Polymer Clay Vesuvius BeachStone Bracelets

I put together some of the first Vesuvius Bay BeachStone Bracelets. I'm really happy with the distinctive squared-off chunky look. I re-opened my Etsy Shop to offer one for sale!

PS- the bracelet sold and I'm about to go on vacation- If you'd like to order a similar bracelet, please email me at amusedcreations@shaw.ca before Thursday and I'll set one aside for you before posting in Etsy.

Squared Beachstones from Vesuvius Bay...

I've begun what will be a long process of mixing clay to match the photos I'm using for a large mixed media canvas. When I'm in the mixing phase I like to make selections of BeachStones from the different coloured clays I come up with. I'm going to do a series of Vesuvius Bay BeachStone Bracelets and necklaces with this wonderful chunky squared effect as shown in the collection I gathered from this beautiful Saltsping Island Bay.

Vesuvius Blue Pool- Completed

Here's the finished version! I'm going to use a few of the most recent 4x4" and 5x7" pieces as designs for two larger canvases.

Mixed Media Canvas- in transition

This one surprised me... the photo of a tide pool went on as a background and my original plan for the piece went astray when these blue characters emerged on the right side... the story unfolded from there. I don't think the piece is finished yet....

I have a plan for phase two but I'm really liking the section where I added gold foil as a surface treatment!

The Weather, New Mixed Media Collage & Firing Canvases

Fall arrived here on the west coast and rain is in the forecast. Perfect weather for creativity! I think the overcast skies are reflected in this mixed media canvas. It's 12x10"- currently untitled . The rock formation in the foreground is textured polymer clay and backfilled with black Liquid Sculpey to get the the dark shadows. The stones are all polymer clay. The background rockface is a digital photograph printed on silk.

I have had several emails lately asking about firing canvases in the oven. Polymer clay fires at 275 Fahrenheit. Paper, fabric and wood all ignite at much higher temperatures so there's no problem putting an entire canvas in an oven. I highly recommend good ventilation.

Vesuvius 1 - mixed media collage

...it's incredible how the photos from Vesuvius Beach and the ones from Galiano Island give me such different colour palettes. Here's the first of my Vesuvius Mixed Media Series, "Vesuvius 1", it's 4x4". Digital photography on silk on polymer clay on canvas with found objects.

(The hydrangea project is on-going)

Another wonderful beach- more mixed media explorations!

I just returned from our annual Thanksgiving vacation on Saltspring Island. We stayed at Vesuvius Beach and I beachcombed photographs of the very inspirational rock formations on this geologically fascinating shore. I' m beginning a new mixed media canvas today, there'll be a new calligraphic element inspired by the amazing scores and scrapes in the stone and is there a way to incorporate hydrangeas? Stay tuned....

Ridgeview #1- mixed media

I really felt as if I was in "the zone" when I did this mixed media piece which I've titled Ridgeview #1. The foreground and background are from one photo which I cut into two sections laying the green background directly on the canvas and putting the foreground on a raised section of polymer clay to give the 3D effect. The photo is printed on organza instead of silk and gives a more lighter and more textured effect with the appearance of the photo.

I like this one a lot and the best part is that I came up with some ideas that I'm excited about trying with the next one!

A Cup of Tea with Coffee

I started my day as usual with a cup of tea and a check of the google alerts that came up for polymer clay yesterday and I was delighted with Lisa Clarke's Monday Morning Coffee Chat which features a terrific interview with Polymer Clay Daily's creator- Cynthia Tinapple- check it out!

Today is a 100% clay day. Here's a photo of I finished the piece I started last week for the next few days I'm going to do a series of small photo rockface landscapes including figures- I'll be making a lot of beachstone clay- and BeachStone Bracelets and necklaces as I go.

