Creative Musings

Crystal Collaboration

Cover art by Lilian Chen

I'm so honored to have been included in the new "Crystal Jewelry Inspiration" book from Kalmbach. I definitely wanted to do a project that  invovled clay as it is one of my favorite mediums. I choose to use epoxy clay for my project and the variations as it's a go-to material for creating pave effects with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS crystal chatons. I was inspired by the crystal rings, some of my all-time favorite elements among the thousands of crystalliscious components. Below is my project contribution: "Check It Out" and two variations that appear in the book.  

        

I'm totally amazed at the amount of talent represented in this book. Reading through the other 29 projects and the gallery contributions was incredibly inspirational. I was so lucky to be among some of my fellow contributing Ambassadors at the recent CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) show in Anaheim, California last week (read more in the previous post). Something tells me this may be the first of many Ambassador books to come, fingers crossed! Thanks to all of the wonderful people at Kalmbach who made working on this book pure joy. If you love sparkle and love to create, I invite you to check it out! 

 

CHA 2013

Tie Dye V Dub bus at Tulip's "I Love to Create" booth

Another wonderful year at the world's largest craft and hobby tradeshow - CHA! My trip to Anaheim was both fun and productive. I managed to squeeze in an Art Clay Silver class the night before the show began at Brea Bead Works. Many of our "Cruisin Cladies" came to the sold out class.

     

(Left Photo: June Beach, Wyatt White, Me,and Lisa Lambright at the Beadalon Booth, Oh-La-La!, Right Photo with the talented O'Neil Sisters, Kitty to my left and Jennifer) 

The next day it was up and early with pre-show meetings with an overseas distributor. Fortified by flapjacks, my Marketing Manager Lisa Lambright and I were ready to hit the show floor. Even though I didn't have a booth this year, I was able to accomplish so much between meetings with clients and prospective clients, to a demo at the Makins Clay booth and the SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Ambassador Book signing.

  

With fellow Ambassadors at the R & M West Coast Enterprises booth. From left: Lilian Chen, June Beach, Diane Whiting, Leslee Frumin, Me, and Jamie North. Right: the cover of the book featuring the work of Lilian Chen on the right  

I was joined by several of my fellow Ambassadors who had contributions to the Create Your Style "Crystal Inspiration Jewelry" book from Kalmbach. Judging by the que that piled up to get a copy, this book is going to virtually fly off the shelves!

This was the first time in over a decade that I was able to walk the entire show floor! Friends and fellow artists, Belinda Gaynor and Michele Sutter were able to visit the show as guests and had a ball watching demonstrations and participating in Make-its & Take-its.

           

Photo 1: Belinda Gaynor and Michele Sutter get creative. Photo 2: Jenny Barnett Rohrs of Craft Test Dummies checks out some of my Carmex jars from the "365 Days of Lip Service project, Photo 3: Hanging with my pal "The Crafty Chica" - Kathy Cano-Marillo. Photo 4: The Amazing Karen Thomas at the Yasutomo booth

Being free to cover the show between meetings allowed me to see lots of exciting new products and run into many more friends than I usually do. Trends with paper and jewelry making continue to dominate the creative world.  

         

Photo 1: Cathie Filian Makes Magic at the Plaid booth , Photo 2: Surprizing Suze (Weinberg), Photo 3: With Suze Weinberg, LIsa Lambright and Colleen Baxter at the Viva Decor Booth), Photo 4: One of my favorite people and the oh so talented Michael Strong.

New Creative Endeavors with Random Acts of Creativity!

I've neglected this blog during 2012 in order to concentrate on another project which I blogged about daily last year (365 Days of Lip Service). Now that the project is essentially over, the blog will remain intact with all 366 creations archived so that you can view each and every one of them at any time. I hope that the site will continue to be a source of inspiration to all who visit. There will also be tutorials on how to create your own jars, added to that blog and other related projects in the works.

While my posts to this blog won't occur daily, I have begun another project which commences today. This one will continue indefinitely and posted about on this blog. In the "Random Acts of Creativity" project, I will be making small creations in a variety of techniques and mediums. I will leave these in random locations where I live and travel. Anyone finding one of these can send in their comments by clicking  on the link on the upper right column of this page. I don't expect everyone will do this, but if and when this happens, I will share comments along with a photo of the piece they "discovered." Each creation has a signature hallmark and a number.

