A Well Adorned Man
July 22, 2016 Inspirational Art
I’ve never really understood why the majority of guys don’t like to wear jewelry. There are definitely masculine versions and, maybe I am partial, but I think jewelry is more expressive than a t-shirt or sports jersey to say something about you. I guess just wearing jewelry for a guy says something about that guy. So what does this huge piece say about this guy? It says he’s not shy to start with!
This is Randy, Karen Mitchell’s husband, and he seems to really like wearing the big and bold stuff she makes for him, so it wasn’t too shocking to see him show up on our Gala night in this piece. Karen is one half of AnKara Designs, which she has run with her sister Ann for 25 years now. For Eurosynergy, Ann and Karen had a slew of complex pieces to show off a variety of construction options for their “Polymer Jewelry Construction” presentation (which I didn’t get to see due to other obligations), and I can only assume this was one.
The movement of the swaying chains made for quite a dynamic piece to match Randy’s already dynamic personality. It also occurred to me that swaying chains on a guy says something quite different than it would on a woman. Here, it felt very strong and dominant, like it’s something a warrior would wear, but on a woman it would probably be more reminiscent of dancing and graceful movement. The wearer does make the piece, which is why some work seems to ‘belong’ on some people while it just falls flat on someone else. If I had not seen this on Randy, I never would have thought a guy could pull this off, but Randy sure did!
They posted a lot of their new work used in their presentation on their Facebook page, but you can also follow them and see where they are selling by going to their website.
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
_________________________________________
The Many Faces of Micro Mosaics
September 11, 2015 Inspirational Art
When we do an article related to a technique that has been explored by several artists, we try and include art by these other explorers of the technique, but when it came to Karen Mitchell‘s article on polymer micro mosaics there was just too much wonderful stuff that Karen was sharing to expand on it. The article includes a history of micro mosaics, how the originals were created (including images from Karen’s hands-on experience recreating this old art form) and a tutorial on how to design and construct them successfully in polymer, as well as an endearing story of her discovery and exploration of the technique. That didn’t leave a lot of room for extras.
So, here is an example of micro mosaics not unlike what Karen does, created by DDee Wilder. DDee created these ‘vertical micro mosaics’ almost exclusively in rings and put together an album of them on her Flickr page. She used simple narrow canes and extruded polymer strings for her tiny mosaic elements and played with the design born from the pattern of color they created. If you enjoyed Karen’s article and are intrigued by the idea, you definitely need to take a look at DDee’s rings. And if you haven’t gotten a chance to check out the micro mosaic article and tutorial, you can admire these while you wait for your very-soon-to-arrive subscriber’s copy (issues are still making their way to many of you on the East Coast especially and overseas), or you can order your copy directly from us or from the retailers listed on this page.
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
LPC Sheet Transfers
July 4, 2013 Inspirational Art
Apparently this is going to be a week of building on the post from the day before! Again, if you read yesterday’s post, you might be getting some bright ideas about how to use liquid polymer clay transfers. But wait … there’s more!
In the present Summer 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts, we have an article by Ann and Karen Mitchell on making polymer hats. Within that article are lots of tidbits on working with liquid polymer clay, particularly LPC sheets. These sheets can be made as large as your oven will allow and then can be cut up as needed. Or, if you follow Ann and Karen’s instructions for adding mesh or fabric, you can use it very much like fabric including stitching, punching, and folding as you would a heavy piece of cloth.
These techniques are nothing new to these two ladies or to any of you who have read their wonderful book Liquid Polymer Clay. They have been using this method of embedding fabric and making LPC transfer appliques to create pieces like this purse “comprised of clay fabric, hand drawn transfer elements appliqued onto silk taffeta on the bottom layer and silk organza on the top layer.”
If transfers with LPC have grabbed hold of your imagination, you should really get the Mitchell sisters’ book Liquid Polymer Clay or re-read it if you have it. In the meantime, I am going to go pretend I don’t work on holidays. It’s Independence Day here in the States and friends, barbecues, and fireworks are in store for us later. So I’m going to transfer my attention to something un-polymer. To all my stateside readers and friends, Happy 4th of July. Have a wonderful day and be safe.
Fimo Deco Gel … alive and well
October 23, 2012 Inspirational Art, Polymer community news
There was some chatter a month or two ago about Fimo Deco Gel no longer being manufactured. Well, after a discussion with liquid polymer queens Ann and Karen Mitchell (they literally wrote the book on it) — they went directly to the source and have been told by Staedtler, the Fimo manufacturers, that there are no plans to halt production of the wonderfully clear liquid polymer.
Erin “Eirewolf” Metcalf created this Fimo Deco Gel butterfly for her mother some years ago. The clarity of Fimo’s liquid polymer allows for inclusions to shine through like the mica powders tracked through the wings here. The only difficult thing about Fimo’s Deco Gel is finding it. There are still suppliers on Amazon and in the UK there is supplier on Ebay. (Update–Polymer Clay Express is carrying it too: http://www.polymerclayexpress.com/fimo.html) Otherwise, you can still get it at some of the local and chain craft stores. But it goes fast — so if you see it, grab it!
