All Entries in the "Synergy" Category

bettina welker and synergy

Synergy I is over, the blogging frenzy has all but subsided and we are back in our studios. Germany’s Bettina Welker is already tracking how the information, feedback and collective energy that she absorbed at the conference is affecting her work. Remember this necklace - the one that was on her neck when I met her at Synergy? Buoyed by the response to the necklace and armed with new information, Welker went back into the studio eager to push the idea a little further. ‘Sticks and Clusters’ is the first post-Synergy iteration.

The individual stamen-like polymer extrusions are captured cleanly in a silver framework that allows for a different view of the delicate strands. Each strand’s gentle curve gives the appearance of movement - as if they are bending and moving away from the stronger, more rigid silver tube that contains them.

I look forward to following her progression as the Synergy experience becomes fully integrated into her artistic process and I hope that this scene is being played out in studios across the globe. Concrete evidence that coming together as a community, sharing, exploring and nurturing each other benefits each of us individually and the group as a whole.

Did you attend the conference? As you return to your art-making in the weeks and months to come, I urge you to be mindful of the places where Synergy helped to move you along in your art, in your process and in your thinking. Let’s talk about it.

synergy snippets #2

Synergy Conference Panel Discussion

Inspiration, Originality and Infringement

On permission to call yourself an artist and finding your artistic voice:

Elise Winters: “Take the time to allow yourself to be the student, the trainee. Call yourself an artist NOW - you can be a great artist without feeling like you have to go to a craft show and sell it.”

“You do yourself a disservice when you think you own the work you learn from a master artist. Recognize that it’s not your own. You will know when you’ve found your own voice because when it happens, your heart will soar.”

[EDITED to ADD: You can hear Elise speak in greater depth about the topic with Alison Lee on this Craftcast podcast.]

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On a personal note, Elise’s words resonated with me because I am still learning from the masters and I don’t sell my work and I am waiting for that moment when my heart sings and guess what? I am an artist. The hardest part was giving myself permission to call myself an artist, but I felt liberated when I gave up that struggle.

Have you given yourself permission to call yourself an artist or do you struggle with the title of ‘Artist’? Do you agree that you can be an artist without selling your work or do you think that selling your work justifies the title? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

synergy snippets #1

Synergy Conference Panel Discussion

Inspiration, Originality and Infringement

How do we share?

Thomas Mann: “When you teach, you are also giving permission to use.”

Elise Winters: “Imitation hurts the imitator far more than it hurts the artist who is being imitated.”

How do you protect original ideas and should we protect original ideas?

Thomas Mann: “The only real protection is to continually evolve. Closely link your style and your look to your name. Copyrights and patents are only as good as your willingness to protect them.”

synergy: polymer clay’s giant leap

Thoughts About Synergy I, NPCG’s 2008 Conference

THE CONVERSATION: THEN

As a medium, polymer clay is relatively new. We’ve spent the last twenty-plus years discovering and exploring its versatility, learning techniques and building our skill sets. We’ve been seduced by tools and workshops and the opportunity to learn from the BIG names. Until now our conversations centered more around the question of how we create art and less around why we create art or what we expect/need/want from the experience.

The larger conversation - about art, integrity, craftsmanship, design, history, originality, the business of art, influence and intention - took place in private conversations between small groups of people: the medium’s innovators, ardent enthusiasts, serious professionals (or more casually, and in my opinion less effectively, on internet message boards worldwide).

THE CONVERSATION: NOW

With Synergy I, The National Polymer Clay Guild helped the medium take a graceful, giant leap forward. At the conference, this larger conversation took center stage in each 90-minute seminar, in the Big Room panel discussions and in keynote speeches delivered by Kathleen Dustin and Cynthia Tinapple. The excitement was palpable. “I can’t wait to get back into the studio” was a popular refrain. Not because they had just seen the latest-best-next technique (although Cormier’s spin on the Skinner Blend made our hearts beat a little faster). They were eager to get back into the studio because the conference nourished them in a very different way. Informed by articulate conversation that was aimed at elevating the medium and all who embrace it, one of the things that Synergy did was address our desire for a sense of purpose in our art and belonging in our world.

THE WELL-PLANNED GARDEN

The lush, life-affirming garden overflowing with a ripe, juicy harvest is usually a result of countless hours of hard work, dedication, education, flexibility, the ability to change course when necessary and a little bit of luck. What we witnessed at Synergy was the planting of a well-planned garden. And like the seeds in a garden, it will take time and careful nurturing before we enjoy the bounty.

