Never Boxed In
September 23, 2016
Inspirational Art
Here is another artist that is pushing the boundaries of his usual forms. Not that Jon Stuart Anderson has ever keep strictly within a certain form although he is widely known for his intricately patterned animals. He has also put his cane work to guitars, shoes, vessels and sculptures but all have had some reflection of his flowing forms and repeated patterns.
These box lamps seems like a huge departure for Jon but one that definitely suits his love of pattern. They are copper boxes just shy of 7″ (18cm) square, with translucent patterned ‘lenses’ as he call them. One would assume the lenses are canes but I suspect there is a bit more going on. It’s just really hard to tell. Maybe a layering of canes or something related to some transferring techniques he had been working on. Not that it matters too much. They are just lovely.
But back to the main point … they are some rather simplified patterns for Jon–a matter of relativity being that they aren’t simple in and of themselves. The difference is that these forms have no lines of repeated canes working their way expertly around the form to create another pattern from their arrangement. Instead, one beautifully patterned convex circle shows off Jon’s sense of balance in both symmetry and color. Some have different patterns on the lenses of a box while other’s are the same on every side. You can sense the exploration as you examine one box after the other. See what I mean by looking through his first images of this series on his July 8th postings on Facebook.
Jon has never stopped exploring and pushing what he does, making exploration the one strong thread of consistency in his work. If you enjoy his creative meanderings, the best place to keep up with his adventures is on his Facebook page although his website is always worth a visit. He also has a great little video of his cane making which is pretty entrancing.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Break out of your usual form. But instead of just trying a form you don’t usually work with, try to expand on forms you already work with. So if you create primarily flat jewelry elements, go more dimensional with half lentil forms or free form the shapes in waves. If you create round beads much of the time, try squares or twisted oblong shapes. If you like making round bowls, what about boat shapes or cones? Where can you push your forms?
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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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A Gateway Tutorial to the World of Polymer Boxes
April 25, 2015
Inspirational Art
I figured there were a number of you who might have been intrigued by the containment form of adornment this week but thought it would be too much work to get into it. However, I have found a ‘gateway’ tutorial that might just get you addicted to the idea of making container necklaces. Then, you might find yourself moving onto purses or who know what else. In any case, if you like the form, you really should give it a try.
These matchbox amulets, as Tina Holden calls them, address both the inside and outside of this form. They have a slider similar to inros, but a construction that may be a bit more accessible to the novice box maker. She sells a two-part tutorial on her ArtFire page for those of you who want to jump in with pretty much guaranteed success. If you have already played around or you create container adornments, this could be inspiration for a new form.
You can find the two-part tutorial on this link here, or, if you don’t want to dive in wholly at this point, you can get Part 1 here, and then go for Part 2 later when you see just how addictive it is! She has a lot of other tutorials to offer, so if you aren’t up for boxes right now, still stop by her shop to see if something else piques your interest.
*Update: If you want to try your hand at another polymer matchbox design, Randee Ketzel sent this link to an older tutorial where it is opened by moving the outside of the box up the cord rather than pulling the inside up. This would not be ideal to hold loose objects (if the outside gets jostled up, items could fall out) but looks to work great as an amulet with hidden items secured inside. It is free so you can give it a try before you buy something more detailed like Tina’s tutorial: http://www.pcpolyzine.com/2000december/matchbook.html Thanks for that Randee!
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.
Outside Inspiration: Sculptural Spring
January 17, 2014
Inspirational Art
Sarah Parker-Eaton, a silver and gold precious metals artist, and Louise Hibbert, a woodworking artist, joined together to create an art form called Plankton Art. Patterns and forms in nature inspire these artists as seen here in this piece that has the feel of an ocean starfish. The bright colors used remind me of the sea life that you see when you dive into the darkest depths of the ocean. Because of the darkness, the sea creatures take on a fluorescent glow in these deep waters.
This starfish shape is part of Louise’s Radiolarian Vessel series. It has a diameter of approximately 150mm and is made from English sycamore, acrylic ink, and acrylic texture paste. These types of shapes and colors could be replicated in polymer clay. Give it a go and let the creatures of the sea inspire you to swim into new realms of creativity.
