A Riot of Color and Emotion

April 22, 2017

AGenser tie-DyeI am going to leave you with this colorful piece today. It is a type of mosaic, one could say so it fits the theme but I chose it primarily because the colors felt right, matching the riot of emotion that this day holds for my family and I as we lay my father to rest. We celebrate life today though, rather than mourn it. That’s just how we roll.

Amy Eisenfeld Genser, on the other hand rolls paper. That is what you see here–the cross sections of many rolled piece of colored paper. It could easily be a polymer cane application though, don’t you think? Well, here are some questions to ponder over. Leave your thoughts in the comment section if you have a moment.

What emotions or reactions do you have to this piece? Are you drawn to the texture and composition as much or even more than to the color, which likely grabs you first? What design element or design related terms comes to mind first when you ask yourself why this works so well or why it doesn’t if you don’t think much of it?

If you enjoy this piece, you will probably enjoy getting lost in Amy’s website where she has work in her gallery from the last dozen or so years.

Weekly Inspiration Challenge: This week, take a critical but very forgiving eye into your studio or to the photos of your work and look at some older pieces of yours. Find the ones you think were really good and ask yourself why the pieces work so well? Just focus on the good stuff today, your successes and the work that makes you happy. Then create or enjoy your weekend as you need to.

_________________________________________

Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.

    businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front   never knead -july-2015c-125

The Great Create Sept 15 blog   Shades of Clay Sept 15 Blog

_________________________________________

Mystery Week

June 9, 2014

I was going to do a themed week on embedded bits (not the best theme title but that is as far as I got with the idea!). But most of the pieces I wanted to use were unattributed finds on Pinterest. So I thought I’d take a moment to post some thoughts on pinning images with Pinterest as well as getting your help this week with these pieces.

I am actually in Los Angeles–a very sudden, last minute trip due to my father having some health issues. (All is looking very positive here so no real worries; he just needs some help getting into a new routine and keeping an eye on his condition.) On top of getting the latest issue out and things wrapped up for it, I’m a bit frazzled and distracted to say the least. So … would you all like to help me identify some artists and talk about these beautiful pieces this week? I would be so grateful!

This first image is a collection of rock like beads with these meandering textures and embedded bits of shaped clay that remind me somewhat of  Amy Eisenfeld Genser‘s paper wall pieces I wrote about in a post last year. There is a sense of serenity and peace in these understated, organic looking beads. I wonder why I’m so drawn to them right now. Hmmm …

a2caadc9cf5dfb489bab599d1b24771b

So, do you know who created these beads?

Ideas for better Pinning…

When you pin to Pinterest there are a few basic things you will want to pay attention to in order to ensure an artist is properly credited and that you, and any of us that find that pin through you, can find more information about that talented person:

  1. Put the artist’s name in the caption–it’s not likely to be removed when repinned so at the very least, people will know who created the piece they are admiring.
  2. Pin from the original blog post or article, not a blog’s or website’s changing home page. If you go to a person’s blog or blog based sites, you are usually on a homepage that will show you all the latest blogs or news but if you pin an image from this homepage, the link associated with that image will be the current home page which will not have that piece on it at a future date. Instead, click on the entry of the blog post or article title so you go to the post’s actual page then pin from there. That way, if someone clicks on the pinned image, it will go to the original post with all the information about the piece and artist as posted by the writer of the post/article.
  3. Avoid pinning “media-cache-…” images. These can be found when clicking on an image on a site and getting it to open in a browser on it’s own. It may also occur when using sites like Reddit where people are posting without links back to the source.  If you have a media-cache image, put as much info in the Pinterest caption as you can from the source you found it at.

Those are my pointers. Do any of you have any further thoughts about how to best use Pinterest and ensure people are getting credit? Please post any information about the mystery artist here or ideas for using Pinterest and similar image networks in the comments at the end of this original post. (If you get this by email, click on the blog’s title and it will take you to the page.)

 

If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.

14-P2 CoverFnl-blog   Blog2 -2014-02Feb-5   Basic RGB

Outside Inspiration: Paper Imitating Aquatic Nature

August 9, 2013

Paper is actually a wonderful sculptural art medium. It is inexpensive and accessible, and much of your material can be gleaned from the recycle bin. But it does have its limitations–for instance, you don’t want to get it wet!

I don’t know that Amy Eisenfeld Genser uses recycled paper in her stunning sculptural wall pieces, although it looks like it would be possible. These pieces are rolled colored paper, adhered to acrylic painted canvases. The very organic way the paper components are laid out is reflective of coral reefs with the colors of the sea behind them–an exotic ocean landscape made from, of all things, paper.

amy-5

 

I think using a material to represent a natural scene the material itself couldn’t exist in is delightfully ironic–or maybe it’s just me. In our chosen art, polymer clayers constantly experience the irony of working in a material that is considered the antithesis of organic, yet can so accurately and beautifully recreate the organic; so maybe I just enjoy these kinds of ironic connections.

Aside from the ironic beauty of Amy’s work here, I thought the textures were something that might inspire any number of you who work in extruded canes or enjoy sculptural texture. The variety of color and size in the components as well as their application–crowded and overlapping in some areas, scattered in others–is an approach that could be emulated quite easily in polymer, giving you yet another textural option for playing and designing with little bits of clay and bringing the inspiration of nature to your work.