POST SYNERGY - WHAT DO I THINK? Seven from Susan

1. I think we will enter our studios with renewed energy and commitment to become better ambassadors for our medium
   
2. I think more of us will shift our focus away from ‘How did she/he do that?‘ to ‘What message do I want my art to convey to the larger community?’
   
3. I think we will be more mindful about intention: Why am I making art? What do I want from this experience, medium, artwork?
4. I think we are now armed with a larger vocabulary to further the discussion
5. I think the organizers of this event are brilliant, passionate, hard-working, dedicated artists and we are forever in their debt
6. I think we will mark this conference as a pivotal moment in the growth of the medium and our growth as individual artists
7. I think know I’m delighted to be part of this tribe

WHAT ABOUT THE PICTURES?

You will notice that this post is pretty much ‘Synergy Unplugged’ - no pictures. I’ll leave that to Cynthia Tinapple, who will continue to bring you pictures of the abundant talent that surrounded us during the conference. The eye-candy was almost too much stimulation - I’m eager to see it again on PCDaily, where I will have the chance to slowly digest the work.

For those of you who couldn’t be with us, you were there in spirit and we couldn’t wait to come back home to include you in the conversation.

Tomorrow - Come back for shorter snippets from the conference.

[If you attended the blogging seminar at the conference presented by Cynthia, Alison Lee and I, you might have noticed that I broke several of my 'rules' in this post. This is probably a good time to mention that in my world, rules are meant to be broken!]

synergy’s lone pasta machine

The only pasta machine that saw any real action at Synergy was three year old Griffin’s. Even though mom and dad are Tracy Holmes & Dan Cormier little Griffin seemed to know that he has to start just like the rest of us:

conditioning the clay

Look at his intense, focused expression - remind you of anyone you know?

Griffin was delightful and charming, much like his gracious parents.

Come back later for more Synergy ‘Inner-Gee‘.

Photo: Alison Lee

carlson’s puzzle face molds

I have always wanted to sculpt faces. I’ve tried. Really, I’ve tried. I’ve read the books, seen the videos, watched Maureen Carlson on TV. Nope. I understand the theory, but my hands just don’t cooperate.

At Synergy I caught a glimpse of Carlson’s new Puzzle-Face Molds and I realized that this new generation of mold is more than just a mold - it is also a teaching tool. Puzzle-Face Molds are basic pieces that make up the structure of a face. In my opinion, they create a starting point for understanding the concepts related to sculpting a face. Once you are comfortable with the individual pieces, you can manipulate them to create different expressions, teaching yourself the next step in sculpting faces.

From the website:

Maureen has designed 4 rubber molds to quickly form the basic shapes that make up a face. Use polymer clay or any other medium that can be used with a rubber mold and put the pieces together, like pieces of a puzzle, to complete the basic face structure. Because it is easy to change the exact size and shape of each piece, you can use the molds to create characters that are uniquely your own.

cynthia tinapple speaks

I took copius notes during each keynote, seminar and ‘big room’ event at the Synergy conference. However, when Cynthia Tinapple took the stage to deliver the keynote address for the closing night banquet, my notebook remained closed.

While Tinapple is most comfortable behind the scenes shining a spotlight on other polymer clay artists, it quickly became evident that she is equally adept at coming out from ‘behind the curtain’ and mesmerizing a crowd with her humor, quiet intellect and understated elegance.

Cynthia Tinapple, Synergy Conference Keynote Speaker

As the author of Polymer Clay Daily, she keeps us well informed regarding our beloved medium. Tinapple’s twenty years of experience working with polymer clay and building relationships with artists who pioneered the medium came together seamlessly as she led us through her reflections on what has come before and projections regarding the possibilities she sees for the future.

Perhaps with some gentle prodding she will share her observations with those who could not attend the conference - her notes are well worth having. Brava Cynthia, the standing ovation was well deserved.

Many thanks to Alison Lee for the photograph.

cormier unveils new tools

At the Synergy conference Dan Cormier and Tracy Holmes unveiled a practical new tool for polymer clay artists that is bound to be the next must-have supply on your tool list. The Sh.A.R.K consists of a magnetic adjuster and a magnetic ruler designed to fit onto an Atlas 150 Pasta machine - Cormier says to “think of it as a moving wall”. This tool makes your pasta machine adjustable and allows you to sheet clay in any width within the rollers.

