Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

A challenge!  That's what I need to take me away from the world's overwhelming daily concerns.  So I wondered how big of a polymer clay bowl I could make.  What could I use for a form?  What technique would I use?  How much clay would it take and what would fit in my oven?  You've seen my 'Small Bowls for Little Things' on my Facebook Page ( https://www.facebook.com/LindaBrittDesign/ )  and in my Etsy shop ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/LindasButtonsBowls ).  If not, please take a look!  Those same questions were ones I had to answer when I started making the small bowls except in the other extreme.  How small could I make a bowl and it still be useful, what form to use and what technique?   One of my favorite bowls is a handmade Mexican pottery bowl with a scalloped edge.  It just fits in my little oven if I take the rack out.  I can use some of my large 3" cane slices that were left over from a Christmas ornament proje...

Flexible Copper (Hadar's Quick Fire) There's been a flurry of metal clay in my studio.   My late winter goal was to use the older Hadar  clay that I have so I can focus on her new One-fire clay.   Over the years (yes it keeps that long in powder form) I've collected many containers of Quick-fire bronze, copper, steel, etc.  They take longer to fire and have 3 stages of firing instead of 2.  Hadar's Flexible Copper  My mid-west background of using and saving kicked in and I would not allow myself to use the new One-fire clay until all the other was gone.  So I started creating.  First I was just going to make some simple earrings and then a pendant.  Pretty soon I wondered how I could make some pieces using tools not used before.  One thing led to another. Crisco Ad Engraving A metal engraved stamp for a Crisco ad that my mother saved became a necklace.  When this piece was fired, it separated in two p...

My Inspiration - Collection of Sea Shells Every year my collection of seashells increases.  If I find a really interesting shell at an estate sale I buy it.  If I'm walking on the beach I'm looking for unusual shells.  Apparently the love of seashells runs in the family as I now have incorporated some of my father's shells.  I love the variety of color and shape and love learning about the animals that left them. When I saw Donna Greenberg's latest installations of underwater polymer, I knew I had to use my seashells as inspiration to create my own polymer beach segment.  It was such fun to develop the shells.  The following pictures show the development of the mushroom coral. Basic shell shape I cut each oval in half and used a paper punch for the holes. I stacked each half and put a wire through them to create a circle. Find the finished mushroom coral below in another photo.  I experimented with many shapes and as I finished o...

Collaboration - Wood and Polymer  Collaborating is a wonderful way of achieving success in producing unusual products and in developing friendships.  Throughout my interior design career I collaborated with my clients as we set out their goals for the projects.  I collaborated with many craftsmen and artists to develop those goals into finished products. After my retirement I realized I could use those same skills to work with other artists and craftsmen in creating art.        before finishing and insetting polymer        Complete As my older brother increased his skills in woodworking I wanted to see how we could work together. Cynthia Tinapple's   work with insetting polymer clay into wood gave me the idea to combine my brother's wood turning with my polymer art.   Stroppel cane inset The success of collaborative work seems to be based on recognition, trust, authenticity and passi...

One evening while I was on Facebook, I came across a 2 part tutorial by  https://www.facebook.com/Amatistart62/   It shows making an Ikat pattern using old canes and I was hooked!  Following is a pictorial with some explanation of the process I used after watching her video.  It's a great video worth watching.  Many of us have old canes that we aren't sure what to do with but don't want to toss them or smash them up for scrap.  I found this to be a very interesting way to use them.  These are the two canes I decided to use.   I flattened the brown flower cane after conditioning by squeezing it Then I ran it through the pasta machine and the colors stretched into stripes. The colors are blended by folding the clay color to color and running it through the pasta machine You can see the subtle pattern.  Thin slices are cut and placed against each other on a black ground. It is important to use the end cuts nex...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc708o22RPY&t=119s       Take a moment and look at all the donated art in the video on youtube!  Recently Tis Art Gallery in Prescott AZ enjoyed their 3rd annual Art Swoop Fundraiser for Art Education.  It helps support many art classes for students and kids and is a fun event.  Local artists donate work - this year we each donated a 12" sq 'painting' or a piece of jewelry we made.  Attendees buy a ticket and at the appointed time 'swoop' in to select their choice of art.  Fun to be had. This is the first year I participated and helping the art community support education classes felt important.  Art is such an individual avenue to express oneself that all ages benefit from participating.  My mother was an artist, an art educator and a woman of substance.  She would be happy I was part of this event!  Thanks, Mom!

One lovely morning not long ago, Peter and I went to the Prescott Gem and Mineral Show.  Having lived in Prescott for 8 years and making jewelry, you'd think this would have been one of my first stops.  Like many people I know, exploring our own town gets pushed aside until we have visitors.  The Prescott show (held in Prescott Valley Civic Center) was a pleasure to visit.  It was very interesting and not overwhelming.  We actually had space to look at the items and talk with the vendors.  Lots of variety in both polished and rough stones and in finished jewelry.  This was a welcome experience having attended the gem show in Tucson which covers the city of Tucson and takes days to see. At one of the booths I was introduced to stromatolites.  A small stone that had layers and concentric circles making a very interesting pattern caught my eye and my imagination.  It would make a great mold for metal clay and polymer clay.  O...

Sea Snail 'Trap Doors' from Bahia Kino  My last two posts share my trip to Bahia Kino Sonora Mexico, my collection of sea shells, and how I'll use them in my jewelry.  The polymer clay molds from the shells (see the previous post) Silver Metal Clay Shells just out of the molds.  You can see the 'imbeddable silver connectors in two on the left. After experimenting with polymer, it is time for silver metal clay.  For those of you not familiar with this material, silver metal is cut into micro filaments and a binder is added making a pliable clay.  It is then fired at 1650 degrees in a kiln.  The binder burns out and the micro filaments of silver fuse together to make 99% fine silver.  When I saw these shells, I knew silver beads would be my goal!   'Imbeddables' are fine silver jewelry components that can be fired at the same time as the silver clay to become part of the piece of jewelry.  I sandwiched them between the...