October 4 - 7, Pilsen (Czech Republic) We are happy to invite you to this year's Polymer Week, which will again take place in Pilsen in October this year. Last year more than one hundred clayers from all over the world came to Pilsen. We are excited that thanks to great feedbacks we can organize the event this year again. You can look forward to the new talented teachers who have never taught in the Czech Republic. And also to full-day, half-day and demo courses about new techniques and polymer projects.
INFORMATION ABOUT WORKSHOPS
FULL-DAY WORKSHOP 9AM - 6PM CZK 3 400 - 8 hours long + 3 hours for finishing - about more complex and difficult project - a tile will be prepared for each student for every workshop - sponsored clay for all - a huge goodie bag for each attendee - including a lunch - workshops will be translated into Czech, in case of students from abroad also from Czech into English - necessary to bring some smaller tools and materials (depends on the workshop) - free claying time until 8:30pm for finishing your projects
HALF-DAY WORKSHOP 9AM - 1PM, 2PM - 6PM CZK 850 - 4 hours long - about easier project - a tile will be prepared for each student for every workshop - sponsored clay for all - a huge goodie bag for each attendee - workshops will be translated into Czech, in case of students from abroad also from Czech into English - necessary to bring some smaller tools and materials (depends on the workshop)
5. 10. FRIDAY / PÁTEK
4. 10. THURSDAY / ČTVRTEK 14:00 - 18:00
9:00 - 13:00
14:00 - 18:00
OLGA LEDNEVA
MALGORZATA WAWRZYNCZAK
ALI KHALKHALI
HALF DAY CLASSES PŮLDENNÍ KURZY 9:00 - 13:00 14:00 - 18:00
RUSSIA
POLAND
IRAN
9:00 - 18:00
9:00 - 18:00
9:00 - 18:00
9:00 - 18:00
STÉPHANIE KILGAST
CLAIRE WALLIS
NIKOLINA OTRŽAN
MAGGIE MAGGIO
FULL DAY CLASSES CELODENNÍ KURZY 9:00 - 18:00
FRANCE
UK
CROATIA
USA
6. 10. SATURDAY / SOBOTA 9:00 - 13:00
14:00 - 18:00
7. 10. SUNDAY / NEDĚLE 9:00 - 13:00
14:00 - 18:00
HALF DAY CLASSES PŮLDENNÍ KURZY JAN MONTARSI USA
9:00 - 18:00
HANNI VIKTOROVÁ
IZABELA NOWAK
MAGGIE MAGGIO
9:00 - 18:00
9:00 - 18:00
9:00 - 18:00
CZECH REPUBLIC
POLAND
USA
9:00 - 13:00 14:00 - 18:00
FULL DAY CLASSES CELODENNÍ KURZY IZABELA NOWAK POLAND
OLGA LEDNEVA RUSSIA
BETTINA WELKER GERMANY
DELPHINE VIGNOBLE BELGIUM
9:00 - 18:00
FULL DAY CLASSES
STÉPHANIE KILGAST FRANCE
Inspired by natural forms, Stéphanie Kilgast from France grows colorful organic sculptures on human-made objects, celebrating the beauty of nature in a dialogue with humanity, questioning the lost balance between human activities and nature. Her work has been exhibited in America, Asia and Europe. She built her reputation and her sculpting skills around hyperrealistic miniature food sculptures. During this class, Stéphanie Kilgast will teach you how to stylized beetles that is half covered in various organic growth. The natural elements are inspired by corals and mushrooms, but also by differences between the life and death. You are going to learn more about color blending and composing. The final object will be either a tiny sculpture or transformed into jewelry, as you can choose what you like. This is going to be a fun class that is very free of choices because Stéphanie always encourages students to choose their own path when sculpting.
OLGA LEDNEVA RUSSIA
Olga Ledneva is a polymer clay artist from Russia. She fell in love with this material in 2011. Her work is colorful, natural and full of inspirational shapes. She is a representative designer of The Clay and Paint Factory and she often teaches international workshops in Europe and in Russia. She combines her creative working with the education of her two sons. During the Polymer Week, she will teach you lot of new exciting possibilities of this material. During the full day class, Olga Ledneva will teach you how to create brooches with a magnetic opening system in a bright combination of colors and patterns. You will learn how to make several patterns, how to combine them and how to use dierent tools and ways of making texture parts of the brooch. In the end, Olga will reveal you her secrets of using interesting components for putting together the whole jewel. During the class, you will have a time for exploring and experimenting with the project on your own, so you can bring your own ideas and make the project in your own style.
