News of the Day and Steampunk Fairies

April 30, 2015

steampunk-moon-fairyWe are going to interrupt our normal banter about art to talk a little about the news of the day and some upcoming news here at TPA. If you want to skip to the information about this wonderfully detailed doll, scroll to the bottom of the post.

The Perilous World of Niche Publishing

A number of things have happened over the last few months and especially the last few days, that has really driven home the hard reality of being a niche periodical publisher. Early in the year we saw Metal Clay Artist shut their doors due to their distributor going bankrupt and unable to pay them. Yesterday, we got the news that From Polymer to Art is closing up shop due to the burden of a difficult personal loss. After that announcement I got several texts and messages asking if our magazine is doing okay. The answer is, yes, TPA is doing well. But, we micro publishers do sit very precariously in this world.

I was reminded of this last week when computer issues resulted in nearly 4 days of lost work. Then not one, but two contributors had to pull out due to health and personal issue. To top it off, I tore a cornea a few days ago and was unable to work for any length of time for several days.

As I lay there, eyes closed trying not to move my eyeballs, praying this corneal tear was not a bad one (I have weak corneas so this is not a new thing for me and luckily this wasn’t a bad one), I thought about how easy it would for this business go down. If I couldn’t work for a time, the magazine would simply not happen. Many niche and material specific craft magazines are in a similar boat. There is usually just one or two people holding it together.

Behind the Scenes of The Polymer Arts

For those of you who don’t know, TPA is run out of my home, and I am the only full-time person on the crew. I have a handful of wonderful part-time contractors, a couple amazing volunteers and a distribution partnership with The Great Create (manufacturers and distributors of Lisa Pavelka and Christi Friesen products). I have it so things won’t come to a screeching halt if I am out of commission for any length of time, but nothing further would be produced. So, I have to keep going no matter what to keep this house of cards from falling down.

Now, why would I do this to myself and ultimately to my readers? Simply because there is no other way it could exist. Periodicals are not the cash cows they may seem to be. Every business and service we deal with takes an inordinately large chunk, and then often asks for more. There’s no much left for staffing.  So we work more, sleep less and live off your beautiful thank you emails and messages about how we’ve provided motivation, courage, knowledge or inspiration for you to do something you could not or would not do before. These notes may not pay the bills, but they bury any regrets that rise up as we sit editing or number crunching at 3 am.

So bottom line, TPA is not in any danger, but we have our challenges. I like to think that the universe is just checking to see if I really still want to do this. The answer is yes! Just keep supporting the micro businesses you love and depend on with whatever purchases you can afford and we’ll keep working away.

Odd Blog for the month of May

That all said, this coming month, we will have more than our usual share of challenges. The house will be under construction for about a week, I will be relocating my office to another room, and there is also a good possibility I’ll need a minor bit of surgery at some point. On top of all this, there is the Summer issue to get out, which is going to be later than scheduled, although, it should be released before May is up. In other words, it’s going to be nuts, and something will have to give. So here’s the deal …

During the month of May, I am going to reduce the blog to 3 times a week. Even with this, you may be seeing some very brief posts. I’ll do what I can, but please be understanding if things get a little lean over here.

Newsletters, if you get those, will also be on the short side. But, I promise they will be worth opening nonetheless!

Also, if you have general questions, comments, or any kind of query about the magazine or your subscription, to get a quick response, you will want to write my wonderful assistant Kat, not me directly, at connect(not sbray)@thepolymerarts.com, and she will get back to you within one business day.

A Steampunk Fairy

In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful doll by Amanda Haney. I couldn’t go through this week without taking a bow to the polymer fairies. Fairies must  be the most commonly produced polymer doll. I know that may not make this seem unique enough to present, but there is a reason for their popularity that can’t be ignore. They are charming, and polymer lends itself to truly fantastical creations.

Amanda’s Steampunk Moon Fairy includes some fun little touches like the moon morphing into (or out of) a gear at the top, and the bones of the wings being replaced with hinged bars and gears. It’s just a fun piece. And fun is certainly a legitimate mode of art.

Find more of Amanda’s skillfully crafted dolls on her pages on Elfwood, a long-standing home for Science Fiction and Fantasy artists to post their portfolios.