5th Annual Multi Media Fine Arts Exhibition- Ladysmith BC

I'm delighted to announce that three of my pieces have been selected for the Multi Media Fine Arts Exhibition in Ladysmith from October 3-25! The Exhibition is at the Waterfront Arts Centre in Ladysmith. Here's a link with further information about what promises to be a wonderful event!

Mixed Media Process 2

Here's the second stage. I've matched colours in the photo with clay for textural sections and I cut a hole in the canvas to create a "subterreanean" layer.

Mixed Media Process

Here's step one of one of my mixed media collage canvases. The photo is placed on the canvas, I'm using waterslide paper for this one.

Variations on A Theme- Galiano Rockface Series- mixed media collage

I took a lot of photos on Galiano Island but this one really has fascinated me with it's combination of lines and textures. I've used sections of the image in larger pieces now and the entire image was usedi on all three of these versions. The next step will be to do a larger canvas. I'll have to do two printouts on 8 1/2x 11" waterslide or silk - each one with one half of a double sized version so I can "jigsaw" together an image that's at least 16x22"

Community- mixed media sculptural collage

I did this 4x4 canvas last month and it was on the wall looking just wrong somehow. This morning I added the community of little people and now the whole thing makes sense.

It's a busy time! I've been getting calls from various galleries asking for new work, I am planning to enter the Oak Bay Artists' Studio Tour in November so I am getting current photos set for my application and then I'll need work to display! In the middle of all this my husband and I are planning a short but amazing trip to Paris and Dublin at the end of October- It's a business trip for him but we've added a few days and we're incredibly excited about it!

A little discovery on the way...

I was noodling around with some photo-silk and some of the wonderful little clam shells I used for my Shoreline Muse Series and came eup with this dimensional twist- a concaved face using a photo-shopped image of a face of one of my sculptures. The shell interiors have amazing shades of indigo and there's a serendipitous colour effect. This has some interesting possibilities- doesn't it?

Thanks for all the input!!

I was overwhelmed by everyone who took the time to send a comment or email helping me to choose the third piece. THANKS EVERYONE!! Input is still welcome but it looks as if Among Friends will be packed up for adjudication. I didn't go into details on the other two pieces I'm submitting as I'm very superstitious when it comes to juried shows.

Please Help Me Choose!

I am submitting three pieces for adjudication in an upcoming exhibition. The first two pieces were easy choices for me but I'm stuck on deciding which should be the third submission. Which of these three should I submit? Please leave a comment with your vote and I'll go with the Bloggers' Choice!

Moontide

Among Friends

She Could Only Choose One

Spiral in Stone

This little 4x4 Mixed Media Canvas is titled "Spiral in Stone". I have begun using beaten copper wire in some of these projects and I am brewing some ideas to go further with this with dimension, texture and attachment applications....

Maple on Vesuvius

I took a photo of a little red maple leaf on the shore at Vesuvius on Saltspring Island last October. This week I did a little digital tinkering and snipping with scissors to come up with this little 4x4 canvas. It's heading out to Artemsia Gallery in Westport Ontario to show a little of the west coast's fall colours.

If you're in the mood for mixed media inspiration-check out Lorrie Grainger Abdo's blog to see her progress & process with a wonderful new mixed media piece. It's heading to an exhibition and she's on a deadline so there's an element of suspense! She's very brave and incredibly generous to document the process on her blog and she wins extra points for courage by using tar as an ingredient..... I think I'll do something similar with the next piece I start, (not with tar, with documentation)- thanks for the inspiration Lorrie!

Arbutus- mixed media sculpture

Today I finished Arbutus- here's a detail!

New Clayamies Blog!

Clayamies is the National Online Canadian Polymer Clay Artists Group. The group has been active in Yahoo for ten years - this week we are celebrating the launch of our new Clayamies Blog! Members are beginning to post what they've been doing with clay through the summer. There's some fabulous eye candy for all to enjoy! Everyone is invited to visit and we encourage you to follow for some on-going inspiration from our community of Creative "Claynucks". If you are living in Canada you are cordially invited to join us at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clayamies.

