Rough Elegance
June 23, 2014
Inspirational Art
When you think of elegance, you probably think of clean lines, understated brilliance and a certain level of delicacy. But elegance can manifest in a number of ways. It can be found in any number of graceful and dignified elements and compositions even those whose other elements are on the rough side. I’ve found this to be true in a number of pieces I’ve seen in the past few weeks. So let’s look at that this week and ask, how can elegance be juxtaposed with a rough, rustic, or less refined approach?
Here is a piece I think embodies that idea wonderfully. There is certainly a lot of the less refined here in the texture of the cracked foil and rough edges. But the centered swirl and skillful application of the overlapping layers along with the limited navy palette gives it a calm and dignified air. This could easily be worn with an evening gown or a dressy business suit or be used to add a touch of elegance to a more casual outfit. That versatility is part of the advantage for a piece that works with two seemingly disparate concepts.
Belarus’ Evgeniya Andreeva is the creator of this lovely necklace. Most of her work tends towards the rough and rustic in a tasteful and well-considered way. Look through her LiveJournal entries and Facebook page for more pretties of hers.
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.
Lost in the Intricacy
March 10, 2014
Inspirational Art
I have, piling up in my Pinterst boards, pocket pages and research folders, all this really intricate, time consuming work that I’ve been wanting to share. I guess this will be the week to do that!
This first piece just fascinates me. I used to do quite a bit of carving, in all kinds of mediums. It’s extremely zen and therapeutic but I’ve done very little in polymer. That is probably a big reason why I like this piece so much. I could see its creator, Belarus’ Anna Anpilogova, spending hours carving out all this texture, lost in the emergence of the layers as she carved into the polymer over and over again. It’s got my fingers itching to try some myself!
Anna’s polymer work is quite tactile and intricate, usually with an organic or nature inspired theme. Her collection of work on her Flickr photostream and LiveJournal pages can get you as lost in a trance as I imagine doing all the carving would.
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.
Scatter Composition
December 2, 2013
Inspirational Art
Composition is sometimes considered a matter of controlled placement. Which it is and isn’t. The thing is, I don’t believe control is the best word to explain what composition is about. I would say it is more specifically about choice. Where do you choose to place elements in your piece? What relationships or connections will that placement convey? Are your choices conscious or intuitive or do you leave it up to chance? I don’t recommend leaving it completely up to chance but allowing for a lack of control in pattern and placement can create wonderfully expressive results. When you choose to use this.
I want to look at compositions that choose a scatter approach this week to demonstrate when and how this choice works. We see this in nature all the time–the starry night sky, the growth of lichen on a rock or the fallen leaves strewn across the ground in Autumn. But for all the seeming randomness, there is a relationship and cohesive elements in all these. This is what you want to bring to any composition with random or scattered elements.
Natalja Ivankova, Belarussian in living in Slovakia, took the randomness of Autumn leaves and translated this type of scattered composition to create this perfectly balanced bracelet.
Her approach is more evocative of the feeling of Fall than being a literal representation. The colors and small scattered bits are what bring the season to mind as well as being the cohesive elements. Rather than relying on a discernible pattern to hold the composition together, the limited color scheme and the loose organic shapes and placement of the bits of clay anchor the look of the bracelet. This makes a composition that could appear chaotic, if she hadn’t chosen these limitations, actually feel serene.
I think this piece, by far, is one of Natalja best to date and I really look forward to seeing what other gems she brings us in years to come. She is obviously inspired by nature, especially the floral variety, as well as gathering small elements together. You can find more of her work on her Flicker page and on her blog.
CYBER WEEK SPECIAL! (Yep, let’s make it a week not just Monday) $2 off single Print Issues of The Polymer Arts magazine when you buy 2 or more. You can purchase those here: http://www.thepolymerarts.com/Single_issues.html Code: CMUSP2 Sale ends Sunday Dec. 8th
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.
Caning in Belarus
August 1, 2013
Inspirational Art
Here’s an example of something that probably would have founds its way into our themed week on caning if I had been able to search with the right keywords in the right language and alphabet. Anastasyia Arynovich from Belarus creates absolutely beautiful canes and applies them in such a way that you forget about the cane; all you think at first is that she’s created something amazing.
The straight-forward, centered, and symmetrical design of these monochromatic earrings is simply gorgeous. Creating work that is this simple and eye-catching is no small feat. I have tremendous respect for perfectly executed design that uses the most basic concepts. Work like this requires just the right balance, just the right level of intricacies, and some serious skill and patience in construction and finishing.
The monochromatic kaleidoscope cane in these earrings is just a single example of the excellent work Anastasyia does. There are many more examples on her Flickr page, so many I couldn’t help but share one more! It’s just red, gray, and white, but isn’t this beautiful?
Go check out her Flickr photostream to see what she does with this cane, along with more of her well-executed work.
The Many Sides of Pixelated Retro Canes
March 7, 2013
Inspirational Art
The intricacy and gradation of color is as interesting in the long lines of the side view slicing as it is in the cross section. Having them both in the same piece gives variety to the visual texture of the ring’s surface, a contrast of patterning that changes depending on the view. Check out her LiveJournal page to see what I mean. Fun stuff!
