What's New
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 | Goldback Fern My Goldback Fern texture sheet is back in stock. This lovely Sierra native shows up with the winter rains and is gone when the soil dries. The first growth this year was damaged by an unusually heavy snow. I had to wait for a second growth. | |
 | Gallery Work This is my entry in the 'Synergy 2' exhibit, Exploring Connections. I was not able to attend the IPCG conference, but this little ( 5 1/2" x 4") basket was there. The exhibit chairperson, Marcia Laska, did a wonderful job of communicating, encouraging and planning. The IPCG is selling a catalog of the exhibit. Click here for the link:
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| I am a member of The Great Basin Basketmakers guild. The guild has a bi-annual exhibit 'Interwoven' at the Nevada State Museum. I've submitted these baskets. It's juried, so I will have to wait to see if they both get in. (actually there is a third one, a little lauhala pouch, slightly different proportions). It is a diverse group of basketry, 2010 will be our third show at the Museum. I love this show, and am always very excited to have a piece at the Museum. It is a beautiful exhibit. Basketry has such a history in this area. Our guild slogan says it all, 'Continuing 10,000 years of Basket Arts'.
The opening reception is the evening of March 25, 2010 at the Nevada State Museum, 600 North Carson Street, Carson City, Nevada
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| New Texture sheets
I've moved the information on my new texture sheets to my Real Textures page. You will find Lava Rock, Sea Urchin, Grass Cloth, Wood Block 4, Wood Block Five, Wood Block Six and River Sand there. Note:
You may notice a slight change in my new texture sheets. The mold compound I use has changed it's formula. The texture sheets made with the new silicon are darker green.
There are advantages in this change. The compound is firmer. This gives very crisp impressions, with better detail. I love the impressions, but do miss the easy release of the soft buttery old formula.
You still will not need a release agent unless you are using a very soft, gooey, clay. Please test with a small bit of clay, there are differences. You can scrub the texture sheets with a brush, dish soap and water if they get dirty. I have tried several other mold compounds, and this is still the best and strongest I can find.
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A few words about my texture sheets:I make each one of these individually, by hand, one at a time. Each one is molded from the actual object. Yes, I do sit out in the woods. I mix and sheet RTV silicon, then press it into the one special ancient fallen tree that has the best spot to take a mold of the subtle texture I call 'Weathered Wood'. For the textile block patterns, I make each one from the actual hand carved wooden block. Most of these blocks are not perfect, they have areas of wear or damage. I like this, I feel it gives them character and complexity. If you look at the 'Examples' page of 'Wood Block Two', you will see what I am talking about. This gives my texture sheets a very different effect than a mass produced rubber stamps or plastic texture sheets. Rubber stamps have either IN, or OUT. My texture sheets are that, 'Texture', whole mini-mountain ranges of variable depth. Even my sheets made from the textile blocks have variable depth. Look at those soft pillow shapes between the carvings, nice. I use a high quality, commercial, RTV silicon mold compound. These are thin, approximately 2mm, strong, flexible sheets. You can wrap them around your finger to impress just a small area or edge. They are thin enough to go through most pasta machines with a sheet of clay. They are silicon. You do not need a release agent. Things don't stick to them. This is wonderful and will spoil you. I love these texture sheets, I think you will too! This pendent is made is with 'Wood Block Four'. I'll add 'think of better names' to my 'to do' list.
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 | ATC Swap Here are my cards for a local 'Artist Trading Card ' swap. They are made from two layers of polymer clay, plain white on one side, a decorative layer on the other side, and about 2.5mm thick. The fronts are painted. I used a Sharpie Poster Paint pen to do the outlines. The bugs are painted with acrylic paints, thinned to translucent with medium, and mixed with PearlEx to give them a nice buggy irradiance.
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 | The backs are done in a mica shift or texture sheet mokune gane. The olive green ones are mica shift. The top row, left, is a texture sheet I am still working on getting right, Sea Urchin. Middle row, right is Wood Block Four, and bottom row center is Shingle Cracked Growth Ring. The blue and yuck mokume gane are, top row Desert Sandstone, middle row Shingle Cracked Growth Ring, and bottom right, Sea Urchin. The teal blue ones are a three layer mix of Premo Blue Pearl, Green Pearl, and some scrap. I like using the metallic clay in a mokume gane, you get both color change and mica shift. It's hard to remember these are flat,. The sense of depth is just an illusion. Top row is Dark Side Wood, middle row center is Growth Ring, and bottom row left in Lava Rock. | |
 | Links and Info I should probably set up a links page, but I never seem to find the time to update my web site...so until then here are some links: Marie Segal has a great tutorial for sale on making bracelets. She had some great bracelets at Sandy Camp, one with my Lauhala my texture sheet: My local guild Clayville California , web site has new pictures on the 'members page': Thanks to Julie Picarello and Maureen Thomas for all their work for the guild.
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