Exposure: Deep Underneath
June 27, 2013
Inspirational Art
So why is it that we are fascinated by things revealed, seeing things we know or suspect were once hidden?
This nearly universal allure has to do with discovery. Like digging up a buried treasure, seeing a colorful new bird in the backyard or pulling out old photos from a box you found in the attic, discovering things we didn’t know existed gives us a thrill and feeds our inherent curiosity about what we don’t know or see.
When working in polymer, the excitement of finding something that was hidden is commonly the experience of the artist and not usually the viewer of the art. But I think the viewer will often unconsciously register that special quality, that extra depth the material had to have in order for the artist to come up with such intriguing designs or imagery.
That is why it may not matter at all if the design presented actually comes from revealing the depths of the material or not. Having the sense that something may once have been buried should still give us that little thrill, even if it wasn’t. I’m pretty sure Cate van Alphen embedded the colorful swirls that show in the concave spaces on the surface of this pendant; but it might appear at first glance (or to someone unfamiliar with the material) that carving out the indentations revealed the swirls within the lentil bead.
So, even when you aren’t creating visual texture or imagery by slicing across or into your polymer, you can make a piece appear to have an exposed interior which can flip that switch in a potential buyer, intriguing them with the thought that you revealed the secret core of the clay, the hidden treasure and things otherwise unseen.
Tactile Scene
November 12, 2012
Inspirational Art
Cate van Alphen hasn’t been working with polymer for very long but her background in numerous other mediums has assisted and influenced her polymer creations. Her experience in painting is obvious in this donut pendant.
Cate says this was inspired by a painting by Maurice Utrillo, a French painter that worked primarily in the first half of the 20th century. The heavy tactile nature she gets from manually manipulating the clay rather than using stamps or other machined imagery reminds me of heavy impatso painting where the texture itself is part of the design and draw, as it is here.
So, enjoy a little scenery and the idea of manually working your clay in the purest sense.
So why is it that we are fascinated by things revealed, seeing things we know or suspect were once hidden?
This nearly universal allure has to do with discovery. Like digging up a buried treasure, seeing a colorful new bird in the backyard or pulling out old photos from a box you found in the attic, discovering things we didn’t know existed gives us a thrill and feeds our inherent curiosity about what we don’t know or see.
When working in polymer, the excitement of finding something that was hidden is commonly the experience of the artist and not usually the viewer of the art. But I think the viewer will often unconsciously register that special quality, that extra depth the material had to have in order for the artist to come up with such intriguing designs or imagery.
That is why it may not matter at all if the design presented actually comes from revealing the depths of the material or not. Having the sense that something may once have been buried should still give us that little thrill, even if it wasn’t. I’m pretty sure Cate van Alphen embedded the colorful swirls that show in the concave spaces on the surface of this pendant; but it might appear at first glance (or to someone unfamiliar with the material) that carving out the indentations revealed the swirls within the lentil bead.
So, even when you aren’t creating visual texture or imagery by slicing across or into your polymer, you can make a piece appear to have an exposed interior which can flip that switch in a potential buyer, intriguing them with the thought that you revealed the secret core of the clay, the hidden treasure and things otherwise unseen.
Cate van Alphen hasn’t been working with polymer for very long but her background in numerous other mediums has assisted and influenced her polymer creations. Her experience in painting is obvious in this donut pendant.
Cate says this was inspired by a painting by Maurice Utrillo, a French painter that worked primarily in the first half of the 20th century. The heavy tactile nature she gets from manually manipulating the clay rather than using stamps or other machined imagery reminds me of heavy impatso painting where the texture itself is part of the design and draw, as it is here.
So, enjoy a little scenery and the idea of manually working your clay in the purest sense.
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