Redwood Coast Creative Arts

I waited forever for someone else to present an all polymer art showcase in Northern California but, it never happened so, I did it myself!

  Adriana Ayala

 

 This is the truth!  I thought it would be the coolest thing if there was an all polymer art showcase that I could participate in.  HaHaHa, fat chance waiting around for that to ever happen!  The truth is that polymer art hardly ever gets featured in local galleries period!  No one knows what it is! 

Sometimes, I think that is one of the really cool things about polymer.  Because if people don't know about then there aren't very many rules around it.  If they don't know what it is they have no preconceived notions of what it should look like or what I should be doing with it!

So anyway, back to my high hopes for an all polymer exhibit at a local venue.  If you're thinking that it never happened and I had to hold my breath forever then you're partially right.  I waited around, just hoping it would happen, for a lot of years.

A few months back I took on the task of Outreach Chairperson for Clayville California (No. CA. Polymer Art Guild).  So now it is my responsibility to reach out to the community, to educate the masses about all things polymer and to encourage other members to do the same.  Great!  Now what?  How am I going to do that?  I'd love to teach more workshops but, to whom?  Through what venue, what forum?  Why am I doing this anyway?  Why do I even care?  Why can't I just sit back, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for someone else to do the work? 

The answer to that is, "I don't know"!  I don't know why I care, but I definitely do.  Why can't I just sit back and twiddle?  I don't know that either.  It's just not my way. 

So you know what I did?  I made the committment to have a polymer art exibit at Vox .  I invited Clayville California and a few other California polymer artists to submit work in this very versatile medium. 

It was really nerve wracking not knowing what would be submitted.  I wasn't sure if Id be able to fill the space until just a few days before the show.  I'll do that differently next time!  That's for sure.  However, after all is said and done I am very pleased with the end results.  The gallery space at Vox Sac looks great.  I do plan on doing this again.  I hope to make it an annual event, perhaps a traveling event!  Delusions of grandeur?  Perhaps!  But someone once said," If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough"!  Brilliant!

I would like to thank all of our exhibiting artists: Mary Fassler, Jacqueline Dodd, Michael J. Marx, Amy Fort, LaLa Ortiz, Marie Segal, Jennifer Erin, Mary Lu Ellliott, Maureen Thomas, Diane Redman, Rita Seale, Melody Steeples, Rachel Young, Yoli Rodriguez Manzo, Anita Sterling Winthrop, and Adriana Ayala of ClayCatShop.

Thank you to Vox Sacramento for hosting our exhibit!

OK, enough blah, blah, blah!  Here are a few pic's from the show...........         


Amy Fort

Mary Fassler

Jacqueline Dodd

Maureen Thomas


Michael J. Marx

 

Jennifer Erin

Yoli Manzo

Rachel Young


Rachel Young

 

 Adriana Ayala


Marie Segal and LaLa Ortiz


Clayville California Members; Melody Steeples, MaryLy Elliott, Maureen Thomas, Rita Seale

LaLa Ortiz

More photos will be posted soon.  So, come back!  Let me know what you think about our presentation. 

Polymer Art at Vox

Polymer art at Vox

 

Michael J Marx, Marie Segal, Me and my Muertos

 

Mary Fassler on the table and Maureen Thomas's marvelous wall piece

Diane Redman and her jewelry

 

Rachel Young AKA Devil Girl and her display of zombies and monsters

Rita Seale, Maureen Thomas, Melody Steeples, and MaryLu Elliott

Adriana Ayala

 

Adriana Ayala

 

Adriana Ayala and I at Vox Sac

Vox Sacramento and Clayville California Present The Art of Polymer

Clayville California and other polymer artists will be showcasing the diversity of one of the art world's newest mediums. Featuring sculpture, jewelry, vessels, masks, and functional art objects. Artists include: Adriana Ayala, LaLa Ortiz, Mary Fassler, Jacqueline Dodd, Michael J. Marx, Amy Fort, Marie Segal, Jennifer Young, Mary Lu Ellliott, Rachel Young, Yoli Rodriguez Manzo, Anita Sterling Winthrop

Day of the Dead Sacred Heart by Marie Segal

Vox Sacramento is also proud to present a solo photography exhibit "Memories of Betrayal" by local photographer Andy Brooks. All the images in this exhibit were shot in April 2012.

These exhibits will be up from August 11th through September 3rd.

Heart of Metal 1 Escape by Marie Segal

 

Vox Sacramento will be hosting a Polymer Art Exhibit

For the month of August, Vox Sacramento will be hosting a Polymer Art Exhibit

Where: Vox Sacramento, 1818 11th Street, Sacramento CA

When: Saturday, August 11th, 4-9 p.m.

