Polymer Clay on Canvas- Pear and Leaf and the next large project...

I'm enjoying an absolutely gorgeous weekend savouring the sunshine and getting some gardening done. I did get some studio time in though and here's Pear and Leaf- 5x7".
I also got my sketchbook out and I'm set to start a new larger polymer clay on canvas piece tomorrow...

Polymer Clay and a Pile of Books

Today's offering is a 5x7 polymer clay on canvas creation called Georgia' s Apple Tree. A few years ago I was visiting my friend Georgia (iggy) at her home in Ontario- we were exploring her acreage which had been a working farm in bye gone days and we spotted a gorgeous old apple tree weighed down with fruit. Georgia made me laugh as she had no idea that the tree was there! Nice to have a huge property- people with more "modest" properties know every weed! I hadn't been thinking of that day as I did the piece but when it came out of the oven I remembered that happy time in a beautiful place with a wonderful friend.

Speaking of friends- I've never met her in person but like many other fans of her blog, I count Lisa Clarke as a pal. Her blog is always a treat and she has the most photographed toes I've ever seen. She's a creative powerhouse and I think she has some sort of secret portal to another dimension that gives her a 72 hour day. She recently devised a really fun Flickr group called Bookpile that challenges members to post a photo of the books that are currently firing your creative juices. There's an open invitation for membership at- http://www.flickr.com/groups/thebookpile/ . Here's my current book pile.

Moooi- an amazing magazine promoting a line of furniture. It arrived in my newspaper last year and it's a visual feast! Here's the website so you can share the inspiration- my magazine is full of arty photos featuring costumed models sprawled in the sorts of ways I suppose people do when they can afford very expensive furniture.

The Ladies No,1 Detective Agency Books- the art connection is that I LOVE the graphics in the credits of the HBO show. The music is fantastic too. After watching the first episode I went out and bought all nine books and read the whole collection! I'm waiting for the latest to come out in paperback. Find out about the TV version at the HBO website great video and music clips.

How to Fish the Pacific Coast- an old Sunset book from the fifties with wonderful descriptions of my area from bye gone days and terrific diagrams of fish which I use for getting interesting shapes for my fish motifs.

Finally- my current read- The Sealed Letter by Emma Donahue - I'm loving it. There's great writing, a historically-based plot with all sorts of twists and turns and one absolutely scandalous character that will make you cherish your friends forever! I'd count this one as upscale chip dip lit for your summer reading list.

Polymer Clay on Canvas with Moxies

I'm just having too much fun with clay on canvas. Here are some little Moxies enjoying a sunny day. It's 5x7".

Polymer Clay on Stretched Canvas- Meriel

Polymer clay on stretched canvas is a wonderful combination. (Lighter on shipping costs too!) I did a couple of pieces at the end of 2008 and finally have been able to get back to it and I intend to focus on this concept for a long while.

I sketched this lady last summer and she has been glaring at me from my sketchbook for many months. I think she's forgiven me for my procrastition! I've named her Meriel.

The piece is 10x12 inches.

New Polymer Clay Muse- She Could Only Choose One

So much for the New Year's resolution for the daily blog! I have been busy though, this latest Muse piece took around two weeks of work, but She Could Only Choose One has been completed. The name is self explanatory- I know how the lady felt choosing one flower because I had to choose the solo flower for her to hold too!

This is by far the largest piece ever- it's polymer clay on fibreboard and approx. 16x19"/ 46x40cm and weighs 11lbs/5kg. Her hair is a silk blend.

Now I'm working on a new piece with polymer clay on stretched canvas and the process is really fun. I'll have a few new pieces to share this week.

New Polymer Clay Muse- Moontide

Back to the blog after a few days being very involved in creating this new polymer clay piece- "Moontide". It's approx 28"x12".

The clay is on fibreboard which I'm finding a lot better than using sheets of polymer clay- it doesn't react to warm temperatures in the room and I feel a lot more confident that there won't be failures when I screw mounting hardware into the back of the piece.