I attended two excellent seminars today.  The first was on Kaleidoscope Construction with Carol Simmons.

Carol has developed a very precise system for building a myriad of kaleidoscope patterns from a single cane,  It’s fascinating, and there are elements of her approach that are just genius.  She mentioned that she is hoping to start teaching workshops soon.  Based on the short taste of her techniques we got in her seminar, a workshop with her would be fantastic.

My second seminar today was “Building or Improving Your Portfolio” with Wendy Outland.  It was a great and really informative session.  I feel like I’ve got a road map for what I need to prepare for presentation to galleries,  competitions or other calls for entries.  As someone who hasn’t yet pulled together a complete artist’s portfolio, the concept seemed very intimidating, but Wendy made it very straightforward.  It wasn’t the most exciting seminar I’ve taken here at the conference, but it might be the most useful.

Other events today included a “Clay Manufacturer’s Forum” where representatives from 4 polymer clay companies answered attendees’ questions, and the final shopping hours in the sales gallery and Vendor Fair.

The culmination of the conference was the Banquet with keynote address by Craftcast host Alison Lee, and of course the Live Auction with Tracy Holmes as auctioneer.  A lighthearted tone for the evening was set by Lisa Pavelka with a demonstration of the secret polymer clay handshake which started at this past summer’s IPCA Retreat.

The banquet is an occasion for everyone to show off some of their best creations.  Two of my favorites were:

Julie Eakes’ purse with her famous retro cane mosaic face cane

And Pam Sanders’ amazing necklace::

The auction itself was a lot of fun.  I really appreciated Tom Truty of Art Clay Silver’s video camera which projected images of the items being auctioned up onto a couple of big screens so that everyone could see.  And on a personal note, the highlight of the auction was that I am going home with Laurie Mika’s Collaborative Artist Quilt.

The photo really doesn’t show the fantastic dimensionality of the piece.  I am proud to have been one of the 38 participating artists, and I will treasure this piece along with everything else I’ll be taking away from Synergy2.

©2010 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The panel discussion topic was “Purposeful Marketplace” and featured Tamara Honaman, artist and former editor of Step By Step Beads, Lisa Bayne from ArtfulHome.com and Robert Dancik.

I’d love to give you a detailed synopsis of the day, but frankly I’m fried, so I’m going to go with bullet points of impressions from everything I attended today.

Some of the ideas that resonated with me today were:

• put in the time at the bench.  At a very basic level, seat time is essential to an artist’s growth and development
• experiment, play and give yourself permission to fail
• explore new materials, move out of your comfort zone
• seek feedback from a select few and be willing to listen
• don’t take rejection personally, but allow yourself to work through your response to it
• put your work out there in some way.  Don’t expect the art world to magically find you
• stay true to your vision and don’t undervalue your time

And finally, from Jeff Dever:  Dollar Store nail polish is really great stuff

©2010 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The Gallery for sales of the work of many of the artists attending the conference also opened last night.  The Preview was crazy crowded.

Sales have been brisk.  I put in my volunteer work hours in the Gallery today and even during the lunch hour there was a steady stream of buyers.  It’s a fun and unique opportunity to see and purchase work from polymer artists from all over the world.  Many of the artists rarely sell their work outside of an event like this.

©2010 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The seminar I took this morning was “Evolving Mokume” with Dan Cormier.  It’s always fun to get a peek into how Dan’s brain works.  He spends a lot of time carefully analyzing a process and developing techniques that can be precisely replicated.  His presentation bridged from the philosophical all the way to the tightly engineered.  I am taking his new “Cutting Edge Evolved” workshop following the conference and I am hoping that he will cover some of his new mokume techniques.

After a short coffee break, Elise Winters spoke about the Polymer Collection Project.  Elise then introduced Bruce Pepich of the Racine Art Museum who spoke about RAM’s philosophy, about the museum’s commitment to polymer and about the various ways that RAM’s new polymer pieces will fit in and play off other items in the museum’s collection.

He’s an engaging speaker and his enthusiasm for fine craft in general, and more recently polymer in particular, is exciting.  Up to this point it feels like a select few polymer artists were recognized at this high level.  Now through the hard work of Elise Winters, her team of volunteers, as well as Bruce Pepich and the Racine Art Museum, it  feels like polymer is starting to finally be recognized as a fine art medium.

Elise concluded with a plea for donations to RAM to support the polymer collection and upcoming exhibit and catalog.  There was a heartwarming response by attendees as well as large donations from the IPCG and my own guild the Southern Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild.

Next up was a panel discussion moderated by Jeff Dever entitled “intentional Evolution”.  The members of the panel were Bruce Pepich of RAM, Rachel Carren, artist and curator of the upcoming Lark Book “Masters of Polymer Clay” and premier polymer artist Kathleen Dustin.

Highlights of the discussion:  treat polymer as a medium of expression instead of technique, increase exposure in academia, look at broader sources of inspiration, have something to say with your work, “don’t be afraid of excellence”, intentionally refer to the medium as “polymer” not “polymer clay”.

