March Challenge: Eggs and Egg Shapes

Our members' challenge: 

This month's challenge will get you thinking spring as members showcase their talents though works  featuring eggs and egg-shapes. Criteria: must be 50% polymer clay.  

Your challenge:  

Vote for your favorites. Three lucky voters will be chosen in a drawing to win a gift certificate from one of our sponsor shops.

To see larger images visit:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1089891@N25/

 

1. Spring Has Sprung Daffodil Trinket Box by Arlene of Ashpaints
This lovely little charmer is actually a two piece ceramic egg that I've covered with a soft blend of yellow polymer clay on the upper half topped by a grouping of daffodils. The lower half is covered by a marbled yellow blend which was impressed with swirls. A lacy looking border covers the join and adds a touch of elegance to the bottom.

2. Floral Fantasy Decorated Emu Egg by Angela of polymerclaycreations
This is a real blown out emu egg that I have decorated with polymer clay. Every flower, leaf and butterfly has been made separately and adhered to a blue to white blend background and surrounded with a golden leaf border. I only covered half of the egg to leave the beautiful emerald green of the emu egg showing. The stand I used for it is a lead crystal tulip shape. On the inside I baked in a floral mica shift band.

3. Mod Colors Egg Pendant Necklace by Lisa of HiGirls

I started out with inspiration from those fabulous psanky eggs that you see around this time of year. I ended up with something very different. Using ink colored translucent clay, I achieved these florescent colors- they are brighter than you see in the photo! Molded over an egg shape, it is backed with a fun pattern as well. This was my first attempt at a handmade toggle closure.
For more views: www.flickr.com/photos/39493796@N08/

4. LuLu by Betsy of PolyClayCafe

Meet Lulu. At first glance, she may look like a fashionista, but make no mistake she is first and foremost a protester. She believes chicks should get to keep the egg from which they hatched; especially, in her case, where her egg is a deep, dark, rich chocolate with sugar candy trim. She is rapidly outgrowing her egg, but she won’t leave! For more views, click here www.flickr.com/photos/98189899@N07/sets/72157640984377533/

This fun 3 ½” tall figurine is hand sculpted. and is made of almost 100% polymer clay. The exceptions are the sign’s pole, writing on the sign and a small amount of royal blue paint for the Lulu’s “cushion”. I used Ultra-Light for the egg, carving out a quarter section before the first curing. She is finished with Final Coat, a wonderful protective varnish that adds just the right amount of shine.

5. Wonderland White Rabbit Art by Marie of YoungCreative
In this freehand sculpt, I captured the moment that the White Rabbit emerges from his rabbit hole. I covered a chicken egg shell with polymer shapes to create the checker board path that wraps around the back, I cut a hole in the shell to allow the rabbit to sit down inside the egg for a more 3-dimensional look. The base is also polymer decorated with a freehand pattern. I used no molds and almost no paint. See more views:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/young_creative/sets/72157641583575144/

6. Hen and Eggs by Beth of CreateMyWorldDesigns
Hen and basket sculpture which covers a glass egg shaped vessel (the hen part sits neatly on top of the basket/grass bottom. Created with polymer clay and acrylic paints. This sculpture is 4.5 inches tall by 3 inches wide. To see more views of this piece, and to read about my creative process, please visit my blog: createmyworlddesigns.blogspot.com/2014/02/which-came-first.html

7. Black Tulip by Line of PlaySculptLive
Covering an egg to make a black tulip, my favorite variety!

8. Pink Granite Egg Brooch No. 127 by Susan of 11BOLDstreet
A fantasy pink granite polymer egg shape is buried in a faux antiqued silver polymer base. Underside is tapered translucent polymer, also antiqued and polished. A sterling wire double spiral and infilled carving serve as unexpected accents.
3 1/2" x 2 1/4"

9. Cane Covered Egg by Freda of FredaK
I covered this egg with canes made after a workshop with Carol Simmons.

Read the expanded rules here.

Voting is closed: See the winners: http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/2014/03/march-challenge-winners.html

Get your own free form like this one.

Featured Artist Berit Hines

Introducing Berit Hines of ClayImages

PCAGOE featured artist for Feb. 17 through Mar. 2

(Her work will be featured on our Facebook page throughout this time period.) 

 

Berit is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Art and Design in s'Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands; where she obtained a Bachelor of fine Arts degree in Ceramics. She worked in Ceramics for over ten years, having regular shows in galleries, participating in art fairs, and teaching Ceramics classes to adults as well as children. Berit moved from Holland to the US in 1999, and retired from Ceramics, after having sold her studio and most of her work in order to be able to immigrate.

She discovered polymer clay and describes it as a wonderful outlet. Berit says that her approach with the material is the same manner in which she used to work in ceramics: "I let the material "tell me what to do", and I love to work with the paint-like layering effects of the colors as well as the lively movements of the distortions. I hope you will feel that joy in my work!"

Berit resides in Wisconsin with husband Clay and cat Charlie.