 

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

     TPA_McGuire_blog ad    sfxpaad-diffuse

Too Strangely Cute

April 29, 2015

goonies Gesine k dollOkay, yes, I’m sneaking this one in on Art Doll week when it would probably be better categorized under sculpture or illustration, but I don’t know when else I will get to share the immensely entertaining work of Gesine Kratzner. We have doll-like forms, props and a story told through the expressions; all things that are common with most doll art. But mostly, we have smiles. On our faces. Do we not?

Gesine is from Germany, educated in the UK and now lives and breathes life into her creations in Portland, Oregon. Technically, she’s an animator but pieces like these are where her heart is at. As she says, “Most of all, I love to draw and sculpt squiggly creatures and to dream up small worlds and stories for them to inhabit.” Creatures. Dolls. Pretty much the same thing.

Her creatures are polymer clay with color added through acrylic paint. Polymer purists might cringe at the mention of painted polymer, but the look she gets is not something that could be done with polymer alone. I imagine it also allows her to spontaneously and freely create the forms leaving color until later when the personalities have made themselves known. Her process certainly shows a lot of personality.

You can further entertain yourself with Gesine’s pieces by heading over to her website. And, if you fall in love with these faces and want to own your own little creature, you can grab them up in her Etsy shop that goes by the sophisticated name of  … Blobhouse.

 

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

 

     TPA_McGuire_blog ad    sfxpaad-diffuse

Figurative Decor

April 28, 2015

Laura balombini-Just teaWe are going to go from darkly beautiful to wonderfully whimsical and from a doll in every aspect to a doll-like object in order to show just how wide-ranging the idea of doll art can be.

This teapot doll is by Laura Balombini. Laura used to be quite an active contributor to the pool of polymer art, but in recent years, she has focused on ceramics and painting. Her imagery has also moved from the realm of whimsy to one of contemplation and heavier on the symbolism and mood.This is not to say that her creative wire and polymer works weren’t filled with symbolism, but the joy of these pieces take center stage. I love that she was not bound by the standard idea of either a doll or a teapot. And, why can’t you make something be both?

It is not unusual, especially this century, to see doll and objects merge, resulting in pieces that might be hard to categorize—is it figurative home decor or a doll-like functional item? In the end it matters very little what they would be labeled as, only that the spirit of doll art—both expressive and decorative– comes through for the viewer to enjoy. Don’t you think?

To find more of Laura’s work in polymer, search Google images under her name plus the keyword ‘polymer’, or for a quick view, here is a nice blog post about her polymer work where I found this photo.

 

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

     TPA_McGuire_blog ad    sfxpaad-diffuse

Darling Darkling

October 29, 2014

CaptureWith the popularity of vampires still high these days, I would be remiss in letting a week of beautiful dark things go by without presenting at least one of the well-loved creatures. And this one is not hard to appreciate. She’s actually a “Darkling” as envisioned by sculptor Barbara Key.

Darkling is actually not a noun in any standard dictionary I could find, but the concept of a darkling is described broadly as just a creature of the night in listings and records of our pop culture nomenclature. So, an artist’s rendition is really wide open for interpretation. And Barbara does run with it–a vampiric fairy with a thing for leather and lingerie and what looks like a either a rough day on the job, or she just finished a good tear-jeaker of a movie. But truly, for a creature of the dark, she is rather darling.

Barbara is always good for a few unexpected details on her art dolls as well as an elegant beauty even in her darkest creations. To enjoy similar seasonally appropriate darlings, spend a little time visiting Barbara’s website.

 

 

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-P3 Fall-Play cover Full sm  Blog2 -2014-02Feb-3   polymer clay butterfly ornament sm   TPA Blog Newsletter Ad  ShadesofClay 1014 v2  tpabl-10-9072014

In Awe of New Hope

March 30, 2013

Easter, whether one partakes of its religious or more secular traditions, is really about hope. Between the observance of the rising of the Christian savior and the association with ancient agricultural societies’  Spring celebrations, its traditions focus on the promises and optimism of the coming year. The colors are light and bright and the symbolism is, well, young. Baby bunnies, little chicks, and of course, all the sweet young children we tend to focus on … especially us doting aunts, uncles and grandparents.

I am so in awe of sculptors that can capture that very unique look and expression of innocence and hope in children. Cynthia Malbon is one such artist. She can imbue her art dolls with a visage that nearly breaks your heart. Here is one of a child slightly older than the majority of her body of work shows on her sites, but this child’s open expression is just so precious, not to mention amazingly realistic.

