Tag Archives: Alice Stroppel

OK Poly-Clay Twisters Retreat 2018

Tom Gibson

I have to tell you, there are some talented clayers in Oklaloma and in Kansas.

The following pictures are by students in my cane mapping workshop at the Oklahoma Poly-clay Twister Retreat. Thank so much for inviting me to be your guest artist.

The first one is by the guild’s president Tom Gibson. The names of the rest will be listed if I have them. Some pictures were taken without names.

As you can see Many people did different designs and put their on own stamp on the technique. What a great compliment, exactly what I hope for each time I teach.

There is an interesting post from Sage Bray of The Polymer Arts using Katie Way’s piece. The piece is looking at the ongoing discussion about using the instructors technique but making it you own. Katie’s business is Bullseye Studio

Chris Crossland
Patti Soliman

Llinda Bowers
Linda Bower
Patty Minton Welch
Laura Clarkson
Katie Way
Cheryl Reich

Teaching in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Florida

 

 

 

If you would like to meet me in Arkansas in July, I’ll be teaching a full three day workshop with the Quachita Mountain Polymer Clay Guild.

This is an extended workshop and will be combining three of my online courses this will be the longest workshop I’ve taught so you might not want to miss it.

There will be two days of cane building, extruding,  scrap saving and generally building your cane inventory. And once you have your inventory you are ready to begin creating fabulous pieces everytime you sit at your clay table. Not having to start you project  from the very beginning makes it so much easier complete a piece in record time.

The last day I’ll share my cane mapping technique complete with tips a hints that you will use in other projects.

You’ll make a piece to frame and I’ll show you how I turn my mapped pieces into striking pendants or apply them to a wine glass or vase.

So if you’re free July 10, 11 & 12, 2018 and want play with clay with a fun group and me, just download the application here and I’ll see you then.

I’m also looking forward to teaching at the OK Poly-Clay Twisters Retreat 2018 in a couple of weeks in Oklahoma.  I do believe my workshops are full.

Next I’m teaching a pre-retreat workshop at Orlando Clay Fandango  in Florida. I go every year just to see my friends there. So much fun.

 

It’s all about the swirl

I’ve been creating a few table tops lately and this is my latest one. It’s made with hundreds of spiral jelly roll canes that I make teaching my cane workshops. I’ve been on a mission to reduce my spiral stock .

This is the second batch of spiral necklaces I’ve made, the first ones are now owned by someone else, happily. I have earrings that need to be finished as well.

 

These two wall pieces are mounted on black canvas.

 

 

 

 

They look well together or separately. Loads of color.

 

 

 

As you can plainly see, my mission has not been accomplished. I still have two full shelves of spiral canes left and more on the way. My work is never done. Thankfully.

Teaching with the Kansas City Polymer Clay Guild

I’m delighted with the cane mapping that happened in Kansas City last month.  On the first day we made lots of fun and easy canes to use in our cane mapped pieces the next day. You can always use old canes as well, but learning new ways to cane is always a plus.

The beautiful dragonfly above is by Heidi McCulough and was finished after class. It makes me very happy when people enjoy the workshop enough to want to continue working after class. In fact she got together with Pat Kuehn to finish her piece and Pat made her second piece, the fabulous beetle below.

Pat was my hostess and what a delight it was to stay in her beautiful home. Thank you Pat.

I know that Patti Soliman is planning to cane map a hippo in the near future. Be sure to send me a picture Patti.

Each and every one created some wonderful pieces and I hope they are as impressed with their work as I am.

But I’m missing several pictures from the group. If you have taken a picture of your piece, please send it to me or post it on our FB page and I’ll up date this post.

Anne Rowe, Linda Bowers, Michele Wineland, Renee Becka, Barbara Morris, Robin Young

Donna Harryman’s butterfly is just wonderful. Donna  was the coordinator for my workshop and I want to extend a special thank you to Donna and her committee, Anne M. Rowe, Linda Bowers and all the other guild members. Its a lot of work to put on an event like this and I’m grateful to have been asked to teach such a fun group.

Donna’s butterfly is my kind of beautiful, bright, bold, colorful piece.

Janie Clark finished two great pieces in class. She used some familiar  canes in both of her butterflies. Stroppel Canes were part of our workshop of course. *g*

Some beautiful work by June Flannery Duckworth who is very new to caning.

Kim Koval Keane tackled the large butterfly and just wow and wow again.

Pat Kuehn came prepared with a pattern for the sugar skull… fabulous.

Liz is a woman after my heart. She didn’t want to make a ”thing”, she wanted to do a free form abstract. Cant wait to see where her imagination takes her next.

Another intricate lovely butterfly, Kathy Fritz did a great job.
Robin Young’s fish  has a more organic palette with plenty of sassy attitude. Love it.

Patty Minton Welch’s butterfly is so soft and painterly, lovely.

Pat’s second piece is kinda nostalgic in a round about way, she had a VW beetle in the 70s.

We have that in common, my first car was a green VW beetle with a sun roof. In the 70s, I dinged the front fender and painted bright hippy flowers all over it and the hood. I know, crazy kid, but loving color and fun even then. Pat said her VW was bright orange, so see, so much in common. Oh and yes there is PC.

Patti Soliman made a vibrantly, delightful, colorful fish. And I have to say the thinnest piece there that day. Perfect for the frame.

Patricia Hill’s fish is charming, beauteous and as with all of the incredibly wonderful pieces from this workshop, colorful.

Colorful is probably an under statement for what I teach, can you tell I love it?

Thanks again to Kansas City Polymer Clay Guild for a great time and  a great workshop.

A special place in my heart for Polyform’s generous spirit and Premo. Iris Weiss xo.

