Thoughts about creativity, polymer clay, beading and life

It was another great day here at Synergy2.  I’ve been looking back through my notes from the day and thinking about what I’ll take back from today’s seminars, presentation and panel discussion.  Today I attended a seminar by Jeff Dever on incorporating alternative materials along with polymer, and one by Cynthia Tinapple on Trends.

The panel discussion topic was “Purposeful Marketplace” and featured Tamara Honaman, artist and former editor of Step By Step Beads, Lisa Bayne from ArtfulHome.com and Robert Dancik.

I’d love to give you a detailed synopsis of the day, but frankly I’m fried, so I’m going to go with bullet points of impressions from everything I attended today.

Some of the ideas that resonated with me today were:

• put in the time at the bench.  At a very basic level, seat time is essential to an artist’s growth and development
• experiment, play and give yourself permission to fail
• explore new materials, move out of your comfort zone
• seek feedback from a select few and be willing to listen
• don’t take rejection personally, but allow yourself to work through your response to it
• put your work out there in some way.  Don’t expect the art world to magically find you
• stay true to your vision and don’t undervalue your time

And finally, from Jeff Dever:  Dollar Store nail polish is really great stuff

Tagged as: polymer, polymer clay, Synergy, Synergy2

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Last night the Synergy2 Invitational Exhibit and the Gallery opened.  It was so exciting to see my necklace displayed with all the amazing pieces.  Photos just don’t do these works justice.  It’s a wonderful show and incredibly eclectic.  You can find close photos of most of the pieces on the IPCA website, but here are some overall shots of the exhibit:

The Gallery for sales of the work of many of the artists attending the conference also opened last night.  The Preview was crazy crowded.

Sales have been brisk.  I put in my volunteer work hours in the Gallery today and even during the lunch hour there was a steady stream of buyers.  It’s a fun and unique opportunity to see and purchase work from polymer artists from all over the world.  Many of the artists rarely sell their work outside of an event like this.

Tagged as: polymer, polymer clay, Synergy, Synergy2

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It has been a full day and my mind is reeling.  Really there’s just so much to take in:  workshops, panel discussions, presentations, the exhibit, the sales gallery and the gathering of friends new and old.

The seminar I took this morning was “Evolving Mokume” with Dan Cormier.  It’s always fun to get a peek into how Dan’s brain works.  He spends a lot of time carefully analyzing a process and developing techniques that can be precisely replicated.  His presentation bridged from the philosophical all the way to the tightly engineered.  I am taking his new “Cutting Edge Evolved” workshop following the conference and I am hoping that he will cover some of his new mokume techniques.

After a short coffee break, Elise Winters spoke about the Polymer Collection Project.  Elise then introduced Bruce Pepich of the Racine Art Museum who spoke about RAM’s philosophy, about the museum’s commitment to polymer and about the various ways that RAM’s new polymer pieces will fit in and play off other items in the museum’s collection.

He’s an engaging speaker and his enthusiasm for fine craft in general, and more recently polymer in particular, is exciting.  Up to this point it feels like a select few polymer artists were recognized at this high level.  Now through the hard work of Elise Winters, her team of volunteers, as well as Bruce Pepich and the Racine Art Museum, it  feels like polymer is starting to finally be recognized as a fine art medium.

Elise concluded with a plea for donations to RAM to support the polymer collection and upcoming exhibit and catalog.  There was a heartwarming response by attendees as well as large donations from the IPCG and my own guild the Southern Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild.

Next up was a panel discussion moderated by Jeff Dever entitled “intentional Evolution”.  The members of the panel were Bruce Pepich of RAM, Rachel Carren, artist and curator of the upcoming Lark Book “Masters of Polymer Clay” and premier polymer artist Kathleen Dustin.

Highlights of the discussion:  treat polymer as a medium of expression instead of technique, increase exposure in academia, look at broader sources of inspiration, have something to say with your work, “don’t be afraid of excellence”, intentionally refer to the medium as “polymer” not “polymer clay”.

There were two other seminar slots today, but I missed them both.  I walked over to the ACC Show during the late afternoon and then tonight I went out to dinner.  I’m not sure how much else my brain could have taken in today.

Tagged as: polymer clay, polymer collection project, Racine Art Museum, Synergy2

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It has been a long and exciting day.  Tonight’s presentation by Steven Ford and David Forlano was really great.  They shared very candidly about their 22 year collaboration, how it came about and about how it has evolved over time.  They spoke in a very informal back and forth style which seemed to mirror their working relationship.

While they were speaking a pair of large screens showed slides of much of their newer work both in polymer clay and the print paintings they’ve been doing recently.  It was fascinating too see how their distinctive point of view informs both types of work.

It was interesting to hear them speak about how for them polymer clay is just a tool or element of the work.  I feel like a lot of polymer clay artists (myself included) can get too caught up in the material to the point where the material becomes as important or more important than the concept of a given piece.  There are so many techniques to explore, and often the process of working the clay becomes the main focus.  It was helpful for me to be reminded that the focus of my work should be more about the point of view I want to express.  (of course finding that point of view can be pretty tough)

Shaking up my way of thinking  is one of the many important lessons of the Synergy conferences.  It’s about much more than the latest technique and I find the experience here so enriching.

On a lighter note, Charm City Cakes made a fantastic cake with many individual elements based on jewelry examples the conference planners showed them.  I only have one mediocre photo of the cake.  Hopefully Cynthia will have some better shots to share with you.

Tagged as: Ford & Forlano, polymer clay, Synergy

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The fun begins!

Yeah!  We’re finally here.  I anticipate events like this for so long, it is a huge rush when they finally start.  It feels a bit surreal.  So far today I have hugged good friends I hardly see, registered and picked up my schedule, handed over my exhibit piece ( I’m SO glad I didn’t forget to bring it!), set up my space in the sales gallery and peeked at the Vendor Fair.

Iris Weiss of Polyform & Diane Villano

Betsy Baker next to her Sales Gallery space.  It’s amazing what lovely displays some people can set up in a space that’s only 3 feet by 18 inches.

Karen Ottenbreit here from Alaska in front of her sales display.  The Sales Gallery is a wonderful opportunity to see and purchase work from many of the amazing artist attendees.

Kelly Russell being her fun self.  It is so great to reconnect with people you only see at events like this.

Tonight’s the Ford/Forlano presentation, more time at the Vendor Fair and a celebration of the IPCA’s anniversary with a cake by the Ace of Cakes!

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