Getting Closer

I'm still working on  polymer clay and reed baskets. I'm really feeling as if I'm getting closer to a "look" that I've been after for the last two years. Random weave is absolutely fascinating it is like a combination of a puzzle and a dance. It is definitely meditative- perfection if not for sore fingers.

FloRal FuSion Bangles

I love gardens almost as much as I love the beach and a day in the garden inspired me to start making FloRal FuSion Bangles. I have some in the new Island Artisans Excellence in Craft Gallery and added one to my Etsy Shop too!

And Now for Something Sort of Completely Different

I have a mangled pile of prototypes and experiments and more " sacrificed"  polymer clay  than I care to think about but finally I completed a random weave dyed  reed  basket with polymer components. It is a prototype too as it has a lot of "issues"but it's getting closer to the idea I have in mind so I'm sharing progress here. I won the reed in a raffle and I think it may not be of a super high grade as it tended to develop a "shaggy" surface after pulling weavers through. The good thing about the reed is that I can experiment to my hearts content before investing in higher grade materials.  The problems I encountered gave me some ideas that will solve problem and add to effects.

The "After" Shot!

This looks much better and now I know where things are again!

All done- in record time!Just as I took the photo UPS rang the doorbell and I have 12 lbs of clay to mix and mingle with the weaving materials soaking in the big pot on the floor!

Enjoy the long weekend!

The Best Way to Clean Your Studio.

This is a tried and true technique to spin your disgraced space into a glitterama - share a photo of the work area in absolute squallor then get cracking to show the "after" photo. I am out of polymer clay and I couldn't think of a better use of time!

More ASAP! 

Yes, I am embarrassed but I'm fixing it, honest!!

Excellence in Crafts Gallery- Set Up

The doors will be open on Thursday!

The Island Artisans' Excellence in Crafts Gallery is being set up in The Bay Centre----what a fantastic location for this enterprise!! It's the third store from the mall entrance on Douglas Street which is the main street in downtown Victoria.There's a steady steam of shoppers- locals and tourists alike. The Gallery sits nicely between Jacobs and L'Occitaine. It used to be the Bell store and the corporation left a wonderful funky spiralled carpet behind that is perfect for a crafts gallery. Our IAA Gallery Committee has done an outstanding job setting all of this up... the Set Up Committee is hard at work for the opening this Thursday! 

Getting things started- artisans are arriving to deliver inventory- shelves are being assembled.

More soon!

Excellence in Crafts Gallery- An Exciting New Venue in Downtown Victoria!

 The Island Artisans Association is opening the Excellence in Crafts Gallery in the Bay Center in downtown Victoria on Thursday May 16 at 10 am! The gallery is a generous 1200 square feet and  is situated on the second floor a few doors down from the Douglas Street Entrance. The Gallery is a Pop Up venture  and will run from May through August.

I spent the last few days inventorying work and have my boxes and display fixtures ready for delivery. I'll be delivering some Muses, FiShy FuSions and my new FloRa FuSion Bangles, art cards and kelp baskets.

I'm especially excited as each artisan will be working shifts in the gallery and it will be a switch for this shopaholic to be on the other side of the till in a shopping mall!

Crafthouse @ YVR

I have had my Fusion bangles for sale at The Crafthouse Gallery at The Vancouver International Airport for a couple of years now. This venue has been really successful for me but to date I have always been in the wrong terminal and haven't been able to visit! My friend Trav had the unfortunate experience of a 25 hour delay in her flight overseas and she took time to have an "aimless wander" through the airport...she found the gallery and my Fusions. I'm pretty pleased with the display location! They are currently carrying my traditional bangle style but I'll be including FiShy FuSions with the next order.

I have FiShy FuSions available now in my newly re-opened Etsy Shop.

aMused at Etsy

I have re-opened my Etsy Shop! It isn't very big but it is nicely located and has a steady flow of traffic and I'm meeting some very nice people who are dropping by to say hello.The shelves have some new FiShyFuSion Bangles today and I plan to add some muses tomorrow!

