Romancing the Stone
June 22, 2018
Inspirational Art
Guest Blog Post by Christi Friesen
Well, Sage is off on an adventure, and some of us agreed to jump in to keep the blog posts going so she could rest easy, knowing all is well.
Bwahahahahahahaha! If only she had known that I would use her blog for my own nefarious purposes!
Actually, she said I could use it to promote my upcoming new book, “Do You See What I See?” My new book will be out at the end of August. I’ve got all kinds of very tantalizing incentives such as a book bundle (including combos with a limited edition silkscreen with Creative Nudge Cards, with original sketches from the book and more!).
Ok, back to the regularly scheduled informative blog content …
Stones, crystals, and minerals are naturally interesting and often spectacularly beautiful. I always love seeing an artist who uses a beautiful stone in their artwork to make something more amazing than either stone or art would be separately.
I’ve long admired the repoussé work of jewelry artist Linda Kindler Priest, who is a master at this skill, and her work has helped me learn more about how things go together in my own work.
A good example is her “Polar Bear on Ice” brooch. The quartz crystal cluster she chose to combine with her golden bear repoussé piece could actually be ice! Brrrrrrr.
As you know, polymer and stones go together beautifully too. Almost every stone, mineral, or crystal can be worked into your polymer creation and baked together. Just something to think about when you make your next creation.
You can find more of Linda’s work on her website.
Diamond Rivers
December 26, 2016
Inspirational Art
Now that we have gotten through the heaviest of the holiday season and family members will be packing up and heading back home, its time to think of the coming year. And about New Year’s Eve! This is the time for celebrating with friends and wrapping up the year in style. It’s also the one time of year where everyone can find an event to go all blinged out to.
Even polymer, plastic based as it is, can be crafted with some serious sparkle and sophisticated bling. These rivers of crystals through frosty river rock like beads come in a full shimmer set of necklace earring and a ring. The soft round shapes keeps it from being an overly serious set of adornment but the generous sparkle will bring even a jeans and sweater outfit up several notches.
The set was created by Blanka Procházková, an artisan whose work has the marks of influence from a range of polymer artists, this set included, many of whom she has taken classes with. Her approach and designs have a slightly different angle on what others have done, showing her exploration although not her particular voice, not yet. There are definite hints though and she’d be one to keep an eye on. You can do so by jumping over to her Flickr photostream or her website.
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Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
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Classy, Shiny Dots
August 20, 2013
Inspirational Art
I know when I hear “dots” I usually think of something fun, and maybe even silly; but dots can also be quite refined and stunning. This pendant by Etsy’s Noneoftheabove is definitely both. Using polymer dots to develop a gradation of color and accented with just a couple rings of crystals, this pendant is quite bright and shimmering. The combination of elements gives the impression at first that the polymer dots could be crystals themselves. Can you figure out why?
Our perception of shine comes from a contrast of bright against dark. If you look at the crystals themselves, you’ll see that the most “sparkly” ones have a facet reflecting bright white or blue, and a dark contrasting facet or ring of dark color at their base. When you to illustrate a glint in the eye in a painting, you add a white spot on the dark pupil or iris. When you photograph a glass object, you need the reflection of something dark to show its form against all the white light that it will reflect. The same basic principle is shown here; the light, yellow-colored clay with spots of black peeking through, the light pink against the dark red gem, and the actual crystals together make it so that, at a glance, we perceive shine across the whole collection of dots. Kinda neat, huh?
Our mysterious Canandian Noneoftheabove artist makes a whole variety of these pendants with insane precision. Peruse her Etsy page for more shiny collections of dots and just lots of “oh” and “ah” moments.
Brilliant Color
July 25, 2013
Inspirational Art
We usually think of adding color to polymer in terms of pigment that can be mixed in or applied to the surface. But color can be added in a number of forms, including light itself.
Crystals, because of the colors they come in along with the way they refract light, can accent and splash color across a polymer surface in ways that can change as the piece or viewer moves. The grouping of crystals across Elvira Krick’s simple drop polymer earrings work off the color of the polymer (colored with inks, incidentally) by reflecting the color behind them as well as lighting the polymer up with their own refracted brilliance.
Using crystals in a tasteful, not overly garish way can be a little tricky, especially if you want them to be the primary colorant and focus of the work. I think Elvira has gotten that balance down here, keeping the polymer base simple so the crystals can shine, abandoning an evenly placed and orderly arrangement for an organic sprinkling which also speaks to a simplicity of application that helps keeps the dense grouping from being overwhelming.
