The Last Polymer Arts … but announcing The Polymer Studio!

The End of a Magazine

I regret to announce that the upcoming Fall issue of The Polymer Arts will be the last issue, in its present form. Thanks to all its wonderful contributors, The Polymer Arts had become a highly influential magazine as well as an amazing and humbling journey for me but fate has pushed me towards other plans.

We wanted to give you the news before we shut down the subscription purchases (back issues and pre-orders for the Fall issue will still be available) and people started wondering. But we didn’t want to leave you on a sad note, so here is the good news!

The Birth of a New Magazine

A small group of very persistent people have pushed me to start a new venture (and are joining me in this in a few cases) that we hope will draw new people to the wonderful world of polymer clay. I’m thrilled to be able to announce that we will be publishing a new magazine for the polymer community, The Polymer Studio, with its first issue scheduled for a January 19th release.

This new magazine will continue to encourage readers to improve their skills and think creatively through quality content such as:

  • Inspiring project tutorials from all over the globe, for all levels
  • Expert instruction for improving skills and learning new techniques
  • Tours inside the studios of unique and well-known polymer artists
  • Invaluable studio tips and tricks
  • Revealing artist interviews
  • New product reviews
  • A myriad of inspiring ideas and eye candy
  • Regular articles by some of your favorite contributors including Christi Friesen, Ginger Davis Allman, and Anke Humpert, as well as myself.

We hope this new magazine will provide the new to intermediate polymer clay crafter with that regular, affordable creative shot in the arm that has been missing recently in periodicals, helping to fulfill your passion for learning and enjoying this fantastic medium.

Be an Early Subscriber for Discounts and a Special Gift

Subscriptions and pre-orders will be available in a couple of weeks.  Go here to sign up to be notified when it goes live. Early subscribers will receive:

  • An additional 10% off their subscription
  • A very special little gift in November to hold you over until January.
  • And the immense appreciation of the staff for your enthusiasm and encouragement.

Sign up for the Purchase & News Notifications here.

Would you like to be published in The Polymer Studio? We still have room in the inaugural issue for a few more project tutorials. If you would like to submit, send your tutorial ideas and a photo or two (or link to photos) to submissions[-at-]thepolymerstudio.com. You can also go to our Contributor Guidelines page for more information.

For The Polymer Arts Subscribers and Fans

Subscribers with ongoing subscriptions to The Polymer Arts will be receiving The Polymer Studios as of January 2019 as well as our little special gift in November to thank you for your patience during this transformation. This also means there will be no winter issue but, as most of you know there will be two books that you can look forward to that will be coming out before the end of the year. Wrapping those up is why production of this first issue will take until January.

If you have any questions about your subscription or the changeover, please write us at connect@ThePolymerArts.com

For those of you who enjoyed The Polymer Arts and all the conceptual articles and discussions, I’m not setting those aside completely. There is another related project on the drawing board that I will be investigating further after the periodical changeover is taken care of. So stay tuned!

If you’re curious about some of the reasons I had to close The Polymer Arts and, instead, started this new magazine, you can read about it on the About page on www.ThePolymerArts.com.

 

 

A Little Sparkle with Wendy Wallin Mallinow

October 4, 2014

I have a treat for you today. When I asked around for artists that wanted to guest blog, I got an enthusiastic “Yes!” from the energetic Randee Ketzel. I thought she would find and comment on a selection of work based on a theme as we do here every week, but instead she decided she would like to interview a few artists for us. I was thrilled. This will be the first of those interviews. We’ll get out these special posts by Randee every couple of weeks or so for as long as she’ll send them along!

6ebb034760708306540ec563273b8ba4Wendy is definitely one of a kind. What else can you say about  a workshop instructor who shows up in a Mad-scientist lab coat, rainbow leggings and a faux bone/bird skull tiara? Plus, when she pulls out the giant polymer radish who grins impishly at you with REAL human teeth–well, you know this is going to be an interesting class. But, beyond the mischievous  showmanship is a serious artist with some serious talent. That talent will be on display at the Carthage College exhibit, “A Re-Visioning: New Works in Polymer”, through the end of October.