Work in Progress

I've been working on the larger "rockface" style collage over the last week or so. Here's a little peek at one section of the piece. I think this will be completed by the end of the week, then I'll be exploring my photo files again!

Mixed Media Texture Plate

I found this wonderful piece of bark on a Galiano Island beach. The inside has been carved by some sort of inspired insect to create a priceless one of a kind texture plate. It also has given me a really interesting photo that I'll be transferring to a collage or two.

Excavation.. mixed media collage

My kids suggested the name for this piece. Brendan saw it as a narrative about an archaelogical dig revealing a lost spirit. For me it began as an exercise in texture and dimension and using a photoshopped photo of the face from a previous piece so Brendan's interpretation was a delight! I'm really happy with this one and now I'm working full time on a much larger canvas.

I've had many emails asking about firing the canvases- the whole piece goes in the oven. Always remember, 275F is far below the temperature required to burn wood or cloth.

Continuing to experiment with the new process...

I have an order of 4x4 canvases on backorder so this is the last little piece for the time being. Luckily I have plenty of 5x7 canvases to work with! Here's what I did over the last 2 days.

Staying on the shore...

Last post I said I'd switch to a garden theme for a photo clay collage but I started playing with my photo files and rummaging through my boxes of found objects from the west coast shores and I've decided to stay with this theme for the time being. Here are some of the photos I'm working with... all taken on Galiano Island....and look at my beachcombed treasures!

Mixed Media Collage

Here's the second piece using polymer clay, a digital photograph on silk and found objects. I cut into the canvas to add a lower section so there's lots of extra dimension. This one is 5x7". The next piece will be a garden themed so I can get back to some wilder colours! If there's such a thing, I think I'll invest in some fabric pens too...

Photo and Polymer Clay on Canvas

Here's the first piece combining digital photography (as shown in the previous post) and polymer clay on canvas... the photo was printed on silk and attached to the canvas with Kato Sauce.

Galiano Island Rockscapes

Galiano and many of the southern Gulf islands that lie between Vancouver Island and the west coast of British Columbia have fascinating rock formations. I spent many hours strolling the beach taking photographs. here's a sample. I've begun a 4X4 experimental mixed media piece with the image- it's the first step towards honing an approach to the very elaborate piece I have "in my head"... . more tomorrow.

Home From Galiano Island...It's Not What You're Looking For- It's What You Find

Galiano was simply wonderful... I'll be blogging about some of the galleries and artists in upcoming days.

I went with a plan to re-read "The Forgetting Room" as a spring board to explorations in collage...I loved the book as much or more on the second reading. As I joined the central character in his journey through a process of creative discovery it led me in a direction I wasn't expecting- my camera! I have a huge project in mind- not big in size- likely 20x20 or so. It will combine clay, canvas, found objects and digital photography... here's the working sketch.

BC Artists' Protest Against Massive Cuts to Arts Funding... join in!

An important message to BC Artists-

Dear Artists,

As many of you are aware, CARFAC BC has been part of a campaign since the announcement in March, to get the provincial government to rescind the proposed cuts to the BC Arts Council, over the next three years. We believe the cuts will be devastating to the entire community. The on-going letter writing campaign and press releases launched from all art disciples have been intelligent, informed and often elegant, but does not have quite the creative flair expected from the cultural sector and seems to have been largely ignored by the Liberals. As visual artists, we can actually show the province what a 40% cut to art looks like by cropping that percentage from our made in BC original art and pasting the remaining part, along with
name, title and location of artist onto the attached file. (Example above)
If you are interested in being part of this creative protest, please send me julie.mcintyre@shaw.ca a 72 dpi JPEG of one of your art pieces along with the title and your current town and we will cut, paste and return your virtual postcard to you with information and addresses suggesting where you can send it. If you have the capabilities to complete the postcard yourself, please ask us for a zip file and we'll also provide the addresses with it.

