3-D Jewelry a la Jana Roberts Benzon

Once again, I had the chance to spend a wonderful day learning from Jana Roberts Benzon. As I have said before, she is really amazing. This time, the class was on dimensional pieces formed from canes of varying complexity. We made a variety of canes from complex kaleidoscopes to stripes, bulls' eyes and all sorts of options in between. Jana guided us through the process of assembling slices from the various canes into pendants and earrings. There are just so many possibilities, and the work the participants have posted on our group site have been amazing. Above is my first pendant and below, a pair of earrings to harmonize.

Polymer-Covered Gift Pens

Around the holidays, it's nice to have a few things at the galleries that incorporate polymer into something that would make a good gift.  This year, I decided to make some polymer covered metal twist pens.  These pens take actual ball point ink cartridges, so they can be refilled once the ink has run out and used again. I used twist pen "kits" from Boston Craftworks and from Penn State Industries.  I was pleased with the quality of the materials from both companies, and they both shipped the ordered items fairly quickly.
To cover the metal sections of the pens, I experimented with a couple of different polymer designs. There is a seam where the sheet of polymer wraps around the metal, and hiding that seam is the trickiest aspect.  I found that three options worked particularly well.  A sheet from a mokume gane stack was perfect, since you can take ultra-thin slices from the stack and place them along the seam. The seam is hidden and it just appears that the random design from the mokume gane goes all the way around. Another option is to make a striped stack. Variagated stripes, such as an Ikat stack or stripes that are random (not a specific color pattern that could show where the seam is) worked really well, and looked elegant.  Finally, a square cane that you have made will work very well - just reduce the cane to be sure it fits around the pen without needing major alteration, and it looks like the design just keeps going - around and around.  The photo shows pens covered in mokume gane (#2, 5, 7) pens covered in Ikat and stripes (#3 & 4). and one pen covered in a square cane (#6).

May Flowers

I've been on a flower-making rampage for some reason.  I'm not making anything in particular with them, but as I sit viewing something, I've found my fingers busy using some recently made canes to make flowers.  They are all different shapes and sizes, and I'm enjoying it, so why not!
Here is a snapshot of a pile of some of the flowers, scattered willy-nilly. ;)

More Black & White "Magic"

Today, I'll be sharing some photos of earrings and bracelets I made to fit into the Westerly gallery theme for March.
First, the cuff bracelets.  These flowers were both created from petal canes I made.  I reduced a portion of each cane in order to have different sizes to use for the inner and outer petals.  The bolder black and white flower on the left is mounted on a single piece brass cuff.  I put a magnetic clasp in the opening to help secure the bracelet.  The flower on the right is set on a hinged cuff that stays closed while worn.

The diamond-shaped earring pairs fit well into the "magic" theme since they seem to need a second look to figure out the design.
The striped pairs almost look like the lines are moving, especially when they swing from the ears.

The last pair of larger tube-shaped earrings were made from a kaleidoscope cane. This was a cane composed of several simple canes.  When the pieces are combined, reduced, and combined again, the resulting pattern can almost seem like "magic."

New Ear Wires

Today I'd like to share a few photos demonstrating some new ear wire findings I just discovered.  I'm sure others have used something similar, but it was the first time I'd seen them.  These came from Fire Mountain Gems and are made of Argentium silver.  I really like Argentium silver because of both its strength and the fact that it remains tarnish-resistant for a long time.  Several new findings are coming on the market made from Argentium silver.

Findings play an important role in jewelry.  Sometimes, they work in the background, holding pieces together or serving as devices that allow wearability.  Other times, they are part and parcel of the design.  For the most part, I tend to use ear wires that allow my polymer pieces to dangle, and occasionally I'll use posts for the backs of earrings. These new Argentium wires seem to add to the design of the earrings.  They also change the way the earrings move, and I'm really pleased with the way these look when worn.




I think of these earrings as a sort of "button" design - simple rounds and ovals that showcase the polymer canes and designs I used.

From Yesterday....