IMG_1752_edited-1-XL

If you can handle a serious overload of adorableness, take a look at Cynthia’s SmugMug page. You might also want to check out her blog with process photos on some of her posts show her amazing talent in more detail.

A Moment with Art Dolls

March 19, 2013

What are art dolls? And why aren’t all handmade dolls considered art?

Art dolls are expressions of the artist’s philosophy, aesthetic ideas, stories, or interpretation of their world. They are intended, as all art is, to be contemplated and to impact the viewer in some manner. There is no particular set of rules for what an art doll must be, other than they should be reflective of the human form or personified creatures of some kind.

Jessica Hamilton creates fascinating art dolls – although of the human form, her dolls are often missing limbs or are reduced to simply a head and a base adorned with polymer and mixed media.  Even without limbs, the dolls seem quite complete due to the richness of the images and textures, not to mention the expressions on the beautiful faces.

2903190602_203969b1f2 (1)

I’m still a bit tired from the full week and all of the traveling, so I shall leave you with a bit of encouragement to look through Jessica’s beautiful work here on Flickr, where I first discovered her.

Dolls As Wall Art

September 12, 2012

At Riverdog Studios creations are often a mix not only of materials but of forms as well–art dolls as wall art.

Deborah Banyas and T.P. Speer create mixed media wall pieces made from polymer clay, carved wood, stuffed cotton fabric,  tooled metal and acrylic. In this collaborative work, Deborah works primarily on the sewn/stuffed aspects while T.P. creates the pieces in clay, wood and metal. The aesthetics are the result of well over 30 year of building a life together both as artists and as husband and wife.

They have a beautiful gallery with many more fantastical pieces to delight you on their studio’s website.

 

 

Beauty Bust

August 25, 2012

It’s about time we revisit the Art Doll world. There are so many incredibly talented people in art dolls and Virginie Ropar is among the most amazing of them.

This piece is actually a bust rather than a doll. The detailed components as well as the exploration of texture, color and the injection of a touch of fantasy into a realistic sculpture is just candy for the eyes.

 

News of the Day and Steampunk Fairies

April 30, 2015
Posted in

steampunk-moon-fairyWe are going to interrupt our normal banter about art to talk a little about the news of the day and some upcoming news here at TPA. If you want to skip to the information about this wonderfully detailed doll, scroll to the bottom of the post.

The Perilous World of Niche Publishing

A number of things have happened over the last few months and especially the last few days, that has really driven home the hard reality of being a niche periodical publisher. Early in the year we saw Metal Clay Artist shut their doors due to their distributor going bankrupt and unable to pay them. Yesterday, we got the news that From Polymer to Art is closing up shop due to the burden of a difficult personal loss. After that announcement I got several texts and messages asking if our magazine is doing okay. The answer is, yes, TPA is doing well. But, we micro publishers do sit very precariously in this world.

I was reminded of this last week when computer issues resulted in nearly 4 days of lost work. Then not one, but two contributors had to pull out due to health and personal issue. To top it off, I tore a cornea a few days ago and was unable to work for any length of time for several days.

As I lay there, eyes closed trying not to move my eyeballs, praying this corneal tear was not a bad one (I have weak corneas so this is not a new thing for me and luckily this wasn’t a bad one), I thought about how easy it would for this business go down. If I couldn’t work for a time, the magazine would simply not happen. Many niche and material specific craft magazines are in a similar boat. There is usually just one or two people holding it together.

Behind the Scenes of The Polymer Arts

For those of you who don’t know, TPA is run out of my home, and I am the only full-time person on the crew. I have a handful of wonderful part-time contractors, a couple amazing volunteers and a distribution partnership with The Great Create (manufacturers and distributors of Lisa Pavelka and Christi Friesen products). I have it so things won’t come to a screeching halt if I am out of commission for any length of time, but nothing further would be produced. So, I have to keep going no matter what to keep this house of cards from falling down.

Now, why would I do this to myself and ultimately to my readers? Simply because there is no other way it could exist. Periodicals are not the cash cows they may seem to be. Every business and service we deal with takes an inordinately large chunk, and then often asks for more. There’s no much left for staffing.  So we work more, sleep less and live off your beautiful thank you emails and messages about how we’ve provided motivation, courage, knowledge or inspiration for you to do something you could not or would not do before. These notes may not pay the bills, but they bury any regrets that rise up as we sit editing or number crunching at 3 am.

