Step One for a New Polymer Clay Muse...

Today I visited Knotty by Nature. What a stunning shop! It's packed full of delectable wool and fibre and it's a must-visit spot for any one with an interest in the Fibre Arts. The have fantastic classes in knitting, spinning, felting, weaving and silk fusion too!

I left some of my big buttons on consignment there so between The Silk Weaving Studio and Knotty by Nature my buttons are in splendid venues!

I'm planning two Muses- one with a shore theme, the other with a forest focus. As I began my shopping excursion I saw some skeins of incredible handspun wool but each was a piece of art in itself and somehow not appropriate to use for a piece of my own art. the spinning was so distinctive that I'd feel compelled to credit the spinner as co-artist in the finished work I ended up with. I'd love to learn the spinning technique that was used on the wool I saw though. I chose some more generic wool so I could mix the colours and play with the textures myself.

Here are the four colours I chose for the beach muse and the resulting mixture. combined with polyner clay beachstones I think the combination is very coastal. The mohair is perfect as it gives a difused mistlike effect.

These beachstones are made with polymer clay.

Going Back To A Starting Point

I'm almost finished the bulk of my work for Gen's show so I'm going to to start a new polymer clay project this week! I plan to revisit the Beach Woman theme. I've done a few pieces with this concept, the largest being K'Seia. I have a wall hanging version in mind this time. My first task will be to select some yarns- I'm excited about taking a first time yarn hunting visit to Knotty By Nature tomorrow. Once the yarn is selected, the clay colours will be mixed.

Planning Syndromation

My daughter Genevieve's Art Show "Syndromation" will open on April 6th at the University of Victoria's Art Education Department's A. Wilfrid Johns Gallery. We've managed to choose over 40 pictures plus several of her story books. This entailed going through over a THOUSAND drawings. Gen is prolific! She writes and illustrates stories so it's been a challenge coming up with ways to display the images in context- or to display an entire illustrated story on a wall in 2D format. We have a terrific team working on it though and things are going very smoothly.

Gen came up with the name "Syndromation". She celebrates her Asperger's Syndrome as a powerful and wonderful influence in her creativity.

The show will run from April 6-30 and we will have an opening reception on Saturday April 11. If you are in the vicinity of Victoria, BC email me for details amusedcreations@shaw.ca - friends of this blog are invited!

The photo is of Gen and Shauna from the UVic School of Child and Youth Care. Shauna is transcribing Gen's descriptions of her pictures. There was a lot of laughter as they worked!

Happy Spring to Everyone!

How could I resist buying these gumboots to celebrate spring? There's something very "me" about them. With all the recent rain and snow showers these are a mandatory accessory for one's spring gardening ensemble- now if I could only find some garden gloves to match......

Polymer Clay Out Front!

Oak Bay's lovely Side Street Studio is showcasing polymer clay in the front window! It's a gorgeous display featuring work by Wanda Shum, Tina Holden and yours truly. We bought our work together in a display at Horizons and we were delighted at how our approaches are so different and yet compliment each other so well. To us this new window display is a celebration of the diversity of polymer clay and the friendship shared by good friends who connected with each other through their art. Staff at the gallery tell me that the display is bringing a lot of people into the shop - we hope it may encourage sales (of course) and perhaps more members to our local Vancouver Island Polymer Clay Artists Guild.

Salt Spring Island Inspiration

I spent a wonderful few days on Salt Spring Island over the weekend. We stayed in a beautiful little cottage by the sea and from the cozy porch we experienced every form of weather imaginable from intense sunshine to howling winds, lashing rain and something I can only describe as sleet sheets of snow. Between weather systems we were able to wander along the shore and take a short hike in the forest. I was happy to have come up with two central projects for the next while. These photos reflect the sense of what I'll be chasing.

