by Libby on April 6, 2007
I just bought a copy of Mixed Media & Metal Clay Jewelry by Sherri Haab. If you are at all interested in Precious Metal Clay, it’s a great book. I have a couple of other books by Sherri Haab and I think this might be my favorite.
More about this book in particular: The layout and photography is crisp, clear and easy on the eyes. The individual photos are clearly labelled with the artist’s name. It’s surprising how few books on art jewelry have clear attribution for the pieces. It’s got a solid section on PMC basics and really great sections on: cold connections, making bezels and adding color to metal clay. The projects include combining metal clay elements with leather, polymer clay, resin, paint, transparencies & transfer images, concrete, ceramic and dichroic glass.
The contributing artists are fantastic. I was particularly excited to find projects by Robert Dancik and Wendy Wallin Malinow. Not your every day craft project designers. I really like the fact that there are more books available all the time that elevate the craft book arena into fine crafts. Lark Books series on The Art of Jewelry is a great example of this, and other publishers are coming along too.
by Libby on April 5, 2007
I am happy to say that I’ve spent time in my studio twice in the last week! People who followed my old blog will realize that this is a big step since I have been struggling with a firmly rooted creatvie block. It started the other night when I finally put my books away, and then yesterday I spent a couple of blocks of time playing around with painted veneers. Nothing fantastic has come of this yet, but I am having fun! And, drum roll please, I also used my butane torch for the first time yesterday! My little soldering station has been mocking me lately. All I did was make some ball end headpins with Argentium silver, but it was such a blast. Something about playing with flames (even small controlled ones) is empowering. I like the Argentium wire since it melts and fuses more like Fine Silver, but its strength is closer to Sterling. Fun stuff, I am definitely going to have to explore further.
The other first step I am really proud of is: today I went to the gym for the first time! I have not been a big exercise fan. That’s putting it mildly, basically I am a couch potato. Some health concerns that have cropped up (isn’t aging a pain in the butt lovely?) have forced me to make some healthy changes. I’m losing weight (Weight Watchers) and now I am exercising. Thank goodness for my ipod and interesting podcasts. Today I listened to the Craftcast interview with Claudine Hellmuth. It made the walking almost bearable go faster. Claudine’s blog looks like a fun read too.
Btw, Craftcast is now airing twice a week. The latest interview is with Tim McCreight, I haven’t listened yet, but I can’t wait. I need to update my ipod.
by Libby on April 4, 2007
Technorati Profile
Checking out my link to Technorati. Lots of polymer clay blogs linked over there.
by Libby on April 4, 2007
I have fallen in love with Sculpey Ultralight Polymer Clay. Polymer clay is already pretty light so I didn’t really see the point. Then the first time I played with it, I was not terribly thrilled to say the least. It definitely feels weird, unlike other polymer clays. Crayola’s kids air dry clay feels somewhat similar.
The biggest problem I had the first time I used it was using water as a release for textures. Water turns Ultralight into a sticky mess. ugh… It’s so different, you really need to fiddle with it with an open mind. I still have a lot to learn and explore about the stuff, but I am really excited about it so far.
What do I like about it? First of all, the incredibly light weight. While it didn’t seem that important to me, I have come to appreciate the advantages of really light weight for many designs. You can make super thin and light as air earrings or beads or work much larger. Marie Segal had a huge bowl in the Rave exhibit at Ravensdale that would have been impossibly heavy in a traditional polymer clay.
It takes texture really well. I’ve been texturing it and glazing it with tinted liquid sculpey for lighter Bisque Beads. It’s great for Gwen Gibson’s Tear Away technique, which makes it handy for texturing PMC. I owe Patti Kimle for that lovely tip.
It takes color really well. You can mix it with regular polymer clay for an in-between weight that feels and behaves a bit more like regular clay. You can color UL with alcohol inks (so much fun!), stamp on it with a stamp pad, coat it with mica powders. I haven’t tried drawing on it yet, but I am guessing that will work because it has a bit of “tooth”.
What don’t I like about it? It feels weird raw and baked. Raw it’s very squishy, almost fluffy. Baked it feels a bit like a Chinet paper plate. The water thing. lol Not a big thing really, but it requires a conscious change in my work habits. If you overwork it, UL can get sticky and little bits cling everywhere. And yet, oddly, it doesn’t really like sticking to itself.
I haven’t even played with it that much so I have loads more to discover. Marie Segal has some great tips on working with Ultralight. Leigh Ross has a great tutorial for thin and light Snowflake Ornaments. She had some of her snowflakes with her at last year’s Clay ConneCTion Retreat and they’re magical.
by Libby on April 2, 2007
Craftcast is my favorite podcast. I still love listening to Says You and Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, but I love the craft interviews. Alison Lee has an uncanny way of picking artists I particularly admire, and I learn something by listening to each artist’s perspective. I listened to the Celie Fago episode the other day. I was really looking forward to listening to this interview. I have taken several classes with Celie, and I admire her design sensibility, her thorough teaching style and her no-nonsense approach. The funny thing about the interview was that while I enjoyed hearing about Celie’s background and her current and future focus, the thing that struck me the most was her statement that the way to work through creative block was to simply spend time in the studio. “Get your butt in the chair.” I think the interviewer, Alison Lee, may have been the first one to use that particular phrase, but in any case, it really resonated with me.
Sometimes, I over analyze my issues with creativity. I often struggle with expecting too much of myself. My vanity demands that the work I do be up to some sort of personal quality standard. I worry about where I want to go with my art, what my goals are. All this self-imposed pressure has paralyzed me. Hearing someone I admire and respect say that the path out of a slump can be as simple as just going to the studio and connecting with the materials was one of those “doh” moments. So, last night I roped my husband into helping me put away the last of the books and I put away most of the supplies I had pulled out for the workshop I taught earlier in the month.
I sat down in my chair and quickly went from tidying my worktable to mixing colors to playing with a new bead shape. It was glorious! I could have stayed down there all night, but when I realized I was holding my clay blade upside down I stopped. I should probably pace myself.
Unfortunately with one of my kids still really sick, time to sneak away to the studio is scarce. But I am going to try to make myself spend some time in my creative chair as often as I can. I’m throwing away all pressures and expectations. No thinking about how much I’d like to have work ready to submit to Progress & Possibilities or Bead Dreams. I am resolving to go back to the fun.
Keep your fingers crossed we can get this horrible health situation resolved with E so that we can all go back to our regular routines. Even in pain and feeling as bad as she has been this past week, she’s getting really tired of being cooped up at home with me.