When you think of elegance, you probably think of clean lines, understated brilliance and a certain level of delicacy. But elegance can manifest in a number of ways. It can be found in any number of graceful and dignified elements and compositions even those whose other elements are on the rough side. I’ve found this to be true in a number of pieces I’ve seen in the past few weeks. So let’s look at that this week and ask, how can elegance be juxtaposed with a rough, rustic, or less refined approach?
Here is a piece I think embodies that idea wonderfully. There is certainly a lot of the less refined here in the texture of the cracked foil and rough edges. But the centered swirl and skillful application of the overlapping layers along with the limited navy palette gives it a calm and dignified air. This could easily be worn with an evening gown or a dressy business suit or be used to add a touch of elegance to a more casual outfit. That versatility is part of the advantage for a piece that works with two seemingly disparate concepts.
Belarus’ Evgeniya Andreeva is the creator of this lovely necklace. Most of her work tends towards the rough and rustic in a tasteful and well-considered way. Look through her LiveJournal entries and Facebook page for more pretties of hers.
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.
I have, piling up in my Pinterst boards, pocket pages and research folders, all this really intricate, time consuming work that I’ve been wanting to share. I guess this will be the week to do that!
This first piece just fascinates me. I used to do quite a bit of carving, in all kinds of mediums. It’s extremely zen and therapeutic but I’ve done very little in polymer. That is probably a big reason why I like this piece so much. I could see its creator, Belarus’ Anna Anpilogova, spending hours carving out all this texture, lost in the emergence of the layers as she carved into the polymer over and over again. It’s got my fingers itching to try some myself!
Anna’s polymer work is quite tactile and intricate, usually with an organic or nature inspired theme. Her collection of work on her Flickr photostream and LiveJournal pages can get you as lost in a trance as I imagine doing all the carving would.
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.
Composition is sometimes considered a matter of controlled placement. Which it is and isn’t. The thing is, I don’t believe control is the best word to explain what composition is about. I would say it is more specifically about choice. Where do you choose to place elements in your piece? What relationships or connections will that placement convey? Are your choices conscious or intuitive or do you leave it up to chance? I don’t recommend leaving it completely up to chance but allowing for a lack of control in pattern and placement can create wonderfully expressive results. When you choose to use this.
I want to look at compositions that choose a scatter approach this week to demonstrate when and how this choice works. We see this in nature all the time–the starry night sky, the growth of lichen on a rock or the fallen leaves strewn across the ground in Autumn. But for all the seeming randomness, there is a relationship and cohesive elements in all these. This is what you want to bring to any composition with random or scattered elements.
Natalja Ivankova, Belarussian in living in Slovakia, took the randomness of Autumn leaves and translated this type of scattered composition to create this perfectly balanced bracelet.
Her approach is more evocative of the feeling of Fall than being a literal representation. The colors and small scattered bits are what bring the season to mind as well as being the cohesive elements. Rather than relying on a discernible pattern to hold the composition together, the limited color scheme and the loose organic shapes and placement of the bits of clay anchor the look of the bracelet. This makes a composition that could appear chaotic, if she hadn’t chosen these limitations, actually feel serene.
I think this piece, by far, is one of Natalja best to date and I really look forward to seeing what other gems she brings us in years to come. She is obviously inspired by nature, especially the floral variety, as well as gathering small elements together. You can find more of her work on her Flicker page and on her blog.
CYBER WEEK SPECIAL! (Yep, let’s make it a week not just Monday) $2 off single Print Issues of The Polymer Arts magazine when you buy 2 or more. You can purchase those here: http://www.thepolymerarts.com/Single_issues.html Code: CMUSP2 Sale ends Sunday Dec. 8th
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.
Here’s an example of something that probably would have founds its way into our themed week on caning if I had been able to search with the right keywords in the right language and alphabet. Anastasyia Arynovich from Belarus creates absolutely beautiful canes and applies them in such a way that you forget about the cane; all you think at first is that she’s created something amazing.
The straight-forward, centered, and symmetrical design of these monochromatic earrings is simply gorgeous. Creating work that is this simple and eye-catching is no small feat. I have tremendous respect for perfectly executed design that uses the most basic concepts. Work like this requires just the right balance, just the right level of intricacies, and some serious skill and patience in construction and finishing.
The monochromatic kaleidoscope cane in these earrings is just a single example of the excellent work Anastasyia does. There are many more examples on her Flickr page, so many I couldn’t help but share one more! It’s just red, gray, and white, but isn’t this beautiful?
Go check out her Flickr photostream to see what she does with this cane, along with more of her well-executed work.
The intricacy and gradation of color is as interesting in the long lines of the side view slicing as it is in the cross section. Having them both in the same piece gives variety to the visual texture of the ring’s surface, a contrast of patterning that changes depending on the view. Check out her LiveJournal page to see what I mean. Fun stuff!
Read More