How long will I conduct this creative experiment? Only time will tell. Wishing you a creative and inspired New Year ahead!

A Slovenian Clay Affair

Overlooking the Center of Maribor from a Church Bell Tower

 

The polymer clay arts are alive and well in the tiny but beautiful country of Slovenia. Bordered by the countries of Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Italy, this amazing country has a population of just over two million people. The geography is widely varied from sweeping meadowlands and rolling hills to mountains which offer snow skiing and seaside resorts.

I was lucky enough to be one of several teachers to be featured in the week-long Creative Festival organized by a small chain of bead/art and craft stores known as Art Trade and Beadsi. The owners Primoz and MIhaela brought in artist instructors in several mediums including paint, Pergamano, jewelry making and more.

I taught a total of nine workshops in polymer clay and mixed media, all of which took place in Maribor's (Slovenia's second largest city) Europark Mall. Most of the classes were held in the central mall where dozens of on-lookers could stop to watch the all of the excitement. It was a wonderful way to spread the joy of clay and creativity to a whole new audience each day. Several of the Art Store's wonderfully knowledgable employees helped out in my workshops including wonderful translation for those who didn't speak English (thanks Barbara, Anne and Tonja!) I was overwhelmed by the gifts of chocolates, hand-made artwork/jewelry, and flowers that many of my students brought me. 

Each workshop was filled with eager artists of all ages. Both newbies and experienced polymer clay artists participated including a few who traveled from other countries for the event. I was excited to see how deeply embraced and evolved the polymer clay medium was in Slovenia. It was surreal to see my face on billboards located around the mall along with the beautiful display of my products at the entrance to the store. It was an honor to be asked (along with the other instructors) to judge an art competition. Entries of giant rabbits (in honor of the upcoming Easter holiday) were on display from area elementary schools. In the end, two projects tied for the win based on their humor and best use of natural materials among the judging criteria.      

The people of Slovenia are incredibly warm and friendly. Thanks to my hosts, I enjoyed world class cuisine on a daily basis. Another wonderful experience was the chance to learn firsthand, more about the historic city of Maribor; named Europe's City of Culture for 2012. One of my translators -the lovely Barbara - gave the visiting teachers an amazing walking tour of the city, including a visit to the museum where the world's oldest grape vine grows. The accompanying wine tasting really enhanced the entire experience. Wine grapes are grown in abundance and Slovenian wines are among the best I've ever tasted! As if the opportunity to teach at this wonderful event wasn't enough, my hosts treated me to a day trip to see the coastal resort town of Piran (the town square, seen on the left) and one of my favorite cities in the world - Venice, Italy! 

 

I have to say that even though the space is tight, the Art store at the Europark Mall is incredibly well organized and packs in an amazing variety of products in dozens of mediums. Their store in the heart of Maribor (Beadsi) is a jewelry of creative products in a beautifully designed and well thought out store. The rolling, vertical bead bins are to die for! I only wish we had stores like this in the United States. More photos from the event and my trip can be viewed in the "Slovenia" album of the blog. If you ever get a chance to visit this wonderful country and both of these terrific stores (wonderlands of creativity!) don't hesitate to do it. You won't be sorry!  

I've Got It Covered

 

Yeah, it's been a while since I've posted a blog entry here, but if you've been following my work, you're probably familiar with the blog I began on January 1st of this year - "365 Days of Lip Service." This and my travel schedule has kept me incredibly and blessedly busy. If you're not familiar with this project click on the highlighted name to link to the blog and see how I'm creating a new artwork for each day of the year on the lid of Carmex lip balm containers. I love a challenge and tiny canvases. If you're curious as to why Carmex jars...you'll have to check out the blog for yourself. I've taken a break from the blog project to do something I've wanted to try for years. In all my travels and writings, I have yet to encounter another person who has covered their pasta machine handle in clay. Having an extra handle, I tested it in the oven for an hour to make sure it would withstand the heat that polymer clay cures at. To my delight, no damage or warping of the handle occurred. I covered the handle first with a base layer of thick scrap clay to have a smooth foundation on which to create the decorative veneer. After adding a large (23mm) SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS Rivoli button #3015 (in Crystal Volcano M) to the handle end, I then polished it.

