Another Great Class with Helen!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, at Clayathon 2019 I had the opportunity to take a vessel making class from Helen Wyland-Malchow.  It was a really great class, and I learned to do something I've never tried before.  In that class, Helen wanted everyone to experience slab construction of shapes using polymer clay, and that's what I did.  However, she had some vessels she had made in a trapezoid shape with triangular bases. The shape just captivated me, and I really wanted to try it sometime.
When I found out that Helen was going to be offering the same workshop in Connecticut, I asked her if I could take the class again and do the trapezoid shape instead.  She agreed to let me do just that, and said she'd be glad to help me.  
I had a wonderful time.
The photos here are shots of the 2 sides of the vessel I made.  I'm really pleased with the decorated sheets I made, and with the way the shape turned out.  Even the top is fun!

Playing with More Stripes

I've been having fun making striped canes and stacks, and using them in various shapes.  I particularly like the round, hollow pin/pendants I've been working on.  Here are some of my latest pieces using stripes.

The piece on the left has a gold-plated flower with zircon center adding some sparkle and interest.  Since the edge on this one is ruffled, I did not bring the backing up to the edge.  Some of the striping shows around the edges on the back.

This next pin has very subtle stripes which I think contrast nicely with the textured parts of the piece. Some of the inspiration for this pin comes from my workshop with Fabiola Perez.

Here is another hollow round pin/pendant.  I really love the way the colors blended and how the black and white edging gives the piece an unusual look.  

For these last 2 pieces, I used the same striped stack as the round at the beginning of this post. The necklace is strung with 4mm carnelian rounds and has gold-filled disks between each bead.  The earrings are a "just for fun" pair.  I was playing with some slices and this is what evolved.