Told you I'd have to do something with the canes from yesterday....So, here are a few cuff bracelets to show more variations of the cane patterns.  The 2 cuffs to the right were made from canes I put together based on the geometric core cane.  The other 3 cuffs below were decorated with canes from the kaleidoscope patterns pictured in yesterday's post.  It's always fun to see the clay move to something you can use.

Kaleidoscope Fun

Today I taught a workshop on making canes based on a simple cane "core."  The kaleidoscope canes we created in the afternoon were especially pretty, and one of my favorite activities.
Using a palate of compatible colors, participants made several simple canes: Skinner blend bull's eye, regular bull's eye, pinwheel and wedge canes.  These canes were combined into a larger conglomerate cane, such as the one pictured to the right.

This core cane was then formed into a triangle and reduced.  Cut and recombined, the cane became different 6 sided and square canes, pictured at the left.
This is a great activity,  and allows you to work on color, form and design all at one time.
Many of you have probably approached canes in this manner. I never tire of this process.  The end results are always lovely and often unexpected.

Here is another example showing the initial "core" made of a variety of simple canes, some hexagonal canes and a square cane made after reducing the core,and finally a photo of some mobius and triangle beads made from one of the hexagonal canes.

  One more set in another color-way. Then I need to get busy, making beads and other things from these canes!

It Started with Snails.....

Sometimes, you just don't know where you'll end up.
I'd been playing with some partial blends - blends where the individual colors still stand out - and twisting them around.  This made me think of snail shapes, so I made up some snail pendant and earring sets.  I love the way the twisted patterns turned out, and the colors are warm and vibrant.  Wish the snails in my yard looked like this.  ;)

I picked up some of the clay pieces I'd cut off, and found myself shaping this yellow and red pinched pendant.

I let my hands fiddle with more pieces and suddenly these curved horn pieces emerged.  Making them in graduated sizes resulted in a pin and a pendant.

 

Along with this really nice rainbow pendant with pearls instead of a pot of gold.

I wasn't done yet, though.  I still had a couple of slices from Ikat canes.  Here are the pieces that resulted from using those canes to make more horn shapes.  Kinda neat - and tons of fun!

Sometimes, There is a Perfect Cane....

Many polymer artists enjoy making canes.  Some canes just beg to be used, while sometimes we wonder what to do with them once we've made them...  I love the wedge canes I make for petals and flowers, and have found them to be very versatile.  I use these canes for lots of different designs in earrings,  pendants and even bracelets.
Every once in a while, I run across another artist's cane design that I think is incredible.  This has proven to be especially true of the Fountain Flower cane from Israel's Marcia Tzigelnik. In my January 6, 2013 blog posting, I pictured some hollow donuts I had made using this cane.  Later that same month, Marcia's cane idea and my application  of it were featured in the Daily Polymer Arts Blog.  I was playing with this cane again, and just discovered another way in which to use it.  I call these "compact bud flowers."  It's really amazing how the design in the cane just seems to line up perfectly for these little shapes.  Wonder what application I'll "discover" next?

Tiny Dried Flower Ikat Pendants

These sweet new pendants were such fun to create!

They are made of tiny dried flowers imbedded in resin on a base of polymer Ikat canes.







 Seen in person, the detail on the flowers is  wonderful.


The resin adds a special dimension and depth that makes the little gardens inside glow.

Of course, I had to make a few earrings, too.

Flower Clusters

As you can tell from the picture at the left, I really like this cane I made. I got carried away making flowers from this cane, and started making little bouquets.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these little flower clusters - probably pendants of some sort. One has plain flower centers, the other has crystals at the cores.

I decided to make a pendant with fewer flowers, and added some leaves as possible locations for chains or other necklace straps.  Then I had to make it again in another color combination of the same cane.  The crystals in the centers are chrysolite.  This aqua piece has already been claimed by a bead-weaving friend.  I want to see what you do with it, Anita!

Sweet Little Floral Jewels

I have really enjoyed making these little flower and jewel earrings.  When they're all lying on a mat together, they make the loveliest garden!





