Robin Young wins GRAND PRIZE

Congratulations to Robin Young! She won the Grand Prize in Fire Mountain Gems recent Jewelry Making Contest with her "Family String" fish necklace.

Using her amazing polymer clay fish, elements of Steampunk design and her own personal style, Robin created this fabulous piece. Check out the Fire Mountain announcement here. Her competition was impressive too!

Here is what they say about Robin's winning necklace: "With its unique polymer clay creations and steampunk style, Robin's museum-quality necklace stole the show. Her incredible piece represents what Chris called "one of the better uses of polymer clay I've seen." A well thought-out jewelry design, the necklace also features a handmade clasp. Robin calls Family Stringer a show-stopper featuring pieces from her line of Rescue Fish. These fierce yet friendly polymer clay creations pay tribute to those rescued from the 2011 tsunami and nuclear devastation in Japan--and to the fish that elude the hooks of Robin and her family on their annual Canadian fishing trips!"

Those of us who are members of the local polymer clay guild are privileged to have a fish made by Robin for last year's bead exchange. We have also known for a while now that Robin is exceptionally gifted with polymer clay. We are proud to call her "one of us!"

SELF PORTRAIT: Represent Your Face in Clay Challenge Results

Our first 2012 Challenge - Self Portrait: Represent yourself in Clay!
Make your SELF PORTRAIT, a face cane of yourself, sculpt yourself, make a face mask, or somehow do YOU in polymer clay. What a challenge! Creations were due at the April 2012 meeting! View the results here. Read more here.

Not everyone participated in this challenging challenge....but the results were fantastic! Techniques ranged from a face cane to a complete life-sized sculpt and included a large sculpture with not only polymer clay, but also glass, paper clay, brass, wire, shells, beads and more!


Mary DeWerff (welcome back, Mary!) brought her face cane pendant. She said the eye (hazel) and lip colors are hers, the rest she questioned. But we all agreed the translucent flower canes surrounding her face cane were a great representation of her curly blond hair, which surrounds her real face.

Kim Keane took the minimalist route - using the wire and resin techniques we learned from Eugena Topina a few years ago. This piece does look like Kim - reflecting her easily recognizable pieces and frequent use of black clay and resin.

 Deb Williams - who has an great gift for sculpting animals and faces - did herself in clay. The eyes are glass beads but this has way more gray hair than Deb actually does. What a great, realistic-style face!

New member Carol Hale (who by-the-way is an accomplished doll artist who repairs and restores porcelain dolls - as in replacing lost and broken fingers! ) created a 3-D sculpt of herself, complete with one of her dogs. The hat brim is so delicate she protected it with tissue while curing so it would not brown.

Another new member, Donna Veran Ford brought two pieces she did in school with kiln-fired earth clay. The first is a life-like face mask which really looks like Donna. It seemed to be very close to life-sized.

Donna's second piece is more of a sculpt of her alto-ego....also done in earthen clay....Donna as a fish! This piece was fired then painted, and has an iridescent shine.

Robin Young brought in a work-in-progress. Obviously fish are close to her heart and this fish sculpture contains many of her favorite things, not only polymer clay but also paper clay (for its light weight), wire, brass (steampunky clock parts, gears, keys etc), beach glass, sea urchin shells, and beads.

 Front view - find the eyes....we want to see this when it is finished!!

Michele Wineland found a way to use polymer clay and have not only her own self-portrait, but everyone's with her clay framed mirror. Brilliant!!

More Kashigata Play Day Info

I wanted to add that the Old Mission United Methodist Church is a Beautiful Large Church on Shawnee Mission Parkway just East of Mission Rd on the South Side of the street in Fairway, KS

RE Clay to bring for Kashigata

You can use any two colors or more of your choice of clay.  Black, Gold and Red or Orange look nice.  So does Black, Gold and Blue or Purple.  Black and one or two other colors of your choice will work.  Come with your clay conditioned if possible.

• Bring twice as much clay of one color or scrap clay
• You can also bring any foils:  Silver, Gold, Copper, Verdigris 
• Wet Dry Sandpaper in 300, 500, 1000 grit or anything close.
• 4 x 4 ceramic tile for baking.  Bring extras if you have a few to share

February 2012 PlayDay

February is our first quarterly Saturday PLAY DAY, which replaces our monthly Tuesday evening meeting. SO, NO MEETING on Valentines Day (2-14-12). Instead, we'll gather on Saturday, February 11, from 12 - 4pm to play with clay!

Robin Young will bring all her many Kashigata Molds (Japanese Sugar Molds) for us to use and she'll guide us in making bracelets, pendents and more using these fantastic, detailed molds. This is a hands-on day so bring your clay and tools.

Things to bring:

Materials

♢ 2 oz black clay
♢ 2-3 oz red clay mixture: 2/3 part red (such as cadmium red Premo--), 1/3 part burnt umber

(if using Kato, try blending 4 parts Brown, 1 part Red, 1/2 part Black, as per http://shadesofclay.com/more/Color%20Recipes.htm)
♢ Metal foil, optional

Tools
♢ Basic tool kit (including pasta machine; roller; work surface; blades)
♢ corn starch pounce if available

NOTE: We do have a location change.

The meeting will take place at the old United Methodist Church, 5519 State Park Road, Fairway, KS 66205. Enter in the front doors. You can take the elevator straight ahead and go down 1 level to the left. The stairwell is to the right when you walk in the front. Go 1 level down and it will be on your right.

August meeting is a Saturday Play Date

Once per quarter we get together on a Saturday to have more time for a hands-on learning experience. So get ready for Saturday, August 13 - from 12 - 4 at Heartland Bead. Robin Young will teach us about Kashigata mold use with polymer clay.

 

To participate bring these Materials:

♢ 2 oz black clay
♢ 2-3 oz red clay mixture: 2/3 part red (such as cadmium red Premo--), 1/3 part burnt umber
(if using Kato, try blend 4 parts Brown, 1 part Red, 1/2 part Black, as per the recipes found here.)
♢ metal foil, optional

Tools
♢ Basic tool kit (including pasta machine; roller; work surface; blades)
♢ corn starch pounce if available

Note: KCPCG members receive a reminder email from Teri with this same information. If you'd like to join, we welcome to come to the meeting....bring your clay, tools and sense of adventure and clay along with us.

Directions to Heartland Bead Market in Lenexa and more info about our group is on our website.

March 2010 Meeting

Robin Young demonstrated how she makes her disc beads. (Note: She was inspired a chapter in Ronna Sarvas Weltman's new book Ancient Modern: Polymer Clay & Wire Jewelry) but she changed the process quite a bit to make it uniquely Robin...

She also brought a couple fish pendants made for her daughter's upcoming Spring Break Cruise - fish with purses!

Michele Winegarden shared a couple large pendants she made - one using a face cane from a Barbara McGuire face cane slice.

Michele also brought a fantastic winged face pendant using a faux cloisonne technique.

Kim Keane shared several (she never makes just one!) pendants and beads made using a layering technique involving silver leaf, inks, liquid clay and more. She will demo this technique later this year.