The things we do for love . . .

This has to be the coolest thing I've ever seen polymer clay used for! Bill Robbins, aka Elmer Presslee, may have a somewhat sick and twisted aesthetic when it comes to his artwork (personally, I enjoy a bit of that) but he also seems to be a great dad who knows what little kids really want. He made this zombie head stroller for his adorable daughter and you've got to check out the photos he took of her riding in it. She must be the luckiest little girl in Utah.

I've been trying to find time to put a blog entry together for almost two weeks but I've been busy with packing and preparation for a workshop. If you're a regular reader, you probably know that the Euro Clay Carnival starts Friday in Nottingham, England. I've been looking forward to my first trip to Europe for months and thrilled, of course, at the opportunity to meet so many of my European online friends. I've been excited about our poker chip swap, too and made sure that I had enough to trade with everyone.

Sadly, although my chips will be there, I won't be able to head across the pond now, at all. Right before my plane was to leave, my son Adam became very ill and after spending the better part of two days in the emergency room, he was diagnosed with kidney stones. He's only 15 and leaving him here while I jetted off to another country was just out of the question for me. To call this the week from hell is definitely an understatement. There's been enough incompetence, misdiagnoses, and complications to send a sane person over the edge. Adam's home now and we're managing his pain, hoping that the stones will pass on their own and that he'll soon be back to normal.

I'm heartbroken to be missing this wonderful opportunity and terribly sorry to disappoint the students (a double class with Donna Kato will more than make up for my absence, I'm sure!) but, I'm where I need to be and doing what I need to do right now. He may be 6' 2" but he's still my baby!

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 . . .

Balancing Act

Ah, vertigo . . . U2 recorded a song about it but to TRULY appreciate the video, it's helpful to watch it while you're actually experiencing the phenomenon yourself. Just be sure and hold on tight. Alfred Hitchcock made a movie about it and if you've ever seen it, you know just what kind of trouble it can lead to.

As if the freakishly bizarre dog-walking accident I experienced last month wasn't bad enough (The dogs are fine. I, on the other hand, almost lost a perfectly good finger.), I've spent the last week or so on the merry-go-round that never stops spinning. This isn't my first bout with vertigo so I know there won't be too much accomplished until it runs its course. I'm making lots of sketches and lots of lists but it still sucks that I can't do the things I'd really like to be doing or the things I actually NEED to be doing.

So, if you've been wondering if I've jumped ship and escaped to a tropical island with my personal pool boy Vladimir . . . no such luck. I applaud your creative imagination though and I believe I'll give some serious consideration to adding that to my list of things to do when I've regained some of this missing equilibrium.

When Pigs Fly

Today is a sad day for millions of George Carlin fans. The comic genius passed away yesterday evening at the age of 71. I adored his off-color, irreverent humor and although I know it was too explicit for some people, I loved the fact that he poked fun at the truth in ways that I sometimes found shocking and pretty twisted. I went to see him perform many years ago and got to hear his "incomplete list of impolite words". I still laugh when I think about him rattling those off. If you've never heard this part of his routine and think you can handle it, click here. I recommend not having children in the room while you're listening to this. It's full of "bad words" so don't watch it if you have delicate sensibilities about that sort of thing.

I guess I have a bit of the twisted thing going on too, especially late at night when I'm surrounded by funny people like Marla Frankenberg. The above photo is our version of a flying pig, aka Heavenly Ham, that we made after a weekend workshop that Marla did here in WV. I keep it hanging in my studio as a reminder that sometimes life is so absurd all you can do is laugh.

Toni Ransfield from New Zealand has a much more elegant take on the flying pig theme. This one is made around a real chicken egg.

We're all familiar with the whole idea of the phrase "when pigs fly" as a comment on an absurd notion but maybe it's become a bit trite and overused. Perhaps, "when pigs dive" may be a more up-to-date choice in today's world.

May your day be filled with much laughter and minuscule amounts of absurdity.

