I just heard that my just-about-to-graduate nephew, Kyle Zoeller, won $500 and a first-place blue ribbon for a lovely ring that he made in his high school metals class. A local Michigan jeweler offered the prize to the student who designed and constructed the nicest jewelry piece and Kyle was the winner! Woo hoo, awesome, way to go Kyle!!!
I hate to be wasteful; in fact, I love to give just about any old thing a chance to become something else. This philosophy definitely applies to my art; I tend to look at the tiniest little scrap of something and I want to put it to good use (these days it’s called living green!). The downside for me is that it’s been a long while since I’ve packed up the unfinished projects and leftovers, swept off my studio worktable, and opened up some fresh new packages of clay. My natural inclination has been to move from one project to the next, relying on extra beads or beautiful scraps of clay to inspire me. The problem is that it’s not working anymore. I’ve been feeling claustrophobic in my studio, creatively stifled, and a bit bored.
This past weekend I managed to photograph every single finished piece in my inventory and to post it either on my website http://maureenthomasdesigns.com or in my Etsy store http://maureenthomasdesigns.etsy.com. I still have a bazillion polymer clay beads that I will eventually use as accents in new projects, but I am declaring myself caught up. No playing with clay until my studio is straightened up and I can make my way to the worktable without causing a landslide.
So, what’s with the fruit analogy? You know how you’d love to eat that perfectly ripe, just-the-shade-you-like-it banana in the fruit bowl, BUT there’s also that one that’s not going to make it one more day so you eat that one instead? Well, I say, go for that perfect piece of fruit…..and toss the overripe one in the freezer to use in some future nut bread (you didn’t really think I was going to suggest throwing it away, did you?). Here’s to a fresh start!!!
I received my copy of “1000 Jewelry Inspirations” by Sandra Salamony today. I couldn’t wait until July for my contributor’s copy so I ordered one from Amazon.com. As the title suggests, the book features page after page of beautiful jewelry by contemporary artists meant to inspire the reader. It is divided into chapters: beads & baubles, paper & mixed media, polymer & metal clay (that’s where my work is featured), vintage & repurposed, fibers & fabric, and wire & metal.
My local polymer clay guild, Clayville California, has so many amazing artist members. Many of them have been featured in books and articles and now I can count myself among the “published artists” too!
I’ve added a few lightswitch covers (plates) to my Maureen Thomas Designs website. They are covered with polymer clay veneers. I’ll be adding more periodically. Check them out!
http://maureenthomasdesigns.com
http://maureenthomasdesigns.etsy.com
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