IZABELA NOWAK
POLAND
Izabela grew up in Poland and Austria and currently works in Berlin. Her work has always been similar to a jigsaw puzzle. Everything she does is composed of different parts. The whole piece gets its final form only in the end. Izabela’s focus areas are the result of experimenting with a multitude of techniques: jewelry design, illustrations and upcycling. On various trips and visits abroad, she was able to work and share inspiration with many designers around the world. During the Polymer Week, she is going to teach her brand new projects full of inspiration. In this workshop you will learn how to weave and combine polymer clay strips in a traditional and modern way. There are more than 30 design objects you will learn and get to try. We will start with simple and easy elements and then experiment with more complex, 3-dimensional structures that also build objects in different layers, with different colours and textures. The special characteristic of this technique is its lightness - with less clay, you will be able to construct jewelry of different sizes and all kinds of variations. This course is a play with colours, shapes and patterns.
DELPHINE VIGNOBLE BELGIUM
Delphine creates polymer clay jewelry for almost ten years. From a hobby, it became the main activity for her. In her small studio in the Belgian countryside, she develops her techniques, mostly about the imitation of materials. She loves precision work and she gives a lot of care for ďŹ nishing of her pieces. During the workshop on Polymer Week she will pass on all her secrets about imitation and minimalist style. Delphine will teach you a full-day project about Serendipity collection. During this class, you will focus on imitation of natural materials, like a wood and semi-precious stones. She will reveal you all secrets about minimalism style and a great novelty made with an extruder. Delphine will show you how to create all jewels with unalterable shine and translucence. You will have a chance to create pendant, earrings, and bangle and create your own collection in your favorite colors. This is going to be fun!
MAGGIE MAGGIO USA
Maggie Maggio is an architect, polymer artist and color educator living in Oregon, USA. She retired from architecture in 2015 and now focuses on guiding artists and designers in their explorations of the world of color. Maggie creates contemporary art and jewellery in polymer clay and believes polymer is perfect for her. Together with Lindly Haunani she also wrote a book about colors in polymer clay. Maggie combines her signature ColorWash technique with pinching polymer to create contemporary art jewelry that is inspired by snakes, flowering vines, and sea creatures. During this full-day workshop, you will first learn the secrets of natural color flow as you mix colors for blending into your snake. Then Maggie will demonstrate many varieties of the pinching techniques and guide you through the process of designing and making your choice of a neck piece or three bracelets using one or more of these techniques.
CLAIRE WALLIS UK
Claire is a self-taught British artist, well-known for her faux eects and huge complex canes. Caning is one of her favorite polymer techniques, she particularly enjoys the challenge of creating a painterly look through attention to detail and subtle shading. Claire has always been fascinated and inspired by nature. During the Polymer Week she will teach you how to create amazing comix brooches. Claire will be teaching a comic book inspired brooch in her full day class. This project combines her love of pop art with her favorite polymer clay technique, caning. During this class, Claire will show you how she uses a template to create her complex pictorial canes, how to create a lip cane and use various cutout, inlay and backďŹ lling techniques to form the front panel of the design. Also, she will explain and demonstrate several variations of shape, 3D layering, and cane design to encourage students to personalize their piece and create something unique.
BETTINA WELKER
GERMANY
Bettina is a graduated graphic designer and she works as a jewelry designer and polymer clay artist since 2003. Bettina wrote two books about polymer clay and she is also a co-founder of the German polymer clay guild. In her work, she always tries to feature the unique properties of polymer clay as an art material. As she loves teaching and the interaction with creative people, during the Polymer Week event she is going to teach you her brand new project with an interesting opening system. During this full-day class, Bettina Welker will teach you how to create cu bracelet with several interlocking rectangles, complemented by dierent layers form and snap clasp totally made of polymer clay. This an eye-catcher bangle is also very comfortable to wear. Bettina will feature her love for texture, pattern, geometry, and dimension. As usual, she will share with you interesting tips and tricks for working with the clay and she will try to teach you how to create the project with perfection including your own ideas.