Mystery Man

I know very little about David Revonav (I think that's his last name) other than he's a Washington, DC - based artist who recently started to work with polymer clay. Here's one more thing I know: I adore this ring in his Etsy store and I'm really sad it's not my size!

Beautiful, simple, clean work with a modern aesthetic. I love it!

One thing I'm not too fond of right now is AOL. I'm struggling to get anything accomplished online. All the more reason to stay at my studio table and keep my hands in the clay. Have a wonderful rest of the week!

All Over the Map

Thanks to the magic that is Flickr, I've traveled the world this week looking at some wonderful artwork from talented individuals that I may never have otherwise had the opportunity to experience.

Enno de Kroon is an artist from The Netherlands who paints on egg cartons and has totally blown me away with his whole concept of two-and-a-half dimensional art. When viewed at an angle, his paintings provide a totally different perspective than the frontal view that's shown here. This is how he describes his choice of canvas and the viewer's experience:

"As a painter I consider egg cartons as two-and-a-half dimensional objects which offer me remarkable possibilities for imagery. The waves of the egg cartons limit the viewer's perception; they also make him aware of his positioning towards the image. The intentional limitation in subjective perception gives room for imagination and recall: the process of occlusion. By a fusion of direct and indirect perception conventional imagery is overtaken. At first sight this leads to a physical and mental incompleteness, that forces an integration which can only take place within the inner experience, apart from time and space."

His Flickr profile is full of fascinating glimpses into the amazing work he calls Eggcubism and the process it entails. You'll be missing out if you don't make a stop here yourself.

A trip to Spain brought me this beautiful necklace by Natalia Garcia. It reminds me of some vintage inlaid mother of pearl beads I have in my stash which I can't bring myself to let go of. I love the look and the feel of this piece, which is also very reminiscent of capiz shell. For those of you who are attending the Euro Clay Carnival in England next month, you'll get to meet Natalia there as she is one of the instructors.

A quick jaunt off to Scotland and I was enjoying the cool fantasy sculptures by Marc and David Green. This one is Tricksy, riddle-maker and master of manipulation.

These artists have provided much-needed relief from what I will always remember as "the summer of the locusts" here in the U.S. The irritating sound they make is bad enough but I happen to have a bad-ass locust eater living in my house that takes every opportunity to chase them down and devour them when he goes into the backyard under the guise of relieving himself.

The poor slow-moving locusts don't stand a chance against the cunning and speed of Baxter, the Wonder Dog. However, they take their revenge a couple of times a day when we're treated to the unmistakable sound of a retching schnauzer who deposits half-eaten locusts in the floor. I'm sure you can guess who has the honor of cleaning that mess up. Flickr is the only thing keeping me sane at this point.

Day of the Dead

I know it's a little early for a Day of the Dead celebration. My research showed that it's observed early in November. But, Tamra Kohl, a Texas artist whose background is in commercial sculpting, celebrates her appreciation for this traditional Mexican holiday every day of the year. I love her caterpillar which brings to mind a strange mutation of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Jack Skeleton from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

And coming to a parade near you, the shriner in his little car is just perfect!

Her tribute to Hank Williams, Sr. is another of my favorites. The talented Tamra shares more of her work here, including some wonderful photos of the process she goes through to create these fascinating, colorful sculptures.

Decoupaged Polymer Clay

Julia, aka White Guppy, is a Spanish artist who's come up with a way to decoupage onto polymer clay. Her beautifully patterned pillow beads first caught my eye on Ebay. Although she sells these beads herself, she's been generous enough to share her method for creating them on her blog and like so many of the talented European clayers, she's also included an English version of her tutorial.

I think her method would translate wonderfully to tube beads, as well. Or perhaps, this half-moon hollow bead design by Michele "Luny" would be a nice way to show off some interesting patterns.

I like the fact that both of these ladies have taken the time to experiment and come up with something unique in their approach to bead design. Hope you find the time to try something different yourself this week!

The world may be going to hell in a handbasket . . .