So bottom line, TPA is not in any danger, but we have our challenges. I like to think that the universe is just checking to see if I really still want to do this. The answer is yes! Just keep supporting the micro businesses you love and depend on with whatever purchases you can afford and we’ll keep working away.

Odd Blog for the month of May

That all said, this coming month, we will have more than our usual share of challenges. The house will be under construction for about a week, I will be relocating my office to another room, and there is also a good possibility I’ll need a minor bit of surgery at some point. On top of all this, there is the Summer issue to get out, which is going to be later than scheduled, although, it should be released before May is up. In other words, it’s going to be nuts, and something will have to give. So here’s the deal …

During the month of May, I am going to reduce the blog to 3 times a week. Even with this, you may be seeing some very brief posts. I’ll do what I can, but please be understanding if things get a little lean over here.

Newsletters, if you get those, will also be on the short side. But, I promise they will be worth opening nonetheless!

Also, if you have general questions, comments, or any kind of query about the magazine or your subscription, to get a quick response, you will want to write my wonderful assistant Kat, not me directly, at connect(not sbray)@thepolymerarts.com, and she will get back to you within one business day.

A Steampunk Fairy

In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful doll by Amanda Haney. I couldn’t go through this week without taking a bow to the polymer fairies. Fairies must  be the most commonly produced polymer doll. I know that may not make this seem unique enough to present, but there is a reason for their popularity that can’t be ignore. They are charming, and polymer lends itself to truly fantastical creations.

Amanda’s Steampunk Moon Fairy includes some fun little touches like the moon morphing into (or out of) a gear at the top, and the bones of the wings being replaced with hinged bars and gears. It’s just a fun piece. And fun is certainly a legitimate mode of art.

Find more of Amanda’s skillfully crafted dolls on her pages on Elfwood, a long-standing home for Science Fiction and Fantasy artists to post their portfolios.

 

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

     TPA_McGuire_blog ad    sfxpaad-diffuse

Read More

Too Strangely Cute

April 29, 2015
Posted in

goonies Gesine k dollOkay, yes, I’m sneaking this one in on Art Doll week when it would probably be better categorized under sculpture or illustration, but I don’t know when else I will get to share the immensely entertaining work of Gesine Kratzner. We have doll-like forms, props and a story told through the expressions; all things that are common with most doll art. But mostly, we have smiles. On our faces. Do we not?

Gesine is from Germany, educated in the UK and now lives and breathes life into her creations in Portland, Oregon. Technically, she’s an animator but pieces like these are where her heart is at. As she says, “Most of all, I love to draw and sculpt squiggly creatures and to dream up small worlds and stories for them to inhabit.” Creatures. Dolls. Pretty much the same thing.

Her creatures are polymer clay with color added through acrylic paint. Polymer purists might cringe at the mention of painted polymer, but the look she gets is not something that could be done with polymer alone. I imagine it also allows her to spontaneously and freely create the forms leaving color until later when the personalities have made themselves known. Her process certainly shows a lot of personality.

You can further entertain yourself with Gesine’s pieces by heading over to her website. And, if you fall in love with these faces and want to own your own little creature, you can grab them up in her Etsy shop that goes by the sophisticated name of  … Blobhouse.

 

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

 

     TPA_McGuire_blog ad    sfxpaad-diffuse

Read More

Figurative Decor

April 28, 2015
Posted in

Laura balombini-Just teaWe are going to go from darkly beautiful to wonderfully whimsical and from a doll in every aspect to a doll-like object in order to show just how wide-ranging the idea of doll art can be.

This teapot doll is by Laura Balombini. Laura used to be quite an active contributor to the pool of polymer art, but in recent years, she has focused on ceramics and painting. Her imagery has also moved from the realm of whimsy to one of contemplation and heavier on the symbolism and mood.This is not to say that her creative wire and polymer works weren’t filled with symbolism, but the joy of these pieces take center stage. I love that she was not bound by the standard idea of either a doll or a teapot. And, why can’t you make something be both?

It is not unusual, especially this century, to see doll and objects merge, resulting in pieces that might be hard to categorize—is it figurative home decor or a doll-like functional item? In the end it matters very little what they would be labeled as, only that the spirit of doll art—both expressive and decorative– comes through for the viewer to enjoy. Don’t you think?