If you've ever seen me demo or taken a class with me, you'll know that most of my tool handles are covered or made out of clay. You might have also heard me say that "You make better art when you create it with a piece of art in your hands." Another benefit of covering your tool handles with clay is that no one ever mistakes yours for their in classes and retreats. I hope this inspires you to do the same. Happy claying!

 

 

Polymer Paradise 2011

Most of the Group

I'm back from the 5th polymer cruise from California and I've been knee deep in registrations for next year's polymer and metal clay cruise to Alaska. More on that below. 

This was our best cruise ever with an intimate setting on our first four-night cruise. Everyone clicked and got to know each other in this short time. As usual, tons of goodies were given out to all. A total of three goodie bags were received by students thanks to our generous sponsors, plus loads of other creative gems were handed out in class and demo sessions. We had so many wonderful donations for our drawings that everyone won at least three door prizes, some worth hundreds of dollars!

Just Some of the Swag!

We had to stops at Catalina Island and Ensenada where instructor Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg got her latest tattoo. Most people stayed aboard the ship for bonus demonstrations by KLEW (Karen Lewis) and myself. We had two theme nights on this trip: "It's a Fiesta, Not a Siesta," celebrating our stop in Mexico. Several of our passengers really got in the swing of things with their outfits and a conga line at dinner. Our other theme night was apropos for the ship's formal dinner - "Claysino Royale." We had a clay poker chip swap that night along with loads of shared pranks between staff and previous students. Over half of our attendees were repeat offenders cruisers with Art Across the Oceans. 

Lisa Lambright and Our Surprise Adoption by the Michael and Melody Crisman

On our last class day at sea, someone shouted that they saw a pair of dolphins on the port side. That pair soon turned into a pod of hundreds of dolphins frolicking just outside our classroom window. How often do you attend a workshop like that? We ran out en masse to watch this unforgettable sight. Check out this video on Youtube. It's not the best quality and I ran out of memory before I could pan farther out to sea where dolphins could be spotted jumping out of the water as far as you could see. 

Immediately after we had crystal column classes at Brea Beadworks. Thanks to the students who stayed over to add this to their trip, especially Kay Vincent from the UK!

Next August (14th) Art Across the Oceans leaves from Seattle on a seven-night adventure to Alaska! During our days at sea, we'll be holding a package of 5 workshops (2 metal clay and 3 polymer clay) and at least 6 demo sessions. Our amazing teachers include: Katie Baum, Art Clay Silver Master and President of the Art Clay Society, Christi Friesen, Julie Picarello, Jackie Truty - Art Clay World President and Master Art Clay Instructor, and myself. Although this cruise sold out all sixty seats in a record 13 hours, we are taking names for the waitlist. For more information, click the highlight link for Art Across the Oceans.  

Take a peak at the Polymer Paradise '11 album to see just how much fun we had!  

 

Czech it Out!

The Gang's All Here!

My husband Allen and I just returned home from a trip to the Czech Republic where I was a teacher at Petra Nemravova's Fimohrani Event in Prague. It was a mind blowing trip in the most beautiful city I've ever seen. I had heard much the same from others who have visited there, but only seeing it for yourself can do it justice. Out of over 2000 photos, I've posted some of my favorites here and in the Prague 2011 album on the blog. We had the chance to visit the Easter fair in Old Town Square, where we bought local crafts and even made some friends with the artists there. One egg vendor kept plying us with their homemade "moonshine!" Further explorations took us through the oldest Jewish Cemetery in Europe and area museums.   

Prague Castle

Our tour of Prague Castle left us surprised when low and behold, the Czech Republic's president Vaclav Klause, drove right by us (literally about 20 feet away at one point) in one of the courtyards. We knew something was up when several police officers suddenly appeared, but no attempt was made to push us back, but only a sharp eye being kept on the tourists standing near by. Like that would ever happen in the U.S.!

Sgraffito Villa Exterior

Along with the prevalence of the Art Deco architecture, were the medieval buildings that are beautifully preserved. Among my favorites were the ones decorated with Sgraffito (the art of etching or carving through contrasting layers of stucco or other materials to form designs) and a building outside of Prague Castle with Trompe L'oeil windows which were added to avoid paying window taxes hundreds of years ago. 

You couldn't turn around in this city without seeing something that would take your  breath away from architecture to art. Even the modern buildings like the Dancing House by architect Frank Gehry was amazing. It was directly across from one of our hotel while in Prague and so much fun to see outside our window.  

