A Few Floating
December 4, 2014
Inspirational Art
Simplicity often works best when presented in an unexpected manner. A necklace of leaves is nothing unexpected. A necklace of three leaves floating, however, is.
This interesting neck-piece is the creation of Delphine Roche de Montgrand of Paris, France. There is grace in the simple triad composition, the slight variation of the leaf sizes and the way they are arranged. But, we are halted by the way they float around the neck, and then, I think, we linger because of the rich color and the naturally attractive fan shape that makes ginkgo leaves so popular. To add anything else here would ruin the quiet feel of an autumn morning so succinctly replicated here. Do you agree?
Delphine works primarily in replications of nature with a little splash of illusion thrown in here and there. You can read more on her blog through Google translate if you don’t speak French.
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.
Simple Green & Winter 2014 is Here
December 3, 2014
Inspirational Art
First of all … yes, the Winter 2014 issue is being released today. I am pre-scheduling this blog to post at its usual time, and then I am getting back to testing and getting access ready for the digital issue today. If you are waiting on your issue, digital access should be in everyone’s inbox by dinnertime in the United States, which would be around bedtime in Europe, I believe. I am hoping for earlier, but with our plague of technical issues lately, I am going for some pretty thorough testing before we send it out. Send prayers and coffee sacrifices to the technical powers that be asking for a smooth digital release today. As for the print copies, they were not supposed to be at the post office for sorting until yesterday, but apparently our service got them out early because people are already receiving them in the United States. Keep an eye on your inbox and mailboxes! It is on the way, if not already there for you!
As for our simple theme this week, what can be simpler than monochrome and free-form? With the right color and overall texture, something as simple as this faux beach glass can be mesmerizing. This is a pendant by Maria Petkova, author of the blog Polymer Clay Diaries. According to her image description, this is a polymer, beach glass and acrylic paint. Which is the real beach glass, I am wondering? Or is there any real beach glass? Even not knowing the listed description, I would be fascinated by what this is made of, and why it is so eye catching. Like the last two pieces this week, it comes down to a sudden change in what is a broad, evenly treated surface. Interruptions and surprises always catch our eye, don’t they?
You can find more inspiration by Maria on her personal Flickr pages as well as on her blog as listed above.
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.
Simple Interruptions
December 1, 2014
Inspirational Art
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” You’ve probably all heard this adage and may even find yourself repeating it like a mantra as you sit at your studio table while tempted to add just one more color, one more accent or one more layer. Many, many times, you should really opt for the more simplistic approach. I want to focus on that this week. Let’s talk about simplicity as an approach and see just how beautiful simple can be.
This pendant is one in a series by Belgium’s NiQui that I think is very successful for it’s restraint. The mash of color within this monolithic black form is all about contrast and restriction, which makes what little color there is very strong. The stripes of marbled color break the line of the bar of black very suddenly and certainly, and then pulls your eye immediately to it. Depending on your view, or maybe even how your day is going, you can see that as lines breaking into the solid bar or as color being compressed to nearly nothing by the black. Either way, you probably sense that there is energy and some kind of relationship between the contrasts of no color to a mishmash of it, and the question of what that relationship might be is what holds you there. It may be simple, but it holds the potential for complex ideas.
Simplicity is Nicole’s (NiQui’s) hallmark. If you want to see a lot of exploration in this area, do take a look around her Flickr photostream.
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.
Simplicity often works best when presented in an unexpected manner. A necklace of leaves is nothing unexpected. A necklace of three leaves floating, however, is.
This interesting neck-piece is the creation of Delphine Roche de Montgrand of Paris, France. There is grace in the simple triad composition, the slight variation of the leaf sizes and the way they are arranged. But, we are halted by the way they float around the neck, and then, I think, we linger because of the rich color and the naturally attractive fan shape that makes ginkgo leaves so popular. To add anything else here would ruin the quiet feel of an autumn morning so succinctly replicated here. Do you agree?
Delphine works primarily in replications of nature with a little splash of illusion thrown in here and there. You can read more on her blog through Google translate if you don’t speak French.
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.
First of all … yes, the Winter 2014 issue is being released today. I am pre-scheduling this blog to post at its usual time, and then I am getting back to testing and getting access ready for the digital issue today. If you are waiting on your issue, digital access should be in everyone’s inbox by dinnertime in the United States, which would be around bedtime in Europe, I believe. I am hoping for earlier, but with our plague of technical issues lately, I am going for some pretty thorough testing before we send it out. Send prayers and coffee sacrifices to the technical powers that be asking for a smooth digital release today. As for the print copies, they were not supposed to be at the post office for sorting until yesterday, but apparently our service got them out early because people are already receiving them in the United States. Keep an eye on your inbox and mailboxes! It is on the way, if not already there for you!
As for our simple theme this week, what can be simpler than monochrome and free-form? With the right color and overall texture, something as simple as this faux beach glass can be mesmerizing. This is a pendant by Maria Petkova, author of the blog Polymer Clay Diaries. According to her image description, this is a polymer, beach glass and acrylic paint. Which is the real beach glass, I am wondering? Or is there any real beach glass? Even not knowing the listed description, I would be fascinated by what this is made of, and why it is so eye catching. Like the last two pieces this week, it comes down to a sudden change in what is a broad, evenly treated surface. Interruptions and surprises always catch our eye, don’t they?
You can find more inspiration by Maria on her personal Flickr pages as well as on her blog as listed above.
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.
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” You’ve probably all heard this adage and may even find yourself repeating it like a mantra as you sit at your studio table while tempted to add just one more color, one more accent or one more layer. Many, many times, you should really opt for the more simplistic approach. I want to focus on that this week. Let’s talk about simplicity as an approach and see just how beautiful simple can be.
This pendant is one in a series by Belgium’s NiQui that I think is very successful for it’s restraint. The mash of color within this monolithic black form is all about contrast and restriction, which makes what little color there is very strong. The stripes of marbled color break the line of the bar of black very suddenly and certainly, and then pulls your eye immediately to it. Depending on your view, or maybe even how your day is going, you can see that as lines breaking into the solid bar or as color being compressed to nearly nothing by the black. Either way, you probably sense that there is energy and some kind of relationship between the contrasts of no color to a mishmash of it, and the question of what that relationship might be is what holds you there. It may be simple, but it holds the potential for complex ideas.
Simplicity is Nicole’s (NiQui’s) hallmark. If you want to see a lot of exploration in this area, do take a look around her Flickr photostream.
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.