Elvira seems to be quite a bit of experimenting and playing with both color and form. You can explore more of her exploration on her Flickr pages and in her Etsy shop
Guest Blog Post by Christi Friesen
Well, Sage is off on an adventure, and some of us agreed to jump in to keep the blog posts going so she could rest easy, knowing all is well.
Bwahahahahahahaha! If only she had known that I would use her blog for my own nefarious purposes!
Actually, she said I could use it to promote my upcoming new book, “Do You See What I See?” My new book will be out at the end of August. I’ve got all kinds of very tantalizing incentives such as a book bundle (including combos with a limited edition silkscreen with Creative Nudge Cards, with original sketches from the book and more!).
Ok, back to the regularly scheduled informative blog content …
Stones, crystals, and minerals are naturally interesting and often spectacularly beautiful. I always love seeing an artist who uses a beautiful stone in their artwork to make something more amazing than either stone or art would be separately.
I’ve long admired the repoussé work of jewelry artist Linda Kindler Priest, who is a master at this skill, and her work has helped me learn more about how things go together in my own work.
A good example is her “Polar Bear on Ice” brooch. The quartz crystal cluster she chose to combine with her golden bear repoussé piece could actually be ice! Brrrrrrr.
As you know, polymer and stones go together beautifully too. Almost every stone, mineral, or crystal can be worked into your polymer creation and baked together. Just something to think about when you make your next creation.
You can find more of Linda’s work on her website.
Read MoreNow that we have gotten through the heaviest of the holiday season and family members will be packing up and heading back home, its time to think of the coming year. And about New Year’s Eve! This is the time for celebrating with friends and wrapping up the year in style. It’s also the one time of year where everyone can find an event to go all blinged out to.
Even polymer, plastic based as it is, can be crafted with some serious sparkle and sophisticated bling. These rivers of crystals through frosty river rock like beads come in a full shimmer set of necklace earring and a ring. The soft round shapes keeps it from being an overly serious set of adornment but the generous sparkle will bring even a jeans and sweater outfit up several notches.
The set was created by Blanka Procházková, an artisan whose work has the marks of influence from a range of polymer artists, this set included, many of whom she has taken classes with. Her approach and designs have a slightly different angle on what others have done, showing her exploration although not her particular voice, not yet. There are definite hints though and she’d be one to keep an eye on. You can do so by jumping over to her Flickr photostream or her website.
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
_________________________________________
Read MoreI know when I hear “dots” I usually think of something fun, and maybe even silly; but dots can also be quite refined and stunning. This pendant by Etsy’s Noneoftheabove is definitely both. Using polymer dots to develop a gradation of color and accented with just a couple rings of crystals, this pendant is quite bright and shimmering. The combination of elements gives the impression at first that the polymer dots could be crystals themselves. Can you figure out why?
Our perception of shine comes from a contrast of bright against dark. If you look at the crystals themselves, you’ll see that the most “sparkly” ones have a facet reflecting bright white or blue, and a dark contrasting facet or ring of dark color at their base. When you to illustrate a glint in the eye in a painting, you add a white spot on the dark pupil or iris. When you photograph a glass object, you need the reflection of something dark to show its form against all the white light that it will reflect. The same basic principle is shown here; the light, yellow-colored clay with spots of black peeking through, the light pink against the dark red gem, and the actual crystals together make it so that, at a glance, we perceive shine across the whole collection of dots. Kinda neat, huh?
Our mysterious Canandian Noneoftheabove artist makes a whole variety of these pendants with insane precision. Peruse her Etsy page for more shiny collections of dots and just lots of “oh” and “ah” moments.
Read More
We usually think of adding color to polymer in terms of pigment that can be mixed in or applied to the surface. But color can be added in a number of forms, including light itself.
Crystals, because of the colors they come in along with the way they refract light, can accent and splash color across a polymer surface in ways that can change as the piece or viewer moves. The grouping of crystals across Elvira Krick’s simple drop polymer earrings work off the color of the polymer (colored with inks, incidentally) by reflecting the color behind them as well as lighting the polymer up with their own refracted brilliance.
Using crystals in a tasteful, not overly garish way can be a little tricky, especially if you want them to be the primary colorant and focus of the work. I think Elvira has gotten that balance down here, keeping the polymer base simple so the crystals can shine, abandoning an evenly placed and orderly arrangement for an organic sprinkling which also speaks to a simplicity of application that helps keeps the dense grouping from being overwhelming.
Elvira seems to be quite a bit of experimenting and playing with both color and form. You can explore more of her exploration on her Flickr pages and in her Etsy shop
Read More