 
Leaves with Citrus Necklace by Jacqueline Dodd

Clayville California and other polymer artists will be showcasing the diversity of one of the art world's newest mediums. Featuring sculpture, jewelry, vessels, masks, and functional art objects. Artists include: Adriana Ayala, LaLa Ortiz, Mary Fassler, Jacqueline Dodd, Michael J. Marx, Amy Fort, Marie Segal, Jennifer Young, Mary Lu Ellliott, Rachel Young, Yoli Rodriguez Manzo, Anita Sterling Winthrop

Vox Sacramento is also proud to present a solo photography exhibit "Memories of Betrayal" by local photographer Andy Brooks. All the images in this exhibit were shot in April 2012.

These exhibits will be up from August 11th through September 3rd.

Vox Sacramento presents Polymer!

Clayville California and other California Based Polymer Artists will be showcasing the diversity of one of the art worlds newest mediums, Polymer. Featuring sculpture, jewelry, vessels, masks, and functional art objects. 

Featured artists include: Mary Fassler, Jacqueline Dodd, Michael J. Marx, Amy Fort, LaLa Ortiz, Marie Segal, Jennifer Young, Mary Lu Ellliott, Rachel Young, Yoli Rodriguez Manzo, Anita Sterling Winthrop, and Adriana Ayala of ClayCatShop


Afro Inspired Urban Tribal Necklace by LaLa

Saturday, August 11th, 2012 @ 4-9 PM

Vox Sacramento 1818 11th Street, Sacramento, California 95818

http://www.facebook.com/voxsac

New giveaway from Lark Jewelry & Beading!!! Enter for a chance to win a signed advance copy of Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry

Enter for a chance to win a signed advance copy of Showcase 500 Beaded
Jewelry at http://bit.ly/NjNhT2, and please share the link so your friends
have a chance, too!

You might also  "Like" the book's Amazon page at
http://amzn.to/z6tZH2.

In case you haven't seen it already, Showcase 500 Beaded Jewelry received a wonderful advance review from Publishers Weekly, the definitive trade magazine for publishers in the United States.

Here's the text of the enthusiastic review:
"Opening this gorgeous hunk of a book is like walking into a high-end
jewelry gallery. There are 500 full-color photographs of beaded jewelry --
necklaces, rings, bracelets, pins and earrings -- created by 275 artists
with beads, wire, filament, and fiber. Some of the artists are well-known to
beaders, like Carol Wilcox Wells and Diane Fitzgerald, and some
not-so-well-known, with their work published for the first time. This makes
for a heady blend of inspiration, ideas, and expression. Editor Hemachandra
selected the 500 beaded objects from submissions by 360 artists from 30
countries. To his credit, no single style -- bead weaving, bead embroidery,
bead stringing -- gets short shrift. The photography is of high professional
standards, no Instagram shots by amateurs posted to Facebook, and is also
instructively illustrative of the beadwork, offering closeup shots that will
help the aspiring bead worker reproduce some of the techniques. One quibble:
it would have been nice to include the artists¹ countries of origin just
below the photo of their work instead of in the index, saving the reader a
lot of flipping back and forth. A list of artists¹ Web sites would have been
nice, too." - Publishers Weekly

I just spent 4 glorious days in lovely Lake Tahoe at Polypalooza, The best NorCal Polymer Clay Retreat ever!

The Blue Bird of Happiness followed me home!

My Polymer Clay Bicycle Chain Bracelet on PCD!

A great big THANK YOU to Cynthia Tinapple for featuring my polymer bicycle chain bracelet on Polymer Clay Daily !  It has been a tremendous thrill to have my design featured on PCD. 

I go there every morning as soon as I log on to the computer to see what's hot in the polymer clay world and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw my name flash up on the screen.  

This is just the kick in the pants I need to get cracking on this design.  The featured bracelet is only a prototype made of scrap clay.  I still like it and wear it but, it is a rustic, first take.  This weekend will be devoted to getting some work done on my more sophisticated versions.  Or at least as sophisticated as you can get with polymer bicycle chains.

Hold me to it peeps!

Polypalooza IV 2010

Polypalooza IV 2010, Zephyr Point Presbyterian Center in picturesque Lake Tahoe Nevada

The view from my room

Despite the beautiful view and awesome demo line-up, I actually got some projects completed at Polypalooza this year.

I completed one bicycle chain bracelet and started on a second one.  I sketched this project out in my design book years ago.  I'll scan the page and post it.  I plan on tweaking the design a bit and making more colorful versions.  I have been wearing it to test the comfort and wear-ability,  I really like it!  I'll post more as I make them.

 

 

I made a worry doll light switch plate for the TV room.  Not the best picture I know.  I'll try to get some better shots later.  These worry dolls have been bouncing around in my head for about a decade.  It was finally time to let them out.  I plan on teaching this project at next months guild meeting.

Bumbalina came along too.  You can see pic's and flicks, of her retreat adventures on her blog here:

http://bumbalinainwonderland.blogspot.com/

I really have been creating! Here are a few pic's to prove it......

Here are some of the clay covered mirrors I've been working on.   

Clayville California hosted some workshops with Shirley Rufener.  I took the night light workshop.  I plan on making more.  I just need to find a good source for the light fixtures.