Art was in her blood; coming from a family of artists, she  has been working in polymer since the late eighties, creating her signature bone and skull jewelry. She had known about the medium, but seeing a  full page article on the work of Pier Volkous sent her into the hunt. Her work with ceramics–and frustrations with it–made polymer a natural fit. Earlier in her career, she had  been an in-house illustrator and art director for a graphic design firm (she has a dozen books to her credit), and her work is informed by that experience. Wendy has a BA in both Art and Business and feels that it is a mixed blessing. One professor told her that he worried she would not stick to just one path, and fortunately for us, she didn’t. Her wild, thought-provoking combination of many media is precisely what makes her work so unique.

Wendy is a driven artist. She describes her brain as a constantly simmering stew of ideas that must find some sort of expression every day and hopes that people either love her work, or hate it; the only thing she fears is indifference. In preparing for this post I asked Wendy to describe her passions and she responded in a very Wendy-kind of way:

“Hmmmm… running, skiing, snow, anything sparkly, animation, my husband’s music, my sons’ art, wine, good food, the sun, the water, anything transparent, rocks, biology, geekery, bones, chartreuse, neon (the lighting and the colors), anything woodland and candy…”

We all need a little sparkle in our lives. Thank goodness we have Wendy.

You can find more of Wendy’s work in her Etsy shop and on her Tumblr pages.  Be sure to scroll down on the Tumblr page to see her incredible paper cut pieces!

Randee Ketzel, a life-long craft artist, previously worked in metals but is now a polymer enthusiast and co-author of “Polymer Clay Gemstones, the Art of Deception” a different kind of polymer book devoted to faux techniques and the reproduction of historical jewelry.  Her book can be found on Amazon while her other tutorials can be found in her Etsy shop.  

 

 If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.

14-P3 Fall-Play cover Full sm  Blog2 -2014-02Feb-3   polymer clay butterfly ornament sm   TPA Blog Newsletter Ad  ShadesofClay 1014 v2  tpabl-10-9072014

 

The Last Polymer Arts … but announcing The Polymer Studio!

August 24, 2018
Posted in ,

The End of a Magazine

I regret to announce that the upcoming Fall issue of The Polymer Arts will be the last issue, in its present form. Thanks to all its wonderful contributors, The Polymer Arts had become a highly influential magazine as well as an amazing and humbling journey for me but fate has pushed me towards other plans.

We wanted to give you the news before we shut down the subscription purchases (back issues and pre-orders for the Fall issue will still be available) and people started wondering. But we didn’t want to leave you on a sad note, so here is the good news!

The Birth of a New Magazine

A small group of very persistent people have pushed me to start a new venture (and are joining me in this in a few cases) that we hope will draw new people to the wonderful world of polymer clay. I’m thrilled to be able to announce that we will be publishing a new magazine for the polymer community, The Polymer Studio, with its first issue scheduled for a January 19th release.

This new magazine will continue to encourage readers to improve their skills and think creatively through quality content such as:

  • Inspiring project tutorials from all over the globe, for all levels
  • Expert instruction for improving skills and learning new techniques
  • Tours inside the studios of unique and well-known polymer artists
  • Invaluable studio tips and tricks
  • Revealing artist interviews
  • New product reviews
  • A myriad of inspiring ideas and eye candy
  • Regular articles by some of your favorite contributors including Christi Friesen, Ginger Davis Allman, and Anke Humpert, as well as myself.

We hope this new magazine will provide the new to intermediate polymer clay crafter with that regular, affordable creative shot in the arm that has been missing recently in periodicals, helping to fulfill your passion for learning and enjoying this fantastic medium.

Be an Early Subscriber for Discounts and a Special Gift

Subscriptions and pre-orders will be available in a couple of weeks.  Go here to sign up to be notified when it goes live. Early subscribers will receive:

  • An additional 10% off their subscription
  • A very special little gift in November to hold you over until January.
  • And the immense appreciation of the staff for your enthusiasm and encouragement.

Sign up for the Purchase & News Notifications here.

