Lone Star Retreat

I'm looking forward to spending a few days in Texas at the end of the month. The Houston Polymer Clay Guild is holding its annual Lone Star Retreat Sptember 27-29, 2009 at the South Shore Harbour Resort & Conference Center in League City. I'm honored to be one of their guest instructors. They're also hosting Dayle Doroshow (her work shown above) who will be teaching Shimmering Rattle Beads and Barbara McGuire (her work shown below) who's teaching Mokume Gane Collage Pendants.

This guild really knows how to do a retreat! I'm so excited about the things they've planned and looking forward to the opportunity to finally meet some of my Texas clay friends in person. You can learn more about the retreat and the workshops here.

I can't thank you enough for all your nice comments welcoming me back to Bloglandia (thanks Cynthia!). I really appreciate you all and I've missed "seeing" you. It's going to be lots of fun to catch up!

Slightly Red-Faced

Since I'm feeling a little embarrassed that I've been "on vacation" for so long, I thought this would be the best picture to mark the end of my five month long absence.

When I made my last blog entry on April 9th, I had no idea I'd be gone so long. My oldest son was getting ready to graduate from high school and there was a lot going on at the end of his senior year, then it was time to help him get ready for college and all the things that go along with that. It just seemed like the longer I stayed away, the harder it was to come back.

I can only imagine all the wonderful things I must have missed during the last few months. I know there are lots of new books out that I haven't seen and I'm sure I'll never catch up on all the new photos posted by my Flickr contacts. And, believe it or not, I've only visited Cynthia and Susan's blogs once or twice in all that time.

It feels a little strange to have been away from clay for so long. I just finished my first real project in more than 4 months and I'm still not sure what direction to take this blog in.

I just updated my teaching schedule (you can see it to the right of my post) for the rest of 2009 and I'm looking forward to getting back into the polymer clay groove. It would be wonderful to have the opportunity to reconnect with some of you during these upcoming events and I'm hoping I haven't been totally forgotten after so long.

Inspired by Lime!

Those of you who know me are probably aware of my favorite color. Yes, it's lime green. Specifically, what I like to call a "dirty chartreuse". I've seen a lot of gorgeous greens lately like this sea anemone ring from Psychotic Reactions. She isn't sharing her name anywhere. I've noticed that a lot of artists don't disclose that information online. Can anyone tell me what that's about? I'm perfectly fine with being called Kim CavendEr. After all, it's my name. Although the majority of people in the world would prefer I change it to Kim CavendAr. You can read more about that here if you'd like. And just a note, that really is me (Kim CavendEr) in the photo. Apparently my sarcasm was lost on a few people who told me they were amazed Kim CavendAr looked so much like me.



But, I digress in a major way. Psycho (please don't take offense, it was too good to pass up) has some absolutely gorgeous things listed on Etsy. The colors are marvelous and the designs are stunning. Well worth a visit!

Lisa Pakosh, the talented artist who created these yummy earrings and has to endure living in a tropical paradise like the Bahamas, has recently opened an Etsy shop with her equally talented mother Vickie Turner and her sister Sandra Mitchell called Three Cheeky Wenches. Besides being so artistically inclined, these three are crazy funny! Their shop is both beautiful and entertaining - the perfect combination.

Germany's Konstanze Filip, aka Madooli, is making some incredible new rings which she's just shared on Flickr. You can see what she has listed for sale here on Dawanda.

Have a dirty chartreuse kind of day!

Cross-Pollination

I'm SO MUCH happier writing about and showing other people's work. I don't mind posting photos of my work on Flickr but blogging about it makes me nauseous for some reason. Hopefully, it won't make you nauseous too. Queasiness aside, I'm going to write about myself today. When I first started this piece, I was thinking of the magnolia tree at my parent's old house. I was fascinated by their tree and it was the first time I'd ever been up close to a magnolia seed pod. But, at some point during the creative process, a lotus pod got involved and the cross-pollination resulted in something that would probably make a botanist cringe. It's growing on me though (no pun intended) and I think I'll explore this design a little further. I've listed it in my Etsy shop if you'd like to take a closer look.

Speaking of Etsy, those of you who sell your work there or on other online sites, know how difficult it is to drive traffic to your shops. There's a brand-new site called LuvHandmade that's meant to be a way for artists to promote their items. The have a blog, a forum, and an online community and it's totally free to sign up. I was chosen as their rise and shine seller this week and you can read my interview here. Hopefully, the site will continue to grow and bring exposure to many online sellers.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Time in a Bottle

I'm off to the City of Brotherly Love to share my love of polymer clay with the ladies of the Philadelphia guild. I'm leaving a day early so I can take some time to do a little sightseeing. I can't believe I'm going to be standing in front of the Liberty Bell tomorrow morning!

