This weekend, my students in my Build Your Cane Inventory Workshop will be the first ones, you might say my testers, for my new video system.
I have been working all day to set up this monitor so I can stream online Workshops and allow my in Studio student a great view of what I demoing in class.
Soon I’ll be offering small online Workshops and possibly ongoing classes to everyone. I’m going to need a few more “testers” for my first coupled of tries the size of the class will be limited to only 3 or 4 people, so the bonus will be extra attention. You’ll be helping me and I hope having some fun at the same time. Sign up for my newsletter to find out more. I’ll be sending information our next week.
I am excited to have this set up in time for Marie Segal’s Workshops and for her Trunk Show on the Friday night before. More info on that to come as well.
Is this the first time you have even heard of Polymer Clay? Let me introduce you!
Have you put off learning to cane because you believe it’s too hard, complicated, time consuming, precise, uses too much clay _______ fill in the blank? You not alone, but I can help.
If you like my style of work, I want to assure you that my canes are easy, fun and not at all precise. I don’t make large canes and I use every little bit of clay to make some interesting accent canes to use in all sorts of projects.
In this class you will learn caning basics. Skinner Blends, plugs, canes and how to slice canes for application.
You’ll leave the workshop with at least one finished piece. Bring a small glass container to apply your canes to if you don’t want to make jewelry.
I’ve been working on a few new pieces for the Studio.
I’ll also be taking quite a few things to sell at Sandy Camp next week. Sandy Camp is annual retreat by the San Diego Polymer Clay Guild and I’m trilled to be teaching a Master Class at the opening of the retreat. Then I get to let my hair down and enjoy the rest of the event.
I’m also prepping for a workshop on Saturday at the Studio. Building a cane inventory is what we will be working on so we can move on to classes for cane mapping. All fun!
Over the years I’ve stored my canes in many different ways and at my home studio I still hang on to my very wonderful metal filing cabinets with small drawers.
But for my downtown studio I have been using a new system I “borrowed” from Meisha Barbee. I’ve altered it and this looks nothing like hers, but the idea is the same and is working so well for me that I’m thinking of expanding it.
These stackable trays are for 12″x12″ pieces of scrapbook paper. They are made of the hard plastic that does not play well with polymer clay so I had my local glass company cut me 12″x12″ pieces of tempered glass.
Now I don’t have to wrap every single cane to keep them from sticking together. They stick to the glass instead. And as with Meisha’s system you can remove the glass shelves, or just pull them out to see what you have . I like to keep you cane separated by color.
I thought it might be something that would work for you.
I’m having a Build Your Cane Inventory workshop on Oct. 3. followed by a full day Cane Mapping workshop in late Oct (TBA).
I try to emphasize to my students how important it is having lots of canes already made so when the desire to create hits, you don’t have to start from scratch. Canes in different color ways and lots of Skinner blend plugs.
As you can see, this next workshop will be full of fun and funky canes. That’s just how I roll!
Whew, I’m home after a jam packed weekend in Texas teaching at the Houston Polymer Clay Guild’s Lone Star Retreat. It could not have been better, many thanks to everyone involve in this sterling event.
I was honored to be teaching along with Randee Ketzel and Sarah Shiver. My only regret is that I could take the classes with these talented ladies.
All along the communication from Lanette Holland was helpful and timely. When I arrived at the airport I was met by Ann Wagner who was assigned to be my “angel” for the weekend. She and her husband Dean were so very nice and helped me sail through the weekend and beyond. When Ann was in the other classes I had the other instructor’s “angels” Betsy Fraser and Theresa Abell on loan while they were in my class. Thanks you, thank you!
Goodie bags for all and a special welcome bag for the instructors were overflowing with supplies and goodies. Thanks Joey Barnes.
Paula Kennedy, you are amazing. Brenda Stanley made sure there were some spectacular auction items. I’m lucky to have made it home with a piece from their President Bob Wiley.
All the students were a joy to work with, thank you for such a wonderful welcome. I taught my Cane Mapping Technique and I was blown away by all the beautiful finished pieces. These are just a few, I wish I’d been able to get pictures of all of them framed. I’m sorry I don’t know the name of all the artists.
Deb HartKim Schlinke
Joey Barnes
Thank you all so much for all the work and effort you put into producing a stellar event. And thank you for choosing me as one of your instructors this year.
I’ll be teaching this technique in my downtown Studio 215 but in an extended form starting with Build Your Cane Inventory on Oct. 3 and later in Oct (date to be determined) we’ll have a full day of cane mapping.
I’m delighted to be the instructor for a Master Class teaching Cane Mapping at the San Diego Polymer Clay Guild’s Sandy Camp on Oct. 7th.
I’m just as happy now as I was when this picture was taken by Cynthia Tinapple while we were at a retreat. Cynthia featured me and my polymer painting on Polymer Clay Daily this morning.
I was delighted and always honored to be a small part of this exciting time in the history of polymer clay.
photo – Cynthia Tinapple
I like to experiment with pc and this line of polymer faces is something I want to expand on. Maybe not just faces, maybe push that comfort zone a bit too.
Alice Stroppel Profile Face Cane Sept. 5
9am – 4pm
$75.00
Clay not included
Supply list will be provided
Plus
A full tutorial included for future reference
7 page pdf and a 40 minute video
I had my first Charming Canes workshop (thanks Cynthia Tinapple and Polymer Clay Daily for the name) this past weekend and I really believe everyone had a good time and learned a lot. At least they all came back day #two with smiles on their faces.
I worked on a color palette for this workshop using mainly Premo Cobalt Blue, Fuchsia, and Zinc Yellow. Then all colors where Skinner blended with white. I was pleased with the results. Just look at the charms this group created. It really was a greatly satisfying workshop for me.
Thanks to the support of my community and my friends and fellow clayers from around the country, my studio is doing very well and I’m having the best time. Such a lucky girl.