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.
Here is another artist that is pushing the boundaries of his usual forms. Not that Jon Stuart Anderson has ever keep strictly within a certain form although he is widely known for his intricately patterned animals. He has also put his cane work to guitars, shoes, vessels and sculptures but all have had some reflection of his flowing forms and repeated patterns.
These box lamps seems like a huge departure for Jon but one that definitely suits his love of pattern. They are copper boxes just shy of 7″ (18cm) square, with translucent patterned ‘lenses’ as he call them. One would assume the lenses are canes but I suspect there is a bit more going on. It’s just really hard to tell. Maybe a layering of canes or something related to some transferring techniques he had been working on. Not that it matters too much. They are just lovely.
But back to the main point … they are some rather simplified patterns for Jon–a matter of relativity being that they aren’t simple in and of themselves. The difference is that these forms have no lines of repeated canes working their way expertly around the form to create another pattern from their arrangement. Instead, one beautifully patterned convex circle shows off Jon’s sense of balance in both symmetry and color. Some have different patterns on the lenses of a box while other’s are the same on every side. You can sense the exploration as you examine one box after the other. See what I mean by looking through his first images of this series on his July 8th postings on Facebook.
Jon has never stopped exploring and pushing what he does, making exploration the one strong thread of consistency in his work. If you enjoy his creative meanderings, the best place to keep up with his adventures is on his Facebook page although his website is always worth a visit. He also has a great little video of his cane making which is pretty entrancing.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Break out of your usual form. But instead of just trying a form you don’t usually work with, try to expand on forms you already work with. So if you create primarily flat jewelry elements, go more dimensional with half lentil forms or free form the shapes in waves. If you create round beads much of the time, try squares or twisted oblong shapes. If you like making round bowls, what about boat shapes or cones? Where can you push your forms?
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
_________________________________________
Read MoreI figured there were a number of you who might have been intrigued by the containment form of adornment this week but thought it would be too much work to get into it. However, I have found a ‘gateway’ tutorial that might just get you addicted to the idea of making container necklaces. Then, you might find yourself moving onto purses or who know what else. In any case, if you like the form, you really should give it a try.
These matchbox amulets, as Tina Holden calls them, address both the inside and outside of this form. They have a slider similar to inros, but a construction that may be a bit more accessible to the novice box maker. She sells a two-part tutorial on her ArtFire page for those of you who want to jump in with pretty much guaranteed success. If you have already played around or you create container adornments, this could be inspiration for a new form.
You can find the two-part tutorial on this link here, or, if you don’t want to dive in wholly at this point, you can get Part 1 here, and then go for Part 2 later when you see just how addictive it is! She has a lot of other tutorials to offer, so if you aren’t up for boxes right now, still stop by her shop to see if something else piques your interest.
*Update: If you want to try your hand at another polymer matchbox design, Randee Ketzel sent this link to an older tutorial where it is opened by moving the outside of the box up the cord rather than pulling the inside up. This would not be ideal to hold loose objects (if the outside gets jostled up, items could fall out) but looks to work great as an amulet with hidden items secured inside. It is free so you can give it a try before you buy something more detailed like Tina’s tutorial: http://www.pcpolyzine.com/2000december/matchbook.html Thanks for that Randee!
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.
Sarah Parker-Eaton, a silver and gold precious metals artist, and Louise Hibbert, a woodworking artist, joined together to create an art form called Plankton Art. Patterns and forms in nature inspire these artists as seen here in this piece that has the feel of an ocean starfish. The bright colors used remind me of the sea life that you see when you dive into the darkest depths of the ocean. Because of the darkness, the sea creatures take on a fluorescent glow in these deep waters.
This starfish shape is part of Louise’s Radiolarian Vessel series. It has a diameter of approximately 150mm and is made from English sycamore, acrylic ink, and acrylic texture paste. These types of shapes and colors could be replicated in polymer clay. Give it a go and let the creatures of the sea inspire you to swim into new realms of creativity.
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.
