What’s in a Name?
June 30, 2014 Inspirational Art
As I mentioned briefly last Friday, the name of a piece of art can really add or change the viewer’s perception of the work. It is a peek into the artist’s mind and gives a hint of (or knocks you over the head with) what the artist was aiming to convey. Some titles make obvious sense while others are surprising and make you look more closely at the work in order to try to figure out what the artist was seeing when they named it. This piece here is of the latter types. Desiree McCrorey named this intriguing little piece Diablo’s Cell Phone. Now where did that come from?
I definitely associated this piece with fire and so can see the devil association but I would not have thought cell phone if it weren’t for her naming of it. Now I see it in the elongated form and the ‘antenna’ coming up on the one side. And Diablo now makes me thing of the wire work as horns and the target cane slices down in the fiery lower portion as maybe lost souls in some eternal fire. The name just takes the necklaces from being a great visual piece to having all this depth and possible metaphor. And it’s rather humorous. Who would the devil be calling on his cell phone? His demon minions? I don’t know but it makes me like the piece even more.
If for some reason you aren’t familiar with Desiree’s work and her very generous sharing of techniques and ideas, go on over to her website and take a look around. Besides her wonderful pieces to drool over, there are tons of tutorials, tips and tricks on this website. Desiree’s tutorials and her website were instrumental to me as I advanced in my polymer work back in my early days with this medium. We are very lucky to have someone like her in our community!
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.
Breaking Traditions in Faux (And the Summer Issue is out!)
May 22, 2013 Inspirational Art
The really, truly amazing and incredible thing about working with polymer … you can make ANYTHING you want out of the stuff. (Well, I have yet to see properly emulated hair but close!) The thing is, we have this medium that has few limitations and endless possibilities but so often when faux stone or other faux natural materials are created from it, it is in the common natural colors and usually even in the same traditional forms we’ve seen them for centuries. Now I know some stones are expensive and making them in polymer just allows for an inexpensive option. And I am all for making faux ivory rather than getting real ivory from the source. Making faux that looks just like we’d expect the real material to look does make sense but what doesn’t make sense is why more people don’t move beyond what nature and tradition has made?
Let’s take jade for example. We think of it as green and Asian. So we see tons of faux polymer jade in variations of green in simple beads or Asian motifs. Understandable. But why be limited by what has been done?
Desiree McCrorey has never approached anything in a traditional manner as far as I can tell and that penchant has resulted in some really unusual and beautiful work. I mean, have you ever seen jade like in the necklace here?
I don’t know how difficult if would be to carve real jade into such forms but since its so easy with polymer, why not take advantage of that capability and go beyond what is usually done with the real material?
And why always green? I remember wondering that in the first year I worked with polymer. Nature already makes all these beautiful variations of soft greens in jade. But why not bright blues? Or purples? Or reds? Or all of them together.
Here you get to peek at one of my very early pieces when I was playing with what I called rainbow jade. I just kept pushing the idea of jade–the semi-translucence and inclusions often seen in it–using the basic mixing techniques common for faux jade but with unnatural colors and variation, not just between beads but within them. Because … why not?
So if you’re going to do faux stones and the like and you want to work on variation, why not look at doing what nature and tradition has not? Use different colors, different inclusions, and definitely different forms and motifs. We have the power to create that which never existed before. Embrace the power!
And … the Summer 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts is out! All print issues are in the mail and on the way and digital access was sent out to all subscribers last night. If you have a print issue coming, it takes 5-10 days so with the last of them mailed off this morning (and with Memorial Day in the midst of mailing time here) most of you should have it by the end of the month/first week of June. If you have a digital issue due to you but haven’t seen it in your inbox, check you spam/junk mail folders as they can get filtered there. Add connect@thepolymerarts.com to your safe sender list or address book to keep TPA mail from getting spam filtered.
And if you don’t have a copy on the way, go get it. This is a very cool, very packed issue. Talk about inspiration for variation … sheesh! Inclusions, hats, wall art, a huge list of covered object ideas, variation through collaboration, new wire findings ideas for polymer, changing up backgrounds for you photos and even variation in your selling technique to get more sales at shows! Much, much more of course. Get it here: www.thepolymerarts.com
Obsession with Curls and Swirls
April 8, 2013 Inspirational Art
One of the ways I manage to keep up with blogging daily is to keep a list of links to interesting art I find in my many forays down the internet highway as well as those sent by staff and readers. I noticed today as I looked over some options that my list consisted heavily of pieces with curls and swirls and spiraling things. We even had a couple curly things last week. It got me to thinking … what is it about the curly swirlies that we like so much? Okay, yes, I may have a penchant for them but the links that I have include work sent from others and come from what I run across just randomly. So what is it?
Well, from a design standpoint, curls, swirls and things that spiral to a center make for very strong focal points. These elements are made up of directional lines that take you from an outside point into a center or a more tightly wound end point of the line. Your eye can’t help but follow these lines from outside to inside or to the end point. Even when grouped in multiples where they may make up a pattern rather than draw your eye to a primary focal position, the feeling that each curl is trying to draw your attention makes for a very dynamic visual.
