New Bracelet Cuffs

Perhaps you've had this happen to you, too.  You purchase some interesting findings, planning on using them sometime soon.  Then you get involved with a different project.  Suddenly, they pop up while you're looking for something else....


That's the story behind these matte white filigree bracelet cuffs.  I'd purchased the cuffs a while ago, but hadn't used them until just a couple of days ago.  They are perfect for summer flowers.





The metal is adjustable from about 6 to 7.5 inches and they stay in place nicely.
I made 4 different flower shapes and colors, and added leaves to 3 of the 4 designs.












This isn't a bracelet - it's a pin/pendant, in the same general design as the one I entered in the May Regional Show.  I really like the way this cane looks when it is fanned out.  So I had to make another one in a new color way.  Don't be surprised if you see more of these open circles in future posts.

More from Clay Back East 2019

We learned some great techniques at Clay Back East.  As you saw in my last posting,  some of the things we learned had to do with structure and form, others with design and color.

A really fascinating technique was taught by Sylvie Peraud.  She has developed a method for making multiple sided, hollow polymer shapes that really helps the shape form precisely, while keep finger prints totally out of the picture.  It was amazing!  We made 2 shapes in the same way, then used a special formula she has developed for applying paint and a bit of texture.  I ran out of time to finish my paint job and didn't convert these to a pair of earrings, but I thought you'd be intrigued by the concept she has evolved.  Being hollow, and made from Kato clay, these pieces were incredible light and would be soooo easy to wear!

Donna Kato taught another really interesting class.  In addition to showing us how to make her wave or ribbon stack, she helped us learn to make these pieces.  Because my ribbons were more angular than some others, I felt these pieces almost took on an aboriginal look.  The gold pieces are super thin foils.  Since these pieces were made with Kato clay, they are incredibly thin and light weight. You'd never know you were wearing the earrings!

Brilliant Bettina Welker!

A few weeks after Clayathon, I returned to southern New Jersey to attend Clay Back East, 2019. This polymer conference was sponsored by Donna Kato and her conference crew.  It was really marvelous!  The format was based on workshops from top-flight polymer artists.  We had 3 full-day and 2 half-day classes, with instructors moving from room to room.  This meant we all attended every workshop in reasonably sized groups.  Great plan!
Today I'd like to share the closing bracelet cuff that Bettina Welker developed.  The clasp is unique, hides itself within the overall design, and is comfortable to wear.  If you get a chance to take her workshop on this design, do so.  I can't go into detail, since it is her invention.  Just know that she really has come up with a clever and strong method of securing the cuff so you can wear it without worrying about it possibly slipping off.

That is the clasp between the pink and purple rectangles.  Pretty cool!





We also had fun decorating the various rectangular shapes and placing them on the cuff.  I used a ribbon cane that Donna Kato introduced to us to make the wavy stripes.  I like the different look.

Polymer Abstract Hollow Form

At Clayathon 2019, I had the opportunity to take a 2-day workshop with Helen Wyland-Malchow.  It was a fantastic class!  Helen's instruction was clean, clear, and precise, with lots of smiles tossed in. We made these outstanding free-form hollow "boxes" -- no two were alike.  I loved the slab construction Helen taught.  She has been a high school art teacher, and she brought her skills in teaching and in art and creativity to construction in polymer.  If you get a chance to take a class from Helen, do so!  It was really fun and I learned techniques I'd never seen before.

Since it took us 2 days, there is just too much to explain.  However, I think a couple of photos will give you an idea of what we did. The veneer designs were our own. I decided to make an Ikat stack that I feathered on one side.  We also made little "lids" for our forms.  Mine was really quite small compared to the hollow form.  In the first photo, the lid is in place.  In the second photo, it's lying in front of the form.  We all had lots of fun coming up with designs, shapes, and making the whole thing work!