Above Left - Trompe L'oeil Windows, Right - The Dancing House

 

We left the city one day to visit the village where Allen's grandfather emigrated from, Uhersky Ostroh; nearly 4 hours Southeast of Prague. We stopped at a grocery store on the way, only to come out and see two identical cars to our rental, parked in a row. Needless to say we were confused, but picked the correct car on only the second try!

Which Skoda was ours?

The drive through the country side was breathtaking. The perfect way to spend a blustery day and rest our feet from the miles we logged in Prague the day before. We even saw a few castles from the road. Allen and I found the row house that belonged to his Great Grandfather, but we found that it was no longer occupied by relatives. 

 

 

Old Town Square, Prague

After several amazing days walking the city (the blisters were worth it!), we moved to a suburb of Prague in an historic hotel that was once part of the barn, stables and granary of the nearby castle. This is also where nearly 70 participants gathered for three days of classes with the amazing artists: Carol Blackburn, Christine Dumont, and myself. Some of the students hailed from other countries including Germany and Austria, but most were from the Czech Republic. Each and every one of the participants (including one Polymer Prince - Jan) were absolutely delightful to work with. Even with a language barrier for some of us, we shared tons of laughs and heartfelt moments. My favorite, being gifted along with Carol and Christine, with a gorgeous and huge strand of beads made by all the students. What a treasure! I hope to upload a photo of this to the blog vey soon.

Petra and her family were incredibly organized and gracious making sure no one wanted for a thing. They catered delicious meals and snacks throughout in a warm and inviting atmosphere.

I was lucky enough to be gifted with several books written by participants, including the talented Petra herself. While I can't read Czech, some things transcend translation. The same was true in the classes. I couldn't have done it though without the wonderful translators that Petra supplied each of us. My eternal thanks goes out to new friends Eva (from day 1), Lucie (from day 2, my fellow Swarovski Fan) and Eva (from day 3).

One Class' Pinwheels getting ready to bake for Spinner Rings

I taught kinetic construction with an emphasis on making rings using my "Smoosh Cane." Each and every student brought their own unique style to their project. The best part was the inspiration I gained from their designs. I'm still reeling with delight from my time in this lovely country. It was truly an unforgettable experience.    

 

An Icelandic Clay Adventure!

 

I was incredibly fortunate to be invited to teach in Iceland this year at amazing creative store: Handverkshusid. Last week was the experience of a lifetime in creativity, making new friends, and experiencing this breathtaking country. 

My host Thorsteinn Jonsson, put me up in the Hotel Leifur Eiríksson, directly across from Reykjavik's incredible Hallgrimur church. I was lucky enough to catch someone playing the pipe organ when I toured the architectural wonder.  

After a couple of days to acclimate and enjoy the sights and galleries of Reykjavik (where I saw some of the most innovative jewelry design work I've ever seen), I began teaching mixed media clay classes including work with my Pardo Pro polymer clays, Art Clay Silver, and my Magic Glos resin. During three days of classes with students dedicated to soaking up as much information as they could, many professional quality projects were completed. 

Being in Handverkshusid was like being a kid in the proverbial candy store! It was truly a wonderland of creativity with every imaginable tool and material for clays, jewelry making, metal work, wood and glass working. Need I mention my bags were considerably heavier on the return trip than when I came? It was also wonderful to see dozens of books carried in the store authored by many of my creative friends. 

I plan on jumping onto a series of Iceland inspired mixed media creations soon which I will showcase here on the blog. I will incorporate lava and ash samples collected during my journey in as many of these as possible. 

On the evening of the third class day, the store hosted a reception in my honor where I signed my latest book and was able to answer several questions from attendees, enjoy delicious refreshments and mingle with students, store employees and guests. Several of my newfound friends gifted me with heartfelt presents including my new friend and talented artist Olaf who is one of the most incredible glass artists I've ever met.

