The Lively Creation of Contained Beauty
August 28, 2015
Inspirational Art
Speaking of inspiring containers this week … I found this little box to be utterly enthralling. This beauty was created by Australia’s Debbie Sheezel. According to the description I found with this on Pinterest, this piece was made using cloisonné wiring and enamel, of course, embedded with pearls on the lid of a sterling silver box.
It is the forms and the coloring here that make this so pleasing to look at. The red and orange feel like fire, but the flames come from a cool, organic green. The loose form of the red lines feel alive and with them all coalescing at the center with its gathering of pearls, you have the rich and glorious feeling that this is a visual metaphor for beauty being created. That is even before you know the piece has been entitled Seed. It’s one of those pieces you enviously realize that the artist made all the right decisions, from color to form to line to accents. Even the fact that it is a box with all its possibilities inside seems right.
Debbie is an uncommonly talented enamel artist. Her work is not only beautiful, but you can feel a liveliness in her pieces that is more than the depth this glass ‘painting’ technique affords the artist. We can get such depth with polymer when we are layering translucents, so it’s possible to get this with our medium. It’s just finding the muse that leads you to such colors and lines that would be the challenge.
See more of Debbie’s beautiful pieces on her website and on this enamel artist’s gathering site, Grains of Glass. What a great name. And what a site. Be careful you don’t get lost in there.
Like this blog? Help support us … with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
Outside Inspiration: Little Silver Box
April 24, 2015
Inspirational Art
As I was picking out work for this week and looking at inros, box pendants and purses, it crossed my mind that someone needs to make purse necklaces that are functional. I don’t like carrying around a purse (I’m too likely to put it down and forget it!), so wouldn’t it be great if we had something we could just hang around our necks to carry the essentials? Well, that’s probably not practical because we all we carry so much these days, but it did lead me to search for a crossover type piece, which then led me to Terry Kovalcik and these amazing metal clay box pendants. Most of his necklaces are containers of some sort with all different forms and approaches. His passion for this kind of work is evident in these couple lines from his artist statement:
“I’ve become passionate about making boxes that allow me to work on both the inside and outside designs—with the mystery of its interior and the secrets that can be hidden inside. These little surprises are special gifts to the wearer that they can choose to share with others.”
So true. That mystery, not knowing what is hidden within adds a whole other dimension to the impact these pieces will have on a viewer. And, the wearer gets to carry around a little something they can keep as a secret or share with others. With forms like this one, I see an easy transition to polymer clay for those inspired by his forms.
Drop in on Terry’s website to see the other boxes he’s made. If you’re really intrigued, there are few more that can be found if you search Google images. You will see photos of pieces both closed and open.
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.
Giving Your Piece Purpose
April 23, 2015
Inspirational Art
Covering containers is not a new concept for clayers, but how small would you go? There are all kinds of small boxes, tubes, and cases out there that can be transformed into interesting polymer container adornments. This pendant by Cyprus’ Nicolas and Nora is just one such example I dug up. They’ve given the container a very specific purpose as well, which is just about as interesting as this charming pendant.
They label these ‘prayer box necklaces’ in their Etsy listing. They go on to describe in detail what a prayer box is and how to use it by saying these are “used by religious faithful to help them focus on their specific prayer needs and to facilitate contemplation on one’s faith … most people stuff notes of prayer items into the boxes. Think about what you truly want and write it down. Writing your desires out give them energy and increase the likelihood that your wishes will be answered.”
Not only is it a nice idea, but by giving the pendant a particular purpose is also a smart way to sell. It’s not unlike staging a house. If you can show people just what they can do with what you have for them, they are much more likely to buy because they can imagine, in a very specific way, how they themselves would use your piece. So, if you do make any kind of container adornment or house decor, display and photograph the work with possible things it could contain, not as a primary presentation, but for the purpose of selling such as you would in your online shop or at a craft show. It turns the work from just something beautiful to look at (not that this shouldn’t be enough!) into something the buyer/wearer can customize and use for a more personal and connected interaction with your work.
Nicolas and Nora don’t seem to have any more of these container-style necklaces in their shop right now, but if you like this earthy, bohemian look, or are curious what other personal approaches they use to grab the interest of their potential customers, jump on over to their Etsy shop and take a look around.
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.
