Category — All About Polymer Clay

This weekend we did the Westerville Art and Music Festival and it was a smashing success!  So much so that I’m a bit panicked about rebuilding my inventory.  I have two weeks before the Art Expo in Akron to get ready and make more Fairie Bottles, necklaces and earrings.

Not much time but between the two of us we can get it done.  Jonny has asked for a whole week off at the end of July from her job as a Massage Therapist.  I had to really beg for her to agree to take the time off.  Neither of us could remember the last time she took off 5 days in a row, probably because she hasn’t.  We won’t go anywhere, aside from a day trip or two, we really need to stay home and take care of some household projects.

I want to mention a fellow polymer clay artist and her daughter, Ponswan.  Ada is her daughter who had a very serious brain injury several months ago.  Ponswan has created a blog which follows her ordeal and recovery.  Please visit and share your prayers with Ponswan.

Check out my big Obama Cane on my Obama Jewelry site !

This was sent to me by Greg Heacock.  I suggest you open your heart, re-read it several times and then consider.  It moved me a great deal and I like to think of it as the Buddhist perspective.

The Movement that Drives this Campaign

A storm of controversy arising over Barack Obama’s support of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is testing the unity of our campaign. Many in the campaign are threatening to jump ship. While some accuse him of being a centrist, and others defend him as a pragmatist, the angriest among us are calling him a traitor. I do not wish to deny the importance of this issue, but I remember being told in my Camp Obama training that the issues can distract us from the true narrative of this campaign.

What we have in common is that we are all free spirits born into history. The race, gender, economic circumstances, and family context–the time and place into which we are born–give us different perspectives that divide us. Still, words that signify our values provide a common ground that unites us. That narrative of differences and values that unite us is “the wind” Barack says “is sweeping across this great land” calling for change.

Imagine, then, that the campaign is a ship, moving toward the horizon, with the captain adjusting the sails to manage the ship through rough currents to get us to a new land. We are the wind that fills the sails and the crew that manages the ship. As the wind, we are free to blow whichever way our intention takes us. As the crew, we need to secure the ship and give respect to the person who leads us. In short, argument is healthy for without wind we are dead in the water. But, we need not to confuse this with working for the campaign. Still, it would be a lax crew that lacked concern for the judgment of its commander.

George Lakoff, in his latest book The Political Mind, shows Democrats how to frame issues so they connect with the electorate. I was thinking of the terms “movement” and “campaign” when I attended a Unite for Change party, last weekend, in Santa Monica. I realized from the speeches made by those in attendance who had campaigned for Hillary, Kucinich, Biden, and Dodd that, while I had seen them as parts of separate campaigns, we were all part of the movement for change.

But, Obama has abandoned “movement” in favor of “campaign.” When Barack spoke in favor of public campaign financing, he was supporting the notion that public moneys should be available to help all parties engage effectively in political dialog. Who can’t appreciate the irony of Libertarians accepting public funding for their campaign? Naturally, when Barack said he would not accept public funding, Republicans and their minions, known as pundits, accused him of flip-flopping. How much easier it would have been to say that he was at the head of a “movement”! Most people would see the sense of freeing a movement from the confines of public funding. After all, a movement is a mandate for change. It isn’t like a campaign that seeks money from lobbyists and special interests. It is funded by common folk who are so motivated that their cause becomes infectious, spreading through every state of the union. Obama, as a leader of that movement, would march beside the likes of King and Chavez, who rose above t he petty pandering of pundits. Yet, Obama chose not to take the high ground.

Instead, he chose to accept the role in which most Americans would be comfortable seeing him. He is a candidate. That means he is in a campaign. That means be is subject to the slings and arrows of outrageous political fortune. Though I had hoped to avoid such a fight, Barack has chosen to take it on. By committing himself to the language of a “campaign” rather than the language of a “movement,” Obama made a choice that is emblematic of all the choices he has made since.

We see a similar decision in Barack’s using the term “war” rather than “occupation” when seeking to withdraw our troops from Iraq. If we presume our troops are fighting a war in that country, are we not obliged to try to win it? If, however, we see this as an “occupation,” withdrawing troops would be our natural goal. Yet, even as the army in its official report on the Iraq War defines our current situation as an “occupation,” Barack has chosen to stick with the term “war.” Despite my frustration with this, I see that, again, he has chosen the term that Americans have already accepted. Why?

As a community organizer, Obama has learned that to make change, he must, first, acknowledge the value of the positions people have taken. It is only when people feel accepted that they see they don’t need to defend themselves. That is when they are able to look at a situation from a different perspective.

I think that we who oppose the FISA legislation wish our candidate would give us the same acknowledgment. We want to know that he values our point of view. The more we are not acknowledged, the more we (dare I say?) “cling” to our position. But, I want to point out something that we may have not seen. Our discussion of this issue has been conducted, undisrupted, on the MyBarackObama.com website.

Just as King envisioned a table where the grandchildren of slaves and the grandchildren of slave owners would sit together as brothers and sisters, Obama has spoken of bringing people together who, before, have not recognized how much they have in common. Consider how many people do not see that the threat of “Big Brother” spying on us outweighs the benefit of preventing a terrorist attack by monitoring communications. Imagine that we are sitting at the same table, crafting legislation. What negotiations wou ld we be willing to make? For all that some believe Barack has given away in his support for this legislation, he has ensured his administration the right to review what happened under the Bush administration so that the truth comes out. He has also reserved the right to hold people accountable for their actions by charging as criminals those who have broken the law.

We need to recognize the leadership Obama is showing as he moves this campaign forward. As free spirits, we may know no bounds other than the values that drive us forward. But, as free spirits born into history, we are must recognize and honor the views of those who see things from a different perspec tive. We must have a foot in both worlds.

I do not find this easy. It certainly isn’t comforting. We must discipline ourselves as did those “veterans of creative suffering” that King honored with his praise. Such discipline demands that we allow “what is” to be in order for it to change. It demands that we are ever mindful of our goal as we submit to the process required to lead others to that higher place. We cannot stand on the mountaintop and beckon others to come forth. We have to hold each other by the hand and, with empathy, negotiate a path that we can travel together.

At that Unite for Change gathering in Santa Monica, a fifteen-year-old campaigner, Jackson Hille, spoke of his experience going to rural Texas to bring people to the polls. He said that he traveled to the outskirts of a community to knock on the doors of houses he never imagined would exist in this country during this time. A black man in his eighties came to the door and smiled. This man said he never imagined that someone would come to him to invite him to be part of a change he believed never would occur in his lifetime. When this man expressed his gratitude, young Jackson broke down in tears. And, when the man said he was too crippled with arthritis to make it to the polls, Jackson organized transportation that took a number of people to the polls , after which they were fed before heading for the caucuses to vote again.

This story would not be chronicled in any traditional campaign we have seen before. It is the result of a movement. We are that movement that is campaigning to change America. In these trying times, when post-primary depression is likely to set in, we must remember our commitment to transform America. As it took a Civil War to bring the states together as one nation, so it will take a mighty struggle to unite us as one people.
It is a struggle we already know. It will involve calling people on our cell phones, traveling to other states and communities to offer our hands to strangers. As we prepare for the task before us, it is good that we announce and acknowledge our own grievances. It is good that we question the campaign just as we are about to meet people who will question us. As we move beyond the horizon of what is comfortable, of what is given, we must recognize our shared vulnerability in going forward. Our comfort, now, must be in going forward together.

We are the wind; we are the sail; we are the ship; we are the destination. We are eternal; we are now. And, we are not alone.

When we signed up to be at the Easton Art show I remembered some awful stories of rain and flooding in tents that I read in Sushine Artist Magazine several years ago. I remembered that last year there was some rain at the show as well, but I brushed these thoughts aside and hoped for a sunny day, trying not to put energy into bad weather. As the week before the show progressed we saw storm after storm enter the area and leave. We thought that we could handle a bit of rain and it would pass through with no problem. After all the merchandise is pretty durable and water-resistant.

Jonny set up the tent Thursday night and returned Friday morning to finish while I got ready. We arrived Friday afternoon to set out the merchandise for the evening. The great thing about this show is that it is only 10 minutes away from our house! very convenient. Jonny kept telling me I didn’t have to stay, that I could go home and work or rest or whatever. Right!! I absolutely love being at art shows, talking to customers and showing off our work. Aside from that, it’s usually the only time I get to just sit and rest, enjoying the weather and her company for hours on end. Before I started the jewelry business and attended art shows as a patron, I envied the artists as they sat in their tall director’s chairs in the sun, selling their creations - What a Life!!! Well now I’m living that life and couldn’t be happier.

Back to Easton…the weather on Friday evening wasn’t bad, a bit windy but we thought and hoped that would dissapate on Saturday. Because of the iffy weather we had to pack up all of the jewelry on Friday night, not something I usually do unless there’s no overnight security. It’s a pain but necessary in bad weather conditions. That night as we slept, we didn’t hear any rain and presumed that things were ok at the show. Wrong. When we arrived at our booth, there were several booths around us that had blown over, actually tumbled out into the street, broken tent poles and broken merchandise. How awful for the poor artists. I was surprised that some of the artists waited until 30 minutes before the show to arrive and set up thier booths. Those with the damaged and catapulted tents had a big surprise and alot of work to do. Jonny makes sure we arrive at least two hours before showtime everyday, she just like that, she like to be well prepared. I’ve learned that it can be a good thing to be prepared and early.

I think that show promoters should at least call vendors to tell them that their tent is in the street or broken. It seems like the most professional and courteous thing to do really. We finished setting up and moved one of the tent supports that we bought from Canopies By Fred to the front of the tent, Jonny thought it looked like the pole might snap if we didn’t do something. All of this because of 15mph winds all night and all day Saturday. It was very windy all day Saturday, Jonny literally had to hold the tent sides all day, adjust the displays and re-attach things all day long. One of the concrete blocks we use for a weight broke right in half on Friday night. We had to buy some more Saturday to add more weight to the tent. The wind grated on our nerves all day, causing both of us to be irritable, customers weren’t buying much because the tent was blowing around. I managed to recoup my booth fee by more than double so that was good but other artists around us weren’t so fortunate. Around 3:30 pm we noticed the artist next to us closing up her tent, she told us a storm was about 10 minutes away. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jonny move so fast!! We closed all of the sides, pulled the tables in and moved all of the cardboard boxes off the ground. As soon as the wind started to blow REALLY hard we knew this wasn’t an ordinary storm. Jonny grabbed the ratchet tie downs and strapped them over the middle bar of the tent and I held on to that while she held onto one of the side poles. I realized that I could strap the hook of the rachet to my 300lb power chair and did so with both hooks. What a sight!! me in the middle of the tent with the ratcheting tie-downs attached to me and the tent. It did the job though! Many of our carded items got wet, some cardboard boxes got wet, but that was the extent of the damage. We had also lowered the tent so that it was lower and therefore less likely to blow around. Needless to say, we were exhausted and decided to give it up for the day. I was a bit irritated, no, I was very irritated that directly across from us a booth of Peruvian musicians had set up their tent with music, cleap jewelry, toys and t-shirts. I couldn’t believe it ! This show cost $250 to ge in and was juried and judged! I should have found the director and said something, but I didn’t want to take the time away from the booth. The subject of by-sell art is one that has become familiar with artists who sell at art shows. More and more shows are letting people in who do not make their craft. Some of the scam artists I’m told are very good at concealing the fact that their merchandise is made in China. They cut into our sales and more importantly, they cheapen the shows where they display their wares.

The other subject of my irritation is that the judge of the Easton show never entered my booth. Not only that, but she didn’t even slow down when passing my booth. I purposely arranged things in the booth for the judge to take notice. One of the reasons for getting there early was to prepare the booth to be judged. After winning several awards, I’ve come to realize that perhaps I should take more time to consider that I’m being judged at these shows. I don’t pay attention to that fact most of the time, but after winning I kind of like the idea of being noticed.

All in all the Easton show was a bit of a disappointment for us. Because of the venue, we thought there would be more people attending, perhaps it was the weather, I’m not sure. I don’t think I’ll return next year, it’s just too expensive and not much in return. I think it’s jinxed too.

I took picture of my new display set up at the show:

Aren’t they beautiful!

One of my new designs, chatoyant fossilized leaf and autumn jasper beaded necklace

Here are some pictures of the new jewelry I’ve been working on. I’ve wanted to make polymer clay beads that resemble terra cotta beads for some time, I’ve met the challenge ! I love being able to make necklaces, earrings and bracelets that combine to make a set, another advantage of polymer clay! It allows me the freedom to make the beads that I want, no need to search for and spend money on beads when I can make my own colors and sizes and then make as many as I need.

When I started the jewelry business 7 yrs ago I was naive. Like childbirth, it’s probably a good thing you don’t know about the pain part, if you did its very possible you’d never succumb to the temptation. Not that I’ve had children or anything but I’ve heard plenty of stories. As I was saying, the Arts and Crafts Show business is for the naive, then once you’re hooked theres really no backing out. Had I know that I would go through about 5 display systems, two tents, rain and mud, dust coating every piece of jewelry I own, wind and dogs knocking down every display, waking up a 4am, going to bed at 7pm after a long day in the booth, eating sno-cones and cheesecake on a stick, roasting in 100 degree sun, wondering if my polymer creations were going to melt before my eyes, and last but not least, watching as people pick up the Fairie Bottles and spill Fairie Dust all over my table 20 times a day, I might not have entered into the crafts show business with such excitement.

Seven years later I’m still doing this and despite all of the drawbacks I have to admit it’s gotten under my skin and in my blood. I absolutely love this life. I think having a partner who supports me and does most of the heavy lifting (literally) makes it 200% better. Having someone believe in you and your art makes such a difference to an artist. I would never have come this far if it weren’t for the unconditional support of my partner Jonny. Being an artist herself, she fully believes in the process and the devotion each of us must have in order to thrive. What I don’t understand, is how she can provide me with such an undying support while she gets no time to practice her own artistic gifts. She is an incredible portrait artist and painter/sculptor of kinetic art. Yet, she has little time to create her own art. She has jumped into the jewelry business with great enthusiasm, creating her own niche of beautiful gemstone and swarovski bracelets, earrings and necklaces. Her contributions fill the booth and make the business complete.

If the tables were turned, I personally don’t know if I could sacrifice my own art to assist her. Perhaps I could, but I feel incredibly lucky and spoiled by her. She insists that she’s completely happy in her position as jewelry partner and I believe her, and am in awe at her devotion.

One of her tasks has been to revamp and beautify the booth display system. Under her skilled hands and vision during the past seven years the booth setup has undergone an incredible transformation. This, she says is what she loves doing and it truly shows. Jonny has a great eye for detail and beauty, she considers every little corner, background, and fabric choice. One would think that there were more display options available for the 10×10 jewelry booth, and the display setup was something I didn’t give much thought to when starting my business. I soon learned that the display and setup is the single most important aspect of my success at art shows. Your booth must be attractive and inviting enough so that people are tempted to enter. Think about how many booths you pass up when at an art show, I simply can’t afford an unattractive or uninviting booth.

Because I use a wheelchair, other considerations were important as well. I need lots of space in the booth in order to move around and I think that consideration in the design has a real benefit to customers as well. The booth is roomy allowing for more traffic than the average booth.

After several variations I think we’ve finally hit upon a beautiful and well-constructed display unit.

Take a look:

The picture at the top left is the necklace display rack, I’ll post another picture once we have the booth setup tomorrow and you’ll be able to see how nicely the necklaces drape over the knobs (one of those details Jonny thought of). To the right is a picture of the earring rack, I took the picture so that you can see the wood and the carving, another nice Jonny touch! The earring cards fit very well over the slats and tuck under so they don’t fly off when the wind blows. The bottom picture is the newest addition to the display, it’s for pendants. Jonny found a place here in Columbus that sells display’s for the retail trade, they have new and used slat walls!!! I’ve never considered a slat wall because of the weight, but this is a small enough unit that it’s perfect. They cut it to our specs and it was only $10!!! Well, of course Jonny had to make it match the rest of the booth and she put the nice fabric covered strips on it, I just LOVE IT!!! and can’t wait to see how my pendants look on it.

It’s been a long Spring. With the popularity of my Obama Jewelry and the rush to get new items out for the first show, I’ve been crazy busy. I have to admit that I’ve been very preoccupied with the Democratic Primaries as well, at least I had the sense to turn off the TV several years ago, now my obsession is limited to some of the finest writers and blogs on the internet. I check in with Andrew Sullivan, TPM, and the Huffington Post at least once a day, oh yea I can’t forget The Field with the ever prescient Al Giordiano.

We had our first show in Groveport this year, they put on a great show if you’re an artist, tending to your every need, providing water, coffee and pastries and nice clear streets so that virtually everyone can pull their vehicles up and load/unload without waiting. Last year the crowd was thin and so this year I wasn’t sure what to expect, the economy is ever-present on my mind and I was a bit concerned. Groveport turned OUT for this event! We had a beautiful day of temps in the 60’s with a light wind, it was chilly in the morning but always warm in the the sun. My sales were up from last year too !