I’m thinking I’ll take the next few days to ponder several variations of this element from what I have on my list. Today let’s take a look at the spiral lentil … haven’t we all made one or a hundred (or at least contemplated making them?) And have you ever meet a skillfully made swirl lentil you didn’t like? It would be hard to speak of swirl lentils and not bring up our community’s master swirler, Laura Timmins. I’ll let her provide the example of a wonderfully dynamic grouping of swirls in this very organic necklace.
That brings to mind another reason we may be so drawn to the encircling elements … they are so very common in nature. From curling vines to swirling tornadoes to winding tentacles to nautilus shells to the whorls of our fingerprints … these lines are familiar and present all around us. And we will always be drawn to the comfort of the things we recognize as familiar.
But back to polymer … if you’ve not attempted a swirl lentil before or have had limited success, you may want to check out this very clear tutorial by Desiree McCrorey. Her instruction and tips could have you making any number of these beauties below in no time.
Fun with Leftovers
February 6, 2013 Technique tutorials, Tips and Tricks
I don’t know how many pieces I’ve made resulted from looking over at my scattered scraps and suddenly seeing a new texture, form or design in the randomness. Its kind of like finding animals in the shapes of clouds … you look over and you see shape for a pendant, the texture for necklace or a form that could make an interesting bead.
So when perusing some collected online tutorials, I stopped at this very pretty bit of modified mokume which is pictured in a tutorial titled “How to make faux snake skin or honeycomb veneers” by Desiree McCrorey and really wished I could grab, not a slice from the revealed slab but rather those first holey layers off the top. Wouldn’t they look just so striking pressed onto a sheet of pearl clay, those thin little edges of purple around the circles framing the background color?
I wonder how many other people out there automatically do that as well? I know Helen Breil does … that is how she came up with the curling and frame type shapes which are the basis of her new book Shapes (which we review in the upcoming Spring 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts.) That kind of eye is hard to teach. But I would recommend that before balling up your scraps and tossing them in the scrap bin you look at what you have and see if anything jumps out at you. Just that could send you on a whole new journey and invigorate your line if you are looking for something new. You just never know and all it takes is keeping your eyes wide open.
Colorful Zippers
August 6, 2012 Inspirational Art
We’re going for a bright and colorful Monday today.
The very talented Desiree McCrorey is providing our Monday pick-me-up with these these zippered flame pin photos. They have such wonderfully energetic and flowing pod forms combined with brilliant colors and the curious zipper-like stripes.
I imagine anyone wearing this to the office any day of the week would have a hard time not staying chipper and positive. It might even be infectious. Yep, let’s help our co-workers keep a good attitude by wearing cheerful polymer to work. Just doing our part to keep the world smiling!
As I mentioned briefly last Friday, the name of a piece of art can really add or change the viewer’s perception of the work. It is a peek into the artist’s mind and gives a hint of (or knocks you over the head with) what the artist was aiming to convey. Some titles make obvious sense while others are surprising and make you look more closely at the work in order to try to figure out what the artist was seeing when they named it. This piece here is of the latter types. Desiree McCrorey named this intriguing little piece Diablo’s Cell Phone. Now where did that come from?
I definitely associated this piece with fire and so can see the devil association but I would not have thought cell phone if it weren’t for her naming of it. Now I see it in the elongated form and the ‘antenna’ coming up on the one side. And Diablo now makes me thing of the wire work as horns and the target cane slices down in the fiery lower portion as maybe lost souls in some eternal fire. The name just takes the necklaces from being a great visual piece to having all this depth and possible metaphor. And it’s rather humorous. Who would the devil be calling on his cell phone? His demon minions? I don’t know but it makes me like the piece even more.
If for some reason you aren’t familiar with Desiree’s work and her very generous sharing of techniques and ideas, go on over to her website and take a look around. Besides her wonderful pieces to drool over, there are tons of tutorials, tips and tricks on this website. Desiree’s tutorials and her website were instrumental to me as I advanced in my polymer work back in my early days with this medium. We are very lucky to have someone like her in our community!
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.
Read MoreThe really, truly amazing and incredible thing about working with polymer … you can make ANYTHING you want out of the stuff. (Well, I have yet to see properly emulated hair but close!) The thing is, we have this medium that has few limitations and endless possibilities but so often when faux stone or other faux natural materials are created from it, it is in the common natural colors and usually even in the same traditional forms we’ve seen them for centuries. Now I know some stones are expensive and making them in polymer just allows for an inexpensive option. And I am all for making faux ivory rather than getting real ivory from the source. Making faux that looks just like we’d expect the real material to look does make sense but what doesn’t make sense is why more people don’t move beyond what nature and tradition has made?
Let’s take jade for example. We think of it as green and Asian. So we see tons of faux polymer jade in variations of green in simple beads or Asian motifs. Understandable. But why be limited by what has been done?
Desiree McCrorey has never approached anything in a traditional manner as far as I can tell and that penchant has resulted in some really unusual and beautiful work. I mean, have you ever seen jade like in the necklace here?
