Thank you to Coby, who has written about another of her visits to talented polymer clay artists. Her new article on meeting Margaret Gordon is available to BPCG members here.

Synergy 3 – Call for Submissions

The International Polymer Clay Association (IPCA) has called for submissions for the Synergy 3 conference, which will take place in March 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia USA. The conference includes seminars and talks on design, business and technique, guest speakers, workshops and the opportunity to showcase and sell your work. With the theme of “seeking higher ground”, organisers are inviting artists to submit proposals for the seminars and talks. 

The line up and dates for a European clay weekend happening in  France this year have been announced. Euro Clay Carnival France will run from 1st - 4th November, 2012 in Verneuil sur Seine, near Paris. Instructors include Donna Kato and Bettina Welker. Take a look at Les Art Gil website for more info http://www.lezartgil.org/?p=6689 

Thank you to Penny Vingoe, who has put a report of her most recent clay day here on the (members-only) section of the website.

If you live in Wales and want to join in the fun, please check the Wales branch page here.

BPCG member Penny Vingoe (who was so impressed with polymer clay she started up her own company 'Clayaround'), has apparently just become the only UK supplier of Pardo Professional Art Clay.

If you have heard of this clay and were wondering where to get it from in the UK, there is your answer!

The BPCG has been informed that IPCA (the International Polymer Clay Association) will be holding their "Synergy 3" conference in March 2013.

This will run from 13-16 March 2013 and will be held in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). As IPCA's website notes, "Synergy has become known as the principal and keynote conference in the Polymer Clay world".

The theme for this third symposium will be 'Seeking Higher Ground', and proposals are currently being sought for keynote speakers. If you would like to find out more about the event, please see the IPCA website.

Kerrie Venner has just sent us details of a demo she is doing in Dorset on the 10th of March 2012. If you are in the area on that day, please go along and learn some new polymer clay skills:

"Hi,
I'm doing a demo day sponsored by Staedtler at StitchnCraft Semley, near Shaftesbury (Dorset) on 10th March. It's a drop in the shop and watch, have a go, informal type of thing. The store is beaders' heaven, be warned!
Kerrie"

If you signed up for the BPCG newsletter, today you should have received this month's roundup of the Guild's news. Not signed up yet? Please click here to subscribe.

Thank you to Lynne-Marie Doherty, for adding information to her new "Member's Page" on the BPCG website: (http://www.bpcg.org.uk/members-pages.html). Lynne-Marie has only just joined the BPCG, but from the standard of her work it is obvious that she has been using polymer clay for a long time.

If you are a member and would like your own page on our site, please contact our webmaster, who will be pleased to help set it up.

Alison Gallant (co-founder and life member of the BPCG), has just emailed to let us know that she is organising a Polydays for 2012.

This is being run by Alison independently of the BPCG, but as Alison was the main organiser of most of the Guild's own Polydays events, previous attendees will know that a fantastic weekend can be expected.

For those who have not attended one of these events before, it is a whole weekend dedicated to learning new polymer clay techniques, with internationally-renowned tutors as well as an opportunity to meet like-minded polymer clay enthusiasts from all over the country.

Polydays 2012 will run from 14 to 16 September, at Toddington, near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. There will be three full day workshops with Carol Simmons from the US, Bettina Welker from Germany and Alison Gallant. Full details can be found at: www.millefioristudio.com.

In the meantime the BPCG committee are currently in discussion with other international polymer clay artists, with the intention of running similar event in the future. If you have a favourite polymer clay artist that you would like us to contact, please contact any of the committee via the 'contacts' link to the left of this page.