An Outstanding Workshop at the Ranch Arts Centre in Snohomish

I just returned home from a workshop  at  The Ranch Centre for the Arts in  beautiful Snohomish Washington. I can't say enough about how much I learned at Shannon Weber's Kelp Pouches and Vessels class! The small group clicked and conversation was lively and enthusiastic.  Shannon is my favourite kind of instructor- she gives a firm foundation in the basics then encourages experimentation. The studio sink was packed with reams of gorgeous perfectly conditioned Oregonian kelp which has a feel that is similar to deerhide or chamois. It was glorious for stitching and I worked on the three projects shown- the rectangular vessel is not complete and I'll show it in a later post.

Randi and Shannon

Shannon will be teaching a second class at the Ranch in August- Adventures with the Woven Vessel- When Fibre Meets Wax. I've never ventured into encaustic and I'm looking forward to another trip to Snohomish. I highly recommend the Ranch. Randi has an astonishing selection of offerings scheduled!

I returned home to see a lot of unexpected activity in Flickr, Facebook and on my blog and was absolutely over the moon to discover that my Fishy FuSions were featured in Polymer Clay Daily! What a great feeling!

Fish Fetish FuSions

I've spent the last few weeks experimenting with clay and some of the lovely dyed reed I won in a raffle at the NW Basketweavers Conference. The experiments are ongoing and I don't have anything to publish here- the experiments are being unwoven and re-done. For some reason I've been especially fascinated with fish. There's been a spillover onto my FuSion Bangles which is especially fun because production work stays  interesting with a new approach here and there.

On the Subject of Reading...Check out Polymer Arts Spring 2013

I was doing way tooo much multi-tasking in March and forgot to mention that Suzanne Ivester and Alice Stroppel had a really lovely article about storytelling with Polymer Wall Art  in the Spring Issue of Polymer Arts. My work is featured along with Edgar Hernandez, Layl McDill, Marisol Ross and the ever inspiring Maureen Carlson.
I also love the article on personal symbolism....and if like me, you find pricing your art to be a kerplexing concept there's an article about that too!

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Well- THIS is exciting!

As many of you may know, Cynthia Tinapple has been writing a new book-

Polymer Clay Global Perspectives: Emerging Ideas and Techniques from 125 International Artists!

For me, the most exciting part of it all is that I was included as one of the polymer artists to be interviewed and to put together a tutorial on Clay on Canvas.

Cynthia just announced that the book will be released on July 30. It is available for presale on and you can  Pre-order on Amazon

I also expect to be receiving a copy (or two) to give away so check back- I'll be concocting some sort of fun challenge!
I  recall mentioning to Cynthia in a Skype interview that I am the world's worst Etsy seller... a dubious distinction that I am going to try to remedy asap!

Muse- Te'Skai and something new

Here's the Muse I finished in time for the NW basketweavers Retreat. She's Te'Skai and is approximately 26 inches tall. ....and here is the little basket I made in Nadine Speir's pine needle basket workshop. I hope to eventually combine the two concepts....

Finishing a muse on a deadline....and heading to Port Orchard Washington

I sketched this a few weeks ago- a Muse with a random weave kelp skirt and polymer clay body and embellishments. She took shape through the weekend. ...

I had to get up at 5:30 am today to finish her as she's coming with me to the Northwest Weavers Retreat which begins tomorrow.  I'll photograph her in the Gala Exhibition- I have run out of time for a photoshoot here. 

This is my second year attending this sold out event.  I'll be catching the COHO from Victoria to Port Angeles and then heading down to Port Orchard where the four day Retreat is head at Pilgrim Firs. This year I'll be taking a pine needle basketry course with Nadine Spier which will definitely open some opportunities for polymer clay applications.

I came away from last years retreat with my head spinning with ideas that led to suspended vessels so it is possible I may stumble upon an entirely new direction this time around. I blogged the Gala Exhibition last year- take a look here to see the outstanding caliber of the artists in attendance... you may be inspired too!

