CFCF 2012: MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS! GIVE YOURSELF A GIFT FOR THE NEW YEAR!

There is still time to ask your sweetheart or family for a last minute gift that will keep on giving into the New Year and beyond!  Don’t miss your chance to take a workshop from one of these award winning instructors!  Jeffrey Lloyd Dever and Liz Potter Hall are 2012 NICHE Award Finalists, Doreen Kassel, Jeffrey Lloyd Dever, and Lindly Haunani are all previous NICHE Award winners. Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg has won a prestigious award from Bead & Button and Barbara Lewis’ book was named the #1 Craft book by Amazon.com!  Also, by registering you could win a $200 scholarship just for attending Cabin Fever Clay Fest 2012.  

POTTER HALL - Heart-shaped Fillable Form

HAUNANI: Rainbow roll necklace

In addition to the fun activities, we will be having a silent auction on Tuesday night and will be presenting Marie Segal with the Creative Pioneer and Innovator Award for her contributions over the years to the polymer clay world.  All of our instructors are incredibly talented artists in polymer clay, metal clay, mixed media, and metalworks including Blair Anderson, Jana Roberts Benzon, Jeffrey Lloyd Dever, Lindly Haunani, Liz Potter Hall, Linda Hess, Doreen Kassel, Barbara Lewis, Shannon Nelson, Kathryn Jo Ottman, Nan Roche, Lynne Anne Schwarzenberg, Marie Segal (the 2012 Creative Pioneer and Innovator Award Recipient), Sarah Shriver and Laura Tabakman.  If you haven’t attended CFCF yet, it’s an action packed six days of non-stop creative learning and fun and we want you to be part of it!

Review the workshops descriptions here and fill out your registration form and send it in.  It’s that easy!  Then, two (2) lucky attendees will be selected at the Tuesday night celebration. For additional information, please email cabinfeverclayfestivals@yahoo.com.   To register, download registration form here.

CFCF 2012: Two Months til CFCF 2012…and Barbara Lewis’ Free Webinar…

LEWIS - Painting With Fire Beads

Just two months to go…and classes are filling. Sarah Shriver’s Tuesday workshop is full and others only have a few spots left so don’t wait…get your registration in today!

We have another year with a full schedule of incredibly talented instructors in polymer clay, metal clay, mixed media, and metalworks including Blair Anderson, Jana Roberts Benzon, Jeffrey Lloyd Dever, Lindly Haunani, Liz Potter Hall, Linda Hess, Doreen Kassel, Barbara Lewis, Shannon Nelson, Kathryn Jo Ottman, Nan Roche, Lynne Anne Schwarzenberg, Marie Segal (the 2012 Creative Pioneer and Innovator Award Recipient), Sarah Shriver and Laura Tabakman.  If you haven’t attended CFCF yet, it’s an action packed six days of non-stop creative learning and fun and we want you to be part of it!

Just review the workshops descriptions here and fill out your registration form and send it in.  It’s that easy!  Then, two (2) lucky attendees will be selected at the Tuesday night celebration. For additional information, please email cabinfeverclayfestivals@yahoo.com.   To register, download registration form here.

Finally, Barbara Lewis’ book has been named the #1 Craft Book for 2011 on Amazon.com.  

We are pleased to have Barbara teaching her Painting with Fire (Enamel Beads) at CFCF in Feb. If you’d like a sneak peak at her workshop and the making of the beads, you may want to sit in on her free Webinar tomorrow through the Create Mixed Media blog today at noon.  Just click on this link to register for the one hour appetizer! Then register for her full-day workshop here. 

CFCF 2012: WIN A $200 SCHOLARSHIP TO CFCF IN LAUREL, MARYLAND!

Would you like to win a $200 scholarship just for attending Cabin Fever Clay Fest 2012 in Laurel, Maryland?  IT’S NOT TOO LATE! THERE IS STILL TIME FOR YOU TO WIN!!!  It’s so easy … here’s all you do.  Register for the regular conference!  Yep, that’s all you have to do to enter for your chance to win!