An Accessory with Room to Play
April 22, 2015
Inspirational Art
We’re going to move from container pendants to another type of container accessory, the purse. Purses are not the easiest creations to make in polymer, but with all that open space, there is so much that could be done. And, this is one of the huge advantages of artistic container accessories–you have a lot of real estate and several sides to work with. For those of you that sell, also consider that handbags have a high price point, so all the hard work that you put into your masterpiece is more likely to be well paid for.
It would be impossible to bring this form up without mentioning the queen of polymer handbags, Kathleen Dustin. Over the last year or so she has been working in a beautiful series she calls The World Traveler, highly influenced by the amazing ceramicist Vicki Grant who I’ve featured on here a couple of times before. Kathleen’s work has a wide breadth of texture, motifs, forms and color palettes, but the approach and craftsmanship is still quite readily recognizable. She has created some very complex purses in the past, but I found this one particularly appealing because it is a bit more straightforward, and its relatively simple structure allows the treatment of the clay to really shine. I also figured, if you ever wanted to try your hand at polymer purses, you can readily see here that it can be typically purse-like but highly artistic with so much room for play.
It seems like only a handful of purses and necklaces from her recent collections have been making the rounds on the Internet, so do stop and treat yourself to a more extensive view on her website. And a happy birthday to Kathleen who, yesterday, celebrated another year on this earth and another year regaling us with her beautiful work. Keep it up for many, many more years if you would please!
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.
The Form of a Box Pendant
April 21, 2015
Inspirational Art
Here is another take on the inro form; although, the creator has labeled these “Box as Pendant” pieces. Enkhtsetseg Tserenbadam’s versions are not as heavily decorated as what we saw yesterday, but the variety of forms is a pleasure to see. The interest lies in the surface treatment and color combinations, which subtly accent the primarily organic forms.
Enkhe’s work is often hollow, although, not always in order to hold something and not always as a jewelry. She makes purses and table top boxes. She does play a lot with hollow forms in her jewelry but with many a revealing opening. Her largely minimal palettes make her forms particularly important, and that is where most of her focus lies.
Enkhe’s work can be found online, primarily on her art website.
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.
A Round Take on a Traditional Case
April 20, 2015
Inspirational Art
What would you say to a week of small, wearable containers? I personally have a very particular interest (maybe a tiny bit of an obsession) with things that little treasures and secrets can be stored in. So, I’ve been digging up a number of interesting examples of wearable cases, and there is more variety in this than I would have thought.
This little beauty is styled after an inro; a traditional Japanese container that would have been hung from a waist sash. Traditional Japanese dress did not have anything like pockets, so the inros would be the method by which small necessities could be carried. They grew from purely functional objects to works of high art and have, obviously, been adopted for adornment beyond what would accompany traditional Japanese dress.
This inro style container is by Pavla Cepelikova. She created a series of these over the last couple years that she calls Beatle Inro Boxes. I believe the reference would be to the insects not to the band, but I could be wrong. The wing-like shapes created by the polymer inlay is certainly reminiscent of a beetle. The flat top works as a cap, sliding up the cord as an inro top would. Yes, we would usually see the inro in more of a box shape and with an overlapping cap, but this does work the same way. The shape and surface decoration make for an original and charming version of the traditional case. It’s a good example of taking a traditional idea and moving beyond what is usually done with it.
You can see the rest of the series on Pavla’s Flickr pages along with many other little beauties. Enjoy!
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.
Density Vase
May 24, 2014
Inspirational Art
Intricacy in construction can be achieved in a variety of ways. The simple repetition of a single type of element can create rich texture but like everything we talked about this week, takes a bit of patience. Ukraine artist, Iryna Osinchuk-Chajka, created this intriguing vase in this manner, applying small petal shapes over and over, for rows and rows, to complete the design. This piece is part of her home decor line. She take vases, office organizers, soda cans, and any other shape that interests her and then applies these repeated shapes to the surface, to create the enticing texture.
When you look at Iryna’s Flickr Photostream, her Etsy shop, and her live journal, you can see how much she is influenced by nature, particularly florals. Have you ever tried one of these layering techniques in your work? It is time consuming, but the results can be well worth the effort.
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.
Mini Pillow Boxes
November 14, 2012
Inspirational Art
Containers have an intrigue for many people. They enclose spaces that could have any number of things inside … a little unexpected gift, a misplaced precious trinket or thoughtful note. The containers themselves can be such wonderful little treasures. These mini boxes with rich colors, shimmer and a fanciful pillow shape are just that.