Here's a photo of my newest excuse to keep working with these organic chips. It reminds me of a sea slug. I have pages and pages of designs to try but, to borrow a line from an old Jim Croce song, "there never seems to be enough time to do the things you wanna do once you find them . . "

Have a great weekend!

Enviable Design Skills

I know very little about this talented artist. I believe her name is Ingrid and her native language appears to be German. I'm hoping that some of my international readers will see this and be able to give us a bit more information. I ran across Ingrid through a comment she left on one of my Flickr photos. Her profile on that site gives nothing away. Update: This talented artist is Ingrid Ulrich and she is from Germany. You can read the delightful comment she left by clicking on the comment link at the end of this entry.

I'm smitten with her unique designs and these extruded tubes that she arranges in totally brilliant ways. Seeing such fresh work is a great and inspiring way to start the week.

I hope you'll indulge me in a brief bit of shameless self-promotion today, too. After putting it off for a year or so, I've finally managed to put together a "kimcavender" shop in the vast wilderness of Etsy. I'll be listing more things in the coming weeks and maybe I'll even figure out how to fix that sucky banner I have up there now.

Hope your week gets off to a positive start!

Need a little retreat?

I know I do! The Kentucky-Tennessee Polymer Clay Guild is sponsoring their fourth (I think) annual retreat at one of the most awesome places in the eastern United States, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. The dates for this event are October17-19, 2008. Marla Frankenberg will be there teaching workshops on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. She'll be covering her unique and oh-so-amazing caning techniques for flowers, ferns, leaves, and the fabulous dots which we all adore. I'm crashing the party on Saturday night to teach a class myself.

I can't think of a more relaxed and stress-free environment than the one at Mammoth Cave. The members of the KTPCG are wonderful and talented and so much fun! Because of the space limitations, they only have room for 30 people at the retreat and the last I heard, there were only 6 spots left.

Here's what I'll be teaching and since we'll be getting all dotty with Marla, you'll be able to embellish your pendants just like I have here.

Here's a few more details if you want to snag a spot before they're all gone. The cost for 3 days of non-stop claying is $150 and each attendee is also responsible for their own food and lodging at the Mammoth Cave Park Hotel. The food at the hotel is great and the rooms are clean and well-priced at a special rate of $59 per night for this event. To register for the workshop/retreat, you can contact Leslie Blackford. Yes, she'll be there, too and I won't blame you a bit if you decide to skip my class on Saturday and just gather around her workspace to watch her make some magic. Reservations for a room at Mammoth Cave Hotel can be made at 1-270-758-2225.

Hope to see some of you there!

Philly's got talent!

They also have a fantastic polymer clay guild, a great website, a blog, a Flickr site just for guild photos, an online newsletter, and 70 over-achieving members to keep it all running smoothly.

This beautiful hollow pendant was created by Martha Aleo, one of the guild's most active members, a very talented mixed media jewelry artist, and a fellow blogger.

Update: This striking jewelry set was made by Patty Pickup.

They have some wonderful show and tell photos from past meetings posted on their website. Unfortunately, I don't have a name to go with this lovely image or for the two below. If you're a member of the Philadelphia guild and/or the artist that created these, please leave a comment so I can fill in the blanks and you can be recognized for your artwork.

Update: The red tile box was created by Dr. Sarah Fisher, who also photographed these three items.

In addition to the Polydelphia Retreat that they host every year, the guild also sponsors several workshops with visiting instructors. I'm thrilled to be heading their way for a workshop the weekend of September 20-21, 2008. We'll have an actual class on Saturday and then on Sunday, I'll be their official "guest artist" and share lots of tips and techniques for creating rocks and beach stones. If you're a member of the guild (I really wish I lived closer!) or considering becoming a member, the price for a whole weekend of polymer clay fun and learning is shockingly reasonable and I'm hoping to see a lot of you there. For more information on joining the Philadelphia polymer clay guild or for registration details on my upcoming workshop, just go to the guild's website and follow the links.



Update: Gwen Agard is the talent behind this striking piece.

Don't forget, I need some names to go with these beautiful images. This one reminds me of aqua terra jasper, a stone that embodies the colors of water and sand. I may just have to claim it as my own if no one comes forward!

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.

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!

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!

All-inclusive Polymer Clay

A couple of years ago, while I was working on the book, Clay Techniques to Dye For, I became enamored with using inclusions in and on polymer clay. I blame Ranger Industries for part of this. They supplied me with some amazingly wonderful products that I'm still experimenting with. I can't wait to sample their new pigment inks. The colors are incredible! When the book was finished, I began to look at things other than powders, inks, and paints as a means to create organic effects in clay. The pendant shown above is one of my favorites and was made with a fusible metallic fiber used by quilters that was embedded into the clay before baking. The effect that you can get with this product is wonderful. I wish I had a better photo so you could so you could really see the depth of this piece.

