Halloween is Coming

Last Updated on Sunday, 23 October 2011 08:41 Written by Handmade Artists' Forum and Shop Sunday, 23 October 2011 08:41

Well Halloween is just around the corner and it’s time to get your last minute Halloween goodies. Check out the Halloween section of the Handmade Artists’ Shop. The Halloween holiday mall section of the HAFshop has some goodies that would add flavor and class to any Halloween Party or outfit.

You can also just search Halloween on the HAFshop and you’ll see a whole bunch of other creations as well.

Maybe some Halloween Earrings will be the touch you need!

Regardless of what your looking for the Handmade Artists’ Shop has what you need! Handmade from the Artist, everyday.

Hold On, Don’t Scrap It Yet!

Last Updated on Wednesday, 5 October 2011 02:34 Written by Start's Arts Thursday, 6 October 2011 02:34

Hold On, Don’t Scrap It Yet!

By Beverley Start, Polymer Clay Artist

October 5 2011

Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of a project and look up to see that my usable clay pile has been gobbled up by my scrap clay pile. With a little creativity and a lot of nece$$ity I found a few solutions. Here are a few of my ideas on how to turn scrap back into usable clay.

1. Roll it out and use it! – Scrap from any project can be turned into a brand new masterpiece just by putting it through the pasta machine a few times making sure to keep the lines of color in the same direction every time. What this will give you is a beautifully colored striped sheet of clay that can then be cookie cutter-ed, sliced, rolled, or molded in to new pieces. Check out some examples here.

2. Make grey. – Hunks of all-colored clay can be run through the pasta maker or food processor until it becomes a uniform shade of grey. Use it to make a sculpture which can then be cured and painted. Click here for an example.

3. Make black. – Old or leftover clay can be blended using powered black pigment (purchased from any craft store) and clay softener in a food processor. I just put little bits of each in until it’s the consistency and shade I need.

4. Use it as filler. – When making something that requires strength try using some old clay as filler. For example if I were making a picture frame I might make it from filler clay and then cover it with decorative clay. No one will see the inside.

5. Make tags or gift cards. – Sometimes when I roll a piece of scrap through the pasta maker I notice patches of beautifully swirled color and I’ll cookie cutter it out to use as a tag for a special gift. Click here for examples

I’m sure there are tons more ways to use up left over clay but these five are my staples.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder Online Exhibition

Last Updated on Saturday, 16 July 2011 02:32 Written by John Atwell Rasmussen Saturday, 16 July 2011 02:32

Online Exhibition: “Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder“

“Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder” showcases 247 images chosen
from entries from over 55 artists representing North America, South
America, Europe, Australia, Central America, Africa and Eurasia.

The drive to adorn the human body is surely as old as human kind.
From pre-historic times this drive has led humans to use the
materials at hand, combined with the technologies and tools
available, to create objects to adorn the human body. The oldest
jewelry found to date goes back to at least 75,000 years ago in
Africa.

Early jewelry was made of bones, shells, sticks, and whatever other
materials the people could find and shape. Over time the ability to
mine and shape metal developed, and jewelry was made from bronze,
silver, gold, platinum and other metals. Gold has long been thought
of as a “precious” metal, and today it is joined by silver and
platinum as the three main materials modern jewelry is made from.

While much jewelry today is made from these three main metals, a
large body of jewelry world-wide is still made from a much wider
range of materials. This exhibition, “Beauty is in the Eye of the
Beholder”, focuses on jewelry made primarily of materials other than
gold, platinum and silver.

Jewelers today are still using found objects such as shell and bone;
they are using “green” materials – upcycled and recycled objects and
materials; they are using cutting edge plastics and newly developed
technology; and they are using older metals such as copper, brass
and bronze.

Some of the more unusual materials include vinyl LP’s, velvet, VCR
components, rattlesnake vertebrae, corian, canvas, paper, crab
claws, magnets, synthetic rubber electrical insulation tubing, and
aluminum grounding wire.

More traditional materials used include copper, bronze, brass,
glass, various types of wood, gemstones, pearls and seeds.

Techniques range from traditional metalsmithing, through a range of
beading techniques, textile techniques, photography techniques and
cutting edge industrial fabrication.

Participants range from professional jewelers with international
reputations to students just learning their craft.

Hosted on the Ganoksin website, the world’s largest internet site
devoted to jewelry- related topics, the exhibition is a snapshot of
what jewelers around the world are exploring, and an inspiration to
all. The exhibition was conceived Beth Wicker, an artist from South
Carolina, in the USA, and curated by Beth and Hanuman Aspler, founder
of the Ganoksin Project.

Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/beb

For more information about the Exhibition please contact: Beth Wicker
onlineexhibition@earthlink.net or Dr. E. Aspler (Hanuman)
service@ganoksin.com

Dr. E. Aspler (Hanuman)
Owner and founder