Lindly’s Latest
Here is a sneak peek = kalediescoped image – via KrazyDad’s online kaleidoscope tool of the collaborative piece that Leslie Blackford and myself have made for the upcoming Synergy2 exhibit (both online and in Baltimore this February). It was certainly a lot of fun to make.
The excitement about this exhibit is building- you can participate in an online contest to identify the artists who participated in Laurie Mikas collaborative “quilt” here. Continue reading ‘Colorful Sneak Peek…’
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to teach a workshop for the Southern Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild- Dancing with the Rainbow- . Two of the artists in the group have posted about their experiences on their blogs
The European polymer clay community has a new web site- Voila! This week their design focus is “Colour”
It has been delightful to read Jeanette Kandray’s new blog- as she works through the exercises and projects in Polymer Clay Color Inspirations- which includes her experiments with Kato clay primaries.
Our book is featured in the November 09 issue of Crafternews– a newly launched crafts newsletter – the “Read Full Article” link brings readers to a summary of the book, sample pages, and links to reviews.
I’ll be teaching a pre-conference workshop at Clay Fest before heading to Synergy2 in Baltimore. Please join us!
The CFCF early bird deadline has been extended until 30 October. The CFCF workshops are being taught by Tony Aquino, Maureen Carlson, Louise Fischer Cozzi, Grant Diffendaffer, Dayle Doroshow, Laurie Mika, Kathryn Jo Ottman, Lisa Pavelka, Sarah Shriver, and Ronna Sarvas Weltman have spaces available for you but they are filling fast, so get your registrations in soon. An updated workshop schedule is available on the Cabin Fever site.
Pre-conference workshops instructors include a 2-day Master class with Jeffrey Lloyd Dever (FULL), and one day workshops from Lindly Haunani (FULL), Nan Roche, Maggie Maggio, Cindy Silas, and newly added Jana Roberts Benzon.
Nowhere else can you get hands-on workshops from so many talented and experienced instructors in one place in the middle of winter! And a portion of every registration will be donated to the Polymer Clay Project! The Holiday Inn hotel is just 20 minutes from the BWI airport and downtown Baltimore off of Interstate 95! Take hands-on workshops in Laurel and head to Baltimore for the Synergy sessions
Recently Maggie Maggio and myself were delighted to be interviewed by Allison Lee at Craftcast about our new book- Polymer Clay Color Inspirations and our shared passion for color. Although Alison indicated that she was “new” at interviewing two people at once, she did a wonderful job, while asking insightful questions.
You may listen to the interview at the Craftcast site here or download it from iTunes here.
“Alison Lee, host of the popular online radio show, CRAFTCAST™, has been a ‘maker’ since learning how to knit at her grandmother’s side, nurturing a life-long love affair with handcrafts that would make her Nannie proud. CRAFTCAST™ began four years ago when Lee, armed with a passion for all things handmade, the gift of gab, a keen ability to put people at ease and a warm sense of humor, began interviewing artists, crafters and individuals engaged in the business of art, posting the radio interviews on her blog. Ms. Lee, who left a successful career as a creative director to pursue her dream of inspiring other ‘makers’, is a pioneer in the world of online talk shows. People around the world are listening, downloading more than 400,000 CRAFTCAST™ episodes since the radio show’s inception! Lee’s interviews keep crafters inspired and connected to their creative cycles, complete with her weekly sign-off that affectionately reminds listeners to “get your butt in the chair and keep crafting!””
Alison is one of the presenters at the upcoming International Polymer Clay Guild Conference in Baltimore this February 24th-27th, 2010 at Synergy2
In 1994 I taught a polymer clay workshop at The Florida Craftsmen’s Guild’s annual conference in Jacksonville, Florida and I have fond memories (and several somewhat outrageous stories) of several aspects of that weekend conference (perhaps more later?)… one thing that really stands out in my mind is that the opening ceremonies were held in the Jacksonvile Museum of Art. In addition to the Guild’s annual juried show being on display, there were plexiglass pedestals of the instructor’s work on display throughout the museum- and as I chatted with Paul Soldner- I couldn’t help but notice that my pieces were on display in front of a Rauschenberg painting! I remember pinching myself and thinking “Pay attention, this may the closest you will ever get to being in a museum collection as a living artist.”
