Little Holiday Votives

I like candles. Of course, it's always best when the flame can be encased in something to keep it safe and away from flammable objects. That's one of the reasons glass votives were developed.
Although watching the flame can be mesmerizing,  it's also fun to watch the glow filtered through designs or colors.  So I decided to make some small glass votives covered with translucent polymer designs.  Once you have decided on your colors ( for the votive shown here, I used translucent and white) , you need to make a small cane.  Square canes work well for matching up edges of cane slices.  However, round or irregular shapes also work, as can be seen in the example shown in this post.  Very thin slices are placed edge to edge and pressed together to create a solid covering of the glass.  I wanted a matte finish on the outside so I used some organza fabric as I smoothed the cane slices. This kept the surface slightly textured and ensured there were no fingerprints showing.  After being baked at the polymer recommended temperature, the votive is ready to use.  If a shiny surface is desired, the polymer will need to be sanded and buffed before using.

These last two photos show the votives with small electric tealights inside.  This is another option for creating light inside a votive holder, and is, of course, fireproof.  The lighter photo was taken with a light on in the room.






The final, darkest photo shows the glow from within the votive in a darkened room.

Polymer Decorated Wine Glasses

Polymer is such fun!  As you know, it is so versatile, it seems as though just about anything you can think up is possible with polymer.  Today, I had the pleasure of teaching a workshop on decorating wine glasses with polymer.  The participants did quite well, and I really enjoyed seeing their ideas and what they designed.  These decorated wine glasses are hand washable and have several possible uses.  If the polymer design is somewhat solid and strong, and is away from the rim of the glass,  the wine glass can be used to hold a drink.  They also make a lovely gift to be used or just appreciated.   I have a couple of samples to share with you here. I'm still working on another one, and will post it when completed.  



This teal wine glass was decorated with leaves made from colored clay.  I enhanced some of the leaves with mica powders, adding more color and some shine.

The gold and black rose design below just decorates the bottom of the wine glass.  Placement of the design is up to the artist, adding to the interest and beauty of these pieces.  

Floral Ikat

As you are probably aware, I really love Ikat canes and the variety of looks one can create.  I have been working on some floral themes, and decided to mix Ikat with flora.  This first pendant has an Ikat background with simple cane leaves and some hand formed little flowers.  Using the same Ikat canes for background, I made this simple pendant and earring set. 

Of course, then I had to make another Ikat stack out of my favorite colors, and decorate with different leaves and flowers.

Puppy!! Also: Translucents to the Rescue

In 2011, an early February post showed a picture of our (then) new addition to the family.  Kiri is three years old now, and we just brought home a little sister for her and our other girl.  Miyuki, whose name translates from the Japanese to mean "beautiful happiness" or "beautiful snow" is actually a half-sister to Kiri since they have the same mother.  Yuki is a bit of a spitfire, and our older girls are learning to adapt, as are the humans.  Of course, the addition of this little adventuring miss has curtailed some of my claying time, so please bear with me if there are gaps in postings.  I will persist!

So - on to the clay.  As you know from my last post, I have been working with polymer, metal leaf and alcohol inks to make pieces with color depth and variation as well as some crackle technique.  After I make the colored sheet, I pick and choose the areas I especially like, cutting out the pieces I want.  However, there are always good-sized areas of the sheet that are "left over."  I had just made some sheets for the demo at the Westerly Gallery, and now I had some pieces cut out and a good section of the sheet just looking at me. An idea struck:  why not use the left over sections, which I didn't find interesting enough to stand on their own, as background to translucent canes?  Since I love translucent clay and have several little translucent and white canes already made, I decided this was a perfect solution.  I would have some new pieces with a different look while using up the metal and alcohol sheets. Nothing goes to waste with Translucents to the Rescue!
The photo above right shows the piece I like the best.  The background used gold leaf with inks in warm tones like butterscotch, sunshine, and orange.  It has a really rich effect in person, with just enough sparkle showing through.  The resin finish adds just the right depth.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of some abstract leaf pieces made from a red and orange inked sheet and a pendant made from the same background with the translucent overlay.  The leaf pieces from the decorated clay sheet show the design and color variations that can be present with this technique.  The long piece shows how the background and the translucent canes can compliment each other.

The next photos allow you to see a leaf and ink set, a set with translucent overlay, and a comparison shot showing a few of the pieces next to each other.  This is just another example of the versatility of polymer and the myriad of possibilities available.  What a wonderful medium!

Something New: Scarf Slides!

Spring is quickly approaching - and for me, it can't come soon enough.  Early spring is the time when light scarves come out to add color and a touch of warmth to necklines.  And what would look nicer than a polymer slide to decorate the scarf and help keep it in place?

So here are my first slides.  I plan on making some "plain" ones, but these just seemed to want some extra decoration.

While each of the slides has two sides, the green/teal slide was made with a Skinner blend in mica shift technique, so the two sides have different colors. Two slides in one!