Here's a pendant made with clay, paint, and dirt. There's lots of faux turquoise recipes out there. I think I combined bits and pieces of different ones to get the effect I wanted. These pieces are made from translucent clay combined with those little nonpareil things that you sprinkle on cupcakes and cookies. A little silly but fun!


And here's a surface technique that's one of my favorites. My local guild was meeting one evening to make beads using Gwen Gibson's shaving cream technique that was published a couple of years ago in Polymer Cafe. Since I didn't have any of the dyes that she used in her article, I spent several days experimenting with several inks, paints, etc. that I did have and came up with an effect that was really appealing to me. I include this variation of Gwen's technique in a workshop that I currently teach called "What's Hiding in YOUR Craft Room?" If any of the ladies from the Blue Ridge Polymer Clay Guild in Asheville are reading this, feel free to comment about what a wonderful time you had in that class! I don't want to divulge the name of the product that I used on these beads since I'm still teaching the class and a girl's gotta have SOME secrets. However, I did promise an article to Polymer Cafe and maybe an update on the shaving cream technique would be a good idea. Hmmm . . .


Okay, enough rambling from me! This is what I want from YOU . . . I want to know the most unusual or bizarre thing you've ever combined with polymer clay and what type of result you got. You can post this right here in the comments section and if you'd like, you can also leave a link to a photo so everyone can enjoy your glorious experiments. Don't be shy, one of you will be chosen at random to receive a bag of 20 pendant bails that I've recently started selling. You can see them here and used in other pieces throughout my Flickr site. And, if you have an extra 10 bucks burning a hole in your pocket, email me to purchase a bag of your own.

On a much more serious note, one of the most generous ladies in the polymer clay community is in the midst of dealing with something she describes as "every parent's worst nightmare". Please visit Ponsawan Sila's blog and send her your thoughts and prayers. My heart is breaking for her and her family.

A Little Monday Morning Quarterbacking

I know that the Superbowl took place yesterday. I live in a house that's teeming with testosterone so it's impossible not to be aware of things like that. But, that's not the kind of quarterbacking I'm talking about and, for the record, the next time I'll be watching any "entertainment" provided by the NFL will be a half-time show featuring Michael Vick hanging by his tiny testicles on the fifty yard line.

What I'm referring to in the title of this post is probably what happens to all of us at one time or another. You think a piece is finished and then you look at it again with new eyes and it's just not right for one or several reasons. If you're anything like me, you'll spend a large amount of time analyzing what went wrong. This business card case is a good example of that.



I took this out of the oven late Friday night. Maybe I was just overly tired or I had a momentary brain lapse but, I went to bed thinking it was finished. When I looked at it the next day, I wasn't happy with it at all. I went ahead and took a photo and continued to worry about where I went wrong with this piece. I disliked so many things about it. There were too many circles and they just seemed to be floating. The vertical line formed by the cane pieces was strong but the two pieces in the center near the wiggly stripes were not doing anything to create visual interest horizontally. They didn't even look like they belonged. The big lime green circles had no connection colorwise to the rest of the piece. And, there seemed to be too much "Skinner blending" going on and nothing that was standing out graphically other than the wiggly stripes. Luckily, with this type of piece, it's not impossible to fix some of your mistakes.

I don't think it's perfect but, it's much more pleasing to my eye now with just a couple of additions. The black and white circles helped fill in the gap and added a more bold and graphic element to the piece that was lacking. They also helped to pull those two cane slices that seemed to be floating off to the sides before, into the design, and framed the center cane slice to create more of a focal point. The addition of the flattened lime green pieces did several things. They helped complete the horizontal line, they related colorwise to the lime green circles I had already used, and they helped break up all the circles I had going on.

I don't consider myself a design expert by any stretch of the imagination but, by immersing myself in my mistakes on a regular basis, I've learned a lot. Whenever possible, I highly recommend taking advantage of the valuable learning opportunity that correcting your mistakes provides. This concept is applicable to NFL football players, as well.

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.

Shameless Self-Promotion

This is a "pigment of your imagination" and this is the class I'm teaching this coming Saturday for the Orlando Polymer Clay Guild. I'm actually combining business with pleasure this time and the wonderful members of the Orlando guild have set up an inexpensive, one-day class for me during my break from playing chaperon for my son's band trip. I just learned there were a couple of cancellations so, if you're in the area and would be interested in attending, get in touch with me right away and I'll give you more details. I recently taught this class in Las Vegas and it was so rewarding to see all of the beautiful pieces that everyone created with this extremely EASY, yet effective technique. This will be my last post until next week sometime but I just wanted to tell you that I have some fun things in the works, including a peek inside Jana Benzon's wonderful new DVD, Arabesque Caning. To see what else I've been working on recently, check out my Flickr site. I'm off to pack! Be fierce and creative!