NIKOLINA OTRŽAN CROATIA
Nikolina lives in Zagreb, Croatia and creates under her own brand named Orson. She dove into the world of polymer clay in the late 1990s. She was simply drawn to the range of colors and the potential to make things for herself. After a few starts and stops, she realized that she was very passionate about working with clay and quit her day job in sports to continue her exploration of the material. It proved to be the right decision. Her style is really unique, that’s also why Nikolina will come for the Polymer Week in October to teach you her brand new project. Nikolina’s full-day class will be all about organic hollow forms. You will have a chance to learn the making of pendants, which are very light, with a sophisticated modern design. Nikolina will show you how to make several types of these hollow beads and also different use of the technique itself. You will learn how to make minimalist colorful patterns, but also there will be a space for your own creativity. As usually, Nikolina will answer all your questions and inspire you with her amazing style of work.
HALF DAY CLASSES
OLGA LEDNEVA
RUSSIA
Olga Ledneva is a polymer clay artist from Russia. She fell in love with this material in 2011. Her work is colorful, natural and full of inspirational shapes. She is a representative designer of The Clay and Paint Factory and she often teaches international workshops in Europe and in Russia. She combines her creative working with the education of her two sons. During the Polymer Week, she will teach you lot of new exciting possibilities of this material. During this half-day class Olga will teach you amazing project about interesting 3D graphic polymer clay pendants. You will learn how to create a hollow part of the pendant and how to create several textured patterns which together form the whole pendant in a very contrast graphic style. Olga will show you how to make a very nice backside of the jewel and will try to inspire you with her very original way of claying.
MALGORZATA WAWRZYNCZAK POLAND
Malgorzata is a polymer clay hobbyist and owner of MOIKO brand. Her company was established in 2013. Since then she has been providing clients all over the world with silk screens for polymer clay. Polymer clay became one of the biggest adventures of her life right next to her family and she loves exploring possibilities of this material. During the Polymer Week she will teach you her original bracelet with colorful patterns. During this half-day class, Malgorzata will teach you her innovative bangles made from polymer clay using interesting silkscreen techniques. She will show you how to make these patterns with different mediums like pastels, powders, acrylic paints. You will learn how to create the base for the whole bangle and the shape with holes. Malgorzata will present you her new silkscreen templates so you will have a chance to try her new design as first. In the end, you will apply all patterns on the bangle and get to know how to finish it clean and precious.
MAGGIE MAGGIO USA
Maggie Maggio is an architect, polymer artist and color educator living in Oregon, USA. She retired from architecture in 2015 and now focuses her time on guiding artists and designers in their explorations of the world of color. Maggie creates contemporary art and jewellery in polymer clay and believes polymer is perfect for her. Together with Lindly Haunani she also wrote a book about colors in polymer clay. Maggio will demonstrate her own amazing ColorWash technique during this half day class. You will explore all possibilities of her technique, including colors mixing and making at beads. She will inspire you with her thinking about claying and will show you the whole process of making a necklace made from several beads with patterns inspired by nature. Maggie will talk about compositions, combinations of dierent patterns and creating of this wonderful project in your own way including your personal style.
JAN MONTARSI
USA
Jan Montarsi has been working with polymer clay for ten years. An avid polymer clay enthusiast and experimenter he has been published in polymer clay magazines and has shared tutorials on a lot of websites. Jan is also a former IPCA Americas board member and a member of his local Guild near Cincinnati Ohio and shares his ideas in the clay community. At the Polymer Week, he will teach you sparking effects using extrusion and as well as some of his novel bail making ideas. In this class, we will explore the use of extruded strings of mica clays for soft glowing designs and sparkling effects. Jan will first show you expanding the limited color palette of available mica clays into a larger spectrum making custom colors not available. He will show you several projects with incredible patterns using translucent which explores the use of translucent and pearlescent mica clays extruded strings. He will reveal you some secrets about using scrap clay for your creations and you will get to know how to create the easy back size of your pendants and how to finish your pieces with delicate sanding for amazing shine.