Muses heading to Craft Council of BC Crafthouse

I've been busy and having too much fun!

Here are the latest Muses- they are heading to Crafthouse on Granville Island.

I am so happy to be adding larger wall muses but taking full sized photos of long narrow pieces is always a challenge. I guess the time has come to replace my broken tripod.

Mariko and Mimi approx 14" and 6 " tall

Marisol 10" tall

Nevenka 9.5 " tall

Aerelene - Wall Muse 30" tall

Aerelene - detail

Wall Muse- o'Norbright 25" tall 

o'Norbright

An Unforgettable Day!

Yesterday my husband and I caught an early ferry and headed over to Vancouver to attend the opening reception of CHAMELEON. The show is being held at the lovely Seymour Art Gallery in Deep Cove.

Lovely Deep Cove ....

We had a pre-show brunch with friends that we hadn't seen for almost 15 years and time flew as it always does when good friends re-connect. Eventually we headed over to the gallery. The place was packed and standing by the door with a beaming smile was a woman who very obviously knew me but as I scanned my brain cells for the polymer clay event in which I may have met her I came up with a blank.

...just before a fantastic reunion! I was photographing the demo table but "Trav" had her eye on me!

She repeated her name several times  before my synapses clicked and I recognised a friend I had grown up with in Port Alice on Northern Vancouver Island. We haven't seen each other for 20 years! The ensuing hug lasted a long time... she had seen my Facebook posts about the show and had decided to give me an unforgettable surprise!

Torn between a much longed for reunion and polymer clay I began the exploration of Chameleon and polymer has been done proud! It's a stunning show exquisitely displayed. Here is a teaser selection of photos- I have more but it might spoil the surprise for you should you be able to go. It was also fantastic to connect with so many Vancouver Clayers who, although they will be touring the show as part of the Vancouver HORIZONS Clay Conference  next week, took time to head to the North Shore for the Reception.
 

Joan Tayler's spectacular fish

Amazing Wall assemblage by Jem Redlich

 

Ellen  Kocher's wall magnificently textured wall hanging with airferns. 

Thanks to all the Vancouver Polymer Clay Guilders who have made this event possible and special thanks to Joan Tayler for having a big idea and following through!

The day was a great success and a significant was to start the Year of the Snake- A year of transitions and change. We ferried home with firm plans to reconnect next month with precious friends. I spent time sketching some ideas for the year ahead- it's amazing what positive feedback can do for a person! 

Mad with Colour!

I accepted YOUR advice and assisted by a big box of new inks went mad with colour with this as yet unnamed Muse. Long skinny wall hanging pieces are so hard to photograph properly but I think the idea is more or less conveyed. She is awash with teal, green and a swish or two of purple.

This piece is is heading to the Canadian National Institute of the Blind Eye Appeal Fundraiser.

Project Stalled- new one underway

My Polymer and Kelp Muse project has stalled. I ran out of a wide size of kelp! It's on hold until I can harvest some more from the beach.

I decided to go down a different track and work on a wall hanging Muse. Here she is after being fired. I have a big order of alcohol inks on the way from Shades of Clay ... I'm thinking of very muted westcoast greens, browns, greys and a sliver of mauve here and there.

OR should I go mad with colour??!?!?

A Feast of Workshops in 2013

I am really looking forward to continuing my explorations in basketry in 2013. I've registered for three workshops this year and they are going to be sublime to say the least.

In March I'm going to Port Orchard Washington for the Northwest Weavers' Spring Retreat. I'm booked for Nadine Spier's Ornate Pine Needle Class. The Retreat this year is a sellout 

"Friendship" by Nadine Spier

In April I head to The Ranch Arts Centre in Snohomish for a Kelp Vessel course with Shannon Weber.

 Shannon's work is amazing and when I saw she would be teaching  Adventures In The In The Woven Vessel:When Fiber Meets Wax in August I couldn't (ahem) resist!