Find more of Berit and her work at these locations:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/clayimages and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21863654@N07/3725120865/

Featured Artist Marcia Morton

Introducing Marcia Morton of MarcymPC

PCAGOE feature artist for Feb. 3 through Feb. 16

(Her work will be featured on our Facebook page throughout this time period.) 

 Marcia hails from Pittsburgh, PA. She started working with polymer clay in 2003 as a hobby. She credits workshops, her local guild, and claying with friends as her means to learn the craft. She has a degree in biochemistry and was a business executive for 25 years while also raising 3 boys. Upon retirement, she became interested in polymer clay and has been a member of the Pittsburgh Polymer Clay Guild for 10 years, serving as treasurer for the last 4 of those years. Marcia's other pursuits involve being a Master Gardener and volunteering with her local conservatory, birding, and avid reader of science fiction. 

To see more of Marcia's work, find her at these locations:
www.etsy.com/shop/marcympc
www.facebook.com/pages/MarcymPC/120400474735160

February Challenge Winners

The winners in the PCAGOE February Challenge "Wall Art" are:

Top entries selected by the public:

1. Durer's 1515 Rhino by Mary of MaryClaires 

2. Polymer Clay Celtic Owl by Carole of CompelledCraft

3. Sunburst Medallion by Beth of CreateMyWorldDesigns 

 

Top entries selected by PCAGOE members:
1. Seal Cove by Lisa of HiGirls
2. TIE
   Polymer Clay Celtic Owl by Carole of CompelledCraft
   Durer's 1515 Rhino by Mary of MaryClaires
3. Gnome Domes 4x4 Wall Plaque by Jill of JKAY Jewelry
 

Congratulations to the drawing winners. They get to pick a prize from one of our lovely participating sponsor shop owners. 

• Julie Umfrid
• Alina Preston 
• Anne Mainville 

Comments from the voters:

- Incredible variety and complexity - amazing work.

- As always, a wonderful show of variety!

- You all are amazing so keep up the great work!

- It's always so tough to choose, but for me, the Durhrer Rhino was just too incredible.

- Of course it is so hard to choose only 3! Great job everyone!

- Wish I were creative! Keep up the nice work!

- Love the ever evolving of polymer clay.

- Great work by everyone!

- Extremely creative, original and well executed!

- I liked the owl #6 as well.

- Such beautiful things, as always! I have the worst time choosing which ones as they are really all winners!

- Great variety of projects.

- Very hard to choose. The diversity is wonderful to see.

- Very creative once again!

- I have never had such a hard time as this to pick just 3 favorites. I really loved something from all 15 pieces.

- It certainly was hard choices this time as they all were great. Hugs!

- The Pleasant Pheasant is one of my fave clay artists and I follow her on Facebook!

- Fantastic as usual!

- A very hard decision to make. All of the pieces were very well done.

- Another fun challenge and such a nice variety in the interpretation.

- My first choice was #8 because the rhino was so beautifully and interestingly rendered--amazing, really. But I wish that Mary had said more about the technique: How did she achieve that metallic look? My second choice was the owl, not only for the balance and beauty of the design, but also for the Celtic theme and the fact that the patterns are interesting. After my first two choices, it was really hard to decide on a third, there were so many lovely things here. For instance, #1 was based on a very original idea. If I owned it, though, I probably couldn't bring myself to stick earrings into it and break up the beautiful patterns! #5 is a gorgeous "painting", and deserves special mention for its having been done entirely in clay, not paints. Great work. I wish it were possible to see the mica shift effect in #7, which must add a lot to its appeal; it's too bad that the shift doesn't show well in a photo, especially when not in a "metal" color. As a sometime quilter, I also felt drawn to #13. I liked the way the symbols were handled in black and white. Several pieces here were notable for the way they used recycling or contained an inspirational message or story of some sort. There was a lot of variety. Anyway, to choose my number three, I finally had to resort to "Which entry would I most want to hang on my own walls?" That quickly narrowed it down to #3 and #4. The stained glass effect in #3 is very appealing; the whole peaceful scene is lovely, and if I were choosing on the basis of the impressiveness of technique, this would have been my third choice. However, #4 won out because it makes me smile. The little "story" attached to it gave it an extra warmth, and if even an old lady loves it, I could well imagine how much a child would enjoy having it on his/her wall.

- The work just keeps on getting better and better. AND, harder and harder to choose the top three. Thanks for doing all you do!

- Exquisite entries!

- All great works. Hard to choose.

- This challenge really highlights what I love about polymer clay ...... It's diversity !

- Amazing work everyone.

- I always am so amazed with the talent and creativity for all the pieces but my favorite is #3. I love the colors and the stained glass effect that Lisa achieved. I live in coastal Maine so that looks like home to me. Awesome job everyone!!!

- Wonderful selections. The rhino is extraordinary.

- Love the work guys!!!

- Love the idea of layered clay and cutting out pieces to create a design. I'd love to try this.

- This month's pieces are just... WOW!! I think this was the toughest one to choose only 3! Amazing work everyone!

- AMAZING creations this month folks!!

- I love looking at and discovering upcycled or recycled polymer clay items. All of the artists entering these items are truly versatile in their crafts ! Just awesome ladies !