For maximum impact, we need as many visual artists as possible to lead this charge in the next few weeks, (the new budget is rumoured to be presented September 1), so please contribute your 60% and pass on this request to other BC art friends!

Sincerely,
Julie McIntyre, President
CARFAC BC

Summertime Retreat To Galiano Island...

The blog will be quiet for a few days- I'm heading to Galiano Island for a summer break. I'll read a few novels including The Forgetting Room, do some sketching, photography, cycling and beachcombing while dodging hummingbirds!

Tina Holden- A Woman of the Stone Shore -A New Polymer Clay Faux Beach Pebble Tutorial!

My very dear friend Tina Holden lives on the most westerly shore of Vancouver Island in Tofino BC. She and I share a passionate addiction for filling our pockets with beachstones when we stroll the shores of our beautiful island... when we're not collecting real stones from the shore, we enjoy using polymer clay to make our own! Tina has put together an extensive tutorial complete with detailed instructions and outstanding photos. She has it for sale on her Artfire Site.

If you love beach stones and want to learn how to make your own or how to improve your technique, I highly recommend this tutorial- she's a master!

A Challenge to Myself

When I was working solely with paper arts in 1998, I was given Nick Bantock's Forgetting Room as a gift. I had loved the Griffin and Sabine Books and was in love with his approach . The book is completely about an artist's journey of self discovery as well as an examination of the creative process. One of the Books on the shelves in my Among Friends piece is this very book.

So.

I'm going to re-read The Forgetting Room to begin the process towards developing a composition on canvas including ephemera, paint and polymer clay.... I might even summon my courage and enroll in a Bantock workshop at his gallery/studio/workspace on Saltspring island-his space is called The Forgetting Room. The last time I went to Saltspring my daughter picked up a copy of the Spring Edition of Beautiful British Columbia Magazine and asked me to buy it because she liked a picture on the cover- I tossed it into the shopping cart without much thought. When we got to the house l leafed through the magazine and there was a description of Bantock Workshops on Saltspring Island! It gave me chills, especially after the reconnection with paper arts through one World One Heart. We went to the gallery the next day but it was closed- I felt a sense of disconnection as if the fates weren't working. Today I was given an invitation to consider connecting polymer clay with another approach and in an instant I thought of the Forgetting Room.

Maybe things happen for a reason.... this will be an ongoing process.

Oak Bay Community Artists Society Bowker Creek Brush Up 2009

If you are in the Victoria area on Sunday August 9th head to Oak Bay for the Oak Bay Community Artists Society's Bowker Creek Brush Up! I'm so sorry to be missing it this year but sometimes scheduling just can't work out. It's set in a wonderful location and features a breathtaking gathering of artists from this very creative community. Best wishes to all of my fellow Oak Bay Artists for another fantastic event!

*Double Click the images for a larger image.

Polymer Clay BeachStone Demo at The Sooke Fine Arts Show- August 3rd

I'm going to be doing a BeachStone demo at the Sooke Fine Arts Show on Monday August 3rd from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. I have BeachStone Bracelets available for sale at the Gift Shop- they're presented in a nice little box for $27.

Legacy Gallery & Cafe- Victoria BC

I am very happy to announce that my Muses, clay on canvas collages and beachstone bracelets will now be on display for sale in the gift shop at the lovely Legacy Gallery & Cafe in downtown Victoria!

Thalia- - polymer clay figurative sculpture- aka "A Muse"

I scanned a baby name book to find the perfect name for this Muse. "Thalia" means "joyful blooming". One of the Three Graces was named Thalia so the name works perfectly.

Thalia is a wall mount Muse made with polymer clay and fibre- she's 12.5"/32c m tall.