To find more of Laura’s work in polymer, search Google images under her name plus the keyword ‘polymer’, or for a quick view, here is a nice blog post about her polymer work where I found this photo.

 

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

     TPA_McGuire_blog ad    sfxpaad-diffuse

Read More

Darling Darkling

October 29, 2014
Posted in

CaptureWith the popularity of vampires still high these days, I would be remiss in letting a week of beautiful dark things go by without presenting at least one of the well-loved creatures. And this one is not hard to appreciate. She’s actually a “Darkling” as envisioned by sculptor Barbara Key.

Darkling is actually not a noun in any standard dictionary I could find, but the concept of a darkling is described broadly as just a creature of the night in listings and records of our pop culture nomenclature. So, an artist’s rendition is really wide open for interpretation. And Barbara does run with it–a vampiric fairy with a thing for leather and lingerie and what looks like a either a rough day on the job, or she just finished a good tear-jeaker of a movie. But truly, for a creature of the dark, she is rather darling.

Barbara is always good for a few unexpected details on her art dolls as well as an elegant beauty even in her darkest creations. To enjoy similar seasonally appropriate darlings, spend a little time visiting Barbara’s website.

 

 

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-P3 Fall-Play cover Full sm  Blog2 -2014-02Feb-3   polymer clay butterfly ornament sm   TPA Blog Newsletter Ad  ShadesofClay 1014 v2  tpabl-10-9072014

Read More

In Awe of New Hope

March 30, 2013
Posted in

Easter, whether one partakes of its religious or more secular traditions, is really about hope. Between the observance of the rising of the Christian savior and the association with ancient agricultural societies’  Spring celebrations, its traditions focus on the promises and optimism of the coming year. The colors are light and bright and the symbolism is, well, young. Baby bunnies, little chicks, and of course, all the sweet young children we tend to focus on … especially us doting aunts, uncles and grandparents.

I am so in awe of sculptors that can capture that very unique look and expression of innocence and hope in children. Cynthia Malbon is one such artist. She can imbue her art dolls with a visage that nearly breaks your heart. Here is one of a child slightly older than the majority of her body of work shows on her sites, but this child’s open expression is just so precious, not to mention amazingly realistic.

IMG_1752_edited-1-XL

If you can handle a serious overload of adorableness, take a look at Cynthia’s SmugMug page. You might also want to check out her blog with process photos on some of her posts show her amazing talent in more detail.

Read More

A Moment with Art Dolls

March 19, 2013
Posted in

What are art dolls? And why aren’t all handmade dolls considered art?

Art dolls are expressions of the artist’s philosophy, aesthetic ideas, stories, or interpretation of their world. They are intended, as all art is, to be contemplated and to impact the viewer in some manner. There is no particular set of rules for what an art doll must be, other than they should be reflective of the human form or personified creatures of some kind.

Jessica Hamilton creates fascinating art dolls – although of the human form, her dolls are often missing limbs or are reduced to simply a head and a base adorned with polymer and mixed media.  Even without limbs, the dolls seem quite complete due to the richness of the images and textures, not to mention the expressions on the beautiful faces.

2903190602_203969b1f2 (1)

I’m still a bit tired from the full week and all of the traveling, so I shall leave you with a bit of encouragement to look through Jessica’s beautiful work here on Flickr, where I first discovered her.

Read More

Dolls As Wall Art

September 12, 2012
Posted in

At Riverdog Studios creations are often a mix not only of materials but of forms as well–art dolls as wall art.

Deborah Banyas and T.P. Speer create mixed media wall pieces made from polymer clay, carved wood, stuffed cotton fabric,  tooled metal and acrylic. In this collaborative work, Deborah works primarily on the sewn/stuffed aspects while T.P. creates the pieces in clay, wood and metal. The aesthetics are the result of well over 30 year of building a life together both as artists and as husband and wife.

They have a beautiful gallery with many more fantastical pieces to delight you on their studio’s website.

 

 

Read More

Beauty Bust

August 25, 2012
Posted in

It’s about time we revisit the Art Doll world. There are so many incredibly talented people in art dolls and Virginie Ropar is among the most amazing of them.

This piece is actually a bust rather than a doll. The detailed components as well as the exploration of texture, color and the injection of a touch of fantasy into a realistic sculpture is just candy for the eyes.

 

Read More
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