 

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A Riot of Color and Emotion

April 22, 2017
Posted in

AGenser tie-DyeI am going to leave you with this colorful piece today. It is a type of mosaic, one could say so it fits the theme but I chose it primarily because the colors felt right, matching the riot of emotion that this day holds for my family and I as we lay my father to rest. We celebrate life today though, rather than mourn it. That’s just how we roll.

Amy Eisenfeld Genser, on the other hand rolls paper. That is what you see here–the cross sections of many rolled piece of colored paper. It could easily be a polymer cane application though, don’t you think? Well, here are some questions to ponder over. Leave your thoughts in the comment section if you have a moment.

What emotions or reactions do you have to this piece? Are you drawn to the texture and composition as much or even more than to the color, which likely grabs you first? What design element or design related terms comes to mind first when you ask yourself why this works so well or why it doesn’t if you don’t think much of it?

If you enjoy this piece, you will probably enjoy getting lost in Amy’s website where she has work in her gallery from the last dozen or so years.

Weekly Inspiration Challenge: This week, take a critical but very forgiving eye into your studio or to the photos of your work and look at some older pieces of yours. Find the ones you think were really good and ask yourself why the pieces work so well? Just focus on the good stuff today, your successes and the work that makes you happy. Then create or enjoy your weekend as you need to.

_________________________________________

Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.

    businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front   never knead -july-2015c-125

The Great Create Sept 15 blog   Shades of Clay Sept 15 Blog

_________________________________________

Read More

Mystery Week

June 9, 2014
Posted in

I was going to do a themed week on embedded bits (not the best theme title but that is as far as I got with the idea!). But most of the pieces I wanted to use were unattributed finds on Pinterest. So I thought I’d take a moment to post some thoughts on pinning images with Pinterest as well as getting your help this week with these pieces.

I am actually in Los Angeles–a very sudden, last minute trip due to my father having some health issues. (All is looking very positive here so no real worries; he just needs some help getting into a new routine and keeping an eye on his condition.) On top of getting the latest issue out and things wrapped up for it, I’m a bit frazzled and distracted to say the least. So … would you all like to help me identify some artists and talk about these beautiful pieces this week? I would be so grateful!

This first image is a collection of rock like beads with these meandering textures and embedded bits of shaped clay that remind me somewhat of  Amy Eisenfeld Genser‘s paper wall pieces I wrote about in a post last year. There is a sense of serenity and peace in these understated, organic looking beads. I wonder why I’m so drawn to them right now. Hmmm …

a2caadc9cf5dfb489bab599d1b24771b

So, do you know who created these beads?

Ideas for better Pinning…

When you pin to Pinterest there are a few basic things you will want to pay attention to in order to ensure an artist is properly credited and that you, and any of us that find that pin through you, can find more information about that talented person:

  1. Put the artist’s name in the caption–it’s not likely to be removed when repinned so at the very least, people will know who created the piece they are admiring.
  2. Pin from the original blog post or article, not a blog’s or website’s changing home page. If you go to a person’s blog or blog based sites, you are usually on a homepage that will show you all the latest blogs or news but if you pin an image from this homepage, the link associated with that image will be the current home page which will not have that piece on it at a future date. Instead, click on the entry of the blog post or article title so you go to the post’s actual page then pin from there. That way, if someone clicks on the pinned image, it will go to the original post with all the information about the piece and artist as posted by the writer of the post/article.
  3. Avoid pinning “media-cache-…” images. These can be found when clicking on an image on a site and getting it to open in a browser on it’s own. It may also occur when using sites like Reddit where people are posting without links back to the source.  If you have a media-cache image, put as much info in the Pinterest caption as you can from the source you found it at.

Those are my pointers. Do any of you have any further thoughts about how to best use Pinterest and ensure people are getting credit? Please post any information about the mystery artist here or ideas for using Pinterest and similar image networks in the comments at the end of this original post. (If you get this by email, click on the blog’s title and it will take you to the page.)

 

If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.

14-P2 CoverFnl-blog   Blog2 -2014-02Feb-5   Basic RGB

Read More

Outside Inspiration: Paper Imitating Aquatic Nature

August 9, 2013
Posted in

Paper is actually a wonderful sculptural art medium. It is inexpensive and accessible, and much of your material can be gleaned from the recycle bin. But it does have its limitations–for instance, you don’t want to get it wet!

I don’t know that Amy Eisenfeld Genser uses recycled paper in her stunning sculptural wall pieces, although it looks like it would be possible. These pieces are rolled colored paper, adhered to acrylic painted canvases. The very organic way the paper components are laid out is reflective of coral reefs with the colors of the sea behind them–an exotic ocean landscape made from, of all things, paper.

amy-5

 

I think using a material to represent a natural scene the material itself couldn’t exist in is delightfully ironic–or maybe it’s just me. In our chosen art, polymer clayers constantly experience the irony of working in a material that is considered the antithesis of organic, yet can so accurately and beautifully recreate the organic; so maybe I just enjoy these kinds of ironic connections.

Aside from the ironic beauty of Amy’s work here, I thought the textures were something that might inspire any number of you who work in extruded canes or enjoy sculptural texture. The variety of color and size in the components as well as their application–crowded and overlapping in some areas, scattered in others–is an approach that could be emulated quite easily in polymer, giving you yet another textural option for playing and designing with little bits of clay and bringing the inspiration of nature to your work.

 

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