These mini pillow like boxes are the creation of Madrid’s Fabi (fperezajates on Flickr). Fabi is a polymer teacher as well and has a fabulous (sorry, couldn’t help using that word!) blog showing not only her work but the work of her students. She may only post a few times a month but the posts are something definitely worth tracking.
Speaking of inspiring containers this week … I found this little box to be utterly enthralling. This beauty was created by Australia’s Debbie Sheezel. According to the description I found with this on Pinterest, this piece was made using cloisonné wiring and enamel, of course, embedded with pearls on the lid of a sterling silver box.
It is the forms and the coloring here that make this so pleasing to look at. The red and orange feel like fire, but the flames come from a cool, organic green. The loose form of the red lines feel alive and with them all coalescing at the center with its gathering of pearls, you have the rich and glorious feeling that this is a visual metaphor for beauty being created. That is even before you know the piece has been entitled Seed. It’s one of those pieces you enviously realize that the artist made all the right decisions, from color to form to line to accents. Even the fact that it is a box with all its possibilities inside seems right.
Debbie is an uncommonly talented enamel artist. Her work is not only beautiful, but you can feel a liveliness in her pieces that is more than the depth this glass ‘painting’ technique affords the artist. We can get such depth with polymer when we are layering translucents, so it’s possible to get this with our medium. It’s just finding the muse that leads you to such colors and lines that would be the challenge.
See more of Debbie’s beautiful pieces on her website and on this enamel artist’s gathering site, Grains of Glass. What a great name. And what a site. Be careful you don’t get lost in there.
Like this blog? Help support us … with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:
Read More
As I was picking out work for this week and looking at inros, box pendants and purses, it crossed my mind that someone needs to make purse necklaces that are functional. I don’t like carrying around a purse (I’m too likely to put it down and forget it!), so wouldn’t it be great if we had something we could just hang around our necks to carry the essentials? Well, that’s probably not practical because we all we carry so much these days, but it did lead me to search for a crossover type piece, which then led me to Terry Kovalcik and these amazing metal clay box pendants. Most of his necklaces are containers of some sort with all different forms and approaches. His passion for this kind of work is evident in these couple lines from his artist statement:
“I’ve become passionate about making boxes that allow me to work on both the inside and outside designs—with the mystery of its interior and the secrets that can be hidden inside. These little surprises are special gifts to the wearer that they can choose to share with others.”
So true. That mystery, not knowing what is hidden within adds a whole other dimension to the impact these pieces will have on a viewer. And, the wearer gets to carry around a little something they can keep as a secret or share with others. With forms like this one, I see an easy transition to polymer clay for those inspired by his forms.
Drop in on Terry’s website to see the other boxes he’s made. If you’re really intrigued, there are few more that can be found if you search Google images. You will see photos of pieces both closed and open.
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.
Covering containers is not a new concept for clayers, but how small would you go? There are all kinds of small boxes, tubes, and cases out there that can be transformed into interesting polymer container adornments. This pendant by Cyprus’ Nicolas and Nora is just one such example I dug up. They’ve given the container a very specific purpose as well, which is just about as interesting as this charming pendant.
They label these ‘prayer box necklaces’ in their Etsy listing. They go on to describe in detail what a prayer box is and how to use it by saying these are “used by religious faithful to help them focus on their specific prayer needs and to facilitate contemplation on one’s faith … most people stuff notes of prayer items into the boxes. Think about what you truly want and write it down. Writing your desires out give them energy and increase the likelihood that your wishes will be answered.”
Not only is it a nice idea, but by giving the pendant a particular purpose is also a smart way to sell. It’s not unlike staging a house. If you can show people just what they can do with what you have for them, they are much more likely to buy because they can imagine, in a very specific way, how they themselves would use your piece. So, if you do make any kind of container adornment or house decor, display and photograph the work with possible things it could contain, not as a primary presentation, but for the purpose of selling such as you would in your online shop or at a craft show. It turns the work from just something beautiful to look at (not that this shouldn’t be enough!) into something the buyer/wearer can customize and use for a more personal and connected interaction with your work.
Nicolas and Nora don’t seem to have any more of these container-style necklaces in their shop right now, but if you like this earthy, bohemian look, or are curious what other personal approaches they use to grab the interest of their potential customers, jump on over to their Etsy shop and take a look around.
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.