Dreams Can Come True

So many artists I know (including myself) have a lovely dream of opening their own workspace/gallery. My very dear friend Georgia Ferrell (known as iggy to her Canadian polymer clayamies) made her dream come true! She has partnered with two other wonderful women to establish Artemesia- their own gallery in Westport Ontario! They are doing it right too because they have received the local businesswomen of the year award!

Good things do come to good people- on the heels of the award, the gallery was featured in a local TV spot! Nothing is local any more- the spot is in the blogosphere now! Here's the link- there's some Grey's Anatomy stuff for a few seconds but stay with it, you'll be artfully inspired....

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip150080#clip150080 (if the link doesn't work- cut and paste it into your browser- I have a naughty leprechaun in my blog I think)

During the programe when iggy is at her workbench, look for her Secretive Woman "Carolyn" from the Workshop I taught at iggy's "Beek's Lane Studio" a few years ago!

A new phase...

Yesterday I delivered Vaia to the CNIB for the upcoming CNIB Eye Appeal Art Event .

Sidestreet Studio is celebrating polymer clay in their window this month and with the exception of my Etsy items I'm sending them all of the pieces I have on hand. My studio shelves are empty.

I have a brand new sketchbook and some beachside reflection time scheduled over the weekend- I have some Leggy Bowl and Muse ideas on my mind.....

Polymer Clay Items in Etsy- Snowy Day Shipping

I've listed a few new polymer clay items in my aMused Etsy Shop. I'm offering a Polymer Clay wall mount "Snowberry Clock" and one of my latest tile assemblage wall hangings- "Garden in Bloom". To celebrate my beautiful snowy day here in Victoria I'm offering a deal on shipping- mention this blog entry and shipping within Canada or to the US is free for any purchases in my Etsy Shop for the month of March.

Snowberry Clock- $120

"Garden in Bloom" Polymer Clay Tile Assemblage $200

A Snow Day

I decided this would be a good week to get into the garden but Mother Nature had other plans! This snowy March morning in Victoria is a very rare event and as I live in a virtually snow-free zone of Canada, I'm loving it!

A Diversion from Polymer Clay For a While

I may be skipping daily blog posts for the next while.

My daughter Gen, who has a version of autism that closely follows many, but not all of the earmarks of Asperger's Syndrome, has been invited to have an art exhibition at the A. Wilfrid Johns Gallery at the University of Victoria in April. Gen is a storyteller and artist with a beautifully innocent approach spiced by a sense of humour and adventure. We have a massive collection of her work going back all of her 19 years.

My current role is to help her to shortlist some of her stories and sketches as well as select items that showcase her techniques, her colour sense and the way she has always used art to work through the frustrations of dealing with "The Ordinairies". We hope the display will bring joy and insight.

We'll be issuing an invitation to her "Opening" as soon as we have the dates finalised!

I'm feeling proudly overwhelmed at this point!

Kreativ Blogger Award

My fellow west coast poly-claying friend Tina Holden has tagged me with the Kreativ Blogger Award. After a Google search, I see that this award has a few different versions based, I think, on the theme of the blog. Arty types like us are focused on sources of inspiration. So I'll list seven things that inspire me-


1.My daughter's art


2.Fashion Magazines- a regular source for colour combinations and interesting costuming concepts for Muses. Vanity Fair is my favourite. Eye candy & great writing. National Geographic's "abstract landscapes" inspire me too.

3. Documentaries about archaeology and ancient history.


4. A walk on the beach


5. My garden


6. A stroll in a gallery- always a launch pad for a different approach... lately collage artists are making my head spin! (in a good way)


7. Teaching a workshop- what a gift to show someone how to do something and watch them come up with a new spin that inspires you to see your own invention in a new way!


I'll award these inspirational bloggers, they may pass on the award by listing seven things that inspire them and nominating at least three other deserving bloggers.

I thank these Kreativ Bloggers for inspiration and insight -


Amy Crawley- Moonroom Muse
Lorrie Grainger Abdo
Kerrdelune