Presenters

Gwen Bernecker

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Feb. 24–27, 2010
Baltimore, Maryland
At the Tremont Plaza Suites Hotel and Historic Venue

Structural forms and intricate textures are the hallmarks of Gwen Bernecker’s award winning Two Olives Studio jewelry designs. Formally educated in architectural design and engineering, she focuses her time now on wearable architecture. Her work has been featured in Art Jewelry, Lapidary Journal, Craft and PMC Studio and “PMC Decade”. She teaches jewelry classes both nationally and locally. Two Olives jewelry is sold at juried galleries, shows and online at www.twoolivesstudio.com. Gwen lives in Chester County, Pennsylvania with her husband, children and “Toby” the German Short Haired Pointer.

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About the IPCA

Maureen CaRlson

Maureen Carlson has been making art with polymer clay since 1979, first as a working artist, then as a teacher, author, designer, consultant, tool developer, Storyclay Teller and retreat center owner and facilitator. You may have purchased one of her What a Character Push Molds, laughed along with her on the Carol Duvall Show on HGTV or enjoyed her character collectibles, such as Sister Folk and Friar Folk, which are licensed into the gift market through Abbey Press. She has taught on the national scene since 1991, with her current home base being Maureen Carlson’s Center for Creative Arts, in Jordan, MN.

DAN CORMIER

Dan Cormier is an artist, teacher, explorer, and inventor. While studying illustration and interior design in the early ‘90s, he discovered polymer clay, and quickly became enchanted by the limitless potential of this new art medium. His work has appeared in international juried shows, several books and magazines, and is owned by collectors around the world. Dan now devotes much of his time to sharing his discoveries with others. As a teacher, he’s traveled extensively throughout North America, as well as to England, Spain, France, Korea, Japan, and Israel. He and his partner Tracy Holmes also host intimate polymer clay retreats near their home on Canada’s West Coast. In 2005, they established The Cutting Edge, a line of their own original precision tools and techniques designed and developed specifically for polymer clay. Together they’re working hard to help other artists realize their creative ambitions and push their young medium to new heights.

ROBERT DANCIK

Robert Dancik holds a Masters degree in sculpture from Northern Illinois University, and a BA in fine art from Adelphi University. He has been an artist/teacher for more than 30 years and is presently an adjunct professor of education at Pace University. Robert has taught people from kindergarten to graduate school while exhibiting his jewelry and sculpture in museums and galleries across the US and in Europe, Japan, and Australia. He teaches workshops at art centers in the US and abroad including Penland, NC; Arrowmont, TN; Victoria College of Art, Australia; Brookfield Craft Center, CT; and Mid Cornwall School of Jewelry (UK) to name a few. His work is in numerous collections including the Wustum Museum of Art, Boeringer- Ingleheim International, Schamberger International, Mitsubishi International, Japan and the Gregg Museum of Art and Design. Robert is the originator of Faux Bone™, a new, wonderful material for artists involved in jewelry, artist’s books, sculpture, and many other artistic disciplines. His book Amulets and Talismans: Techniques for Making Meaningful Jewelry is published by Northlight Books He lives in Lostwithiel, Cornwall, UK where he teaches, is an avid cook (I didn’t say good) and collector of toys, maps, and compasses.

Jeffrey Lloyd Dever

Jeffrey Lloyd Dever holds a BS degree in Fine Art from Atlantic Union College, 1976. He is founding partner and creative director of Dever Designs and its FreshArt illustration subsidiary in Laurel, MD. Jeff has served on the contract/adjunct faculty of Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland for 20 years, where he taught illustration and graphic design. He is much sought after as an instructor and enjoys sharing his pioneering techniques with others as often as his schedule allows. His polymer clay vessels, jewelry and sculptural objects have been shown in many national invitational exhibitions, and his works are represented in numerous private collections, galleries and museums.

