What a treat I have for you today!  Check out this silver metal clay leaf bracelet from Belgium’s Un-Roen Manarata.  The colors make my head swirl and I’m just fascinated by the unique construction techniques she’s used.  Her note on Facebook says the bracelet is two-sided, which is a wonderful finishing touch. I’d really like to get my hands on this one for a closer look.  Trip to Belgium, anyone?

You can see more from Un-Roen on her blog or her website.

Happy July 4th to you all!  I hope you all know that this blog is about YOU, the metal clay community.  Today, I’m tentatively sharing an example of my own work, and it feels quite odd to write about myself on this venue.

“Protector of the Lair” is a hand-sculpted and carved pendant.  This is my first silver dragon, with surely many more to come.  I’ve been making intricate polymer clay dragons for the past couple of years, and it was a big step forward to translate that work into silver.  I’m Wendy McManus, and you can see more of my work at my Big World Studio blog, or on my Flickr photostream.

I’ve added a feature to this site that should make it a bit more user-friendly.  You can now click on Featured Artists above in the navigation bar to see a list of every artist that’s been featured on the site since I started it in May 2009.  If you’re a new visitor to the site, be sure to check the list.  Perhaps I’ve featured your work and you didn’t know it.  Wouldn’t that be a nice surprise on a holiday weekend?!

It seems like this is the season for congratulations.  My last two posts have been about contest winners.  Today is a shout-out to Susan Reinemeyer who just learned that her “Octopus Necklace” will be included in the 2010 PMC Guild Annual, which will be published in the fall.  Just 120 pieces from 62 artists will be represented.  You can see the complete list of accepted artists here.  Congratulations to each and every one of these talented artists.  I can’t wait to receive my copy of the Annual.

Susan is a talented sculptor of figurines out of polymer clay and other materials.  Her website has some drool-worthy examples of that work.  She is equally talented with metal clay.  If you happen to be roaming in the Bradenton, Florida area, you can see Susan’s work in person at the ArtCenter Manatee Gift Shop.

Congratulations to the finalists and winners of the 2010 Saul Bell Design Awards.  Here are the fabulous pieces that took the top honors in the PMC category.  To the top right you’ll see the first place winner from Wendy Wallin-Malinow.  Below and to the left is the second place winner from Angela Baduel-Crispin.  I’m fascinated by how entirely different the two top winners are from each other this year. Especially when viewed along with the three finalists, this collection is a testament to the incredible versatility of metal clay.   Check out all the winners and finalists in all categories here. It really is a beautiful collection.

Each of these talented artists has developed a rich web presence.  Wendy’s site is a riot of color and personality that reflects perfectly on her work.  Angela’s site is bi-lingual with a blog that’s rich in technical information and design inspiration, reflecting on her nurturing role of teacher and mentor to so many in our metal community.

Great work, ladies!  I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

The call for entries for the 2011 Saul Bell Design Award competition has been published and the deadline is September 17, 2010.  As Catherine Davies-Paetz recently wrote on her blog, “You can’t win if you don’t play”

Melissa Lee gave us a sneak peak at one of her two pieces that were juried into the finals of the Bead Dreams competition at the Bead & Button show.  This piece, “The Way to My Heart”, won second place in the metal clay category.  Congratulations, Melissa!  I love the symbolism of the maze as the path to love.

Be sure to check out the blog post where Melissa details the painstaking process of assembling this beauty, piece by tiny piece.  Even more than the insights into her process, I really enjoyed Melissa’s honest story of the stress and trepidation she experienced as she worked toward the deadline.  I know so many of us can relate.  You’re not alone, Melissa.

You’ll find more on  Melissa’s blog, her Etsy store and Flickr photostream.

For some reason, beading just doesn’t come naturally to me.  Where the beads seem to speak to others, to me they are…silent.  So, I really admire someone who just gets it.  That’s what I’m thinking as I lust after Barbara Fernald’s asymmetrical necklace of seed beads and African glass beads combined with a variety of silver clay components, which includes lentils, spacers, oval connectors and a lovely toggle clasp.  I like how the beads are not matched, but the theme of circles, spirals and ovals carries through the piece to hold it together.  And that color!  I dream in that shade of blue.

Barbara has been producing some lovely new pieces and experimenting with her new tabletop photo studio.  It’s fun to watch the progress here on her blog.  You can also check out her Etsy store.

Eva Ehmeier is a rising star in the polymer clay world, and she’s extending that talent into metal clay.  I really like the creative and unusual way she married the two materials in this piece, Artichoke Brooch.  I just want to reach into the picture and touch the textures!

The only online home I’ve found for Eva is her Flickr Photostream under the username Hoedlgut. Does anyone know where else we can see her work?  Send me links and I’ll update the post.

Check out this gorgeous piece from Noortje Meijerink.  On her site, Noortje describes her technique for creating the ceramic porcelain pots and vases, and covering them in a homemade black slip.  Using a sgrafitto technique, she scratches geometric patterns inspired by Pueblo Indian art into the surface, revealing the white pattern on the black field.  Silver metal clay is used to further embellish some of these amazing pieces.

Be sure to check out her Web site.  This link is to the English version of the site, but feel free to click on the flag in the upper right corner if you prefer to read the site in Dutch.

Check out this gorgeous pendant from from Deb Fitz called “Splash”.  I’m fascinated by the subtle translucent colors that can be achieved with enamels in the right hands.  The three raised silver circles seem perfectly balanced with the stone, and I love the dimensional construction of the piece.  Very nice, indeed.

You’ll find more from Deb on her blog and on her Flickr photostream.

I’m on a roll with my admiration of the French metal clay community.  Today’s feature is Sabine Alienor’s Steampunk Ring crafted from the new Prometheus Bronze Clay.  I just love all of the intricate details in this piece. 

Sabine’s Flickr Photostream is loaded with beautiful examples of her work.  Her Web site, which is presented primarily in French, features a blog, online store and loads of tutorials.  I understand we have Margaret Schindel to thank for the many English translations of Sabine’s French tutorials.  Check out Sabine’s Facebook fan page for more metal clay goodness.

I love everything about this fine silver ring from Kenji Von Achen.  The shape, scale, texture and impeccable construction come together to make this piece work beautifully.   Kenji is another member of the French metal clay community.  They surely are a talented bunch!

Kenji’s got a strong online presence.  You can find more on his Web site, Flickr photostream,  Facebook fan page and his blog, which is available in both French and English.

Congratulations to Julia Rai for achieving level 3 status with the Masters Registry.  She’s the first individual to reach that level, so it’ s a particularly exciting achievement.  I’m fascinated  by the Master’s Registry.  Their site is a fabulous source of eye candy and the artists who are pursuing this credential are a great source of inspiration to me personally.

The Masters Registry is a structured program designed to challenge an artist’s creative and technical abilities.  To progress through the program, candidates submit a total of 50 projects divided into 5 levels.  Each project is evaluated and scored.  If a piece doesn’t earn a passing score, it can be re-worked and re-submitted until it does pass.  Each group of 10 projects completed successfully earns the candidate the next Masters Registry level.  So, Julia has had 30 of her submitted pieces pass the evaluation process, including the hinged box that’s shown here.  Kudos!

Julia’s new Web site exhibits a level of generosity and openness that I really admire.  She shows photos of each piece submitted, including those that did not pass the evaluation.  She includes background information about her creative process, some of the comments from the evaluators, and even the scores she received on each piece.

You’re probably already familiar with Julia’s other site, Metal Clay Academy, which is an independent resource for information about metal clay.  The site is very deep with lots of great information and tons of links.