my art show

Well I took the plunge and did my first art show this weekend. the 42nd annual Howard Chandler Christie art guild show. You need to look him up on wikipedia woo what illustrations the man did.
Talk about nervous. new display set up , a long way from home and having to decide what to enter my 8 best pieces. So I polled my fellow clayers and low and beold most folks picked the same pieces to enter as I did-all but jeanne rhea. Well I had met her and knew she had been in the community for-well ever- so I put her choices to the top of the list. She picked the same things as everyone else but my tan swirlly frame. So I added that.
Would you believe the judges picked the frame as an award of merit, basically honorable mention.
He even came back and talked to me about my work, that was after almost 20 minutes looking around and talking to me when he came thru for judging. Well he thought I was a professional crafter from the quality of my work and display-well that made me want to float-i thrive on strangers praise.- when they brought the ribbon I think someone pulled me down off the ceiling of my tent i was so thrilled. That was Sunday and now its Tuesday and I still feel all puffed up and proud. The feet are slowing touching the ground.
I put this notice on everywhere that I asked for feedback, but I closed the listing and deleted it on etsy so no one can find it now.
I am going to ry and pull the photo from my flickr stream but who knows if I will succeed.

PCCMM retreat Shepherdstown, WV

 The Polymer Clay Collaborative Mixed Media Retreat in Shepherdstown WV.   Talk about an awesome time.  Gotta make plans for next June already. 

We had lots of room to clay and show off our creations. Plenty of good food and room to sleep( HA HA)  It was almost who had time to sleep.

I took every mini workshop that was offered and by Thursday the information and new skills were almost leaking out my ears-Definitely by Friday.

Mini workshops were offered in Mixed media and doll making by the Artist Meta Strick, a full day of polymer claying by Marie Segal-who is one of the people I admire the most in life, Meredith Arnold did book binding and silk beads-who knew you could do this, Dedra Tue Sheib affered Iris folding, Anne Bowers offered paper marbling and PMC.

In addition to all the mini workshops days were crammed with demos from tools to papermaking,

Oh to have been able to be in 2 places at once.

On top of everything new friends and lots of help wherever it was needed.  Thanks to the folks that answered my questions. Everyone freely shared their time and expertise.

Many thanks need to go to the organizers, Syd, Mona, Anne, and Heidi.  They did an awesome job and are already starting on next year.

Keep an eye on the web site and the Yahoo group for upcoming events for next year.

Thought for polymer clay

Well today is truely the day I move into the 21st century. Figured out how to get into this blog and get it going.

I put up my banners both here and etsy thanks to thequeenofBanners great job.

Well some words of enlightenment for today don't expect them often the brain can only handle so much when you get older :)

Polymer clay has long been thought of as a material for beads, cane work, and sculpture. I am trying with the lhelp of some fellow clayers, trying to turn it into something that is functional-key word here-and beautiful.  I have learned a series of techniques and use a clay that allow you to get almost tissue paper thin edges on the clay. With the use of Bake and bond and some loc tite superglue you can add it to just about anything.  If you make the design right you don't even have to use the superglue.

You use bake and bond any time you want to cover an object that is paper mache or wood with a polymer clay design. I blogged about this on my other blog www.creativeclaycottage.blogspot.com

With the use of shape makers and texture makers and paint you can make the most amazing designs. I have really jus started to experiment with this. The results are at my etsy site www.summergirl38.etsy.com

I must be doing something right my green man-see avatar-one first prize at www.polymerclaycentral.com in November and one of my designs was taken to the CHA show in Anaheim and will published in Crafts and Things magazine-when I don't know but if I find out I will let you know.

I really love the cane work and appreciate the talent of those artists but I am a sculter at heart. I do some cane work but my designs always get lost when I reduce so I got frustrated and have never really explored it much more.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings.