raising the bar

(NOTE: this is the first of three posts today about dan cormier. make sure you check back later for pictures of dan’s new work – you won’t be disappointed!)

for years i’ve heard people working with polymer clay talk about the stigma attached to it, but i maintain it isn’t the material you use that makes your work art or fine craft, it’s what you do with the material. the pages of pcnotes are filled with artists who prove this working with paper, recycled plastic, thread and even discarded phone books.

i’m not a bead artist, and my work is more organic than precise in style and form. workshops with victoria hughes and dayle doroshow were crucial turning points for me on my creative journey. they helped me think outside the box…and helped me loosen up my work.

then i spent two days watching dan cormier work and i quickly understood why both sides are important. in addition to the beautiful artistry of his designs (seen in the photos here), the man is a master of precision. his workshop is not really about building better beads – it is about making better art.

learn the rules. practice, practice, practice. learn the rules…then bend them or break them…but learn them first. trusting that concept under the guidance of a master has catapulted my work to another level.

i do exhaustive research regarding polymer clay. very often i see work that is good – great sense of color, style, design – but something stops it from being over-the-top terrific. usually it is that the piece is not finished well. cormier is determined to change that. and you can change it too.

come back later to see where dan will be this fall…and to see new pictures of cormier’s work.