We have another year with a full schedule of incredibly talented instructors in polymer clay, metal clay, mixed media, and metalworks including Blair Anderson, Jana Roberts Benzon, Jeffrey Lloyd Dever, Lindly Haunani, Liz Potter Hall, Linda Hess, Doreen Kassel, Barbara Lewis, Shannon Nelson, Kathryn Jo Ottman, Nan Roche, Lynne Anne Schwarzenberg, Marie Segal (the 2012 Creative Pioneer and Innovator Award Recipient), Sarah Shriver and Laura Tabakman.  If you haven’t attended CFCF yet, it’s an action packed six days of non-stop creative learning and fun and we want you to be part of it!

Just review the workshops descriptions here and fill out your registration form and send it in.  It’s that easy!  Then, two (2) lucky attendees will be selected at the Tuesday night celebration. For additional information, please email cabinfeverclayfestivals@yahoo.com.   To register, download registration form here.

CFCF 2012: SPOTLIGHT ON INSTRUCTOR MARIE SEGAL

SEGAL: Unzipped Heart 2

Marie Segal will be teaching two workshops at CFCF 2012 and will be awarded the Creative Pioneer and Innovator Award at the CFCF 2012 Celebration.  To register for Marie’s workshop, download registration form here. She  is an incredible artist who started on her creative journey with oil paints at the age of 10, after working with crayons, paints, and puzzles. Her love of crafts began with doing craft projects with her mother and watching her family do the hands-on work, turning each of their homes into beautiful living spaces.

Later, she began working with ceramics and learned much from some brilliant teachers at a progressive high school.  She was encouraged by her parents and continued to explore while working a “regular” day job. She met her husband, Howard, at one of her jobs and they continued their artistic pursuits together… he becoming her cheerleader.

They happened upon polymer clay at a craft show in California in the late 70’s.  Although she didn’t know what this medium was, she was fascinated by it and the immediacy and ceramic-like quality. They searched to try to find where it was available for sale and finally found it in an international toy store, promoted as a child’s toy product. She saw the numerous possibilities and potential for polymer.

SEGAL: Unzipped Heart 1

She began creating with polymer and she and Howard coined it the “new age” modeling medium. They started selling their products, doing shows, swap meets, and home shows and teaching others how to use it. She had a thriving gift business with employees and her work was in showrooms on 5th avenue in New York and Los Angeles, selling to Nordstrom’s, Macy’s, Bullock’s and the Icing, just to name a few. She believes this helped move polymer clay in to the mainstream view.

In 1994, she approached Polyform Products about producing an American-made polymer clay and in 1995, Polyform agreed providing Marie and Howard sold it.  So, CFC or Clay Factory Clay was born.  She worked with the chemist at Polyform to develop an artist’s color palette of clay colors. Later, Polyform took over the promotion and marketing of the clay and renamed it Premo Sculpey.  It was the first time Polyform had sold their clay materials to Art stores that could relate to the painters palette. Marie traveled all over the world for Polyform, promoting, educating, and selling Premo. It was a wonderful and symbiotic relationship for many years.  She also was active in writing 100′s of articles, books, trainings, and creating videos and TV spots for the public, magazines and in company literature.

Marie Segal

Marie is now working with Cernit polymer clay because she loves its color palette, consistency, finish, hardness, and the extreme durability after baking. The porcelain effect of the clay reminds her she has come full circle from working with ceramics. This change has expanded her creative abilities beyond her expectations and opened new areas that she believes might not have happened without the change.

Marie still makes, writes, sells, teaches, and operates several on line store with her husband, Howard, and spends as much time as possible with her grand children.  In her words, “my life is good!!!” To register for Marie’s workshop, download registration form here.

SEGAL - All Wired Up Samples

SEGAL - All Wired Up (Pre-Conference)

You’ll get wired as Marie teaches you to play with wire and learn some of her unique ideas for using wire with polymer clay. The workshop is geared primarily toward creating earring and findings, but you will also explore a plethora of techniques marrying wire and polymer clay to make your own mini pieces of art to wear, gift and sell.