We’re going to move from container pendants to another type of container accessory, the purse. Purses are not the easiest creations to make in polymer, but with all that open space, there is so much that could be done. And, this is one of the huge advantages of artistic container accessories–you have a lot of real estate and several sides to work with. For those of you that sell, also consider that handbags have a high price point, so all the hard work that you put into your masterpiece is more likely to be well paid for.
It would be impossible to bring this form up without mentioning the queen of polymer handbags, Kathleen Dustin. Over the last year or so she has been working in a beautiful series she calls The World Traveler, highly influenced by the amazing ceramicist Vicki Grant who I’ve featured on here a couple of times before. Kathleen’s work has a wide breadth of texture, motifs, forms and color palettes, but the approach and craftsmanship is still quite readily recognizable. She has created some very complex purses in the past, but I found this one particularly appealing because it is a bit more straightforward, and its relatively simple structure allows the treatment of the clay to really shine. I also figured, if you ever wanted to try your hand at polymer purses, you can readily see here that it can be typically purse-like but highly artistic with so much room for play.
It seems like only a handful of purses and necklaces from her recent collections have been making the rounds on the Internet, so do stop and treat yourself to a more extensive view on her website. And a happy birthday to Kathleen who, yesterday, celebrated another year on this earth and another year regaling us with her beautiful work. Keep it up for many, many more years if you would please!
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.
Here is another take on the inro form; although, the creator has labeled these “Box as Pendant” pieces. Enkhtsetseg Tserenbadam’s versions are not as heavily decorated as what we saw yesterday, but the variety of forms is a pleasure to see. The interest lies in the surface treatment and color combinations, which subtly accent the primarily organic forms.
Enkhe’s work is often hollow, although, not always in order to hold something and not always as a jewelry. She makes purses and table top boxes. She does play a lot with hollow forms in her jewelry but with many a revealing opening. Her largely minimal palettes make her forms particularly important, and that is where most of her focus lies.
Enkhe’s work can be found online, primarily on her art website.
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.
What would you say to a week of small, wearable containers? I personally have a very particular interest (maybe a tiny bit of an obsession) with things that little treasures and secrets can be stored in. So, I’ve been digging up a number of interesting examples of wearable cases, and there is more variety in this than I would have thought.
This little beauty is styled after an inro; a traditional Japanese container that would have been hung from a waist sash. Traditional Japanese dress did not have anything like pockets, so the inros would be the method by which small necessities could be carried. They grew from purely functional objects to works of high art and have, obviously, been adopted for adornment beyond what would accompany traditional Japanese dress.
This inro style container is by Pavla Cepelikova. She created a series of these over the last couple years that she calls Beatle Inro Boxes. I believe the reference would be to the insects not to the band, but I could be wrong. The wing-like shapes created by the polymer inlay is certainly reminiscent of a beetle. The flat top works as a cap, sliding up the cord as an inro top would. Yes, we would usually see the inro in more of a box shape and with an overlapping cap, but this does work the same way. The shape and surface decoration make for an original and charming version of the traditional case. It’s a good example of taking a traditional idea and moving beyond what is usually done with it.
You can see the rest of the series on Pavla’s Flickr pages along with many other little beauties. Enjoy!
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.
Intricacy in construction can be achieved in a variety of ways. The simple repetition of a single type of element can create rich texture but like everything we talked about this week, takes a bit of patience. Ukraine artist, Iryna Osinchuk-Chajka, created this intriguing vase in this manner, applying small petal shapes over and over, for rows and rows, to complete the design. This piece is part of her home decor line. She take vases, office organizers, soda cans, and any other shape that interests her and then applies these repeated shapes to the surface, to create the enticing texture.
When you look at Iryna’s Flickr Photostream, her Etsy shop, and her live journal, you can see how much she is influenced by nature, particularly florals. Have you ever tried one of these layering techniques in your work? It is time consuming, but the results can be well worth the effort.
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.
Containers have an intrigue for many people. They enclose spaces that could have any number of things inside … a little unexpected gift, a misplaced precious trinket or thoughtful note. The containers themselves can be such wonderful little treasures. These mini boxes with rich colors, shimmer and a fanciful pillow shape are just that.
These mini pillow like boxes are the creation of Madrid’s Fabi (fperezajates on Flickr). Fabi is a polymer teacher as well and has a fabulous (sorry, couldn’t help using that word!) blog showing not only her work but the work of her students. She may only post a few times a month but the posts are something definitely worth tracking.
Read More