Wes' World

If the terms Warrenator, Reducerator, and Kochanator sound like something from another world to you, you may be right. These are all things found in the world of Canada's Wes Warren, polymer clay adventurer, inventor, and cane-maker extraordinaire.

He's made some recent posts on his blog explaining some of the work involved in building extremely precise canes that weigh in at more than 7 pounds. And, believe it or not, bungee cords ARE involved!

A recent YouTube video offers a glimpse into his reduction methods. Prepare to be amazed! For more incredible photos, check out his Flickr site.

A Face in the Crowd

Not only is "A Face in the Crowd" a great title for this blog entry, it's also the name of North Carolina's Julie Eakes' new business. Here's a photo of some of the pieces that I've been lucky enough to collect over the past few years. This talented lady builds some of the most beautiful face canes I've ever seen.

Her newest cane, which she writes about on her blog, is based on a Da Vinci drawing. I think this one is my favorite so far. In addition to being so very talented, Julie is one of the nicest people I know and has a wonderfully fun personality. If you're lucky enough to live in the Albuquerque area, she's planning a class on face canes in March. Further information can be found on her blog.

Quilted in Clay

My computer has decided to be extremely difficult today and I may just have to break out the Bailey's soon! But first, here's a slice from a gorgeous Celtic knot cane from Jennifer Patterson of Quilted in Clay, who also happens to be the winner of the pendant bails I'm giving away. The colors that she's used for this cane are just phenomenal! I really think I need a pendant like this. I have the perfect shirt to wear with it, too.

Jennifer, who is a full-time polymer clay artist, travels frequently to quilt shows and other venues to sell her work. She was recently given permission to duplicate quilt patterns designed by the late Ruby S. McKim. This pansy quilt design is one of her newest in the McKim line. Simply beautiful work!

In addition to being such a hard-working and talented artist, Jennifer has a wonderful blog which I read faithfully. She's also the talent behind the "Hidden Magic" technique which has become very popular in the past couple of years. You may have seen her article on the process in the Fall 2003 issue of Polymer Cafe. She has lots of wonderful things to share on her website, including a peek into her caning process and a tutorial on the Ohio Star cane.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and Jennifer, contact me here with your address so I can mail the bails out to you!

Korringa's Clay Dogs

As you probably know if you've read my blog before, I'm pretty fond of dogs. Judy Dunn made a post about dogs on her blog recently that inspired me to get out my box of polymer clay eye candy and share one of my favorite treasures with you. This fabulous pin was made by the hugely talented Kim Korringa of California. In addition to all that talent, she's really a nice and beautiful lady, as well. When it comes to canework and working with color, Kim's talent really shines. And, as far as I'm concerned, her realistic canes, such as these dog faces, are some of the most amazing I've ever seen. The shading and the details that Kim includes in much of her canework make it almost impossible to believe they were done with clay and not paint. Simply incredible work! It looks like Kim's website has been updated since the last time I visited. In addition to some new work I've never seen before, she has some cool pictures of her studio and a tutorial on how she makes her fabulous fish canes, You can also check out her Crafter's Coast to Coast dragonfly tutorial here. I love these new holiday pins I found on her website, especially that adorable penguin. Her talent and creativity are truly an inspiration. Have a productive and happy weekend, my friends!

A Master of Color and Canework

Orange Flower Cane
Originally uploaded by Ronit golan

Israel's Ronit Golan is an amazing artist. Her use of color and pattern combine to make her work identifiable and incredibly special. The wonderful relationship she has with color helps to guide her creative process. She says that "Color is everything. When working with color I feel it by breathing it unconsciously. When I combine some colors together I feel my breathing, if it smooth - then the colors are balanced, if it stops - then there is no balance."

I love this idea she had for wrapping one of her flower canes. By dividing the background color , she ended up with two beautiful canes that are related yet still very different due to the cool blue and the warmer green colors she used to pack the cane with.

Ronit's Flickr site is full of hundreds of beautiful and inspiring photos of her work. It's easy to get lost in all the magic so give yourself some time to savor it all.

She says that, for her, the "creation process is like a romantic comedy movie - it always has a happy ending." And, I'm sure you'll agree, a beautiful one, as well!