Polymer clay challenge week 5 – focal

Tags

Cate van Alphen, flower, flower power, orange, pendant, polymer clay, spiral

This week I made focal pendants. I was practicing a technique wich would enable me to feature symbol or simple line drawing on the pendant.

Focal beads by Cate van Alphen

The small focal is a hollow hemisphere with a spiral doodle.

Spiral dome slider pendant by Cate van Alphen

I added a bit of copper mica powder to the back attachment.

Back of spiral dome slider pendant by Cate van Alphen

The second pendant has a flower design because I just can’t shift the orange + brown = flower power equation!

Orange flower pendant by Cate van Alphen

The back of the pendant is a blend of colours.

Back of flower pendant by Cate van Alphen

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Rose Garden Treasury

Tags

art bead, artisan bead, etsy treasury, floral, flower, lampwork, Paul Klee, pink, polymer clay, purple, red, rose garden, spiral

This month I have made another Etsy Treasury inspired by the Art Bead Scene monthly challenge painting. I loved the colours and the repeated spirals of the roses.

The Rose Garden, 1920
by Paul Klee
Oil on cardboard

‘ABS February 2014 Wishlist – Rose Garden’ by Fulgorine

Icy Floral Lentil Winter Hol… moonrakerbeads $10	Pink Hollow Glass Beads. Han… NadinArtGlass $24	Raspberry Pink Lampwork Spac… LoriBergmann $12	A set of 4 bicone beads, but… Shygarshop $8.5
Hand Dyed Silk Ribbon Garden… flowerseedpape… $4.5	Glass Headpins – Dotted tear… IcedMoments $5.7	Polymer clay buttons purple … Cofanetto $8	Dusty Red Fabric Roses Handm… BizimSupplies $15
SERENAS BLEND ROSES Unique A… SerenaSmithLam… $16	Polymer clay orange/pink fau… SpottedFrogDes… $3.99	a translucent red purple & y… PolychromeBead… $23	Glass pendant by Andrew Gron… AJGglass $30
Destash Polymer Clay Beads F… beadhappilyeve… $12.95	Handmade Lampwork Bead Set (… SilverReflecti… $37.5	Fantasy flower pendant in pu… APolymerPencha… $22	Embroidered Roses Garden Bro… GalinaPerova $42

June ABS Challenge and Frida Kahlo

Tags

52 earrings, earrings, miscarriage, pendant, polymer clay, spiral, van alphen, wire

Again this month’s ABS challenge piece cross-pollinated with this week’s 52 Earrings theme – Frida Kahlo. When she was young Frida was in a tram crash which left her in constant pain and unable to have children. This particularly affected me as last weekend I had a miscarriage myself – I was only 8 weeks pregnant so it was not as bad as Frida’s experience, but it did mean when I saw this month’s inspiration piece I saw emptiness and loneliness.

ABS inspiration painting
“Nighthawks” (1942) by Edward Hopper

“Henry Ford Hospital” (1932) by Frida Kahlo

The focal bead is polymer clay inspired by the architecture of the curved diner window and the view through the window to the street behind. It is open and empty. The wire spirals are links of DNA chains – broken and missing. The ribbon is blood.

“Gone” by Cate van Alphen

Matching earrings

I didn’t actually want a memento of the miscarriage, but this is what came to me. “Playing with polymer” (as I call it) is keeping me distracted, so I’m not about to tell the muse to go away and come back with something better. Perhaps when I am ready, I will dismantle it.