. . . but Jim Sheely ALWAYS makes me smile! Nope, it's not clay, it's carved basswood. I've blogged about Jim before but his artwork is so cool and edgy that I could talk about him every day. I love his wonderful spirit and the way he never takes himself too seriously. This is what he says about his art:

Imagining things and making them real is my beloved hobby.

If you're a collector of creatures who love to go swimmin' with bowlegged women, check this piece out on Ebay. The bidding is fast and furious!

Back tomorrow with more clay . . .

Save a cow, do some clay!

Thanks to Michael from Mossy Owls, it's easy to get your leather on. She recently shared her method for making faux leather tags that are wonderfully realistic. If you're not into leather, check out her other tutorials on Polymer Clay Web for lots of interesting techniques to try.

Michael recently opened a "button bakery" on Etsy. Her polymer buttons with a liquid clay glaze are just lovely!

She has lots of photos of her polymer clay work on her Flickr site, including several examples of pastries, burgers, pizza, and other foods, like this cool sushi necklace.

Fearless in France

I'm such an admirer of Sylvie (aka Maniquette) and her work. She's been involved with polymer clay for about three years and is totally fearless when it comes to experimenting with different techniques and applications for the clay. The Bubble bracelet above is one of her newest pieces and she's generously shared her technique for these on the English version of her blog.

This seems like the perfect occasion to thank all of the talented European polymer artists who have invested so much time and effort into learning other languages, namely English. As a selfish American who has never bothered to learn anything other than English (the 4 years of Latin don't really count since no one even speaks the language!), I appreciate the fact that I've been able to talk to so many of you. Please don't ever apologize for your English, I'm always humbled by and grateful for your efforts.

Okay, back to Sylvie's lovely work. I love the way she successfully combines pattern and texture in so many of her pieces. This tissue box is a great example of that. In addition to jewelry and tissue boxes, she also makes amazing lamps, clocks, and mirrors. To see more examples, you can check out her Flickr site here.

Her blog is full of fascinating glimpses into her process and I could spend hours lost in her archives. If you have some time this weekend, read about the lovely face cane she made based on a painting by her friend Cat and see her finished bracelet here.

Have a creative weekend!

The Birds and the Trees

For me, there's nothing more rejuvenating than immersing myself in the things I love most about nature - trees, birds, rocks, and the peaceful, calming effect it has on me. I spent last week surrounded by my favorite things and I'm feeling anxious and inspired to develop some new work.

The piece shown here is a collaboration between myself and my talented friend Leslie Blackford. I made the piece of "faux tree" and handed it off to Leslie who sculpted the amazing little bird prince.

It's time to unpack and hit the clay table. New things coming soon!

Ah, the soft colors of Spring!

These calm, peaceful colors are showing up everywhere I look. Lucia Fanjul of Spain just put this beautiful necklace up. It reminds me of soft new flower shoots with stylized buds and blooms attached.

Germany's Bettina Welker has lots of new work available that's just as lovely as she is. I adore her memory wire bracelets that I found on Flickr.

Dee Wilder has chosen to showcase these delicate flower petals in what looks like copper with a wonderful added patina. What a wonderful earring design!

Think soft thoughts and create a piece of your own that's worthy of the beauty found in spring. I'm taking a little time to refresh and renew my own creative spirit and I'll see you next week.

Paying Homage to a Polymer Legend

I was on the phone with a friend today and she asked me if I could name the artists who have been the most influential in my own work with polymer clay. I've been asked that question before and I always give the same two names each time - Lindly Haunani is one of them. The other shall remain nameless until a future blog post. The photos I've included are all pieces of Lindly's work that I've acquired over the years. Although my camera and photography skills don't do them justice the way David Terao does, I'm sure Lindly will forgive me.

When I think about all the ways that I've been inspired by Lindly, color, of course, is the first thing that comes to mind. Taking Lindly's color class was an amazing and clarifying experience that truly gave me the ability and confidence to mix any color I can imagine. Although I'll never have her talent for combining colors that, on their own, don't seem to work, but together, sing so beautifully and perfectly, she's given me such a wonderful gift. She has a magical way with all things involving color and I'm looking forward to her new book which will, no doubt, be just as helpful as her classes.

