My polymer clay group made the TV news again yesterday. This time the local Telemundo affiliate interviewed me for a Spanish version of last week's Bottles of Hope story. Here's the new story (in Spanish), and here's a photo of the angel bottle I made during the filming. (A couple of my other bottles were featured too.)

I suppose I should clarify, though. I didn't actually make that angel bottle during filming. There are several shots of me working on an angel bottle... but the angel bottle I worked on there got wadded up into a ball of clay before I left the building.

A couple of the other folks making bottles got wide-eyed when I disassembled it, and asked what I was doing. I didn't realize til I got home what a jerk I must have looked like. There we were, decorating bottles for cancer patients, and I rip mine apart as soon as the camera crew leaves.

It's not like it looked, though, honest. It's just that I'm not a public crafter. No matter what I do, I just can't seem to be happy crafting anyplace but home.

This time I tried really hard. Knowing that I have trouble thinking of ideas when I'm on the spot, surrounded by other people, I planned a project ahead of time. I even took along pictures of an inspiration piece in case I needed to reference it. Having the project picked out helped me with the other thing I tend to have trouble with — taking the right supplies. Since I knew what my project was, I had a general idea of what tools I'd need. (Too bad I got in a hurry and forgot a couple of those.) I even made an ambitious goal to try to keep myself on track: I was going to finish not just one, but two bottles while we were there.

But even after all that, I still couldn't do it. I got flustered when I realized I'd left my clay blade at home (it somehow didn't occur to me to borrow one of several others in the room). I hadn't brought enough beige clay and didn't like the replacement color I mixed up. But mostly, things just weren't looking right. The skirt didn't drape nicely. The wings weren't pretty enough. I felt like if I were at home using my own tools on my own desk, I could get it right. And so, like I've done at so many guild meetings and other public crafting sessions, I left without having created a thing.

It's not that I don't enjoy crafty get-togethers. I love being around other creatives, watching their process and absorbing their conversations. But I just don't create well in that situation. Maybe it's performance anxiety. Maybe it's perfectionism. For whatever reason, though, I prefer to do my creating in my own comfy little craft room, where I can really dig into a project and do it just right.

So is this just me? I'm curious what the rest of you think of crafting in public...?

Posted in: Currently Working On... , Videos | Comments (5)

A local TV news channel just aired a story about the Central Oklahoma Polymer Clay Guild's involvement in the Bottles of Hope program. Our Bottles of Hope Coordinator was actually the one interviewed, but you can see me in several background shots making my bottle. Check out their nicely-done feature story here (see Group Bottles Hope under Featured Videos).

This just goes to show that some shows that're filmed do eventually air! ;-)

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I'm really drawn to mosaics, but I've often felt they were overwhelmingly time-consuming. Not only do you have to create lots and lots of identical clay tiles, but you then have to line them up perfectly and adhere them to your background surface. And don't get me started on the mess grout can be! Still, I love the look — and when I'm in a certain kind of mood, it's worth all the time involved.

But when I got Laurie Mika's Mixed-Media Mosaics book, I realized mosaics don't have to be so time-consuming. I read her book cover-to-cover as soon as I got it (it's one of those craft books that's actually interesting to read!). I was immediately attracted to some of Mika's time-savers, like the fact that she uses a variety of tile sizes and that (gasp!) she doesn't use grout. Now that I've had a chance to try out some of her projects, I wanted to share my thoughts.

About The Book

First of all, let me just say that this whole using-different-sizes-of-tile thing is new to me. I've mentioned here a time or two that I tend to be a little obsessive-compulsive. There's a reason I'm a big fan of TV's "Mr. Monk." So I was originally pretty unsure about making the tiles different sizes. Shouldn't all the tiles line up perfectly? Aren't perfect geometric patterns part of the beauty of mosaics?

But I'm sold on the idea now. First, it's way easier just to make a bunch of different-sized tiles. No measuring, no stressing. And I ended up enjoying the puzzle-like assembly of all the different elements. I was surprised at how well it all matched up, actually — I had to trim my clay tiles here and there, but nothing major. And it was freeing not to worry about whether things lined up perfectly.

