Adorable Surprise
June 21, 2014
Inspirational Art
I have seen fantasy snails and, of course, fantastic fairies in polymer but I think this is the first fantasy snail fairy I’ve seen. It’s make you stop and ponder the idea. The logical side of my brain says that’s just silly–poor fairy would be just dragging that shell around behind her all the time–but then you look at that sweet little face and decide it doesn’t matter.
This little sculpture is by Celia Harris. It’s an example of how the element of surprise can take a nice piece to an even more interesting level. In this case, it is combining things you don’t usually think of together. This can be tricky–the two elements do have to have some kind of connection. In this case, these are nature’s creatures, part of one that exists, part of one that may or may not exist–who’s to say for certain! I like to think anything is possible.
Enjoy a fantastical stroll through Celia’s galleries on her website today and maybe start thinking of your own wonderful surprising combinations.
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.
Stealing Texture
June 12, 2013
Inspirational Art
Sculpture works with all kinds of subtle and not so subtle textures, often both visual and tactile. Fantasy sculpture in particular offers some wonderfully inventive textures that can be pulled or used for inspiration for all kinds of other polymer work, not just sculpture.
There is no authority to say what skin, scales, wings, or anything else on a fantasy figure should look like, so the suppositions of the artist creating them can result in all kinds of fantastical colors, textures, and patterning you might not have seen before or might not expect. I love the effect Celia Harris created on the tail of her young fairy mermaid here, and the wings are quite lovely as well. But such effects don’t need to be relegated to wings and the slick skin of aquatic creatures.
Can you imagine some light earrings with the sheen and maybe even the punched out holes and ragged edges of the wings? The visual texture of the tail would be charming on a pod shaped pendant, or as a contrasting layer of texture on a vase covered in pearl clay.
For tactile texture, I don’t know if there is anyone that works in fantasy sculpture that can quite compare to Virginie Ropars. I really enjoy how well the texture shows without heavy competition with color. The honeycomb of perforations and the flow of sculpted lines on the chest and in the hairline are lovely and translatable to almost any other form, if you find yourself drawn to that kind of texture.
Bottom line: look at the components of sculpture — or any artwork — for inspiration, rather than the whole of a piece, and let your creativity translate it into whatever forms you prefer to work in.
I have seen fantasy snails and, of course, fantastic fairies in polymer but I think this is the first fantasy snail fairy I’ve seen. It’s make you stop and ponder the idea. The logical side of my brain says that’s just silly–poor fairy would be just dragging that shell around behind her all the time–but then you look at that sweet little face and decide it doesn’t matter.
This little sculpture is by Celia Harris. It’s an example of how the element of surprise can take a nice piece to an even more interesting level. In this case, it is combining things you don’t usually think of together. This can be tricky–the two elements do have to have some kind of connection. In this case, these are nature’s creatures, part of one that exists, part of one that may or may not exist–who’s to say for certain! I like to think anything is possible.
Enjoy a fantastical stroll through Celia’s galleries on her website today and maybe start thinking of your own wonderful surprising combinations.
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.
Sculpture works with all kinds of subtle and not so subtle textures, often both visual and tactile. Fantasy sculpture in particular offers some wonderfully inventive textures that can be pulled or used for inspiration for all kinds of other polymer work, not just sculpture.
There is no authority to say what skin, scales, wings, or anything else on a fantasy figure should look like, so the suppositions of the artist creating them can result in all kinds of fantastical colors, textures, and patterning you might not have seen before or might not expect. I love the effect Celia Harris created on the tail of her young fairy mermaid here, and the wings are quite lovely as well. But such effects don’t need to be relegated to wings and the slick skin of aquatic creatures.
Can you imagine some light earrings with the sheen and maybe even the punched out holes and ragged edges of the wings? The visual texture of the tail would be charming on a pod shaped pendant, or as a contrasting layer of texture on a vase covered in pearl clay.
For tactile texture, I don’t know if there is anyone that works in fantasy sculpture that can quite compare to Virginie Ropars. I really enjoy how well the texture shows without heavy competition with color. The honeycomb of perforations and the flow of sculpted lines on the chest and in the hairline are lovely and translatable to almost any other form, if you find yourself drawn to that kind of texture.
Bottom line: look at the components of sculpture — or any artwork — for inspiration, rather than the whole of a piece, and let your creativity translate it into whatever forms you prefer to work in.
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