Announcing Our Second Quarter 2020 Member Appreciation Award Winner

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Category: Member Benefits Program Member Benefits Program

Polyform has generously extended our quarterly membership award prizes for 2020. The first quarter prize was randomly selected from our new and renewing members during that time period.

Meet Our 2020 Second Quarter Winner, Kathy McCurry:

 

Kathy tells us that her first polymer inspiration came from seeing Helen Briel’s work.  “…which intrigued me to find out what the heck her pendants were made from.  I bought some polymer clay and fell in love!  Just six months after discovering polymer clay, I had the opportunity to take two workshops with Helen Briel herself!  And of course, immediately joined the IPCA to find others who shared my new passion.  Everyone I’ve met has been so generous, encouraging and supportive, so thank you to the community.”

What Kathy loves about the Polymer medium: “The aspects of polymer that I love the most are its versatility and dimensionality.  Both of these characteristics provide unlimited potential for an artist to express her ideas.  I started with creating large shadowbox mixed-media pieces, then moved into bowls and for the past few years have re-imagineered botanicals in my ‘Fantastical Flower’ collection.  The journey has been exciting and rewarding, but it’s really the PC community that I treasure the most... What a thrill to learn I was the quarterly IPCA Member Appreciation winner.  Thank you!”

 

 Kathy has also received recognition for her work, which have provided her further encouragement. Recognition and awards include:  Emerging Artist in The Polymer Arts; work selected for Polymer Journeys 2019; 2^nd Place and Honorable Mention in international botanical art competition for Light, Space, Time; Artist of the month at local Heights Arts Gallery; two years juried into the American Craft Council shows.

 

Announcing Our First Quarter 2020 Member Appreciation Award Winner

Details

Category: Member Benefits Program Member Benefits Program

Polyform has generously extended our quarterly membership award prizes for 2020. The first quarter prize was randomly selected from our new and renewing members during that time period.

Meet Our 2020 First Quarter Winner, Phyllis Cahill

Phyllis Cahill began working with polymer in November 2015, after working for many years as a graphic designer and children's book illustrator.  Phyllis says: “Polymer captivated me from the beginning.  It's a wonderful, versatile medium, but initially I didn't find it easy to work with.  I did many tests to understand it better and overcome difficulties I was having.”  Phyllis has documented these tests on her blog, PolymerClayJourney.com.  

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Announcing Our Third and Fourth Quarter 2019 Member Appreciation Award Winners

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Category: Member Benefits Program Member Benefits Program

Polyform has generously extended our quarterly membership award prizes for 2019. The second quarter prize was randomly selected from our new and renewing members during that time period.

Meet Our 2019 Third Quarter Winner, Sandy Farber

Sandy has been working with polymer clay since the 1980s. She says that she was sucked in by all of the colors and what the clay could do. Sandy attended a couple of retreats and conferences (Ravensdale and Making History: Pushing the Craft of Polymer Clay in TN) and she fell in love again with the art and the people in the polymer clay community. Sandy says she likes learning new techniques, but she seems to always find her way back to canes and sculpting. Sandy hopes to someday start a guild in her area, to meet and create alongside likeminded artists.

See some of Sandy’s work here:

Meet Our 2019 Fourth Quarter Winner, Penni Jo Couch

Penni Jo’s history in polymer began at 39, Penni Jo says, “I had no idea I was a sculptor until I picked up a block of clay”. She spent the next 7 years as a stay-at-home mom, creating one-of-a-kind items from polymer clay.  She was hired in ’90 as a designer/sculptor by United Design Corp and was there for 15 years. Now, Penni Jo is retired but still keeping busy. Her designs and molds are now sold world wide. She travels occasionally to polymer clay retreats to demo and teach, and participate as a vendor. Some of you may know Penni Jo by her “Best Flexible Molds” brand, where Penni has created a line of flexible molds for use with polymer clay.This brand was birthed one weekend when Penni Jo wanted to make a pair of earrings to match her mother’s pendant, but did not want to sculpt two alike; so she sculpted one and created a push-mold to make a duplicate for the second earring. That little mold was the beginning of what became Best Flexible Molds.

See some of Penni Jo’s work here:

Announcing Our Second Quarter 2019 Member Appreciation Award Winner

Details

Category: Member Benefits Program Member Benefits Program

Polyform has generously extended our quarterly membership award prizes for 2019. The second quarter prize was randomly selected from our new and renewing members during that time period.

Meet our 2019 second quarter winner, Leigh Ross:

Leigh is well known for owning and operating the Polymer Clay Central website and forum. Her polymer work has been featured in the PolymerClay 2000 Calendar. Her polymer clay techniques and lessons are available at Polymer Clay Central. She has merged her two favorite mediums, polymer clay and silver into her jewelry pieces, and states on her Facebook page: “I love to make things with Polymer Clay and Sterling Silver along with a terrible obsession with Beads.”

Examples of Leigh's work:

Announcing Our First Quarter 2019 Member Appreciation Award Winner

Details

Category: Member Benefits Program Member Benefits Program

Polyform has generously extended our quarterly membership award prizes for 2019. The first quarter prize was randomly selected from our new and renewing members during that time period.

Meet our 2019 first quarter winner, Lyn Tremblay: Lyn has been working with polymer clay for about 12 years, but she says it took her 2 or 3 years to realize its value. When she began, she had been covering up the polymer, using it as a base to create assemblage pieces, embedding bits of old jewelry and found treasures into the polymer. Eventually, she began to discover the versatility of the polymer on its own. Lyn says that the more polymer clay she exposed, the more she fell in love with it. Lyn adds, "While I have benefited from many of the techniques so willingly shared by members of the polymer clay community over the years, every time I settle into my studio for a play session I look forward to what new discoveries might emerge. My friends laugh when I say I am waiting for the clay to speak to me...and it does! I do enjoy squishing, rubbing and scratching to create more rustic pieces. I will leave canework, sanding and polishing to others.” 

Examples of Lyn's Work

Read more: Announcing Our First Quarter 2019 Member Appreciation Award Winner

New Membership Appreciation Program for 2018

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Category: Member Benefits Program Member Benefits Program

The new year has brought many positive changes for the benefits offered to IPCA members. Starting with second quarter 2018, all new and renewing members will be entered in a polymer prize pack drawing, generously sponsored by Polyform Products.

Read more: New Membership Appreciation Program for 2018