Convex Disks & Beaded Bezels
March 17, 2015
Inspirational Art
The domed disk, used for nesting as in yesterday’s post, is also commonly used to present a surface design with dimension and substance. We do love our domed, hollow, lentil-style beads, don’t we? But, here we have a beautiful example of a domed shape used as a center point and a raised form for some lovely beading.
This is from Katka Václavíková, working as Kat-ja, an artist from the Czech Republic who is an enthusiastic beader but looks to be taking her polymer quite seriously these days as well. The beauty in this piece that really caught my eye, aside from the nice color palette, was the way the polymer design was integrated with the beading. It is not just in the physical joining of the bead bezel, but also the type of polymer cabochon. Look at the design on the polymer surface–it is very much like a beading pattern; the way the stringing crosses back and forth and repeats in a steady, structured rhythm. It made this particular polymer focal piece a completely natural and well-suited pairing for the decorative bead work.
Kat-ja has a shop in two parts on Fler.cz; an Etsy-style site for arts and handicrafts in the Czech and Slovak Republics. She sells supplies for beaders and clayers, as well as handmade beads and cabochons on her supply side under Kat-ja Materials and her finished jewelry under her Kat-ja shop. It’s a well-rounded business model that looks to be keeping her busy!
Correction: Katka wrote to let us know that actually the cabochon created was created by Iva Brozova. So it was a collaborative piece with well collaborating materials! Great work ladies.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
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A Little Dance
March 3, 2015
Inspirational Art
So, yes, more about repetition but in slightly less obvious or more varied manners will be in store for you the rest of the week. Hopefully, you aren’t bored with the subject. The ways you can apply it are limitless really.
For instance, take this fun, contemporary piece titled “Little Cities Necklace” by Ann Dillon. There is plenty of repetition in the shape of the beads, the colors and order of the layers and the general placement of the thick cane cuts. But, the canes are laid out in a varied manner and are all different canes. This wonderfully illustrates the interconnection between repetition and rhythm. Repetition doesn’t mean regular, measured, evenly applied elements. It means something is used over and over, but how those elements are applied create rhythm that can be steady and strong or varied and even chaotic.
An underlying regular rhythm, like the bead bases here, provide grounding for the less predictable rhythm of the canes that kind of dance about in close but buoyant manner. The fact that they are applied across the horizontal center of each bead gives them that floating feel, so it’s definitely more of a dance or flight. If they were in the same formation but at the bottom, they could look heavy, as if they were spilled–nothing wrong with that, but definitely a different feel to the rhythm because they will look grounded.
Ann works in polymer and also a lot in seedbeads–talk about repetition and rhythm! That kind of bead work is all about that. Take a look at her website and practice identifying and feeling the rhythm of the pieces. It’s rather fun to think of work in that way.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Simple Color Mystery
December 20, 2014
Inspirational Art
Okay … here is a piece that I have hung onto for a while as I tried to find the person who created it. I have not, yet. It’s not a particularly complex piece, and although, I like the silver as an accent, I so rather wish the feather-like pieces were handmade or more organic or smooth and simple. The flow of color in the clay just calls for either something that matches that organic movement or has a calm stillness in contrast to it. But, nonetheless, the colors in these simple earrings are arresting.
So, this is the challenge I throw out to you all. Who knows whose creations these are? Help me find the artist and give them credit, and then back to your last-minute shopping and holiday parties!
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.
Color Indulgence
December 15, 2014
Inspirational Art
Do you ever have those days when you just want to sit down with a box of chocolates, a bag of pastries or a giant pizza with everything on it and just enjoy a little over-indulgence? Of course you do! I’m kind of feeling that way this week, but more about color than candy. Actually, I’ve had enough candy and pastries (gets rough on that account this time of year, doesn’t it?), but bright, saturated painterly color, I have not had enough of lately. So this week, let’s just indulge. We all have enough going on with holiday plans, shopping, selling, making trips to the post office and such. Let’s not get too serious and just enjoy some pretty things.
A quick jolt to the system came across my screen the other day in the form of this incredibly bright and mesmerizing bracelet by Viviane Depasse. She created this during a class with Carol Simmons this past April. Why is that not so surprising? This presentation does not have Carol’s precision kaleidoscope arrangements, but I, myself, am very much enjoying the meandering color. It is like the epitome of the phrase “eye candy”. It is bordering on overly-bright, but like really sweet candy you keep eating anyway; it’s hard not to keep looking.