The colors for the canes are all custom mixed, and I'm really pleased with the way they turned out.






I left the flowers and leaves with a matte finish to provide contrast with the shine of the beads, crystals, and pearls which form the centers of each flower.

You'll see different flower designs:  trumpet styles, closed flowers, calla lilies and a fuchsia. Do you have a favorite?

This is Orange

If you've been watching the new magazines in the polymer field, then you're probably familiar with From Polymer To Art from the Netherlands. Each of the issues is based on a color, and the issues are called things like "This is not Red" and "This is not Orange." Hence, the title of this post, since the items I'm sharing today are indeed Orange. ;)
I'm not sure how other polymer artists work, but sometimes I get caught up in a particular cane, and start making all sorts of pieces out of that cane. Other times, I fixate on a particular design or form, and make several pieces in that design from various canes. And sometimes, I fall in love with with both a cane type and a form or design, and get caught up, period.
Today's posting deals with the first situation. I don't do a lot of things in orange, so I decided I should make a cane and see where it led me. The necklace to the left is my first piece.
Then I decided to experiment with making a "bamboo" hoop (polymer of course) wrapped with small orange flowers and some leaves. The brown leaf loop at the top is the bail. Here are two shots to give you an idea of how it looks:

















Here's one more little pendant with a carnelian nestled in the bottom petal.


As you can see, I've been having fun - and am still working on assembling another piece or two from a few more orange flowers I made. Perfect for late spring and into summer.

Ikat!! What a wonderful cane!

As you know, I went to Cabin Fever Clay Festival 2012 in late February, and had an outstanding time. I'm finally getting the chance to play with some of the things I learned. My first workshop was a full day with Lindly Haunani in which she spun her color magic for us in the form of Ikat canes. I had had very little experience with this particular type of cane, and really enjoyed Lindly's approach to making them. Here are photos of pieces I made at the workshop. The first piece I worked on was the 3-leaf pendant. I also had to try a larger leaf for a pin. As you can see, the Ikat pattern lends itself beautifully to a piece that has 2 sides, such as a leaf. Cutting the cane on the diagonal gave a great mirrored leaf-vein appearance. These were really fun to make! I also had to try some simple earrings using the cane "as is."



Then I came home, and had to try my hand at different colors and a different jewelry design. Here's my first piece - I really, really like it. The colors are quite rich, and the pearls just begged to be added...so I did! Don't they look like they belong?!

"Wheel" into March

Pinwheel, that is. I was looking at some canes I'd made, wondering what I could make with them. I made a smooth half-log out of one, and just started slicing pieces. As I lay them down, I realized I had the perfect shape for a flower pinwheel. That started a pinwheel frenzy which will most likely continue on and off for a while. I love the look, and there are so many combinations and options on something like this. Of course, they also remind me of flowers, which I love.
Besides, I'm ready for spring - only 20 more days by the calendar, and maybe sooner if the weather cooperates.
Here are my pinwheel pendants - and one pair of earrings.

Leap Day

Leap Day. Isn't it fun to have an "extra" day in the calendar year? It's especially nice when it turns into a day to play with clay. Inclement weather cancelled much of what was originally planned for my day, so I decided to spend some time with polymer. I must admit, it wasn't a hard decision.
One of the things I worked on was a Stroppel cane. Many of you have probably read about the Stroppel cane. This wonderful cane - or stack, as some call it - was recently brought to the polymer public's attention by the originator, Alice Stroppel, in a video she posted on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y07zXuLZe20. It's a simple yet wonderful way to clean up your scraps after working on a project or two, and you end up with another cane for more creating. How can you beat that!?!
Here are some of the pieces I've worked up. I found some new cording at Artbeads. It just arrived, and it seems like a perfect fit for the yellow pieces. The cording has a strand black suede with a strand of jet swarovski crystals woven in. I just love the look!












I made another set with a reversible lentil bead for the focal. This is a great way to get 2 coordinated looks at one time.














Had to make a set in teal, too, since that's one of my favorite colors.