IZABELA NOWAK POLAND
Izabela grew up in Poland and Austria and currently work from Berlin. Her work has always been similar to a jigsaw puzzle. Everything she does is composed of different parts. The whole piece gets its final form only in the end. Izabela’s focus areas are the result of experimenting with a multitude of techniques: jewelry design, illustrations and upcycling. On various trips and visits abroad, she was able to work and share inspiration with many designers around the world. During the Polymer Week, she is going to teach her brand new projects full of inspiration. Izabela Nowak will teach you an incredible project called Slice up during her half-day workshop. She combines all circle elements in a special way to create interesting patterns of these 3D objects. She will reveal you all of her secrets and inspire you with her accuracy. Characteristic is the modern design and the lightness of this project. Be sure, you will love it!
HANNI VIKTOROVÁ CZECH REPUBLIC
Hanni is originally from Slovakia, but since her childhood, she has lived in the Czech Republic. She studied eye optic and economics, but with polymer clay she creates for more than eight years. Clay makes her satisfied and fulfilled. She takes inspiration from the present mood, nature and things surrounding her. She loves to combine and mix original shades of colors and she likes the complete and precise job. Hanni thinks that from polymer clay you can create absolutely anything, that’s why she is so fond of polymer clay. During the class with Hanni, you will learn an interesting project named On the wave of colors. You will create elegant geometric brooch or pendant in different variations. Hanni will show you her way of choosing and combining colors to use them also in next projects. Also three simple, but ingenious techniques which are connected into one harmonic piece. They add a plasticity and move into the jewel and combination of colors and techniques will bring playfulness and variability. Interesting detail about the project is its lightness. During this workshop, you will focus on the precision, details and clean design.
ALI KHALKHALI IRAN
Ali’s fascination with clay was started in kindergarten. Later on, in 2005 he got his first share of joy from polymer clay and it was a shifting point in his career as a graphic designer. As he says, it was like the discovery of fire by a caveman. Finally in 2012, Ali and his brother Mousa, established “Khamirestan” to share their experience and their art with the whole world. Khamirestan means “Clay Land” in Persian. In this half day class with Ali and his brother Mousa you will explore the creative world full of amazing sculpture designed from polymer clay. You will get to know how to create a standing figurine or smaller characters you can choose as a brooch or any kind of jewel. Ali and Mousa will show you how to make them in caricature style, but still very realistic, because their artworks are known by the extra attentions which is payed to details. Also you will have a chance to join their team of Khamirestan brand. This class is going to be a fun!
ENTERTAINMENT
LC Store During the whole event you will have a chance to buy clay tools and products.
Polymer clay art products for sale It will be possible to buy jewellery and creations from the teachers.
Rae Last year we donated together more than 800 EUR to children house Ledce in Prague. This time we will help again people, who need it.
Clay party Party, rae and snacks will be organised for teachers and students on the Saturday evening.
Photo wall Would you like to keep your memories from the Polymer Week event? You will have a chance to print photos from the event taken by a professional photograph.
VENUE
University of West Bohemia Library, Pilsen, Czech Republic Pilsen is an amazing city in the Czech Republic full of history, great places and events, not far away from Prague (capital). We know the clay event will be a gateway to entice new people to have a look at a place where so many clayers work with polymer clay. That’s why the University of West Bohemia Library has been selected as the ideal location for this event. Fascinating open space will be a background for clayers, including lounge areas, cafÊ with tasty refreshments, canteen, plenty of parking places, and a calm atmosphere.
ACCOMMODATION
PARHOTEL CONGRESS CENTER PLZEŇ Fourstar hotel in Pilsen. Fully equipped rooms with WIFI, TV, minibar and safe, accommodation including breakfast, free entry to fitness or outdoor pool and parking. The price list below is for min. 2 nights. Single room - 1350 CZK / night Double room - 1600 CZK / night (800 CZK / night per person) Use a coupon code PW2018 and get these prices during your registration on the hotel website. Make sure to enter the code in the note field.
VENUE
PARKHOTEL
LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU IN OCTOBER!
www.polymerweek.com