Marie joins us this year as the 2012 Creative Pioneer and Innovator honoree.  Join her as she shares her years of experience with you.   To register for Marie’s workshop, download registration form here.

SEGAL- Unzipped Heart (4-hour workshop)

This will the first time Marie will be teaching these Unzipped hearts to anyone. You will play with design ideas and make an unzipped heart pendant.

SEGAL: Unzipped Heart 3

She will share with you all of her secrets and techniques for one of her most popular designs ever.  1. How to make and add the pendant bail. 2.Stamping the heart on both the front and the back at the same time and how to do with several methods. 3. Molding and making the zipper. 4. Adding the zipper to the pendant.  5. Finishing and detailing the pendant.

Come play with her and learn how to make these wonderful pendants with all the detail and finish them like she does. There will be a kit fee for this class TBA.  To register for Marie’s workshop, download registration form here.

CFCF 2012: SPOTLIGHT ON INSTRUCTOR KATHRYN JO OTTMAN

OTTMAN: Wavy and Fiber Style Bracelets

Kathryn’s artistic passions began at a very young age and have continued to grow over the years. She is a graduate from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in Business and a minor in Fine Arts. She began working with polymer clay in 2000 and has never stopped.  Her designs are one-of-a-kind and she has been teaching around the country and designing art jewelry and 2- and 3-dimesional artwork and sculptures for over 10 years.  She currently teaches at Glen Echo Partnership for Arts and Culture and Strathmore Mansion in Bethesda, Maryland. Her work is exhibited and sold at fine arts and craft shows and in shops and galleries around the country and has appeared in Niche, American Style, and Metal Arts magazines.  She is a former board member of the National Polymer Clay Guild and founder of Polymer Clay and Creative Arts Fests/Cabin Fever Clay Fest and the Central MD Polymer Clay Guild. She is also mother to a smart, handsome, beautiful little boy, Christian.  Visit her website here.  For additional information, please email Kathryn at Kathryn@kathrynottman.com.   To register for Kathryn’s workshop, download registration form here.

OTTMAN – Wavy and Fiber Style Bangles (4-hour workshop)

These lovely bangles are eye-catching conversation pieces.  Join Kathryn as she shares this technique for the first time.  Developed over 7 years ago, it uses polymer in a way that might surprise you.  The organic look and feel will take you on a journey to the rainforest, the ocean floor, and over the rainbow!  This class will only be taught once during the Fest, so be certain to register early.   NOTE: This workshop will only be taught once during CFCF 2012.   To register for Kathryn’s workshop, download registration form here.

 

CFCF 2012: EXCITING NEWS AND A REQUEST FROM INSTRUCTORS

We’ve recently received exciting news and a request from three of our CFCF 2012 Instructors. Please read entire post…thanks!

LEWIS - Painting With Fire Beads

Barbara Lewis, pre-conference instructor, released her new book “Torch-Fired Enamel Jewelry: A Workshop in Painting with Fire” earlier this year.  Her book has been named #1 Craft Book of 2011 at Amazon!  It’s quite amazing!  Read more about it here!

To learn more about Barbara’s class at CFCF and to register for her workshop, click here.

SCHWARZENBERG: One Cane Flowers

Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg has been named the recipient of the 2012 Excellence in Bead Artistry Award from Bead and Button!!  The award is only given to one person per year and it’s only been given to one other polymer clay artist…Nan Roche…BOTH of the recipients will be teaching at CFCF.  The award is underwritten by Shipwreck Beads and Lynne Ann will receive a $1,000 gift certificate.  Congrats, Lynne Ann!

To learn more about Lynne Ann’s class at CFCF and to register for her workshop, click here.

HAUNANI: Rainbow roll necklace

Finally, Lindly Haunani has been guest blogging on PCD and sent this special request for you all to take a few minute to complete an online survey.  The purpose is to get info on the polymer clay use in the community to send along to manufacturers, etc.

