Inside a Lentil
November 15, 2014
Inspirational Art
I’ve been wanting to do a hollow lentil bead with a peek-a-boo hole in it all week, but it’s a rather common design these days, at least as a base form. Some people are doing beautiful things with it, but I felt it ought to be really different and objects well recessed, so they look more hidden, and that was harder to find. Then I remembered these window-like hollow lentils Wendy Orlowski created a couple years ago.
Down below the lip of the open window in the one on the right, you can see what looks like a nest with an egg inside it. I wish I could get a closer look. But, this is what I’ve been talking about all week. You know something is there, and our natural curiosity pushes us to look closer to get a better look at it. We simply like the surprise of hidden things. This is a great addition to a piece in that there is definitely more than meets the eye when there is something sitting just inside, beyond our view.
Wendy mentions that she had planned to create a tutorial of this, although I couldn’t find one. If you are interested, you might want to give Wendy a shout through her Etsy shop or with the contact information on her blog. In case you didn’t know, Wendy is the designer who created CaBezels, which I highly recommend. They are a lifesaver for quick and easy bezels to show off your great surface treatments or faux stones. You can find them on her Etsy site as well through Shades of Clay.
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.
Embedded Surprises
November 13, 2014
Inspirational Art
The pull to look inside something to find out what cool thing might lie within it is quite strong. And, so is the let down when there is nothing there. I am quite the proponent for avoiding viewer disappointment. If you build a box, a lidded bowl or something with a deep cavity of any kind, I think there should be something to surprise and delight a person who opens it for the first time. Yes, this is my point of view, but that open interior seems to be wasted space that could be decorated, used to make further statements or simply to place something fun or shiny that might give a person a smile.
I think that’s why I like this ring by Klavdija Kurent so much. She calls it her Little “Garlic” Ring. And yes, it definitely looks garlicky, but it also has a few unusual aspects for any garlic-like item. The blue peeking out of its interior for one. The little sprouts of silver for another. But, the real joy is seeing a big colorful gem deeply embedded in the open, hollow end. I don’t associate crystals with garlic, but that little surprise works. It might be hard not to just stare at a ring like this on the wearer, not just because of it’s big bold shape, but the glint of the gem as the wearer’s hand moves would make me intensely curious to see it closer. And, what a fun surprise to finally see what it is inside there.
Surprises like that not only make a memorable design, they create a memorable connection for a potential buyer. They see what is inside or on the back of something that no one else can see unless they also come in for a closer look. So, it then becomes a secret they are privy to as well. I’ve seen this at shows, where an individual drags a friend over to see what they’ve found on the backside or inside of a piece of jewelry, box, vase or piece of clothing. Those little surprises can cinch a sale. And, the buyer will have a little secret they can share or not and revel in their little bit of fun.
Klavdija, herself, is always full of surprises in her work. She is fearless, exploring a whole range of techniques and approaches, most of them very uniquely hers. Checking in on her Flickr pages and her blog is always an inspiring visit.
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.
Crazy Cavities
November 10, 2014
Inspirational Art
I have long had a fascination with spaces that potentially hide things. Caves, crevasses, holes, wells, abandoned buildings and the like. There is something about the potential of that unknown or hidden that is so enticing. And, it doesn’t have to be dark and mysterious either. Just something that makes one curious.
Like these fantastic forms by the ever-changing Noelia Contreras. They aren’t particularly deep or shadowed crevasses, but if you came upon someone wearing one of these, I don’t think you could help but step in a little closer and try to peek in from one angle or another to get a better glimpse of those background textures and the funky balls that look like they’re ready to launch from their “cavities” as Noelia calls them.
Would you like to have this kind of reaction to your pieces? Maybe not always, but if you are interested in piquing a viewer’s curiosity, hidden, partially hidden, and things just peeking through will get many people to stop for a closer look. We’ll be checking out those options, from subtle to serious, this week. Curious? Keep peeking in to see what we find.
In the meantime, if you need a dose of color this Monday, pop over to Noelia’s Flickr pages or in her shop for a lots of brilliant, saturated color. She’s also being featured in the gallery in the Winter 2014 issue of The Polymer Arts, so be sure to check out what new items she shared with us to share with you.