DAYLE DOROSHOW

Dayle Doroshow is a mixed media/ polymer clay artist and owner of design studio Zingaro, Stamp of Distinction. She trained in traditional ceramics in New York City and sold her pottery in Greenwich Village shops. She continued with the study of BookArts through the California Crafts College and San Francisco Center for the Book. Her jewelry and handcrafted books can be seen at art shows on the West Coast. Dayle enjoys teaching and sharing the creative process in workshops across the United States and in France. Her work can be seen at www.dayledoroshow.com

KATHLEEN DUSTIN

Currently living in New Hampshire, Kathleen Dustin has had wonderlust from an early age and spent her junior year of college abroad in Beirut, Lebanon in 1971-72 where she first became acquainted with polymer clay. After receiving her MFA in ceramic sculpture from Arizona State University in 1979, her art profession developed in conjunction with a somewhat nomadic lifestyle primarily because of her husband´s business career which enabled them to live in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Washington, D.C., Houston, and to travel extensively throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Kathleen´s ability to travel to and live in exotic places required that she work in a 3-D medium more easily transportable than ceramics and polymer clay became her primary artistic mode. She has been working with it since the early 1980s and had to develop many of her own techniques. She is well known as a pioneer of fine craft in polymer clay, has been a juror for numerous national shows, and recently curated the exhibit “Sculpting Color: Works in Polymer Clay” for the Fuller Craft Museum in Massachusettes. Kathleen maintains a busy juried show schedule throughout the year and teaches around the U.S. and in Europe.

Louise Fischer Cozzi

A rare native Brooklynite, Louise Fischer Cozzi trained as a graphic designer but left that field after two years to pursue dollmaking and fiberarts. In 1991, a Threads magazine button article drew her to polymer clay for its versatility and immediacy. Since then, her jewelry and objects have appeared in books and publications, and she has earned many awards. Cozzi has been participated in wholesale and juried craft shows since 2000. Her jewelry is now sold in numerous galleries and museum shops, nationally and abroad. Also a longtime art teacher, she has focused on polymer workshops for the past 10 years. The Italian Lake District is the site of her annual summer workshop as well as her summer home.

Tamara Honaman

Tamara Honaman is a jewelry designer working in a wide variety of media for the past 15 years. She works with Fire Mountain Gems & Beads, writes jewelry making projects for books and international and national magazines, created and hosted a full-length Art Clay DVD, has appeared on the television series “Beads, Baubles & Jewels” and “Jewelry Making,” teaches jewelry making at international and national jewelry shows, is a certified PMC and Senior Art Clay instructor, and is the Founding Editor of Step by Step Beads.

LINDLY HAUNANI

Lindly Haunani has over eighteen years of experience as a polymer clay workshop leader and has taught hundreds of workshops ranging from three hour seminars to week long residential intensives. Her work has appeared in over sixty Invitational and juried shows. She is one of the founding members of the National Polymer Clay Guild, co-author of two books= Artists at Work and Polymer Clay Color Inspirations, and the star of several how-to videos When not fantasizing about being a food stylist, a stand-up comic or a fabric designer...she can be found traveling around the country to teach workshops while belly laughing. She is best known for her sensitive use of color and gentle and empowering teaching style.

LORETTA LAM

Loretta Lam's art resume includes a BFA in gold and silversmithing from SUNY New Paltz. She took post-graduate drawing and painting classes plus a number of craft workshops and retreats. Then, about a decade ago, she found polymer clay. She became so passionate about it, she started teaching four years ago. Teaching credits include children’s programs and camp, Adult Ed, local art centers, Brookfield Craft Center, The Art School at Old Church and Snow Farm.

ALISON LEE

Alison Lee, host of the popular online radio show, CRAFTCAST™, has been a ‘maker’ since learning how to knit at her grandmother’s side, nurturing a life-long love affair with handcrafts that would make her Nannie proud. CRAFTCAST™ began four years ago when Lee, armed with a passion for all things handmade, the gift of gab, a keen ability to put people at ease and a warm sense of humor, began interviewing artists, crafters and individuals engaged in the business of art, posting the radio interviews on her blog. Ms. Lee, who left a successful career as a creative director to pursue her dream of inspiring other ‘makers’, is a pioneer in the world of online talk shows. People around the world are listening, downloading more than 400,000 CRAFTCAST™ episodes since the radio show’s inception! Lee’s interviews keep crafters inspired and connected to their creative cycles, complete with her weekly sign-off that affectionately reminds listeners to “get your butt in the chair and keep crafting!”

MAGGIE MAGGIO

Maggie Maggio is an artist and architect whose passion for color is woven into every part of her life. Her experience playing with color and teaching color workshops around the country led to a new way of looking at color; a way she calls “Smashing Color.” Her work is featured in numerous books and her blog is followed by artists all over the world. In 2009 she published her first book, co-authored with Lindly Haunani, Polymer Clay Color Inspirations.

