I’ve found myself experimenting with the extruder again. There’s something almost addictive about sanding away the surface to reveal the colours and patterns underneath. However carefully you might have planned it, and yes often I do have a plan, you can never be sure how it will turn out. Lots of opportunity for happy accidents and a few sad ones as well if you sand too much off.
Extruded necklace
large extruded pendant
I was commissioned to make a pendant in blues. The white ‘veins’ were achieved by painting the segments of clay with white acrylic paint before mixing them together.
Pendant on buna cord
I couldn’t decide which shape of earrings to match so made up a selection.
Blue 'n' white earrings
Another pendant for luck
Domed round pendant on buna cord
I’ve been struggling of late to find my muse. There seems to be so many more important things to do and worry about when our economy and our services are being systematically trashed. What to do when the creative urge disappears ? Work your way through it I guess and keep going until you spot that little muse hiding away in a corner somewhere. And then grab her. Quick.
domed pendant with rubber cord
I haven’t found her yet but I discovered these pendants along the way. As a discipline to get myself back into the groove, I’m going to make two pendants a week for the next month. Maybe that will do the trick.
Like Rip Van Winkle, I emerge blinking into the sunlight after months of metaphorical hibernation. At least that’s what it feels like. I haven’t really felt inspired or creative for a while. But now the sun is out and its time to start messing around again with polymer. I’ve been experimenting with the ‘mokume gane’ technique to ease myself back. This necklace was made with a ripple blade.
Ripple blade mokume gane
This one wasn’t
mokume gane necklace 2
I eventually left the snow and chaos at Gatwick behind and arrived in Andalucia to be greeted by – torrential rain. But the rain soon gave way to days of beautiful winter sunshine and blue skies. A wonderful start to the new year. The rain has really freshened up the mountains which now have a green tinge. This week the locals have been out harvesting wild asparagus from the hills.
Many plants here seem to have two growing seasons a year. It seems odd at first to see lemon and avocado trees groaning with fruit and flowers in bloom in December.
mountain view
These are views I could get used to but unfortunately its back to London and the day job. Hasta luego.
The first UK polymer clay retreat has been organised for Friday 11th March to Sunday 13th March 2011 at the Heights Hotel in the beautiful Isle of Portland , Dorset. The retreat will bring together ‘old hands’ and ‘newbies’ to enjoy each other’s company in a relaxed atmosphere. The theme of the weekend is Polymer, Pamper and Play. Carol Blackburn will run a workshop on Ikat beads and baubles and Christine Dumont will demonstrate how to make butterfly beads.
Besides clay workshops there will also be massage and beauty therapy available and the hotel has a leisure centre with a gymnasium for the more energetic of us. The cost of the weekend is £275 based on 2 people sharing a room. This includes two nights accommodation and breakfast, morning and afternoon tea, a light sandwich lunch on Saturday and Sunday and a three course dinner each evening. A deposit of £125 must be paid by 31st December . If you are interested in coming along, please contact Rebecca Thickbroom on 07902155280 or email info@polymerpamperplay.co.uk.
The whole country is seeing white at the moment but I’m seeing red. I had complaints that I didn’t make enough red jewellery so this is to redress the balance and add a seasonal flavour. There’s more new jewellery on my website at www.al-andaluscreations.eu.
Here’s a few more image transfer brooches that I’ve been working on. I’ve put some of them on my website for sale and I will be working on some necklaces in the next few days.
I haven’t been able to post for a few weeks as the day job has interfered with my jewellery making. But I’ve been playing around with the technique of image transfer. It has a lot of possibilities. Image transfer allows an image to be transferred onto the surface of the clay. The image then gets baked into the clay and becomes permanent. A layer of translucent clay over the top of the image then seals it . I’ve made a few brooches using vintage labels and adverts from the 1880s . I’ll be putting them on the website soon. I’m now on the lookout for other images that I can use.
Back to reality and back to the day job. Here are some final images of Andalucia to help me through the coming winter months.
A view from the Andalucian sierras
A typical hilly street in Almunecar
A bar display in Malaga.
Spain has only been a democracy for just over 30 years. This reproduction of the front page of a newspaper from 1978 announcing the new constitution is set into the pavement in the main square in Malaga.
