Oh my goodness, look at this gorgeous neckpiece! I was meandering aimlessly on the interwebs when this photo of Alexandra Daini’s “Blossom” stopped me in my virtual tracks. I want to reach into the photo and stroke these lifelike pods. Every little detail is so refined and check out the clasp!
Alexandra will be teaching at Metal Clay World Conference this July. After checking out her MCWC class description and her website, I just had to sign up. MCWC, here we come!
Before 2010 comes to an end, I must share this lovely Art Deco Vessel from Susan Breen Silvy. I love the rich, deep texture on this hollow form, and the fan-like structure on the vessel stopper shows off the unique potential of sculpting in metal clay.
See more from Susan on her website.
Metal clay is such a natural fit for creating jewelry, and indeed that’s the most common application for the material. I think that’s why my attention is captured instantly when I see a fabulous, non-jewelry application like this one. Otteline Tuitel’s fine silver head and torso is brilliantly executed, with rich, raw details. I love the wire holding the components together and the sense of freedom in this form.
Otteline has a few websites, mostly in Dutch, but who cares with so much gorgeous eye candy! If you really want to read in English, look for the little British flag on this site to see a translated version. Or, just browse happily and practice your Dutch on her other sites here and here.
Much to my delight, Marco Fleseri’s wonderfully organic metal clay creations come up regularly on my Facebook feed. I was truly challenged to decide which piece to feature here as his site is packed with eye candy. This amazing Helios Pendant seems to be a signature style for Marco, with its many writhing tentacles. The citrine stone is 30+ carats. Wow!
Marco’s website is really nice and it includes a blog. You can hook up with him on Facebook or check out his Etsy store. I also found a Flickr photostream with some examples of his work and a funky collection of polaroid photos. Enjoy!
I want to sit quietly in Jennifer Smith-Righter’s studio and watch how she works. Maybe some of her magic would rub off on me, or perhaps I could wrap my mind around how she creates these intricate, architectural pieces in fine silver metal clay. Her Castle Ring is a particularly jaw-dropping example of Jennifer’s talent. I’ve had fun watching the process photos as she developed the piece, and I felt her pain when she wrote about taking one step forward and two steps back. The frustration is the price we pay for perfection, right?
You can see more of Jennifer’s work, and the process photos for the Castle Ring on her Flickr photostream. There are some hidden details that you can’t see from this photo, so be sure to check it out. She also has an Etsy store filled with her incredible creations.
This Dream Box pendant from Angie Karst is so deliciously mysterious. It seems that it can be opened, but it’s not made to be opened while worn. Or, at least it seems that way because the chain goes through the lid. Let’s just say I’d like to see this one firsthand so I can deconstruct its secrets. And this photo—gorgeous. Kudos to Angie or whoever took the shot for her.
Angie and her partner Marly Penner make, sell and teach under the name Studio 28. You can see both of their work on their shared website.
Rachel Miller creates gorgeous fine silver jewelry and Judaica pieces with a strong eye for detail. Since she started it in January, I’ve been watching with great interest her “Mezuzah Project”, where she creates a unique mezuzah each month. It’s a wonderful and unique expression of Rachel’s creative talent. They’ve all been gorgeous, but this one knocks my socks off. The lamppost and the swing just make me grin.
I was familiar with the concept of a mezuzah, but I didn’t know any details about them. If you’re interested, here is the Wikipedia article on mezuzahs.
To see more from Rachel, check out her blog, her Flickr photostream and her Etsy store.
For the recent PMC Conference, I designed some 5″ x 3″ flyers. I passed out the flyers to everyone I met, and I left a stack at the information table outside the vendor hall. Lots of folks had never seen the site before, which validated my reasons for printing them in the first place.
I want to give a shout out to the artists who responded so quickly to give me permission to use their images in print. Each of them has been featured here on Metal Clay Magic and the links go to those blog posts.
Jane Font
The flyer included a request to you, the metal clay community. If you have a blog or site where you include links, please link to www.MetalClayMagic.com. If you teach classes, tell your students about the blog. If you write books, include the blog in your resources section. I would like to build the traffic to the site, and I need your help to make it happen. I’m not selling anything and I don’t make a dime from writing this blog. I might sell relevant ads on the sidebar someday, but that’s not why I started this little project. I simply want to support the community by featuring the amazing metal clay art that’s being created every day. Please help if you can. Thanks!
Today’s find is this gorgeous pendant from Candice Kiesow. Don’t you just love how the big, luscious pearl is nestled into the metal clay setting? The subtle flower texture creates a perfect transition as the petals become tabs to hold the pearl in place. The keum boo accents complement the pearl beautifully. Just lovely!
Candice has a great blog and a website. You can also see her on Etsy.
I’m back from the PMC Conference, and one of the greatest benefits was meeting so many new people. In my world, that also translates to finding new artists to feature. Today I’m sharing Carol Scheftic’s cool Magic Carpet pendant. It’s a funky, woven, sort of curvey, parabolic creation. Carol is really into math, and she calls the shape “anticlastic”. That’s way over my head, but even I can see that it’s very cool.
I’ve had my eye on this piece for some time, knowing that I would feature it here on the blog. I met Carol at the conference and we had a lovely chat about the benefits of brand neutrality. It wasn’t until I starting writing today’s post and looking at Carol’s links that I put two and two together!
You can see more from Carol on her website, her blog and her Flickr photostream.
I love discovering new (or new to me) artists, so today’s post has me doing a happy dance at my computer. Heather Bell Denison, aka “Fine Silver Girl” created this awesome sunflower. I’m enthralled by the dimensional shape of the leaves, the layering of smooth and textured leaves, and the use of syringe clay to make the flower’s center. Such nice finishing touches!
Heather is has a website and a blog. She is also a guest blogger at the BeadFX site.
Michelle Loon is crazy about toys and circus acts, and her sense of playfulness is reflected in her metal clay designs. Check out the Big Wheel Bike necklace, complete with spinning wheels. Very fun! This is one you really need to click through to see the larger image and all of the awesome details in the piece
Find more from Michelle on her blog, under the name La Loon Designs, and on her Flickr photostream.
