Riverpoet Design

I know it has been a long time since I posted anything new.  I got very busy with production for the To Bead True Blue Show at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, and was working 16 hour days for a couple of months.  It was a lot of work, but I had a great time and I plan on being there again next year.  As for news of things coming up, I have several classes and events over the next couple of months.

I’ve added PDF files of my class descriptions to the Workshops page…those are definitely worth checking out!

San Jose, CA - April 5-6, 2008: This is a hybrid class that will be taught for the first time ever.  Students will learn 3 flower canes, my faux wood grain, and how to construct a tile pendant.  There is still room in this class so if you live anywhere near the San Jose area please get in touch with me right away, or visit http://www.sbpcg.com/.  Email riverpoet@comcast.net and I will get you signed up for this exciting class. 

I’ll be cruising with the “Claydies” from April 19-24 with Lisa Pavelka, Desiree McCrorey and Christi Friesen…I am really looking forward to this trip, as I have never cruised before.  When I get back, I am only home for a week and then I am off to Albuquerque.

Albuquerque, NM classes: May 2-4, 2008:  Friday is my 8 From 1:The Foliage Edition class, that you can read about and see pictures if you click the link.  We make a simple base cane and then cut, combine, twist, turn and create a whole host of different types of leaves from it.  It teaches a whole lot about component caning and it’s so much fun to create all these different leaf types from one blend.

The Saturday and Sunday workshop (May 3-4) is the Caning in Monochrome Class, which I am excited to be teaching again!  I taught this in Baltimore last year and it was a fabulous class.  I love monochromatic caning, but adding the color tints makes something really special.  Read all about this class here.

Finally, here’s a picture of a new necklace I created this month…I LOVE making dimensional flowers and leaves.  This piece will probably become the basis of a new class, since there’s a LOT more that goes into the leaves and flowers than meets the eye…they are armatured in a special way and are extremely strong and even flexible.  The pods I used on the closure are my favorite part, though, I think!  Watch for more new designs in my gallery section soon. 

I am writing this hurried post to let everyone know that I am off to Israel for a 17 day teaching adventure!  I am so excited I can hardly contain it, I’ve never traveled to such a historically rich and wonderful place.  I return on the 24th, and soon thereafter I should post pictures from the event.  For now, you can take a look at Donna’s Israel trip pictures on her blog here.

I will be teaching my 8 from 1 Intensive Flower Cane Workshop at The Bead House in Bristol, Rhode Island.  The class will be held at the Bead House Annex on October 27 & 28, 2007 starting at 10am each day.  This workshop has gotten great reviews from people who are rank beginners all the way to people who have reached the pinnacle in the polymer clay world. 

A little more about the class:

In this intensive caning workshop you’ll learn to make eight different flower canes from ONE skinner blend. You’ll make realistic-looking rose and daisy canes, tiny accent flowers, flowers with spots, variegation stripes, “folded petals” and several other designs.
This class teaches the fundamentals of caning and skinner blend manipulation. Learn to tint or “shift” the color of your blends, choose the best translucent clay for “caulking” the canes, fast and easy cane reduction with very little waste, and cutting thin slices.
At the end of class, students can swap pieces of their canes so they can leave with a whole bouquet of flowers.  (Note: we can take some time in this class to arrange the cane slices into tiles or beads, but the class is mainly focused on making the canes, rather than using them.  Not all 8 canes will be completely caulked and reduced in class…there is much repetition in the process, and in order to teach as many caning techniques as possible, the repetitive steps are left for after class time.)
To register or learn more about this class please visit www.thebeadhouse.com/Lynne.html  

I received word from Diane Villano today about the National Polymer Clay Guild’s Progress and Possibilities Exhibit and I wanted to let everyone know the results.  I am sure it will be posted on the National site soon, but for now, here’s the info: 

Personal embellishments - including jewelry, buttons, purses, and anything wearable

First place and Best of Show:  Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg
Second place:  Christi Friesen
Third place:  Judy Kuskin
Finalists:  Barbara Sperling and Christi Friesen 

Figurative sculpture - including human, fantasy, animal figures, and masks
First place:  Doreen Gay-Kassel
Second place:  Doreen Gay-Kassel
Third place:  Doreen Gay-Kassel
Finalists:  Chris Rutter and Layl McDill 

Non-figurative sculpture - including home decor, lamps, frames, etc.
First place:  Barbara Sperling
Second place:  Cathy Braulin
Third place:  Beth Wegener
Finalists:  Suzanne Ivester and Jana Roberts Benzon 

Containers, vessels, boxes, vases, baskets, bottles, bowls - anything that might contain something else
First place:  Barbara Sperling
Second place:  Karin Noyes
Third place:  Lindly Haunani
Finalists:  Karin Noyes (2 pieces) 

Dolls - must be at least 1/8 polymer clay

First place:  Lucky Stradley
Second place:  Lorie Follett
Third place:  Lorie Follett
Finalists:  Lucky Stradley and Lorie Follett 

Miniatures

First place:  Michele Raffaele
Second place:  Michele Raffaele
Third place:  Randi Taylor
Finalists:  Emily Blair (Junior Member) 

Beads and bead sets - any object or related setsthat are pierced by a hole, not finished jewelry

First place:  Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg
Second place:  Jana Roberts Benzon
Third place: Julie Picarello
Finalists:  Julie Picarello and Varda Levram-Ellisman 

Alternative use - polymer clay used in place oftraditional materials, prints, paint, wood, ceramic, etc.

