Larger Than Life
August 3, 2018
Inspirational Art
Here’s another image dug up from my Pinterest board, a piece done by a jewelry artist who was a real game changer.
What you see here is not polymer, although it so easily could be. This is a piece by Marjorie Schick, who passed away in late 2017. This bit of unique sculpture, titled Henri’s Garden, is painted paper, wood, canvas, plastic laminate, and bronze. Quite a mix of materials. Its wide-ranging pallet of saturated color and busy repetition is anchored by the symmetry of a common radiating form. Classic and yet, with the range of materials to use, quite unique.
Emerging during the time when many jewelers are rejecting traditional materials and techniques, Schick really formed a unique and, as she put it, “quietly rebellious” style.
The article on the Craft Council’s website that was posted after her passing does a beautiful job of giving you a picture of this woman and the how and why of her creations. Take a moment to jump over there and read about this highly influential jeweler, or you might enjoy this enlightening interview with her back in 2016. See if her work and words don’t influence you.
Around the Corners
October 23, 2013
Inspirational Art
I am traveling today, heading out to the Kentucky/Tennessee Polymer Clay Guild’s retreat at Mammoth Cave National Park. I’m so excited to see the park, not to mention being immersed for four days in polymer creativity with a great group of people. I might be less verbose than usual (some of you may be relieved to hear!) but I will bring you something box related the rest of the week.
Fall is just about over but I am hoping there will still be colors in the park. I so love the change of seasons, that point of transition that brings us forms, colors, and textures that are only temporary but so much better appreciated because it isn’t static and isn’t what we see everyday. I found a very cleverly done box to match that sentiment today. This amazing piece is a lunch box created by Leigh Ross, one of the founders and wranglers of the huge Polymer Clay Central website. Every side of this represents a different season and each is just wonderfully done.
The polymer on here looks so much like a painting. Remember what I said earlier this week about a box being a many sided canvas? Well, here we have that certainly taken to heart!
Now off to catch a plane. More box fun tomorrow
Pushing the Switchplate
April 4, 2013
Inspirational Art
I have never been very fond of hand-decorated switch plates, not because I have anything against switch plates but because, unfortunately, they aren’t usually created with any real consideration. The switch plate is a blank canvas that so much could be done with yet most covered switch plates have no composition, focal points, lines of movement, balance of elements, or anything else that would make them art rather than just simple decor. I think the covered switch plate has to date been a lost opportunity.
Here however we have a clayer that has played with the open canvas much more than is usualy seen. Florida’s Tammy Baker works with multiple elements rather than cover the plate with a continuous pattern and even breaks out of the switch plate’s boundaries.
This is the direction I would love to see decorative polymer arts head. Mind you, there is room for improvement here, in the composition primarily. Where does your eye continuously go when looking at this? The bottom right? There are two ‘pointing’ elements on this piece–the wrist of the hand and the upper left corner element–that direct you down and right but unfortunately, the heavy grouping in the bottom right doesn’t have any significance or order and doesn’t have any additional directional elements to move the viewer further around the piece. This makes the pieces seem a bit chaotic. However, the colors and mix of textures are rich and pleasing, and the hand breaking the upper border, and thus the orderly confines of the canvas, helps to balance the chaos of the interior elements some.
Tammy’s other switch plates (you can see them on her Etsy site) also play with the broader possibilities of having this wide open canvas. Some work, some could use further consideration but regardless, she’s exploring the possibilities and that, more than anything, is what differentiates an artist from a crafter.
Here’s another image dug up from my Pinterest board, a piece done by a jewelry artist who was a real game changer.
What you see here is not polymer, although it so easily could be. This is a piece by Marjorie Schick, who passed away in late 2017. This bit of unique sculpture, titled Henri’s Garden, is painted paper, wood, canvas, plastic laminate, and bronze. Quite a mix of materials. Its wide-ranging pallet of saturated color and busy repetition is anchored by the symmetry of a common radiating form. Classic and yet, with the range of materials to use, quite unique.
Emerging during the time when many jewelers are rejecting traditional materials and techniques, Schick really formed a unique and, as she put it, “quietly rebellious” style.
The article on the Craft Council’s website that was posted after her passing does a beautiful job of giving you a picture of this woman and the how and why of her creations. Take a moment to jump over there and read about this highly influential jeweler, or you might enjoy this enlightening interview with her back in 2016. See if her work and words don’t influence you.
Read More
I am traveling today, heading out to the Kentucky/Tennessee Polymer Clay Guild’s retreat at Mammoth Cave National Park. I’m so excited to see the park, not to mention being immersed for four days in polymer creativity with a great group of people. I might be less verbose than usual (some of you may be relieved to hear!) but I will bring you something box related the rest of the week.
Fall is just about over but I am hoping there will still be colors in the park. I so love the change of seasons, that point of transition that brings us forms, colors, and textures that are only temporary but so much better appreciated because it isn’t static and isn’t what we see everyday. I found a very cleverly done box to match that sentiment today. This amazing piece is a lunch box created by Leigh Ross, one of the founders and wranglers of the huge Polymer Clay Central website. Every side of this represents a different season and each is just wonderfully done.
The polymer on here looks so much like a painting. Remember what I said earlier this week about a box being a many sided canvas? Well, here we have that certainly taken to heart!
Now off to catch a plane. More box fun tomorrow
Read MoreI have never been very fond of hand-decorated switch plates, not because I have anything against switch plates but because, unfortunately, they aren’t usually created with any real consideration. The switch plate is a blank canvas that so much could be done with yet most covered switch plates have no composition, focal points, lines of movement, balance of elements, or anything else that would make them art rather than just simple decor. I think the covered switch plate has to date been a lost opportunity.
Here however we have a clayer that has played with the open canvas much more than is usualy seen. Florida’s Tammy Baker works with multiple elements rather than cover the plate with a continuous pattern and even breaks out of the switch plate’s boundaries.
This is the direction I would love to see decorative polymer arts head. Mind you, there is room for improvement here, in the composition primarily. Where does your eye continuously go when looking at this? The bottom right? There are two ‘pointing’ elements on this piece–the wrist of the hand and the upper left corner element–that direct you down and right but unfortunately, the heavy grouping in the bottom right doesn’t have any significance or order and doesn’t have any additional directional elements to move the viewer further around the piece. This makes the pieces seem a bit chaotic. However, the colors and mix of textures are rich and pleasing, and the hand breaking the upper border, and thus the orderly confines of the canvas, helps to balance the chaos of the interior elements some.
Tammy’s other switch plates (you can see them on her Etsy site) also play with the broader possibilities of having this wide open canvas. Some work, some could use further consideration but regardless, she’s exploring the possibilities and that, more than anything, is what differentiates an artist from a crafter.
Read More