31 August 2013

Papal Inspiration

Today's inspiration comes from an unlikely source far from the polymer clay community. Although it is about a religious figure, it is not about religion. It is about hope. My hope is that somewhere in it, you, too, find inspiration. The message comes from Pope Francis to a group of young people in Rome and I cannot think of a better mantra for us, whether we are seasoned polyclay artists or newcomers.
"Have courage. Go forward. Make noise."


Pope Francis poses with young people in the Church of Saint
Augustine in Rome on August 28, 2013.

Posted: Saturday 31 August 2013

(AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE)  Pope Francis has broken protocol once again, appearing with a puzzled look on his face in a "selfie" photo taken with a group of teenagers visiting the Vatican. The picture appeared on the Facebook page of one of the youngsters, who used it as his profile picture, and was going viral on social media on Saturday.

The picture comes in the same week that the Oxford English Dictionary included the word "selfie" to denote a self-taken photograph on a smartphone.

The young believers were part of a church group from northern Italy who met with the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics on Wednesday and were seen going up to him afterwards to take their photo. "There is no marketing behind these actions. The pope clearly likes being with people while his predecessor liked being with books," said Beppe Severgnini, columnist for the Corriere della Sera daily.


Read the full story: http://news.yahoo.com/first-papal-selfie-goes-viral-social-media-073930372.html
Image Credit: Yahoo
[Posted by Jeannie Havel]

15 August 2013

Illusionary Inspiration



http://img.gawkerassets.com/post/4/2012/03/illusion3.jpg
It's true. I am crazy for canes, so when I saw this example of an optical illusion this morning in the Huffington Post, it makes me wonder if a carefully built cane could provide the same visual effect. If successful, it would seem the clay is moving. Can you imagine that?










Image Credit: Huffington Post

[Posted by Jeannie Havel]