Making the Jump

Claire (stillpointworks and the NEXT BEND) and I have talked about how artists with varying backgrounds translate their training into the language of polymer clay. She and I both found the material when we found ourselves without full studios up and running (her/glass and me/metal).

Admittedly I have sometimes gotten stuck because my initial big ideas still appear in metal. But a recent epiphany reminded me, re-energized me, regarding the power of polymer. Goes as follows.


Metal can be textured using heat, hammering, stamping, piercing and so on. I could do this in thick sheet metal by annealing (heating) and then using a cross peen hammer.


The metal would not be bright blue unless I made some other changes afterward (patina, enamel) and would require some more time and materials and tools. And if I did not like what I had made or I messed up I could not do this...


...and start all over again.

During my demonstration at the museum two weeks ago some really nice folks stood and chatted and asked questions for quite some time. The husband was taken aback at what he thought was the high cost of such a "tiny brick of the stuff" (polymer) and "my, what an expensive craft it must be". I asked him what he thought the same size brick of sterling silver would cost. Raised eyebrows all around - point taken.

This is not to say that I have lost my love of metalwork or that I still don't think of designs where truthfully, only metal would do. But I am learning to enjoy the ease and speed at which I can work through design ideas in polymer and relish the translation process.

The Big Day Plus One

My coughing is almost gone thank God (apparently I had bronchitis). It subsided enough for me to have a great day at The Radius Gallery. My husband helped plan a demo table with several in progress pieces because he predicted, correctly, that I would do more talking/explaining than actual demonstrating. Although my process is wildly less complex, I was inspired by the poster of what goes into making one of her pieces that Louise Fischer Cozzi hangs in her booth at the ACC Show.

I did give a brief demo on how I made my "Fragment" rings to several people (several of whom were children which is fine with me because they are always a little more willing to give an enthusiastic "wow!" when I am finished). The Crimsons Red one is now in the etsy shop.



The gorgeous weather affected typical Sunday attendance at the museum I was told. Actually for this being my first such event the numbers were just right and I had a couple gaps between people visiting my table so I could re-squash clay and rest my throat. I had a nervous stomach on the way there but it was amazing, once people started asking questions I was totally fine. When I saw that someone was generally interested that was all it took for me to relax.


I read and researched all last week to prepare for the "what is polymer clay made of" questions and not one single person asked me that. Kind of funny. Not a waste of time though because I know a lot more about the material than I did just 7 days ago and knowledge is never a waste.

Here is the lovely glass display that is filled with just my work for the entire month! As I look at this photo I am reminded again of all the people (included the curator Morgan and his assistant Jessica) who have come along side me, supported me and given me opportunities to show my work over the past 3 years.

Countdown

Seven days until my "meet the artist" day at the PA State Museum. I am feeling under the weather probably because I have been working like crazy and haven't gotten the rest I need.


Here is a look at some of the pieces I delivered to The Radius Gallery on Friday .


I am still a bit nervous about having to demonstrate. I'll spend time this week researching the history of polymer because I want to be able to talk intelligently about the material. Anybody have some advice about good online sources?

Who?

Yeah, that's my name and my earrings in a magazine. Surreal.




Yes indeed, I was Ronna Weltman's "lab rat" for her social media experiment and subsequent article in the Feb./March issue of Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine. Over the course of several months last fall Ronna posted about my work on Facebook and Tweeted on Twitter while I watched my Google analytics and sales and reported back via email. The experiment concluded with a telephone interview.



I am very thankful to Ronna for choosing me as her guinea pig. The article in itself has been a great experience for me!

Escape

Tonight is the opening at the Yellow Wall Gallery for "Summer in Winter: A Visual Escape". My husband, Kyle, has an amazingly verdant photograph from the Island of Saint Helena in the show.

The gallery is located on the second floor of the Midtown Scholar used bookstore on N. 3rd St. in downtown Harrisburg PA. If you love art, learning, books, the smell of books, the look of books and fancy yourself a bit of a bohemian you will be happy here. The official opening reception and luau (!) will be held from 6pm -10pm and the show runs until March 26 when HOPEFULLY we won't have any more snow and ice to escape.

The image above is from a new series that Kyle is working on. I'm experiencing some mental and emotional turmoil right now and keep thinking its seeping into his work.

See more from him on his daily art blog or at his website.

Update:Haiti

Please don't let Haiti fall off your radar.


My uncle and several other men, including Jacques, were in Haiti for several days to deliver money and assess the needs of the children at the orphanage. They hoped to move the children to a better location but couldn't. They hoped to purchase a vehicle for Jacques' brother but couldn't. According to my uncle it was a couple of days of learning, making connections and planning the next step. I suspect that one of the biggest accomplishments though was to let the Haitian people know, at least some of them, that people are out here and trying to help.


They also encourage and convince the adults to let the children sleep inside Jacques' house (which is several hours from Port au Prince and unaffected by the earthquake). The entire country is sleeping out doors with great fear about going back into buildings again. They are sleeping anywhere they can find space, on the sidewalk and in the 8 ft. median strip of the highway.

Descriptions of the quake from people who were in Port au Prince were that it sounded like a helicopter close to the ground. "Whump, whump, whump", like the blades rotating - but the sound was actually buildings collapsing. My active imagination is struck by that description. You can begin to understand the fear that tightly grips the people now. In the city the stench of sewage and decomposition is constant and my uncle found it horrible that after a couple days he actually started to get used to it.

Jacques does have an up and running website - Source of Life Ministries. Donations can only be accepted through snail mail at this point.

Excellent design

I just had to post about UnaOdd's new faceted rings. Although composed of 2 different materials, wood and polymer, she has put them together in such a way that there is absolutely nothing contrived or artificial about the end result. It is as if the wood and polymer were SUPPOSE to be together all along.


There is now a size 4.25 Fiery Orange one ready in her shop!