I don’t know how difficult if would be to carve real jade into such forms but since its so easy with polymer, why not take advantage of that capability and go beyond what is usually done with the real material?
And why always green? I remember wondering that in the first year I worked with polymer. Nature already makes all these beautiful variations of soft greens in jade. But why not bright blues? Or purples? Or reds? Or all of them together.
Here you get to peek at one of my very early pieces when I was playing with what I called rainbow jade. I just kept pushing the idea of jade–the semi-translucence and inclusions often seen in it–using the basic mixing techniques common for faux jade but with unnatural colors and variation, not just between beads but within them. Because … why not?
So if you’re going to do faux stones and the like and you want to work on variation, why not look at doing what nature and tradition has not? Use different colors, different inclusions, and definitely different forms and motifs. We have the power to create that which never existed before. Embrace the power!
And … the Summer 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts is out! All print issues are in the mail and on the way and digital access was sent out to all subscribers last night. If you have a print issue coming, it takes 5-10 days so with the last of them mailed off this morning (and with Memorial Day in the midst of mailing time here) most of you should have it by the end of the month/first week of June. If you have a digital issue due to you but haven’t seen it in your inbox, check you spam/junk mail folders as they can get filtered there. Add connect@thepolymerarts.com to your safe sender list or address book to keep TPA mail from getting spam filtered.
And if you don’t have a copy on the way, go get it. This is a very cool, very packed issue. Talk about inspiration for variation … sheesh! Inclusions, hats, wall art, a huge list of covered object ideas, variation through collaboration, new wire findings ideas for polymer, changing up backgrounds for you photos and even variation in your selling technique to get more sales at shows! Much, much more of course. Get it here: www.thepolymerarts.com
Read MoreOne of the ways I manage to keep up with blogging daily is to keep a list of links to interesting art I find in my many forays down the internet highway as well as those sent by staff and readers. I noticed today as I looked over some options that my list consisted heavily of pieces with curls and swirls and spiraling things. We even had a couple curly things last week. It got me to thinking … what is it about the curly swirlies that we like so much? Okay, yes, I may have a penchant for them but the links that I have include work sent from others and come from what I run across just randomly. So what is it?
Well, from a design standpoint, curls, swirls and things that spiral to a center make for very strong focal points. These elements are made up of directional lines that take you from an outside point into a center or a more tightly wound end point of the line. Your eye can’t help but follow these lines from outside to inside or to the end point. Even when grouped in multiples where they may make up a pattern rather than draw your eye to a primary focal position, the feeling that each curl is trying to draw your attention makes for a very dynamic visual.
I’m thinking I’ll take the next few days to ponder several variations of this element from what I have on my list. Today let’s take a look at the spiral lentil … haven’t we all made one or a hundred (or at least contemplated making them?) And have you ever meet a skillfully made swirl lentil you didn’t like? It would be hard to speak of swirl lentils and not bring up our community’s master swirler, Laura Timmins. I’ll let her provide the example of a wonderfully dynamic grouping of swirls in this very organic necklace.
That brings to mind another reason we may be so drawn to the encircling elements … they are so very common in nature. From curling vines to swirling tornadoes to winding tentacles to nautilus shells to the whorls of our fingerprints … these lines are familiar and present all around us. And we will always be drawn to the comfort of the things we recognize as familiar.
But back to polymer … if you’ve not attempted a swirl lentil before or have had limited success, you may want to check out this very clear tutorial by Desiree McCrorey. Her instruction and tips could have you making any number of these beauties below in no time.
I don’t know how many pieces I’ve made resulted from looking over at my scattered scraps and suddenly seeing a new texture, form or design in the randomness. Its kind of like finding animals in the shapes of clouds … you look over and you see shape for a pendant, the texture for necklace or a form that could make an interesting bead.
So when perusing some collected online tutorials, I stopped at this very pretty bit of modified mokume which is pictured in a tutorial titled “How to make faux snake skin or honeycomb veneers” by Desiree McCrorey and really wished I could grab, not a slice from the revealed slab but rather those first holey layers off the top. Wouldn’t they look just so striking pressed onto a sheet of pearl clay, those thin little edges of purple around the circles framing the background color?
I wonder how many other people out there automatically do that as well? I know Helen Breil does … that is how she came up with the curling and frame type shapes which are the basis of her new book Shapes (which we review in the upcoming Spring 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts.) That kind of eye is hard to teach. But I would recommend that before balling up your scraps and tossing them in the scrap bin you look at what you have and see if anything jumps out at you. Just that could send you on a whole new journey and invigorate your line if you are looking for something new. You just never know and all it takes is keeping your eyes wide open.
Read MoreWe’re going for a bright and colorful Monday today.
The very talented Desiree McCrorey is providing our Monday pick-me-up with these these zippered flame pin photos. They have such wonderfully energetic and flowing pod forms combined with brilliant colors and the curious zipper-like stripes.
I imagine anyone wearing this to the office any day of the week would have a hard time not staying chipper and positive. It might even be infectious. Yep, let’s help our co-workers keep a good attitude by wearing cheerful polymer to work. Just doing our part to keep the world smiling!
Read More