Some New Work...and a workshop pendant

I've finally photographed the pendant I did in Kathleen Dustin's workshop in October...she is such a lovely, gracious woman...it was a total pleasure to learn from her. It's easy to tell which one is that pendant....it has the layers of color and pattern that is her signature...it was a joy to create and I've learned so many invaluable lessons...even things as simple as the proper temperature to bake Premo at(285 degrees)...and how to use a heat gun to get really good transparency....using prismacolor markers and pencils on baked clay.....so many things that I never knew...thanks so much, Kathleen...you've done more to advance the acceptance of polymer clay as a valid art/craft medium than anyone else I can think of....I'm so glad I had the chance to take your workshop...

So now what? lol...In the weeks I've been back I've gone round and round trying to figure out (still)what it is that makes me passionate about polymer clay...and what direction to go in..

I've had several false starts and got to that place where I felt like I was up against a wall creatively....it's not so much that I don't have any ideas....it's that I have so many that I don't know which is the real me...you know? So I've done what I try to remember to do when I hit that wall....walk away and do something else....so the hallway has been painted and I even have groups of framed pieces lying on the floor to be put up when the mood strikes me...and during that time several things seemed to come to the surface.

I've always loved black...with lots of colors...so I'm playing around with that...here are two pieces I've done to start....

I also want to figure out how to incorporate some wonderful things I learned in the workshop...but that's for later...for now...this is sort of fun all by itself....