If you haven’t taken this survey- please do. If you already have taken this survey- please share with your polymer friends on Facebook, your blog, online polymer clay groups and personal email lists. Their goal is to have  over 500 people worldwide take this survey = individual voices heard as a group on these vital issues.  The link to the survey is here!    Lindly sends out special Kudos to Mags Bonham (who will be attending CFCF 2012!) who spear-headed the efforts to get this survey up and running.  And for additional comments or questions not included, go here.

To learn more about Lindly’s workshops at CFCF 2012 and to register find out more here.

Post your comments below as well…we want to know what you think!

CFCF 2012: SPOTLIGHT ON INSTRUCTOR LYNNE ANN SCHWARZENBERG

SCHWARZENBERG - One Cane Flowers

Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg stumbled upon polymer clay in 1991 and she’s been creating, teaching and designing ever since.  She bit off more than she could chew, going from marbled beads straight to figurines à la Maureen Carlson.  In 2001, she fell into the world of polymer clay guilds, and was delighted to find others who shared her obsession.  After exploring the worlds of caricature sculpture, faux materials, filigree, and even dollhouse miniatures for her daughter, she found her niche in millefiori floral caning and tile jewelry.

Lynne Ann has been teaching polymer clay to students young and old for over 12 years.  Her work has appeared in several publications and she has won a number of awards including Bead & Button magazine’s Bead Dreams competition, the Interweave Press Bead Arts Award, and the National Polymer Clay Guild’s Progress and Possibilities competition.  She sells her work in galleries and bead shows and through her website: www.riverpoetdesign.com.

And more exciting news from Lynne Ann… she was recently named as the recipient of the 2012 Excellence in Bead Artistry Award from Bead and Button Magazine.  This is a huge accomplishment as it is only awarded once a year and has only been given to one other polymer artist, Nan Roche, who is also teaching at CFCF 2012!  The award is underwritten this year by Shipwreck BeadsTM which will honor Lynne Ann’s achievements with a $1,000 gift certificate.  Now, don’t you really want to take Lynne Ann’s CFCF class???  To register for Lynne Ann’s workshop, download registration form here.

SCHWARZENBERG – One Cane Flowers (4-hour workshop)

Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg

There is often great beauty in simplicity. What could be simpler than a gorgeous flower created with just one simple but stunning and versatile cane?  Lynne Ann will teach students how to create, reduce, and slice her signature “brushstroke petal” cane.  Students will use their hands and various tools to shape and transform their petals.  Learn to construct a non-stick baking form for gentle curvature of the petals, creating a beautiful dimensional flower.  Lynne Ann will also cover a variety of options for flower centers and a pre-bake smoothing technique that virtually eliminates the need to sand.  Want a bit more pizzazz to your piece?  Students can swap a piece of their cane with another student for a two-color flower.  In class we will create pendants, but Lynne Ann will demonstrate a very strong and attractive way to add a pin back as well. To register for Lynne Ann’s workshop, download registration form here.

CFCF 2012: SPOTLIGHT ON INSTRUCTOR LINDA HESS

HESS- Belt Bonanza

This is Linda’s first time teaching at CFCF, although she has attended CFCF several times as a student.  She’s been working with polymer clay since 1994 after she bought a polymer item from an artist asked a lot of questions.  Shortly after, she went to a craft store to buy some clay and started on her polymer journey-she was hooked!
She currently teaches polymer clay classes to children in after-school groups in Virginia and to adults at local bead shops and bead shows.  She enjoys working with polymer clay and has never looked at it as “work.” Her work is available at craft shows, online, and through local shops. She describes her style as multi media and multi-dimensional and she sculpts, canes, quilts, paints, sews, works in paper and scrapbooks…truly a multi-faceted crafter.  She is married and has three (beautiful) children.  Welcome, Linda!

HESS – Belt Bonanza (4-hour workshop)

What is the best thing to complete an outfit?  Why the perfect accessory!  I have been creating belts for

Linda Hess

multiple years from polymer clay that have even the seasoned clayer amazed.  For this class I will teach a variety of techniques (texturing, painting, stamping, simple caning, etc) that can be turned into components for the perfect belt.  Not a fan of belts?  This class can still be for you!  All techniques can be incorporated into pendants, pins, bracelets, and earrings.  NOTE: This class will only be taught once during CFCF 2012.  To register for Linda’s conference workshop, download registration form here.