Would you like to be published in The Polymer Studio? We still have room in the inaugural issue for a few more project tutorials. If you would like to submit, send your tutorial ideas and a photo or two (or link to photos) to submissions[-at-]thepolymerstudio.com. You can also go to our Contributor Guidelines page for more information.

For The Polymer Arts Subscribers and Fans

Subscribers with ongoing subscriptions to The Polymer Arts will be receiving The Polymer Studios as of January 2019 as well as our little special gift in November to thank you for your patience during this transformation. This also means there will be no winter issue but, as most of you know there will be two books that you can look forward to that will be coming out before the end of the year. Wrapping those up is why production of this first issue will take until January.

If you have any questions about your subscription or the changeover, please write us at connect@ThePolymerArts.com

For those of you who enjoyed The Polymer Arts and all the conceptual articles and discussions, I’m not setting those aside completely. There is another related project on the drawing board that I will be investigating further after the periodical changeover is taken care of. So stay tuned!

If you’re curious about some of the reasons I had to close The Polymer Arts and, instead, started this new magazine, you can read about it on the About page on www.ThePolymerArts.com.

 

 

Read More

A Little Sparkle with Wendy Wallin Mallinow

October 4, 2014
Posted in

I have a treat for you today. When I asked around for artists that wanted to guest blog, I got an enthusiastic “Yes!” from the energetic Randee Ketzel. I thought she would find and comment on a selection of work based on a theme as we do here every week, but instead she decided she would like to interview a few artists for us. I was thrilled. This will be the first of those interviews. We’ll get out these special posts by Randee every couple of weeks or so for as long as she’ll send them along!

6ebb034760708306540ec563273b8ba4Wendy is definitely one of a kind. What else can you say about  a workshop instructor who shows up in a Mad-scientist lab coat, rainbow leggings and a faux bone/bird skull tiara? Plus, when she pulls out the giant polymer radish who grins impishly at you with REAL human teeth–well, you know this is going to be an interesting class. But, beyond the mischievous  showmanship is a serious artist with some serious talent. That talent will be on display at the Carthage College exhibit, “A Re-Visioning: New Works in Polymer”, through the end of October.

Art was in her blood; coming from a family of artists, she  has been working in polymer since the late eighties, creating her signature bone and skull jewelry. She had known about the medium, but seeing a  full page article on the work of Pier Volkous sent her into the hunt. Her work with ceramics–and frustrations with it–made polymer a natural fit. Earlier in her career, she had  been an in-house illustrator and art director for a graphic design firm (she has a dozen books to her credit), and her work is informed by that experience. Wendy has a BA in both Art and Business and feels that it is a mixed blessing. One professor told her that he worried she would not stick to just one path, and fortunately for us, she didn’t. Her wild, thought-provoking combination of many media is precisely what makes her work so unique.

Wendy is a driven artist. She describes her brain as a constantly simmering stew of ideas that must find some sort of expression every day and hopes that people either love her work, or hate it; the only thing she fears is indifference. In preparing for this post I asked Wendy to describe her passions and she responded in a very Wendy-kind of way:

“Hmmmm… running, skiing, snow, anything sparkly, animation, my husband’s music, my sons’ art, wine, good food, the sun, the water, anything transparent, rocks, biology, geekery, bones, chartreuse, neon (the lighting and the colors), anything woodland and candy…”

We all need a little sparkle in our lives. Thank goodness we have Wendy.

You can find more of Wendy’s work in her Etsy shop and on her Tumblr pages.  Be sure to scroll down on the Tumblr page to see her incredible paper cut pieces!

Randee Ketzel, a life-long craft artist, previously worked in metals but is now a polymer enthusiast and co-author of “Polymer Clay Gemstones, the Art of Deception” a different kind of polymer book devoted to faux techniques and the reproduction of historical jewelry.  Her book can be found on Amazon while her other tutorials can be found in her Etsy shop.  

 

 If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.

14-P3 Fall-Play cover Full sm  Blog2 -2014-02Feb-3   polymer clay butterfly ornament sm   TPA Blog Newsletter Ad  ShadesofClay 1014 v2  tpabl-10-9072014

 

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