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’ve been wanting to do a hollow lentil bead with a peek-a-boo hole in it all week, but it’s a rather common design these days, at least as a base form. Some people are doing beautiful things with it, but I felt it ought to be really different and objects well recessed, so they look more hidden, and that was harder to find. Then I remembered these window-like hollow lentils Wendy Orlowski created a couple years ago.
Down below the lip of the open window in the one on the right, you can see what looks like a nest with an egg inside it. I wish I could get a closer look. But, this is what I’ve been talking about all week. You know something is there, and our natural curiosity pushes us to look closer to get a better look at it. We simply like the surprise of hidden things. This is a great addition to a piece in that there is definitely more than meets the eye when there is something sitting just inside, beyond our view.
Wendy mentions that she had planned to create a tutorial of this, although I couldn’t find one. If you are interested, you might want to give Wendy a shout through her Etsy shop or with the contact information on her blog. In case you didn’t know, Wendy is the designer who created CaBezels, which I highly recommend. They are a lifesaver for quick and easy bezels to show off your great surface treatments or faux stones. You can find them on her Etsy site as well through Shades of Clay.
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.
The pull to look inside something to find out what cool thing might lie within it is quite strong. And, so is the let down when there is nothing there. I am quite the proponent for avoiding viewer disappointment. If you build a box, a lidded bowl or something with a deep cavity of any kind, I think there should be something to surprise and delight a person who opens it for the first time. Yes, this is my point of view, but that open interior seems to be wasted space that could be decorated, used to make further statements or simply to place something fun or shiny that might give a person a smile.
I think that’s why I like this ring by Klavdija Kurent so much. She calls it her Little “Garlic” Ring. And yes, it definitely looks garlicky, but it also has a few unusual aspects for any garlic-like item. The blue peeking out of its interior for one. The little sprouts of silver for another. But, the real joy is seeing a big colorful gem deeply embedded in the open, hollow end. I don’t associate crystals with garlic, but that little surprise works. It might be hard not to just stare at a ring like this on the wearer, not just because of it’s big bold shape, but the glint of the gem as the wearer’s hand moves would make me intensely curious to see it closer. And, what a fun surprise to finally see what it is inside there.
Surprises like that not only make a memorable design, they create a memorable connection for a potential buyer. They see what is inside or on the back of something that no one else can see unless they also come in for a closer look. So, it then becomes a secret they are privy to as well. I’ve seen this at shows, where an individual drags a friend over to see what they’ve found on the backside or inside of a piece of jewelry, box, vase or piece of clothing. Those little surprises can cinch a sale. And, the buyer will have a little secret they can share or not and revel in their little bit of fun.
Klavdija, herself, is always full of surprises in her work. She is fearless, exploring a whole range of techniques and approaches, most of them very uniquely hers. Checking in on her Flickr pages and her blog is always an inspiring visit.
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 long had a fascination with spaces that potentially hide things. Caves, crevasses, holes, wells, abandoned buildings and the like. There is something about the potential of that unknown or hidden that is so enticing. And, it doesn’t have to be dark and mysterious either. Just something that makes one curious.
Like these fantastic forms by the ever-changing Noelia Contreras. They aren’t particularly deep or shadowed crevasses, but if you came upon someone wearing one of these, I don’t think you could help but step in a little closer and try to peek in from one angle or another to get a better glimpse of those background textures and the funky balls that look like they’re ready to launch from their “cavities” as Noelia calls them.
Would you like to have this kind of reaction to your pieces? Maybe not always, but if you are interested in piquing a viewer’s curiosity, hidden, partially hidden, and things just peeking through will get many people to stop for a closer look. We’ll be checking out those options, from subtle to serious, this week. Curious? Keep peeking in to see what we find.
In the meantime, if you need a dose of color this Monday, pop over to Noelia’s Flickr pages or in her shop for a lots of brilliant, saturated color. She’s also being featured in the gallery in the Winter 2014 issue of The Polymer Arts, so be sure to check out what new items she shared with us to share with you.
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.