CFCF 2012: SPOTLIGHT ON INSTRUCTOR LINDLY HAUNANI

HAUNANI - IKat Leaves

LINDLY HAUNANI will be teaching both a pre-conference workshop and two 4-hour conference workshops at CFCF 2012.  Her work has appeared in more than fifty invitational and juried shows and was awarded the prestigious Niche Award in 2009.

Lindly is a founding member of the National Polymer Clay Guild and with Pierrette Ashcroft, co-authored “Artist’s at Work: Polymer Clay Comes of Age.”  Her latest book  “Color Inspirations“ was co-written with Maggie Maggio and  has become the color reference manual for the polymer community as well as for artists. She has produced several video workshops and been featured in numerous polymer and arts magazines.

She began teaching workshops in 1990 and continues to enjoy traveling to lecture and inspire artists.  Her passion for food and cooking provide a basis for her inspiration and is often expressed via color, construction techniques and form.  In addition to many private collections her work is part of the permanent collections of the Racine Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Newark Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Meinge International Museum in San Diego. She has a BFA, in Printmaking from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.

HAUNANI – Rainbow Ikat Leaves (Pre-conference)

Ikat, is the method of weaving that uses a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dye on either the warp or weft fibers. Ikat is also a fabulous pattern that can be made as a cane using polymer clay stripe blends. Learn how to make Lindly’s version of an Ikat blend cane that uses extruded elements to intensify value contrasts that will make your cane really “pop.

Strategies for designing your leaves, including contrasting vein patterns and outlining options will be demonstrated, along with suggestions on how to make your leaves more three dimensional.  To register for Lindly’s workshop, download registration form here.

HAUNANI – Rainbow Roll Necklace (4-hour workshop)

Join Lindly as she walks you through making a rainbow Skinner blend, with an emphasis on your favorite colors, which will be combined with a black and white stripe cane to make your personalized version of a Rainbow Roll Necklace.

Learn how to add impact to your work with increased color confidence while learning several valuable skills for working with polymer clay. You will learn strategies for designing and mixing cohesive color schemes, including how to choose a level of saturation within your comfort zone.  Strategies for intensifying, softening or muting your blend will be demonstrated, along with several options for forming your beads.

In addition to the basic supply list- please bring a set of Kemper circle cutters, four ounces of well- conditioned scrap clay and your two magical hands.

Lindly Haunani

To register for Lindly’s conference workshop, download registration form here.

CFCF 2012: SPOTLIGHT ON INSTRUCTOR NAN ROCHE

ROCHE - Leatherworking Tile

Nan has been working with polymer clay since the late ’80s and is the author of the very first book written on the subject, “The New Clay”. In Feb. 2010, she received the first, Creative Pioneer and Innovator Award.  She is bringing her years of experience and wonderful talent to the Cabin Fever Clay Fest again for the fifth year in a row.  She is one of the best and brightest … eager to share her experience with all.  Her work was recently showcased at the opening of Terra Nova at the RAM in Racine, Wisconsin along with other pioneers in the polymer world.

ROCHE - Chasing and Leatherwork with Polymer Clay (Pre-conference)

Nan Roche

Chasing is a metalworking technique that forms a raised or dimensional design by pushing down or compressing the metal, leather or polymer around the edges of an image, “raising” the image. The inspirations for this class are the techniques used in leatherworking, a form of chasing.  We will be creating a pendant or pin using chasing by transferring a design onto the clay surface. Then, using a variety of tools of many shapes and textures we will press down around the design, causing the design to be raised. We will experiment with layered clay using this technique and will also add details onto our raised images. We will be sanding and buffing to  a high shine with sandpaper or using 0000 steel wool to give a matte surface. I will also teach my approach to using rubber cording.  This class is suitable for all skill levels.

 To register for Nan’s workshop, download registration form here.