Viviane posts her work both from classes and independent exploration, as well as her thoughts on her blog Mon Jardin Merveilloeufs.
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 domed disk, used for nesting as in yesterday’s post, is also commonly used to present a surface design with dimension and substance. We do love our domed, hollow, lentil-style beads, don’t we? But, here we have a beautiful example of a domed shape used as a center point and a raised form for some lovely beading.
This is from Katka Václavíková, working as Kat-ja, an artist from the Czech Republic who is an enthusiastic beader but looks to be taking her polymer quite seriously these days as well. The beauty in this piece that really caught my eye, aside from the nice color palette, was the way the polymer design was integrated with the beading. It is not just in the physical joining of the bead bezel, but also the type of polymer cabochon. Look at the design on the polymer surface–it is very much like a beading pattern; the way the stringing crosses back and forth and repeats in a steady, structured rhythm. It made this particular polymer focal piece a completely natural and well-suited pairing for the decorative bead work.
Kat-ja has a shop in two parts on Fler.cz; an Etsy-style site for arts and handicrafts in the Czech and Slovak Republics. She sells supplies for beaders and clayers, as well as handmade beads and cabochons on her supply side under Kat-ja Materials and her finished jewelry under her Kat-ja shop. It’s a well-rounded business model that looks to be keeping her busy!
Correction: Katka wrote to let us know that actually the cabochon created was created by Iva Brozova. So it was a collaborative piece with well collaborating materials! Great work ladies.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
;
So, yes, more about repetition but in slightly less obvious or more varied manners will be in store for you the rest of the week. Hopefully, you aren’t bored with the subject. The ways you can apply it are limitless really.
For instance, take this fun, contemporary piece titled “Little Cities Necklace” by Ann Dillon. There is plenty of repetition in the shape of the beads, the colors and order of the layers and the general placement of the thick cane cuts. But, the canes are laid out in a varied manner and are all different canes. This wonderfully illustrates the interconnection between repetition and rhythm. Repetition doesn’t mean regular, measured, evenly applied elements. It means something is used over and over, but how those elements are applied create rhythm that can be steady and strong or varied and even chaotic.
An underlying regular rhythm, like the bead bases here, provide grounding for the less predictable rhythm of the canes that kind of dance about in close but buoyant manner. The fact that they are applied across the horizontal center of each bead gives them that floating feel, so it’s definitely more of a dance or flight. If they were in the same formation but at the bottom, they could look heavy, as if they were spilled–nothing wrong with that, but definitely a different feel to the rhythm because they will look grounded.
Ann works in polymer and also a lot in seedbeads–talk about repetition and rhythm! That kind of bead work is all about that. Take a look at her website and practice identifying and feeling the rhythm of the pieces. It’s rather fun to think of work in that way.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Okay … here is a piece that I have hung onto for a while as I tried to find the person who created it. I have not, yet. It’s not a particularly complex piece, and although, I like the silver as an accent, I so rather wish the feather-like pieces were handmade or more organic or smooth and simple. The flow of color in the clay just calls for either something that matches that organic movement or has a calm stillness in contrast to it. But, nonetheless, the colors in these simple earrings are arresting.
So, this is the challenge I throw out to you all. Who knows whose creations these are? Help me find the artist and give them credit, and then back to your last-minute shopping and holiday parties!
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.
Do you ever have those days when you just want to sit down with a box of chocolates, a bag of pastries or a giant pizza with everything on it and just enjoy a little over-indulgence? Of course you do! I’m kind of feeling that way this week, but more about color than candy. Actually, I’ve had enough candy and pastries (gets rough on that account this time of year, doesn’t it?), but bright, saturated painterly color, I have not had enough of lately. So this week, let’s just indulge. We all have enough going on with holiday plans, shopping, selling, making trips to the post office and such. Let’s not get too serious and just enjoy some pretty things.
A quick jolt to the system came across my screen the other day in the form of this incredibly bright and mesmerizing bracelet by Viviane Depasse. She created this during a class with Carol Simmons this past April. Why is that not so surprising? This presentation does not have Carol’s precision kaleidoscope arrangements, but I, myself, am very much enjoying the meandering color. It is like the epitome of the phrase “eye candy”. It is bordering on overly-bright, but like really sweet candy you keep eating anyway; it’s hard not to keep looking.
Viviane posts her work both from classes and independent exploration, as well as her thoughts on her blog Mon Jardin Merveilloeufs.
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.
