Where I've Been

5x7 Box

Time flies! I'm still exploring polymer clay. It's so versatile! These are some of the things I've been working on, a box covered with clay tiles which have been textured with stamps and then I added a mica powder on the texture. The iguanas are for my sons who live near Miami. And the jade pendant and earrings show how polymer clay can mimic other materials.

Two weeks ago I went to the Virginia Art and Soul retreat. Well, I live here so it's not a retreat for me. From all of the yummy choices, I attended Susan Lenart Kazmer's class, another class on moldmaking which was so out in left field as far as I was concerned, and a class with the dashing Robert Dancik.

Susan's class was way above my head, but some really nice women gave me advice and a hand when needed. I learned so much. We used sheets of copper in a disc cutter to cut out circles by pounding a hammer ( yes!! ....anxiety relief), then used a flexshaft to drill a hole in the metal, then we used a dapping block and another hammer ......yes!!..to shape the discs we had cut. After that we chose colors of powder which we sprinkled on and dipped in....uh, something...and then held it in the roaring flame of a torch until the powder turned to enamel....Well, I can tell you, I was awestruck! This is powerful jewelry making.

It turns out that Susan developed Ice Resin and even though we didn't use it in the class, she had her video for sale so I bought it to learn by myself. Something else to combine with polymer clay.

Robert's class was the most useful for me. He showed us how to use a jeweler's saw and we cut plexiglass circles which we held under a heating gun until it softened and then we dapped it into a disc shape. The object of the class was to make a hollow plexiglass bead, but I am thinking of ways to combine this with polymer clay. He introduced us to Faux Bone, which he developed. I bought some of that to make bracelets but of course I didn't realize that polymer clay makes very cool faux bone!! Live and learn, right?

Art and Soul Retreat

I just got home from the Art and Soul Retreat today, and it was great! Yesterday, too was a cool experience. Yesterday I was in Zia's Soul Map, and while we designed our soul maps, Zana helped us discover our life number and how to create a new signature. It was all very metaphysical. The best part for me was meeting Joyce from Cape Cod, who I plan to keep in touch with. People have come from all over...I've seen nametags from Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Texas, Montana, New York, and of course North Carolina, DC, and Maryland. I love to meet and talk to other creative people. That's Zana, below, with the short red hair.

Today I had a wonderful class, Byzantine Chain Bracelet with PMC. The teachers, Scott David Plumlee and Sherri Haab,  were excellent, certainly the best I've ever encountered. They used all the steps to teach us that I used in the classroom. State the objective, demonstrate, repeat the directions, work the crowd to give individual help or praise, and repeat directions, repeat directions, repeat directions, etc. It was difficult to get a good picture of the silver, but I hope you can see it's a rabbit and two charms.

 I've started the chain so I can put it all together to make a bracelet, but let me tell you......making the chain is a chore you wouldn't wish upon your worst enemy. It was surely designed as a punishment. We had to open these teeny tiny silver rings, then hook them on one by one, close them up and so on and on and on.  Many experienced people had come armed with exotic magnifying devices, but did I know that beforehand? No, of course not. I had to suffer along with other novices. You see how much I got done, don't you? I know I'll eventually finish it, but don't look for it to be dangling from my arm anytime soon. More on Sunday.....

Yee Haw!!

This is the crab I carved last weekend, but I can't get a good print. I think the problem is that I'm printing with paint instead of printing ink and the block is absorbing the paint. Blue Skies is having a show in June where everyone submits work outside her usual area. So I'd like to print maybe four crabs and treat them all with different mediums. I think it will be fun.

This has been one of those rare days when you feel euphoric for no reason and everything magically falls into place. I felt great today and had loads of energy. I got alot done so I'll show you. First, I finished 'Be My Fortune Cookie'.

Then I got things organized ( well, almost) to go to the Art and Soul Retreat on Thursday. I'm very excited about going. I've never been but I heard it's great. I think they are going to do retreats in three or four cities this year, and luckily one of them is Hampton. One of the things I had to get ready is a trade item. They say that you can get some really neat little stuff signed by various artists and craftspeople. So I made bookmarks. Well. It was all I could think of, guys. 

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And then they sent us this anemic fish dish, so I filled mine in so it actually looks like a 3D fish instead of a concave thing. Then I painted it all with really cool metallic and iridescent paints. You should see it in different lights. Really cool. I think they auction off everyone's fish one night. 

I jumped on the chance to go to this because I need a kick start to my imagination. I mean, I know I can draw. If I look at something, I can draw it. But I have to see something. I can't just sit down and draw a chair, a person, a house, etc. without looking at one. So these classes sound like they'll introduce new ways of dealing with subject matter, and I'll learn some new skills using new materials. And best of all...the chance to meet artists from all over the place.

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'Be My Fortune Cookie'

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