What's in a name?

After reading a funny comment left by my talented friend Christie of Dragonfly Lane last week (actually, there were two comments and you can read them here), I decided to share a double top secret with everyone who reads this blog. I have an evil twin named Kim Cavendar. As you can see, she really exists. You can Google her for yourself if you don't believe me. She's very sneaky and does her best to confuse people by spelling her last name a little differently than mine. Here she is, in a rather unflattering photo, at my book signing last year during CHA for North Light books. She looks a little like me but, she spells her name with an "ar" at the end, instead of an 'er".

If you've ever confused the two of us yourself, it's not a big deal. You're in good company. Polymer Cafe has made the mistake several times (love you, Joan!) and even my own publisher, North Light, has fallen victim to her spell, as you can see.

Her lesser known doppelganger, Kim Cavenaugh, has also done her best to wreak havoc. She's taken credit for a clock I made for Carol Duvall, which was shown on HGTV's tour of Carol's studio, and, she appeared with Carol on a live segment of Shop at Home TV. She's shown up for CHA proudly wearing her very own name badge, as well.

And then, there's Kim Clavender, aka Kim Clavicle or Miss Clav to her friends like Lisa Pavelka. She managed to get her work printed in The Polyinformer a few years ago. Perhaps that was my fault for telling people that "Cavender" was spelled like "lavender", only with a "C" in the front.

So, how do you remember how to spell my name? Actually, you really don't have to worry about it since I answer to just about anything now. But, if you're interested, here's my latest idea. Kim Cavendar is "ar, matey", like a mean and nasty pirate. Kim Cavender is "er, um . . ." , like someone who doesn't know what else to say, and that would be me.

Things To Be Thankful For . . .

I honestly didn't have an agenda when I began writing this blog. It's just something I felt compelled to do, mostly, I guess, because I love to write. I had serious doubts about even being able to figure out HOW to make my words show up here after I typed them. That part wasn't as hard as I'd thought although, I still have no idea how to do thousands of other things that would probably make this a more interesting place to visit.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I had no expectations about what I would gain from this experience, other than providing another creative outlet for myself, and I've been so pleasantly surprised by what I've received. My giant paycheck from Bloggers International has yet to arrive (I'm sure they've just misplaced my address) but I've learned so much and have had an opportunity to share some interesting things with some wonderful people I may otherwise never have "met".

I've received such nice e-mails from people thanking me for sharing something I've found during my Internet travels and pointing me to many other interesting things to see and do. And, the comments left by everyone have been such an added bonus. I'm so thankful to each of you for taking the time out of your day to reply to what I've posted. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that people are actually reading this blog!

The artwork I've seen from so many of you has enriched my creative spirit so much and I'm grateful that you post your photos and share your talent with the rest of the world. I hope I've provided something in return for all that I've received. I feel a bit guilty for enjoying this so much!

So, in addition to all my other blessings, I just want you to know that I'm thankful for all of you and for the wonderful things you've done to make this journey into blogging so much fun for me. I hope each and every one of you has a Thanksgiving filled with turkey, pumpkin pie, and my mom's delicious noodles and scrumptious cranberry salad. Okay, that's not too likely, I know. So, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with all of your favorite people and good things to eat and that you find much to be thankful for.

I'm relieved to know . . .

. . . that I'm in my right mind! At least I am 85% of the time. The remaining 15% I'm probably in a galaxy, far, far away which may explain some of my blog posts. And how did I happen to come upon this valuable information? I took a little quiz to find out. I've always been intrigued by the concept of right brain/left brain dominance and how this influences our creative lives. I was under the misguided impression (I'll figure out who to blame later!) that because I was left-handed, the right side of my brain had to be dominant. Apparently, that's a misconception. Not all right-brained people are left-handed and not all artists are right-brained. However, the percentage of artists who are left-handed is more than what would be suggested by the percentage of left-handed people who are out there walking around. Some very interesting facts about how our brains process information!

Here's a new pendant I made during my guild meeting last week. It was blessed with a slice from one of Marla Frankenberg's dotty canes that I blogged about a few weeks ago. I've decided I'm tired of whining and bitching about my crappy photos (my shiny pieces always have a hideous glare and altered color) so I'm adding one of those portable fold-up photo tents to the top of my Christmas list. And yes, I know I can make one from a plastic container, a shower curtain, and the toenail trimmings from a virgin but my clumsy left-handed self would be tripping over it when my messy right-brained self leaves it spread out in the middle of my studio floor.

Books!

Signed copies available for purchase. Please email me for prices and shipping details.