Next workshop away from Studio 215 will be in Sept. in St. Augustine with the First Coast Polymer Clay Guild. Canes on the first day and fun funky weed pots on day two.  Can’t wait.

Oh and just a heads up, I’ll be teaching Weed Pots as a pre-workshop before next years Orlando Clay Fandango. Yes!

Completing projects

This week has been all about finishing up projects I’ve started this winter and never completed.

I have been teaching so much that I’ve not had time for much creative time, so as things began to slow down and our northern visitors began to head home, I brought out my list of want to do’s and my unfinished projects.

I finished two versions of this woman today. I made a small version a couple of years ago and it’s been well received. It hangs in my Studio in my private collection. I wanted make a couple of larger ones to offer for sale. Plus I wanted to try black and white.

Seems I’m drawn to black and white for sure, I just bought a new car and it’s white with black interior, go figure.

And then here’s yet another one, I finally framed this black and white woman.

Earlier this week I finished and framed this colorful woman that I started last year. About time don’t you think?

 

I even saved this flamingo that I burned several months ago. He’s framed and now I want to make another one with giant flowers. Yay, go big.

I still have a few more project to finish, but I’m feeling pretty good today.

 

Ornament Workshops at Studio 215

 

Download workshop application here.

Ornaments

Use canes from my stash

Polymer clay ornaments - Alice Stroppel

$85
10am – 4:30pm
Saturday – Nov. 5, 2016
Everything included
Make one or two

This is the first time I have offered a workshop using canes from my inventory. I’ve been teaching so much and making canes for each workshop so I have an overflow. I decided it would be great fun to see what you might do with slices from them .

I’ll have some ornaments, but if you want to being your own you can. Any color and a medium to small size or one large.

Bring your lunch and your sense of humor.

Santa Ornaments

Santa - Alice Stroppel - Maureen CarlsonSanta - Alice Stroppel - Maureen Carlson

$80
10am – 4:30pm
Nov. 12, 2016
Everything included
Make one or two

Come make your  own Santa ornaments using the easy molds from Maureen Carlson. You’ll love how they turn out. I’ll have everything you need, just bring your lunch and your smile.

Polymer Cane Mapping Now Live

cane mapped fish - alice stroppel

I’m so happy to tell you that I have uploaded two new workshops to my online school. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you’ll see Cane Mapping and Extrusions.

bird alice stroppel

The extrusion workshop consists of thirteen videos that equal over an hour of instruction.

This workshop will show you how to make small unique canes from extruded polymer clay. You can use these canes to make everything from buttons beads and pendants to cane mapped pieces.

It’s only about the techinque used in making the canes, not the finished pieces.

It’s all part of building your cane inventory so that when you are ready to begin a project you have many canes to choose from.

I use lots of extruded cane in my cane mapping pieces.

Butterflies Alice Stroppel

The butterfly on the left is made with both extruded canes and traditional canes. The one on the right is all extrusions.

cane mapped fish Alice StroppelIf you love mosaics, color and polymer clay, if you love the look of complex canes but simply don’t want to create a giant complex cane, if you love one of a kind pieces, and if you have tons of left over canes, this is the can mapping workshop for you!

This is the workshop I teach at my Sebring Studio and around the country at polymer clay guilds and retreats. The difference is you can rewind and watch each step over and over if you want.

In almost 2 hours of videos you’ll learn the basics by cane mapping this  fish portrait and the  butterfly on the left above. I’ll show you a few unexpected canes and different slices that you can incorporate into your designs.

This is an intermediate class and having some Skinner blended canes in your stash will make your designs pop.

 

Thanks so much for taking a look .

Coupon Code for Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners

Your Brain on Clay - Alice StroppelAfter a couple of months of shooting and editing over 27 videos, my polymer clay school is finally open.

The first workshop consists of 27 video that take you through every step of the way I make my canes. The clay I use, the colors I choose the way I make skiner plugs and why I keep such an inventory of canes and plugs are all important steps to my final creations.

I’ll show you how I make thirteen different canes. Some of them simple and a couple a bit more complicated. You’ll see why following the steps in part 1 of this course make part 2 eazy to accomplish.

This first Workshop, Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners is only the beginning for me too. I hope to add more workshops and show you exactly how I get from A to Z when I’m creating.

Here’s a short welcome video for you to watch. 

And for those of you who follow my blog please use this discount code to receive $10 off Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners.

SAVE10

This discount will only be available until the end of the month of Aug. 2016

Here’s the link to Polymer Clay Workshops by Alice Stroppel

And thank you for being part of this incredible polymer community.

Exciting new online Workshops coming soon

image

Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners

I’m so excited to be just days away from launching my new online polymer clay school. All the things I teach here in my studio you’ll be able to learn at your own pace without the travel expense.

I’d rather see you in person, but this is for those of you who live too far away.

 

These aren’t your average tutorials, these courses are layers of videos that allow you to look over my shoulder as I create my canes and apply my technique to various projects. We go slow so you don’t miss a thing.

My first workshops,  Polymer Clay Canes for beginners is exactly that but with my spin on canes, Skinner blends and my loose easy approach to cane constructions.

This course has 26 videos showing you step by step how I go from Skinner blends to the finished canes with some storage and basic tool information too.

If you already are a cane maker then hold on for the next workshops. I’m going to be adding cane mapping, expanded pen and ink, bracelets, weed pots, sculpting and workshops on furniture and large wall pieces.

But if you want to begin caning and have been putting it off or are wondering just where to start, this workshop may be for you.

Plus, I’ll be hosting a live Hangout on Youtube in a week or so, my first guest will be Nancy Ulrich the inventory of the App. ColorMixr™

So sign up now to my newsletter or just sign up to this blog and you’ll get an email with updates. You’ll be the first to know when I launch a new workshop or I have a live interview.

I’m excited! Oh, did I already say that?