Paisley in Polymer

paisley – a distinctive intricate pattern of curved, feather-shaped figures based on a pine cone design from India. ORIGIN – early 19^th century, named after town of Paisley, Scotland, the original place of manufacture.

 

I've always loved the distinctive Paisley design. Many will remember the more psychedelic version from the late 60's & 70's, seeing it splattered over everything from caftans to wallpaper. My version is done in Premo metallic polymer clay. Mixing various shades of purples & violets to achieve a pleasing palette.

I also tried a complementary color mix of salmon, turquiose, & gold, for this shield shaped pendant. For the bail I used different sprockets I found at the local hardware store.

Polymer Clay Bangles inspired by Ca' d' Zan

My latest creation is a Polymer clay bangle made of 100% Premo clay. Done in the Mokume Gane technique, of impressing & slicing off thin layers. My inspiration was the John Ringling home in Sarasota Florida. Using the rich colors seen throughout the Venetian style mansion.

 The Ringlings' dazzling palatial mansion is a tribute to the American Dream and reflects the splendor and romance of Italy.
The homes name Ca' d’Zan, meaning House of John, has 56 incredible rooms filled with art and original furnishings. With its Venetian Gothic architecture, the mansion is a combination of the grandeur of Venice’s Doge’s Palace, combined with the gothic grace of Cà d’Oro, with Sarasota Bay serving as its Grand Canal. We are fortunate enough to live close by the mansion. We enjoy taking our boat on the Bay, to view the back palazzo of Ca' d'Zan. 

The colors used throughout the home reflect
the Ringlings' love of the circus, and the vibrant blues, greens, oranges & red hues, commonly seen in the circus world.

John Ringling's' Bedroom

Mokume Gane My Way

I thought I would try using my own version of the Mokume Gane technique, which consists of 3 basic ingredients, White Fimo, Alcohol inks & silver leaf. I was surprised & pleased with the results. I think it resembles some type of rock formation, or maybe a landscape?

 I made the bracelet with thin shavings from my Mokume Gane block. I also added
spacer beads made from translucent cane slices, inked to match.

Polymer Clay Mokume Gane Pendant & Earring Set

Here’s my latest creation, it’s a Polymer Clay Mokume Gane technique Pendant with matching earrings.

Mokume Gane is a Japanese metalworking technique in which thin layers of metal are fused together and manipulated to create beautiful patterns that resemble the grain of wood. In fact, “mokume gane” means “wood-eye metal” in Japanese. Polymer clay artists mimic this process by laminating sheets of polymer clay together, distorting them, and slicing thin sheets from the stack to reveal the resultant patterns.

I’ve always loved Lime Green & Purple together, kinda weird combination, but that’s me. The greens are actually Premo pearl, so they are quite shimmery, it doesn’t really show in the photo. I’m writing this & listening to Jay Z’s new song Young Forever, I tried to get it to play on this page, but I’m still learning how to do this blogging thingy & I haven’t gotten that far into it yet:(