Nerissa- of the sea

This is "Nerissa" which means "of the sea"... she's approximately 17 "/ 43cm tall, is a wall format muse and is composed of polymer clay and wool.

aMused in a little village

Here's my latest Muse, Alice named afer a small town that's dear to my heart.....she's quite small at 11" tall- I really liked transferring the idea of a more organized composition onto her skirt!

Polymer Clay on Canvas - "Tea by the Sea'

Tea will be the theme for a while although the weather here in Victoria is much more in keeping with tea of the iced variety. I work with thin layers of polymer clay when composing these clay collages and I need a fan aimed at the work to prevent a soggy meltdown.

This piece is titled "Tea by the Sea" for obvious reasons. It's 5x7x1.25 inches.

I've been asked about my technique with clay on canvas- it's new for me too and I'm making it up as I go along! My best first tip is to smear fimo gel or Kato Sauce all over the canvas then place a bottom sheet of polymer clay on the canvas using any colour combination or surface treatment you choose- there's your base layer- go from there... let me know what you come up with!

4x4 Polymer Clay on Canvas Collages

I've spent a few days working on a collection of little 4"x4"x1.25" canvases. Adding fish to my "Twilight Trees" motif is going to lead to some new larger canvases and the Teatime series (inspired by the teapot goddess- Wanda Shum) has has me going wild in my sketchbook- not to mention googling teapots all over the internet for some over the top shapes!

The 2009 Sooke Fine Arts Show

Woman of the Stone Shore was accepted into the Sooke Fine Arts Show! The show opens on July 25th in Sooke. I have little Muses, Beachstone Bracelets and 4x4x1.25 polymer clay on canvas collages for sale in the Gift Shop. I'll be demonstrating how to make Beachstones from 11:00 am-1:00 pm on Monday, August 3rd!

Shoreline Muse Series

I gathered a bagful of little clam shells on Rathrevor Beach in Parksville a few months ago with the idea of using the shells as little bowls for little muses to carry. I've made a series of four- they are Abrai, Brinn, Daron and Cari. Each little muse is approx 8" or 21 cm tall and made with polymer clay and fibre. They'll make their debut at the Sooke Fine Arts Show Gift Shop.

CCBC Goblet Challenge

I'm back from a lovely vacation in the Qualicum Beach area of Vancouver Island. Lots to do these days starting with completing this twilight trees and fish-themed goblet for the Crafts Council of British Columbia's Goblet challenge fundraiser.

Buttons, Buckles and Beads- Granville Island- Vancouver BC

If you're in Vancouver over the next few days don't miss a visit to Granville Island and the beautiful Silk Weaving Studio where you can enjoy The Buttons, Buckles and Beads Show!

I have a selection of polymer clay buttons on display.

The show ends at 5:00 pm on July 7th.

A New Polymer Clay Website to Visit- Deb Groom

I met Deb Groom at the Horizon's Retreat in Vancouver and was delighted by her Steampunky sculptures. When she showed me her work she related wonderfully detailed stories for each character. I think she should consider combining the narrative with the images in a book!

She's just launched a new website showcasing all of her work which includes polymer clay, rugmaking and pine needle baskets. I'm a long-time admirer of her gorgeous Polymer Clay and pine needle creations!!

Little Houses

I found some 4x4" canvases at Island Blue and began playing with the Little Houses motifs I did on tiles last year. I really pared down the houses- they lack the roof details I had in earlier work. I'd appreciate any feedback on these. I like this presentation more than the tiles because the elements of the composition can "go around the corner" on the canvas because the frames are 1 inch thick. I'm considering combining this motif with polymer clay, paint and collage, something that I was inspired to do when so many of us were exploring each others' blogs with One World, One Heart.

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Red Tulips in a Blue Vase with Checkerboard- polymer clay on stretched canvas

Here's the latest 5x7" canvas. I absolutely love red tulips!

Woman of the Stone Shore- polymer clay sculpture

I posted a detail photo of this lady several weeks ago- here's the full length version. She's made with polymer clay and wool. She's approx 48"/60cm tall.