. They're flexible, silicone-based molds that need no release agent and can be used with practically any art material you can think of. You can also bake both liquid clay and regular clay in them. I was so impressed with these molds that I've been selling them at workshops and retreats ever since. I'll also have them available at the upcoming Synergy Conference for the NPCG during vendor fair. The above photo is an incredible example of what you can do with these molds. This piece was made by my very talented friend Michelle Zimmerman, who used four different molds to create this amazingly cool piece of art. Michelle is a talented sculptor who is actually responsible for creating one of my favorite molds in the Krafty Lady line, the baroque torso, which now comes in three sizes. She's used the larger size in this piece which is now hanging in my studio.

This piece from Marla Frankenberg is another favorite using the baroque torso. I love the "tattooed lady" effect. And here are a few pendants I've made using the regular torso mold. This mold is available in a set containing both a front and a back but is also sold separately. I used only the front of the mold in these pieces.

There are hundreds of molds available and rather than show up with just a small variety to choose from, I've recently been offering the students in my classes the opportunity to pre-order exactly what they would like. I would like to make that same offer to those of you who are attending Synergy next month. Here's your chance to get the molds you'd like at a cost that's less than retail and with no shipping fees. All you need to do is to go to the website of After Midnight Art Stamps (the U.S. distributor of the molds) and send me the stock number and description of what molds you would like. For example, "AM 123 angel wings". The prices that you see on the site are what I'll be charging for those that send me their order by Tuesday, January 29th. I'll order the molds next week, pay the shipping and handling costs myself, and send you a total via e-mail before the conference. Simply bring a check or cash to the conference and you can pick up your molds from me during the vendor fair. There's no need to pay in advance and this offer is only valid for those who are attending the Synergy conference. For those who don't wish to pre-order, I'll also have a selection of molds available for purchase at the regular retail prices.

I've heard nothing but good things from people who've purchased the molds in the past so if you'd like to comment on them here, feel free to do so.

And, I'd like to say a special thank you to the wonderful members of the Orlando Polymer Clay Guild who attended my workshop this past weekend. This is the second time I've had the opportunity to share a classroom with this group and their kindness, generosity, and talent are simply incredible! I love you all! Their annual retreat, Orlando Clay Fandango (formerly known as Florida in February) is coming up March 13-17 and I believe there are just a few spaces left if you're interested.

An ACRE of opportunity

I couldn't be more impressed with all the exciting things that the NPCG has been putting together during the past few months. I recently talked to Judy Dunn about an incredible opportunity that three members of the NPCG will soon get to take advantage of, the ACRE show. This is a wholesale show held in Las Vegas which just made its very successful debut last year. All of the information you need about the application process and the show can be found on the NPCG site. If you think you're ready to enter the world of wholesale, this is an opportunity you shouldn't miss. You only have until the end of October to apply.

Judy is a wealth of information on wholesale shows and on selling your work. If you're not sure what wholesaling entails, I highly recommend you do a little exploring on her blog. And while you're there, be sure and check out her fabulous artwork, as well. This incredible pear is my absolute favorite thing on her site. The colors and the composition are just calling my name. Beautiful!

The Synergy conference, which is coming up in February 2008, is going to be an amazing event. And, if you plan on registering, there's just a few days left to take advantage of the special deal they're offering until the end of October. I'll be there!