First place:  Suzanne Ivester
Second place:  Denise Graham
Third place:  Judy Dunn
Finalists:  Denise Graham and Suzanne Ivester 

Mixed media - including journals, fabric arts andother work not falling into other categories

First place:  Heather Campbell
Second place:  Laurie Mika
Third place:   Laurie Mika
Finalists:  Carol Blackburn, Laurie Mika, and Dianne Quarles, (tie)
Congratulations to everyone!  I am so eager to see everyone else’s pieces!

I just returned from a wonderful class down in Leesburg, FL…it was great to see the OAPCG group again.  Crazy Nancy, Jeanne and Sandie always keep me smiling while I am there!  If you’d like to see pictures from the class, Nancy has posted a great album at the following site:

Lynne’s Class in Leesburg  (And contrary to what the picture shows, I was not really choking Nancy out…nor losing my patience!  She’s a doll, and this pic is my favorite one from any class I’ve taught so far!)

I have to really buckle down now and work on production so that I will have lots of things ready for a couple of major shows I have signed on for in late 2007 and early 2008.  I will be exhibiting at the To Bead True Blue show in Tucson, AZ in February and will be applying for a booth at Bead and Button next year as well.  I better get my nose to the clay tile…Here are some of the newest tiles that I’ve made…they are just waiting to be set into faux wood pendants.

 Click the photos in the post for a better view.

I just found out that I won first place in Bead & Button’s Bead Dreams exhibit in the polymer clay category for the second year in a row.  This piece combines my older type of work with faux wood along with floral compositions.  So, even though I’ve had the piece posted on my site for a while, I figured I would put it up here on the front page for a while.  When they send it back to me, I will take some better pictures of it.

I also want to express my congratulations to the other finalists and winners in the competition.  I am honored to be in the company of such talent!

So, here I am sitting in Florida waiting with bated breath to find out the results of the Bead Dreams competition at Bead and Button in Milwaukee.  The exhibit should be up tomorrow and I have a friend, Libby Mills who is there and will email me about whether I placed again this year…but if anyone else knows, I’d really love to hear!  I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve!

While I’ve got your attention, go take a look at the websites of some of my fellow artists who also are finalists and are probably eagerly awaiting the news from the show like I am!

Julie Picarello

Jana Roberts Benzon

Barbara Fajardo

As I make my last preparations to head off to Florida for a week with my family and teaching at the Orlando guild, I wanted to make sure to post that I’ve added another class for this summer, this time in Chester, CT at the Starry Night Studio.  Tuition is $150, plus $5 materials fee and you can sign up by contacting Tricia (click her name.)

The class will be my 8 From 1: Intensive Flower Caning Workshop, and since the venue is very small will be an intimate setting with a lot of individual attention.  There are only 5 spots left, so if you would like to sign up, please contact Tricia soon!

Ever wish you could make just one cane and then change its color however you wish to suit any color theme?  I am teaching a new class in Baltimore August 4-5, 2007 that shows just that! I will be returning to Crafter’s Cafe and seeing Sue and the gang, and teaching my newest workshop called “Caning in Monochrome.” It focuses on the concept of value, featuring all black and white canes that are then tinted for a really beautiful hand-colored photo look. If you notice, the purple flowers in the round pendant and the bluish ones in the shield-shaped one are the same cane, but colored differently. Same thing with the small yellow and pink flowers.  Of course, you could leave them black and white as well for a strikingly different look as well.

Although this class sticks with my floral theme, it is a totally new concept in caning and surface design that allows you to use the same canes in different color themes, and works great with geometrics and other types of canes as well.  Click the photo for a larger view.

Click here for the materials list for the class.

I will be teaching my 8 From 1: Intensive Flower Caning Workshop with the Orlando Area Polymer Clay Guild on June 9-10. There are a few spots left, so if you would like to attend please contact me through the contact form, or Jeanne who is coordinating the class for the OAPCG. The cost of the class is $130 including the materials fee. The above photo shows the canes Jenny Patterson made in my class earlier this month in Minnesota. I can’t wait to see how she uses them in the beautiful Quilted in Clay pieces!

CLICK HERE FOR THE SUPPLIES LIST FOR THE CLASS