Sh.A.R.K = Sheet (SH) Adjuster (A) Ruler (R) Kit (K)

Contact Cormier and Holmes at hoco@island.net to order yours today. They’ve got more tools in this fab new line…coming soon.

tinapple, lee & lomuto: the three MOUSE-keteers

Last night Cynthia, Alison and I presented a seminar about - what else - blogging! A few days ago we were joking that we didn’t need to plan too much because it was all so ingrained in our heads and hearts that we could do it in our sleep…and so we did…after a full day of non-stop talking and networking we are still not sure if we were quite awake during our own seminar!

We had a fantastic, energetic group (How???? The seminar ran from 7:30-9pm) with lots of great questions and oh, yes - by the way ladies and gentlemen - if you attended the seminar and you are reading this: We’ve got your names and your email addresses - we’ll be pestering you to see how you put everything you learned into action!

Image via Cynthia Blanton (read more about the conference there)

Thanks to Tracy Holmes for the new nickname…Three MOUSE-keteers…get it?

synergy sound bytes

Finally found internet access in the convention center. Let me catch you up to yesterday’s happenings.

Jeff Dever moderated Hallmarks of Craftsmanship, a lively panel discussion between polymer clay innovator and educator Donna Kato, Craftcast’s Alison Lee, polymer clay artist Sarah Shriver and art historian/polymer clay artist Rachel Carren.

Dever began the discussion by reminding us that this conversation is not a call for perfectionism and urged us to remember that “critical analysis arms us with ammunition and information to make the next piece better.”

A few sound bytes from the discussion - nuggets to reflect upon the next time you are grappling with your art, wondering why you are making art or looking for the muse that hides, fearful of imperfection:

On Clarity of Vision:

Dever: “Understand who you are and what you want from the medium.”

Lee: “There is no way to move forward unless you know what you want - do you want to design for Donna Karan or Target? Isaac Mizrahi is very happy designing for Target.”

On Imperfection:

Kato: “Keep all those things you hate, put them out on the table and on the wall, because if you are anything like me, you make the same mistakes over and over.”

Shriver: “In my studio we have a saying when we discover an imperfection. ‘It’s the Navajo way.’ The Navajo Indians believed that God doesn’t like you to try to parallel him so to them, imperfections were necessary, good, great even. In my studio, ‘It’s the Navajo way’ is said boldly and often.”

Dever: “The artists that you admire most in this room have failed many times before they create that beautiful piece you see.”

On Risk:

Carren speaking about woodworker David Pye’s words of wisdom: ” Pye said that every moment in a process has the potential for failure - that is the workmanship of risk.”

Clearly, this is just the beginning of an important discussion.

More later…

Image via NPCG

miss me?

Do you miss my usual posting frenzy? With sessions running from 8:30 am until 9:00 pm I’m a bit out of touch with my constant companion (my keyboard) and we still haven’t figured out how to access the internet from the convention center - hopefully someone will have an answer about that today.

I wish you were all here - this is history in the making. The National Polymer Clay Guild deserves a global standing ovation for a bold move in a new direction - they’ve done it with panache. The well-attended event is wonderful, warm, educational and filled with the sense of community building and sharing that has been crucial to the rapid growth of the medium. Humbling. Moving. Exciting.

I’m still looking for ways to keep you posted while I’m here. In the meantime, enjoy this necklace by Bettina Welker, who came all the way from Germany to attend the conference. She was wearing her Progress and Possibilities entry when I was chatting with her on Thursday and I was mesmerized. The colorful, soft, flexible strands joined by a magnetic closure were a lovely, understated accent to the even more lovely Bettina!

blogging in baltimore

a picture is worth a thousand words…

on the road

I’m on the road today with Alison Lee. We’re going to Synergy and we are as excited about the drive as we are about the conference. Several hours of driving translates into a welcome creativity pow-wow for us. The conference schedule is intense and I will be one of the ‘roving reporters’ which means I might only post once or twice a day for the rest of the week, but they will be power-posts.

Here’s a sneak peek at one of the necklaces Ponsawan will have for sale at the conference. She entrusted me with her work until she can get to Baltimore (enjoy your daughter’s return from Paris - we’ll wait for you!). Ponsawan asked me to let conference attendees know that if they bring beads to trade she’ll trade on the sidewalk, weather permitting. Ummm…maybe the hotel lobby Pons?

I’ll check in later - in the meantime, there is a new Archives page (top menu) that gives you another way to look for past posts and I hope you are enjoying the new random image feature (upper right sidebar). If you see an image you like, click on it to read the whole post - a new image appears every time the page refreshes. Enjoy!

Safe travels to all…