Fortunately history (and Elise Winters Polymer Collection Project) has proven me wrong. Today I am delighted/thrilled/honored to say that I am one of ten artists/eleven pieces (Bright Petal Lei) that have been added to The Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s permanent collection. Congratulations are in order to Rachel Carren, Jeffrey Lloyd Dever, Kathleen Dustin, Victoria Hughes, Nan Roche, Sarah Shriver, Cynthia Toops, Pier Voulkos, Elise Winters (and myself).
To find out more about how YOU can support the Polymer Collection Project please visit Polymer Art Archive.
If you have ever watched me work, either at a polymer clay retreat or in my studio- you would know that I am not shy about making more than one… and recently I was challenged to expand my series of Asparagus Crown bracelets to include five more pieces. (One can only wonder at over 500 individually placed cane slices- 15 x 2 x 22 spears?)
The color of the base clay used to make the spears varies slightly- from a yellower green designed to match a set of double-hole resin beads that I had purchased at a bead show several years ago and wanted to experiment with, to a slightly bluer green that was mixed to co-ordinate with the turquoise tip cane I had on hand.
The first bracelet I made included in the tip segue way a purple cane. A color combination that I have used before- not as an exact copy from nature, but rather to capture the notion of the beautiful slates in actual asparagus tips.
The second bracelet was made using a warmer green for the spears and a red-orange mix of fuchsia for the extreme tips, overlapped with high contrast yellow green cane slices.
The third bracelet was designed for “air” in that there are half as many spears, separated with the half round resin beads.
And the fourth bracelet? …currently my favorite. Most certainly I am viewing this particular color combination in the context of the series, but most importantly- what I would like to relay to you is…neon pink, turquoise green and yellow green, while not being the natural colors of asparagus, are NOT supposed to work together. The entire time I was adding the cane slices to the spears to make this piece, I felt “uncomfortable” about the color choice. And at the same time propelled to finish making it, beyond looking at the individual pieces, instead string the bracelet up and then putting it aside to look at another day.
“If you always do what you always did…you would always get what you always got!”
Today brings exciting news from Elise Winters about the Polymer Collection Project..after years of holding true to a vision, relentless attention to detail, assembling a team of volunteers and lots of hard work-
“As of last week, the Board of Trustees at the Racine Art Museum in Racine, Wisconsin confirmed the museum’s commitment to establish a permanent collection of polymer jewelry, beads and sculptural objects. As part of this commitment, RAM will not only focus on assembling a world-class collection of exhibition quality works, but they will also preserve study pieces for future research. A small library will also be established to protect slide, print and catalogs for academic research.”
To find out how YOU can support this very exciting Project, visit the Polymer Art Archive.
I am thrilled that several of my pieces will be part of the permanent and study collections at the Racine Art Museum.
One of the selections for the collection is my Sushi Platter – you can read more about it here.
If you live in the Washington DC area- or plan to be visiting- I have posted the Fall 2009- Spring 2010 schedule here. Or you can continue reading here
Do you collect things? Many of us do… for example: for years I collected ceramic food inspired salt and pepper shakers (perhaps I shouldn’t put this in the past tense?). I have no illusion of ever becoming an Ebay “power seller” of collectable salt and pepper shakers – and sometimes stand in amazement as I visit my collection which includes over forty sets of corn on the cob salt and pepper shakers… and laugh about the dinner guest who requested salt and pepper- only to be surprised when I handed them an antique salt cellar and a battered Dansk pepper grinder (received as a going off to college gift)- ” yup! the all of the shakers on the shelf are empty” .
I first began collecting polymer in 1989 and over the ensuing years enjoyed watching my collection grow… and with growing excitement – I am watching part of my collection “grow/go” to here-to-fore unimagined venues… (hint NOT ebay or a garage sale in the sky) . You can read more about the Polymer Collection Project here.
Great news.. (at least for me) my upcoming workshop next weekend in Atlanta is totally “‘sold out” and wait list only.
Great news… for YOU if you would like to take a color workshop with me on October 2nd- and/or the 3rd & 4th in Jordan, Minnesota (at Maureen Carlson’s Center for the Arts– there are still spaces left.
Note: If you have never been to Maureen’s – it is a truly magically creative place to take part in a workshop – this will be my seventh year of teaching there …
Thanks for visiting my blog where you'll find my latest news, class details, and new tips and tricks. You'll find more information about my work at my website. Come back often.
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