In preparation for the shows this year I have to admit that we did some recession proofing of our business. Off came some higher prices, we lowered our prices by several dollars on just about everything. I know this can be risky as far as the bottom line goes, however we felt we just had to offer some relief for our customers. Turns out this was a great idea and I felt good about the business at the end of the day too. Jonny made some new display panels and as always she did a spectacular job. I’ll take some pics and post them when we’re at YellowSprings in two weeks. She is amazing. I know if we had the time she could make and sell these to other artists, they’re beautiful and perfectly functional. You wouldn’t believe how difficult it can be to find good functional displays for your booth.

Oh yea, Jonny just reminded me I won 2nd place for 3-d art!!!!! The prize was a check for $100, I couldn’t have been more surprised!

I’ve put together a schedule of my Summer shows for 2008 here.

All in all Groveport was a great day

I am so inspired and excited by the popularity of the Barack Obama themed jewelry that I designed! Because of the popularity, I’ve added a few new designs such as a pendant necklace and a new bracelet with the word “Hope” spelled out in beautiful silver beads. I’ve also taken down the EBAY items because it is just too costly to continue to list there. My Barack Obama Jewelry site is up and very easy to use. As before profits from the sale of the jewelry will go to the campaign, you can go to my fundraising page on the Obama website to see how much I’ve made so far.

I know that as an artist I must have a presence in cyber-space.  Why then do I struggle so much when it comes to writing in my blog and posting pictures at least once a week?  The same dread that I feel when I know I must work out, do the dishes, laundry and etc…is what I feel about blogging.  I would much rather be working at my table making things with my hands.  My head knows that the reluctance and dread I feel is attached to some deep-seated feeling.  Fear? Laziness? Perhaps I need to stop wondering why and just do.  Listen to my inner Yoda, don’t try, do.
Some of you may have noticed that my website of the same name Polymer-Clay-Art.Com is gone.  My plans are to transfer everything from that site to permanent pages in this site.  Please keep an eye out for additions as they come in.

n my post “Visiting HQ and making phone calls” I made mention that the phonebanking location at the SEIU in Columbus, Oh was not accessible.  I had no intention of calling out the Obama campaign for this oversight.  I was simply pointing out my experience and how I handled it.  Blogging can be such a personal experience sometimes it’s easy to forget that someone might actually read and respond to yoru post.  It took less than 24 hours for a representative from the Obama campaign to contact me and offer to make accommodations.  I was surprised and impressed to say the least.  Usually in situations like this, an apology is offered and usually mention is made about lack of funds.  The ADA is often seen as an expensive and inconvenient mandate.  This was NOT the case with the Obama campaign.  I was invited to phonebank at HQ (where the atmosphere is electric these six days before the primary) and assured that for the general election, if Obama is the nominee, the phonebanking access will be re-evaluated.That’s not the end of the story.  Yesterday I went to see Senator Obama at St. Johns Arena here in Columbus, Oh.  I called ahead and asked about accommodations for wheelchair users and was assured that there was an ADA section and that if I was stuck in line in 20 degree weather I could come inside to wait.  I arrived at St. Johns several hours early and indeed was allowed to come inside with the volunteers for the event.  I was also recruited and consulted with regard to helping people in wheelchairs get to their seats etc…My experience may not sound remarkable, however, after 22 years in a wheelchair I have to say that it was the BEST experience I’ve had in MANY similar situations.  In other similar situations I and my disabled cohorts are NOT given the opportunity to participate or offer suggestions.  Yes, we are given respect, but in my opinion the valuable first -hand knowledge we have isn’t sought nor is it welcomed.

There was an interpreter and a section for the deaf or hard of hearing, something I’ve not seen on other campaign events (which will remain nameless). There was a general sense of belonging that was incredible.  I mentioned to another volunteer that I felt like “one of the cool kids” at last.  She laughed and agreed that is was definitely a time to celebrate the inclusiveness and unity that the Obama campaign elicits.

I’ve spent the past couple of days revising my website - polymer-clay-art.com, three solid days at the computer typing, pasting and doing my best to learn CSS and how to style my pages to look like this blog. My neck, back and brain all hurt. I don’t know how webmaster do it, seriously. I’m so tired by the end of the day I can’t think. I’d rather be making art, but I knwo this has to get done. I’ll be very happy when I’m finished. I’s emabrrasing right now to refer people to my website, it’s in such disarry, but just you wait soon it will be awesome.