BARBARA McGuire

Barbara McGuire is an artist whose diverse talents reflect a strong influence of traditional design incorporating innovative materials. She has written 10 books on art instruction, developed canes, templates, stamps, and molds independently and for companies such as EberHard Faber and Polyform. Barbara appeared over 25 times on the popular Carol Duvall show and was formerly Brand Manager for Art Alternatives, Mabef, Letraset and Stabillo products distributed nationally by MacPhersons. Currently she is producing WOMAN Creative, a publication focusing on design instruction. Barbara lives in Buford, Georgia and teaches throughout the country at shows, stores and in her home studio.

LAURIE MIKA

Laurie Mika is a mixed-media artist with a passion for combining and overlapping a variety of mediums creating an original style of mixed-media mosaics using handmade polymer clay tile. Laurie’s background in painting is evident in her mixed-media works influenced by medieval and Renaissance art. The gilded devotional panels of the past become secular icons imbued with personal narratives. Art and folk traditions referenced in her work derive from her travels and experiences of living abroad, (East Africa). The highly embellished surfaces, including segments of text, form sumptuous tapestries of traditional and modern materials. Like a modern-day alchemist tinkering with the ancient art of mosaics, Laurie finds magic in combining disparate elements.

WENDY H. OUTLAND

Wendy H. Outland (“WHO”) graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design; arts administrator since 1981. Experience: Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota (1981-1985); Florida’s Division of Cultural Affairs, Tallahassee (1985-1991) - directed the state’s public art program and Capitol Exhibition Program. Manager of Blue Spiral 1 (Asheville, 1991-2003); during that time, it grew to become one of the Southeast’s premier galleries. She now operates WHO KNOWS ART (www.whoknowsart.biz), consulting with artists, galleries and arts organizations and serving as curator, editor, grants panelist, workshop presenter and project coordinator.

LISA PAVELKA

Lisa Pavelka has worked professionally as an artist for over 25 years. She is the successful developer of her own product line distributed worldwide - for clay and crafting - through JHB International, as well as an award winning author and artist. Lisa and her work regular appear in publication and on television. She teaches both technique and business classes throughout the world. In addition, she is a Senior Level Art Clay Silver Instructor, an Ambassador for CRYSTALLIZED - Swarovski Elements, and works as a free-lance designer for numerous corporations in the creative industry.

NAN ROCHE

Nan Roche was a founding member of the National Polymer clay guild, an organizer of the first Shrinemont polymer retreat and one of the organizers of the Muse polymer clay conference at Bryn Mawr college. Nan is the author of the influential book "The New Clay". Written in 1991, it was the first comprehensive book written about polymer clay. She teaches widely, occasionally writes journal articles, and has been featured in two video tapes as well as taken part in two TV shows. She participates in invitational gallery shows and works on her own artwork when she can. She works full time as a laboratory manager for a large research lab at the National Institute of Health. She is supported and cared for by her husband John Bender and her many furred and feathered companions

SETH L. SAVARICK

Seth Lee Savarick has spent his life pursuing creative endeavors. He has had careers as a professional modern dancer, food stylist, graphic artist and now as a studio Jeweler. He found polymer clay in 1993 but after dabbling with it for a few years moved on to devote his full attention to other pursuits. In 2001 he began working with polymer again and now spends most of his time creating polymer jewelry and personal ornament. As a teacher, Seth has taught art and design courses at The Parsons School of Design, The Corcoran School of Art, The Maryland Institute College of Art. and the Barnsdale Art Center. He has taught at many international polymer clay conferences including, Ravensdale 2006, and Synergy 1 and is a featured artist in Lark Book’s The Art Of Jewelry: Polymer Clay. In addition to teaching, he sells his work through a number galleries, and fashion boutiques in his home town of Los Angeles and nationally at various fine craft shows.

Sarah Shriver

After graduating with an art degree from UC Davis, Sarah Shriver headed to San Francisco to begin working in a fabric and art supply store. There, she first encountered polymer clay and began a small button manufacturing business. She became engrossed in the medium, quit her job and shifted her energy into becoming a full time studio artist. For just over 20 years, she has been working on new ways of expressing old ideas on color and pattern and teaching to students all over the world.

