The other day, a friend of mine pointed out a request on Etsy for raw clay canes. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the term, Caneworking was originally a glassworking technique for making complex designs.(1) Canes are long "snakes" of clay that have pictures running through them, so that when you slice them, each cross-section shows the design. They have several uses, such as to create several beads with the same design, to create a repeating pattern on an object, or simply to show detail in a sculpture.
I am very new to caning. Until now, the giraffe cane was my masterpiece, and I thought it was darn good. Then I tried to make canes for the Etsy request, and the buyer clued me in to a website that made me feel very inadequate, but also inspired me. PolymerClayCentral.com has amazing techniques, tips and ideas for anyone considering working with clay. My clay skills have probably doubled since discovering it. The canes above are my pre-PolymerClayCentral attempts, and the hibiscus below is my first cane after perusing the website. Things seem to be getting steadily better. I'll put up some new pictures soon, provided the plague is defeated...
(1) Jeanne A. E. DeVoto. The Polymer claySpot. Jeanne A. E. DeVoto, 1996-97. Web. 18 March 2010 . <http://www.jaedworks.com/clayspot/polyclay-faq/caning.html>
So THAT's what they are! Those are so cool. Don't you love all the great info that's out there to help you excel at your chosen crafts? Your giraffe is terrific and so is the hibiscus. Very impressive.
ReplyDeletewow. you're fast! I don't even think you got to read the final version of this post! I put it up and then read it and realized I wanted to re-word a few things... like who should get credit for finding the etsy request... and how to spell giraffe... :D I'm glad you like them. :) I'm having a great time with them.
ReplyDeleteMaren - The hibiscus is beautiful! the other canes don't seem half bad either (grin)
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