Do you ever get to that point where the mess and disorganization takes over and you can’t seem to get anything done in your studio. I was there . . . . right up against the wall! But in the process of ‘cleaning up’ I realized I had a bunch of scraps that were colorful and just too good to go into the mud pile.
It was a distraction from the goal of cleaning, but I went with the flow. I ended up creating three veneers from the scraps and cutting out some simple shapes . . . . probably earrings . . . . maybe just samples for ideas . . . . . maybe nothing.
Veneer #1 was a white background with circles placed all over but leaving a little white between them. I ran this through the pasta machine so that it was a smooth veneer, going in both directions so the circles were not too distorted. A couple of ovals were cut out and I really like how this veneer looks . . . . I think fun, whimsical, high energy. I had a larger piece leftover that I put with some light blue. It’s okay. Then I had scraps from the scraps that I pieced together . . . I appear to be in a triangle phase. Again I put it with some light blue . . . too much?!?

I really like the look of this pattern! A smaller portion of the pattern paired with a solid color. Scraps from the scraps pieced together and put with a solid color.
Veneer #2 was a dark rusty red and the same circles were placed up against one another to make a pattern of polygons. I didn’t think I liked this until I cut out two long pieces . . . . that could be earrings. I am really attracted to this, not sure why, but I am.


Veneer #3 was a bunch of little triangles I had that I pieced together. I loved the look of this . . . definitely my favorite!! The edge of the veneer was what caught my attention, so I cut out shapes focusing on the edges and backing them with black. I think this has some merit. Not sure where I am going with this but I like it . . . a lot. There was a center portion left. These two little pieces could be lovely little earring dangles. Then, of course there were scraps from my scraps that were pieced together. Again using triangles, but again . . . too much?!?

Edges of veneer create an abstract pattern on the black background. Possibly two little dangles for earrings. Seems a bit chaotic.
So while my little distraction was baking, I focused on clearing my work table. I have actually made some real progress!! Not enough to photograph and show you . . . . but enough for now (take my word for it)!
I find these little exercises very rewarding. I have no expectations, I am not trying to make finished or final pieces, so when something develops or leads to another idea . . . that’s a win! I hope you find some time to get distracted in your studio!!
Great idea, I’ll have to try that.
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These do look so great. I remember my friend Tory saying how often with polymer you just have to press on with the process before deciding if you like something. And often when the shape is cut and separated out it looks so much better than when it is just part of the slab. Thank you for sharing your process!
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