Carol Simmons

Trained as a botanist and ecologist, Carol Simmons has worked as a scientist for most of her life while pursuing art interests on the side. She discovered polymer clay about 15 years ago and within 2 years she was teaching classes. Her jewelry reflects her passion for nature and color. Each new series of pieces derives from an exploration of color combinations she hasn’t worked with before. Many of the themes are botanical, influenced by the hundreds of hours she spent examining plants in nature and under a microscope. Landscapes and seascapes are another source of ongoing inspiration. Because each of her pieces is unique, the production process is one of continual discovery.

Cynthia Tinapple

Cynthia Tinapple takes a global approach to polymer clay. Her daily blog, polymerclaydaily.com, looks at examples of what's newest, quirkiest, wildest...or just most interesting every day. The blog has created a larger, more cohesive community that connects and gets news of fellow artists online. Cynthia has worked in polymer clay since the late 1980’s. In the early ‘90s, Cynthia edited the newsletter for the National Polymer Clay Guild. She is an honorary member of both her local Columbus, Ohio guild and the international guild. She continues to experiment and produce her own work as well as collaborating with her woodturner husband, Blair Davis. Together they create award-winning wooden vessels inlaid with polymer clay.

Ronna Weltman

Ronna Sarvas Weltman is the author of Ancient Modern: Polymer Clay and Wire Jewelry. She is a Contributing Editor to Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine, and writes about polymer clay products and trends for Step by Step Beads magazine. Her work has also appeared in Art Jewelry, Bead Style, Lapidary Journal/Jewelry Artist, and Wire Artist Jeweler magazines, as well as jewelry-making books.  She teaches polymer clay and wire techniques classes that focus on helping students find their own voice in art jewelry.

Elise Winters

Elise Winters is an art jewelry designer who has worked for the last 15 years to promote polymer as a recognized medium for fine craft. She is the founder and editor of www.polymerartarchive.com, a site documenting the evolution of polymer art. She is also the mastermind of the Polymer Collection Project, dedicated to placing polymer works in the permanent collections of major craft museums.

Bruce W. Pepich

Bruce W. Pepich is Executive Director and Curator of Collections for the Racine Art Museum as well as the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts in Racine, Wisconsin. He has served on the staff at Wustum since 1974, becoming its Director in 1981. In the 1990s he assembled one of the most significant contemporary craft collections in the nation. He opened RAM in 2003 in downtown Racine as home to this collection. In addition, he maintains the museum’s original focus in works on paper. Pepich curates exhibitions of contemporary art, is a published writer on art and artists and has served as a juror for over 50 national and international art competitions. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee.

Steven Ford & David Forlano

Steven Ford's and David Forlano's artistic collaboration began 25 years ago when They met in Rome, Italy during a year abroad program through Tyler School of Art. Immediately They were intrigued by some essential differences in their approach to painting and this led to heated debates. They liked how their differences challenged their own thinking. As a way to learn from each other, they started trading half-finished drawings and paintings, and working their individual ideas into them. They discovered that this kind of “swapping” has become an essential element in their collaboration. After years of working side by side, David moved to Santa Fe in 2005. Steve has tables in their Philadelphia studio with half-finished brooches. Steve sends them to David’s Santa Fe studio where he continues to develop them before sending them back to Philadelphia. While David’s strength has always been to push color, pattern and surface in new directions, Steve is constantly fascinated by three-dimensional structures and how things fit together mechanically. Throughout their collaboration, they have often looked to nature for inspiration. In seed clusters, shell formations, and flower buds, for instance, there are carefully organized parts which are arranged beautifully and made up of numerous, seemingly identical, but unique units. These exquisite structures have lead them into new ways of envisioning a necklace, for example, both three-dimensionally and texturally. Many of their brooches are like a collection of fragments. Not necessarily of literal fragments (say, like shards of pottery) but more like “conceptual fragments,”– like a piece of music, a chapter from a story, an ingredient from a cuisine, or an element of a language. At some point, however, they let the references subside a bit and allow the color, abstract patterns and form to lead them. The work feels complete to them when the balance of elements – abstract and imagistic -- comes into focus in some unusual way. The viewer, on the other hand, is free to gather his/her own impression of these suggested images. Steve grew up in the Midwest, and studied art in St. Louis, Rome and Philadelphia. He has been a full time studio artist for the past twenty years. He lives in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, with his partner of fifteen years. David is originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia. He graduated from Tyler School of art as a painter. In addition to his long time business collaboration in jewelry, he also continues artistic explorations in sound and most recently, video. David got married in 2006 and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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