There were two other seminar slots today, but I missed them both.  I walked over to the ACC Show during the late afternoon and then tonight I went out to dinner.  I’m not sure how much else my brain could have taken in today.

©2010 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

While they were speaking a pair of large screens showed slides of much of their newer work both in polymer clay and the print paintings they’ve been doing recently.  It was fascinating too see how their distinctive point of view informs both types of work.

It was interesting to hear them speak about how for them polymer clay is just a tool or element of the work.  I feel like a lot of polymer clay artists (myself included) can get too caught up in the material to the point where the material becomes as important or more important than the concept of a given piece.  There are so many techniques to explore, and often the process of working the clay becomes the main focus.  It was helpful for me to be reminded that the focus of my work should be more about the point of view I want to express.  (of course finding that point of view can be pretty tough)

Shaking up my way of thinking  is one of the many important lessons of the Synergy conferences.  It’s about much more than the latest technique and I find the experience here so enriching.

On a lighter note, Charm City Cakes made a fantastic cake with many individual elements based on jewelry examples the conference planners showed them.  I only have one mediocre photo of the cake.  Hopefully Cynthia will have some better shots to share with you.

©2010 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Yeah!  We’re finally here.  I anticipate events like this for so long, it is a huge rush when they finally start.  It feels a bit surreal.  So far today I have hugged good friends I hardly see, registered and picked up my schedule, handed over my exhibit piece ( I’m SO glad I didn’t forget to bring it!), set up my space in the sales gallery and peeked at the Vendor Fair.

Iris Weiss of Polyform & Diane Villano

Betsy Baker next to her Sales Gallery space.  It’s amazing what lovely displays some people can set up in a space that’s only 3 feet by 18 inches.

Karen Ottenbreit here from Alaska in front of her sales display.  The Sales Gallery is a wonderful opportunity to see and purchase work from many of the amazing artist attendees.

Kelly Russell being her fun self.  It is so great to reconnect with people you only see at events like this.

Tonight’s the Ford/Forlano presentation, more time at the Vendor Fair and a celebration of the IPCA’s anniversary with a cake by the Ace of Cakes!

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And all I want to do is play some more in the studio.  I’ve been having way too much fun playing with polymer clay and seed beads.

Swoop Pendant – polymer clay and seed bead mosaic.

Fringe Fun Pendant – polymer clay and bead embroidered fringe.  This pendant is hands down my favorite piece I have made in ages.  I just want to make more, more more.

Check the blog this week.  Cynthia Tinapple and I will be blogging daily from Synergy for Crafthaus.

©2010 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I think all artists working with polymer clay and all polymer clay guilds should make a donation to the Racine Art Museum Polymer Collection.

In a few short years the Polymer Collection Project spearheaded by Elise Winters has made great strides in elevating the profile of our chosen material.  The Racine Art Museum has agreed to host a major polymer art exhibition along with a hardcover catalog, and to establish a permanent collection of polymer art.  Pieces from the Polymer Collection Project have been acquired by 5 other major museums around the country.   The Racine Art Museum’s collection will ultimately become a center for the study of polymer art.

We are working in a medium with a short history and a very low profile compared to many of the traditional artist’s materials.   Raising the profile of polymer clay as an accepted art medium benefits us all.  As museums acquire and exhibit pieces of polymer clay art, polymer clay can  truly be seen as more than a child’s toy.

Whether or not you aspire to having a piece of your work in a museum collection some day, a donation to the project is a donation to advancing the profile of our medium.  Whether or not you think you will ever go to the Racine Art Museum to view the collection, their collection is a very big step in establishing polymer clay as an accepted art material.  That is a huge benefit to any polymer clay artist or polymer clay guild.

Checks can be made out to RAM/Polymer Collection and sent to:
Racine Art Museum
441 Main St.
Racine, WI 53403

Or click here to make a donation.

Learn more about the Polymer Collection Project at Polymer Art Archive.

©2010 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Here is my piece for the Synergy 2 Exhibit.  I am calling it “Keeping It Together”.  The name seemed appropriate because  the theme of this second Synergy Conference is Connections, and the necklace uses many forms of connections:  polymer clay to polymer clay, soldered connections, tabs and links.  All these types of connections serve to secure the elements of the necklace and keep it together.

On a deeper level, “Keeping It Together” represents how the creative spark inside me helps me stay sane and grounded even when it’s banked and quiet.  I think of my artistic side as the pilot light of my soul.  Sometimes it is hard to really know it’s there, but even when it’s really only in the back of my mind, it helps hold me together mentally and emotionally.

©2010 Libzoid Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I thought about it a lot, but much like my blog writing, thinking did not progress to action.  This weekend when I should have been decorating the house for Christmas or at the very least cleaning some of the vast piles of dog hair and debris, I escaped to the studio and finished the necklace.  My husband always groans and shakes his head as I plunge into projects at the very last minute.

Anyway… I’m pretty happy with the results.  I’m going to write a separate post about the piece itself, but here’s a teaser peek.

It’s amazing how

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