I’ve never really understood why the majority of guys don’t like to wear jewelry. There are definitely masculine versions and, maybe I am partial, but I think jewelry is more expressive than a t-shirt or sports jersey to say something about you. I guess just wearing jewelry for a guy says something about that guy. So what does this huge piece say about this guy? It says he’s not shy to start with!
This is Randy, Karen Mitchell’s husband, and he seems to really like wearing the big and bold stuff she makes for him, so it wasn’t too shocking to see him show up on our Gala night in this piece. Karen is one half of AnKara Designs, which she has run with her sister Ann for 25 years now. For Eurosynergy, Ann and Karen had a slew of complex pieces to show off a variety of construction options for their “Polymer Jewelry Construction” presentation (which I didn’t get to see due to other obligations), and I can only assume this was one.
The movement of the swaying chains made for quite a dynamic piece to match Randy’s already dynamic personality. It also occurred to me that swaying chains on a guy says something quite different than it would on a woman. Here, it felt very strong and dominant, like it’s something a warrior would wear, but on a woman it would probably be more reminiscent of dancing and graceful movement. The wearer does make the piece, which is why some work seems to ‘belong’ on some people while it just falls flat on someone else. If I had not seen this on Randy, I never would have thought a guy could pull this off, but Randy sure did!
They posted a lot of their new work used in their presentation on their Facebook page, but you can also follow them and see where they are selling by going to their website.
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
_________________________________________
Read MoreWhen we do an article related to a technique that has been explored by several artists, we try and include art by these other explorers of the technique, but when it came to Karen Mitchell‘s article on polymer micro mosaics there was just too much wonderful stuff that Karen was sharing to expand on it. The article includes a history of micro mosaics, how the originals were created (including images from Karen’s hands-on experience recreating this old art form) and a tutorial on how to design and construct them successfully in polymer, as well as an endearing story of her discovery and exploration of the technique. That didn’t leave a lot of room for extras.
So, here is an example of micro mosaics not unlike what Karen does, created by DDee Wilder. DDee created these ‘vertical micro mosaics’ almost exclusively in rings and put together an album of them on her Flickr page. She used simple narrow canes and extruded polymer strings for her tiny mosaic elements and played with the design born from the pattern of color they created. If you enjoyed Karen’s article and are intrigued by the idea, you definitely need to take a look at DDee’s rings. And if you haven’t gotten a chance to check out the micro mosaic article and tutorial, you can admire these while you wait for your very-soon-to-arrive subscriber’s copy (issues are still making their way to many of you on the East Coast especially and overseas), or you can order your copy directly from us or from the retailers listed on this page.
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
Apparently this is going to be a week of building on the post from the day before! Again, if you read yesterday’s post, you might be getting some bright ideas about how to use liquid polymer clay transfers. But wait … there’s more!
In the present Summer 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts, we have an article by Ann and Karen Mitchell on making polymer hats. Within that article are lots of tidbits on working with liquid polymer clay, particularly LPC sheets. These sheets can be made as large as your oven will allow and then can be cut up as needed. Or, if you follow Ann and Karen’s instructions for adding mesh or fabric, you can use it very much like fabric including stitching, punching, and folding as you would a heavy piece of cloth.
These techniques are nothing new to these two ladies or to any of you who have read their wonderful book Liquid Polymer Clay. They have been using this method of embedding fabric and making LPC transfer appliques to create pieces like this purse “comprised of clay fabric, hand drawn transfer elements appliqued onto silk taffeta on the bottom layer and silk organza on the top layer.”
If transfers with LPC have grabbed hold of your imagination, you should really get the Mitchell sisters’ book Liquid Polymer Clay or re-read it if you have it. In the meantime, I am going to go pretend I don’t work on holidays. It’s Independence Day here in the States and friends, barbecues, and fireworks are in store for us later. So I’m going to transfer my attention to something un-polymer. To all my stateside readers and friends, Happy 4th of July. Have a wonderful day and be safe.
Read More
There was some chatter a month or two ago about Fimo Deco Gel no longer being manufactured. Well, after a discussion with liquid polymer queens Ann and Karen Mitchell (they literally wrote the book on it) — they went directly to the source and have been told by Staedtler, the Fimo manufacturers, that there are no plans to halt production of the wonderfully clear liquid polymer.
Erin “Eirewolf” Metcalf created this Fimo Deco Gel butterfly for her mother some years ago. The clarity of Fimo’s liquid polymer allows for inclusions to shine through like the mica powders tracked through the wings here. The only difficult thing about Fimo’s Deco Gel is finding it. There are still suppliers on Amazon and in the UK there is supplier on Ebay. (Update–Polymer Clay Express is carrying it too: http://www.polymerclayexpress.com/fimo.html) Otherwise, you can still get it at some of the local and chain craft stores. But it goes fast — so if you see it, grab it!
Read More