Lindly's use of texture and simplicity of pattern have both been inspiring to me. I love her jewelry designs that contain numerous tiny bits and pieces and always manage to look clean and uncluttered at the same time. I have to trace my love of mokume gane and inclusions in translucent clay back to Lindly's Tantalizing Translucents DVD. It was one of the first instructional tapes I purchased and remains one of my favorites today.

Although I can't credit Lindly with my love for asparagus, her jewelry and shrines were definitely the force behind all the asparagus clocks I made several years ago. When I was asked to be a guest on the Carol Duvall show, the first question out of the producer's mouth was, "Can you make your asparagus clock for us?" If you read down to the bottom of the tutorial on the HGTV website, you can see who I gave credit to for the design idea.

Today, Lindly continues to inspire and influence me. Her blog is a source of wonderful information and the interesting color tidbits she faithfully posts are always entertaining and insightful. I admire her kindness, her unique sense of humor, and her ability to see the big picture. In addition, as a founding member of the NPCG, Lindly has done more than anyone I know to spread her love and passion for polymer clay and to help promote it as a true art medium. Thank you, Lindly, for sharing so much of yourself with so many of us and for being such a wonderful inspiration along every step of my polymer clay journey.

A Guitar Hero

This Blue Glass Guitar was created by Bryan Helm, who is a talented musician and artist in addition to being a guitar hero. He also happens to be the husband of Sarajane Helm. The mosaic work that he does with discarded and unrepairable musical instruments is beautiful and I love that he's turning objects that would no doubt be headed to a landfill into amazing pieces of art. The details on this guitar are incredible and in addition to polymer clay, Bryan has used glass, seed beads, and other materials. You can read more about this and see some nice close-ups of this piece here on Sarajane's Aunt Acid site.

Aunt Acid, a marionette, is Sarajane's latest project and her blog is quite a trip. Sarajane's own blog is a little more tame and has some great examples of polymer work by herself and other talented artists. I really enjoy Sarajane's geisha series- such incredibly detailed canes!

This talented couple has got so much going on and lots of new projects in the works. I'm especially looking forward to The Art of Polymer Clay Masks, due out sometime this year. They are truly an example of what it means to live a creative, inspiring, responsible and rewarding life.

It's Hip to be Square and other things

My most recent post was about Sharon Solly and her use of Kato liquid clay as a finish for her polymer pieces. Yesterday, Sharon spent some time getting acquainted with the new colored Kato liquid and I just had to share a photo of her results. I love everything about these pieces - the colors, the shape, the dots, the cut-outs, the subtle shading around the edges - fabulous eye candy to end the week!

For some reason, I couldn't find the colored liquid clay on Donna's retail site but, I know it's available in several different colors if you're interested in trying it for yourself. And, here's some exciting news! Donna's long-awaited DVD is finally finished! Tips, Tricks, & Techniques in Polymer Clay is a 2-disc set with 3 1/2 hours of claying goodness and you can order it now through Prairie Craft. Donna also has some beautiful pieces of jewelry for sale here but I'm betting they won't last long.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful, talented, and gorgeous son Daniel who turns 18 years old today!

This is art!

This pin by Asheville, North Carolina's Sharon Solly is such a cool and funky piece of jewelry. Although it's not made of polymer clay, I wanted to include it in this post because it shows her versatility as an artist. She's adept at rubber stamping, mixed media, beading, polymer clay, and many other areas of artistic expression. I first met Sharon when I traveled to Asheville to teach a workshop for her guild and I was so impressed by her use of Kato liquid clay as a finish on many of her polymer clay pieces.
These cabs are made with Lumiere paints,mica powders and Kato liquid. I believe she said she followed the directions that Donna posted here when she described how she got this wonderful glass-like effect. Since I've seen Sharon's work in person, I can attest to the fact that it's just as spectacular in person as it appears in these photos.