Of course, this this puzzle-like arrangement all works out because of Mika's unique alternatives to grout. My favorite is the "grout stick" made with metal leaf (I also love the other cool things she does with metal leaf). There's still a time and a place for grout, and she has a few tips on that towards the end of the book. But the no-grout approach is clean and fast, and I can certainly see using it for many of my mosaic projects.

Another pleasant surprise about this book: I didn't realize just how much I'd enjoy the tile-making. It was really a lot of fun — I could have spent hours building up a huge supply of tiles! She has several different techniques (stamping, painting, scoring, etc.) for making your own tiles from clay or decorating pre-made tiles.

Some die-hard "why-would-I-buy-what-I-can-make?" polymer clay artists may cringe at that last part... Mika encourages the use of pre-made tiles to supplement your handmade ones. I bought a few glass tiles for my first project, and I'm still unsure whether I like the idea. Yes, it's much easier to grab a few perfectly shaped, color-matched tiles from a bag. And it can give a nice range of textures to your artwork. Still, there's something about it I don't like. Maybe I'll get more comfortable with the idea after a few projects. Or maybe I'm just a polymer clay purist. Either way, I'm glad she included this idea for another mosaic time-saver.

There were a couple of places I felt the book was lacking. First, she recommends using Original Sculpey White for many of her tiles. I always cringe when I see that, especially in a book like this that's intended both for polymer clay and mixed media artists. I wish she had given information on the clay's strength issues, so that new-to-clay folks won't be disappointed if they find their tiles breaking.

Also, when I was scanning the Table of Contents, deciding whether to buy the book, I noticed what appeared to be a section on "Bringing Meaning to Your Work." I was looking forward to some discussion on the process of making mosaics, the artistry of combining elements to share a message. What I didn't notice til later is that this "section" is only one page — kind of a tease really. I would love to have seen more there.

However, we do get a peek into Mika's process in the 6 featured pieces of her art. I like that she tells how she found her supplies, what her inspiration was, etc. It's a nice glimpse at what she was thinking as she created some of her beautiful mosaics.

Summary

• Title: Mixed-Media Mosaics: Techniques and Projects Using Polymer Clay Tiles, Beads & Other Embellishments, by Laurie Mika
• Price: $16 + shipping
• Pros:
  • Great tile-making ideas and painting tips. Unique ideas for mosaics, many of them real time-savers
  • Wonderful box and "mosaicon" projects
  • Nice descriptions of the process behind her featured works
• Cons:
  • I don't like that she recommends Original White Sculpey
  • Would have liked to see more on "Bringing Meaning to Your Work"
• Who It's Good For
  • Both mixed media artists new to clay and clay artists new to mosaics will likely enjoy this book's tips. And the wide range of unique ideas should satisfy intermediate clayers and mosaic buffs.
  • If you're the type who wants to create something exactly like the book's examples, you'll be disappointed. She uses lots of found objects, so that's pretty much impossible. While that makes it a little trickier to decide how and where to start, it's good in that you're challenged to do your own thing.

Posted in: Reviews

This Bottle of Hope has been posted on my Flickr account for a while, so many of you have already seen it. It's a pink ninja, made for a local cancer survivor named Cindy who helped get my guild started in the Bottles of Hope (BOH) program. Pink ninjas were Cindy's personal symbol of strength through her cancer treatments, so I made this bottle to thank her for her help and for speaking to our guild.

The sculpture itself was a bit out of my comfort zone. I'm no ninja expert, so I had to do a fair bit of research on what makes up a ninja. Sculpting people & making clothes are all new to me, too — not to mention doing these things around a bottle form. It was definitely a learning process. I was really relieved when I gave the bottle to Cindy and she seemed to like it.

But I was especially thrilled when I saw that she liked it enough to use it as the photo for her Pink Ninja Race for the Cure team page. I do believe this is the first time a creation of mine has been used as a team mascot. I'm so proud!

One month from now, I'll be joining the Pink Ninja team as they take part in the 2008 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. (I'm planning on just walking the 5K this time instead of running it... ya know, being pregnant and all!) If preventing and treating breast cancer is a cause that is important to you, I would truly appreciate your support in helping me reach my personal fundraising goal.

Thanks so much — and GO Pink Ninjas!

Posted in: Currently Working On...