I spent the last days of my trip traveling the gorgeous countryside with new friend Ingolfur Juliusson, who is one of Iceland's premiere photo journalists (not to mention musician, and videographer). What a treat to experience the roughed beauty and history of this amazing country firsthand with someone so knowledgeable. Ingo is famous for among other things, his photography of last year's volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. That was the volcano much in the news in 2010, which paralyzed airspace over Europe for weeks. You can visit his website by clicking his highlighted name above. I spent one evening at the foot of some of Iceland's most famous glaciers. I was lucky to have Ingo's friend Gudmunder (a ranger in Skattafell National Park) as our guide. He raced through pelting sleet on narrow roads to get me to Iceland's famous Jokulsarion Glacial Lagoon just before sunset to see this phenomenon of nature. It has been the sight of scenes from movies and television shows including: Batman Begins, James Bond - A View to a Kill, Tomb Raider, and the Amazing Race.  

Amidst the darkness we toured an old Icelandic Earth house that hasn't been inhabited since the 1940's, but has been preserved as it originally appeared by the last residents. We only had the light from our cell phones and my camera display to guide us through the pitch black house. 

The chance to get to know so many incredible people was a highlight as well as the wonderful cuisine of the many restaurants we visited. Icelandic lamb is incredibly delicious and unlike lamb I've ever had anywhere! Among the culinary delights I experienced including lamb's head (thanks to Olaf) and dried fish (thanks to ), I also was treated to Mexican food, the best Indian food I've ever had in my life, Italian pasta and pizza. Having a huge sweet tooth, I stocked up on Icelandic chocolate which is so delicious but wished I liked black licorice since it's one of the most common and popular treats of the country.    

The only disappointment was that the weather didn't cooperate allowing me to experience the Aurora Borealis. I guess I'll just have to make my way back there, hopefully next year! Please enjoy the Iceland 2011 Gallery added to my blog site with more photos of my wonderful week in Iceland. I will be adding some more photos to the gallery when Ingo sends me some that he took so be sure to check back soon.  

 

A Better Look

Yesterday, Jewelry Making Daily featured two blogs on polymer clay which I was honored to be a part of. Tammy Jones posted an entry with some of my favorite tips for clay. She also posted a second entry that featured a handful of clay artists (including yours truly). I can't say enough good things about this site (Jewelry Making Daily)as a terrific resource for inspiration and instruction.  

A few people contacted me through Facebook and e-mail, asking for a larger view of the Platinum and Pearls Necklace. After numerous abortive attempts to post to Facebook yesterday, I finally decided to post the picture here, where I know it could be seen in larger format. Click the thumbnail above for a better look, or on the highlighted resources to link you to more information.

This piece was created for a bridal exhibition at this year's winter CHA Show (Craft and Hobby Association), held in Los Angeles. It features my new Pro Series polymer clay, CRYSTALLIZED- Swarovski Elements, and the amazing Linda Hartung's Wire Lace product, which was recently featured on the Martha Stewart Show. 

Next Clay Cruise Announced!

           

Join us on The 5th Annual Polymer Paradise Cruise 2011

Experience four, fun-filled days and nights in our all-inclusive* event featuring: polymer clay instruction, free demonstrations, a massive goodie bag, tons of prizes, gourmet dining, shipboard entertainment, optional excursions, shopping, Vegas style casino, nightly sushi bar, complimentary room service, plus much more! Learn exciting techniques and projects from:                  

"KLEW" (aka Karen Lewis) teaching: Romancing the Spiral millefiori caning technique www.klewexpressions.com

Lisa Pavelka teaching: Tools to Drool For "Stamp-a Gane" pattern technique for beautifully decorated clay tool handles. www.lisapavelka.com

Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg teaching Filagree/Floral Fusion mixed media pendants with millefiori "brushstroke petal" canes. www.riverpoetdesign.com

Carnival Paradise Cruise Itinerary

9/12/2011 Depart Los Angeles 5:30 pm

9/13/2011 Catalina Island 7:30 am – 4:30 pm

9/14/2011 Ensenada, Mexico 9:00 am until 10:00 pm

9/15/2011 Day at Sea

9/16/2011 Arrive in Los Angeles at 7:00 am

Complete cruise price including the workshop package begins as low as $172.00 per day (and less than $110 per day for non-students). Space is extremely limited for this event and filling fast! Prices subject to change anytime so book early to lock in the lowest rate and workshop package with a refundable deposit.** For details or to reserve your space, contact:

Joan Conner

Rendevous-Elite Travel LLC

Toll Free: 1-877-243-1060

e-mail: [email protected]

*Travel to and from port, recommended/optional prior-night's hotel stay, shipboard purchases, spa services, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and excursions not included.

**Terms and details apply