Before I went to Asheville, I had been experimenting with using fibers in polymer clay and I was thrilled to discover that Sharon had been working with the same material. I blogged about a pendant I made here and the photo above shows the incredible results that Sharon's achieved through her own experiments with these fibers. I have it on excellent authority that the June 2008 issue of Polymer Cafe will contain an article by Sharon on exactly how she makes these beautiful pieces. So, if you've let your subscription lapse, this would be the perfect time to renew. And, just in case you need another reason, Tammy Garner, who I blogged about last week, will also have an article in that issue.

It appears that "Imagine Uncommon Things" has evolved into a weekly blog at this point. Since I don't seem to have a succinct bone in my body, it's become pretty time consuming to write these long posts more than once a week. So, I'll still be here, just maybe not as often.

A Peace of Art

What do you get when you combine a love of color and texture, fabulous artistic ability, great design sense, a big heart, and a hippie chick with a wonderful sense of humor all into one package? You get Tammy Garner, of course!

Tammy, who lives right here in my hometown, has been working with polymer clay for about 13 years. She's one of those fearless people who can jump in and immerse themselves in most any medium and master it effortlessly. In just the past few years, I've watched her add metal clay, resin, enameling, beading, and metal working to her bag of tricks and her work continues to evolve in a wonderful way.
In addition to creating such beautiful artwork, Tammy is a wonderful and inspiring teacher who offers classes in both beginning and advanced metal clay and mixed media. She's also the author of the upcoming Metal Clay in a Day, a book that combines metal clay with polymer, resin, and other mixed media. I've had a sneak peek at many of the projects and I can tell you they're all beautiful, interesting, and accessible. You won't need lots of expensive tools and equipment, just the patience to wait until June when it's available.

I'm feeling a bit guilty for being so neglectful of this blog recently. I've just had lots to do and sometimes life gets in the way. I'm looking forward to an afternoon of doing nothing but working with clay. Hope you get a chance to do the same thing soon!

Spring is in the air . . .

. . . and I've got flowers to share! And then, it's back to the tax tables for me.

Flowers are a recurring and popular theme in most types of art and polymer clay is no exception. There are so many different ways to bring a flower to life using clay. These are just a few of my favorites. Not a lot of words, just a lot of floral goodness to feast upon!

This cherry blossom cane is from Olga Ostapenko, who lives in Russia. Her cane work is incredible (check out the geisha cane ) and she makes some wonderfully delicate necklaces, as well, using sculpted roses.



Pittsburgh's Marla Frankenberg used some of her incredible cane slices to make this dimensional pansy, complete with it's own personal ladybug. These were originally made for embellishments on a beautiful box she created for Kato Polyclay's exhibit at the CHA show a few years ago. Marla, you should make more of these!


Leigh Ross, of New Jersey, made all the flowers, including the bouquets and centerpieces, for her daughter's wedding. But, she made them out of polymer clay! Incredibly beautiful work and I don't even want to think about how many hours she spent on these. What a lucky daughter Leigh has!
Another artist who's doing some amazing life-like sculptures of polymer clay flowers is Gloria Spruiell of Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to this stargazer lily, she has several arrangements on her Flickr site that you'll swear must be real flowers. While you're there, look at her polymer clay food, too. She's got an awesome talent!


No post on flowers would be complete without a photo of the wonderful things that Barb Fajardo is doing. She uses various surface designs to create amazing sculptural-like flowers. Barb has an interesting post on her blog about the progression her flowers have taken over time. She is truly an original and innovative artist.

When I started writing this post, I had no plans at all to include these photos but, mentioning Marla's box for the CHA exhibit made me remember my own rather "unique" entry, the "Bloomin' Butthead". It has flowers (sort of) and I had a lot of fun making it. This box is about 9 inches tall and it's all clay. As I've probably mentioned before, I'm definitely not a sculptor but even so, I'm still trying to figure out WHY I didn't win. Hey Donna, I think I was ripped off!

Hope all of you are starting to see the first signs of Spring!