Too Strangely Cute
April 29, 2015
Inspirational Art
Okay, yes, I’m sneaking this one in on Art Doll week when it would probably be better categorized under sculpture or illustration, but I don’t know when else I will get to share the immensely entertaining work of Gesine Kratzner. We have doll-like forms, props and a story told through the expressions; all things that are common with most doll art. But mostly, we have smiles. On our faces. Do we not?
Gesine is from Germany, educated in the UK and now lives and breathes life into her creations in Portland, Oregon. Technically, she’s an animator but pieces like these are where her heart is at. As she says, “Most of all, I love to draw and sculpt squiggly creatures and to dream up small worlds and stories for them to inhabit.” Creatures. Dolls. Pretty much the same thing.
Her creatures are polymer clay with color added through acrylic paint. Polymer purists might cringe at the mention of painted polymer, but the look she gets is not something that could be done with polymer alone. I imagine it also allows her to spontaneously and freely create the forms leaving color until later when the personalities have made themselves known. Her process certainly shows a lot of personality.
You can further entertain yourself with Gesine’s pieces by heading over to her website. And, if you fall in love with these faces and want to own your own little creature, you can grab them up in her Etsy shop that goes by the sophisticated name of … Blobhouse.
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.
Stacking Up Whimsy
September 3, 2014
Inspirational Art
A good portion of the articles in our new issue are, at least in part, interviews with multiple artists so you get a well-rounded view of the ideas our contributors have brought you. One particularly insightful as well as fun article is the one exploring the idea of humor and whimsy in art. Contributor Sherilyn Dunn interviewed four amazing artists for this–Christi Friesen, Layl McDill, Doreen Kassel and Maureen Carlson. Maureen Carlson was one of the first names in polymer that I knew since her book Family and Friends in Polymer Clay was one of the first polymer books I ever bought. Along with being a talented sculptor, she has very inventive, fun and thought-provoking pieces and I wish we’d had more room to show off her playful yet seriously expressive side.
This doll for instance, is a wonderful example of mixing whimsy with a personal message. This piece is made up of stackable and mobile elements of polymer enhanced with paints and powders as well as the words and ideas you see on it. Play is evident in the movable parts and the toy like construction but there’s a bit of the serious instilled in it. I know at one time she taught this as a workshop as a way to explore personal expression. What a fun workshop that must have been.
Don’t miss the insightful comments and observations in the “Art of Humor and Whimsy” article you’ll find in the Fall 2014 issue of The Polymer Arts. And for more fun and thought-provoking pieces, take a look at Maureen’s gallery.
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.
A Stunning Face
October 3, 2013
Inspirational Art
Just look at this face. I feel like there’s nothing much more that I can say about this sculpture. It is all hand sculpted polymer. It’s actually that tiny. It’s incredible, isn’t it?
The artist of this beautiful face is Poland’s Tatiana Nagrebecka. Her dolls are created without molds, completely by hand in polymer clay, using Genesis paints for the lifelike skin tones and details. If you are entranced by this face, take some time to look over the many photos she’s taken of her works in progress and finished creations on her blog.
Guys Do Play with Dolls
September 28, 2013
Inspirational Art
Today we’re going to visit with Chris Bivins, another artist that chooses his medium based on what fits best with what he wants to create. Chris is an illustrator as well as a craft artist who works in pottery and makes polymer figures. He will also unashamedly refer to his figures as dolls. Yes, he’s a guy who clays (and plays) with dolls.
Why dolls? Well, in his words: “I’ve always been intrigued with dolls. They have a decidedly eerie quality that stems from the fact that they are really tiny recreations of ourselves or, at least, some part of ourselves.” I couldn’t agree more. So if this piece, Crow’s Gift, is a tiny recreation of Chris, one might wonder about the guy just a tad.
Actually, Chris seems to have a particularly keen sense of humor, so even when his work tends toward a darker aesthetic, I think he is just having fun and enjoying letting out his child self.
Go and enjoy more of his work yourself on his website here.
And thanks to Lynette Yore for reminding me of Chris and his fabulous figures.
Blushing Pastels
July 24, 2013
Inspirational Art
Chalks and pastels have been grabbing the imagination of quite a few polymer clayers in recent years. Their matte, subdued colors can add a subtle texture and softness that isn’t found in other common surface colorants like mica powders and alcohol inks. This can be of particular use to sculptors and those working in translucent clays, since chalk pastels can be easily added for just a blush of color where needed.
The best use of this approach that I know of has to be the way Jodi Creager adds color to the skin tones of the amazing art dolls she creates with her husband Richard Creager. Her most stunning work is probably her realistic dolls with historic or cultural representations of people around the world, but I thought I’d share one of her fantasy dolls where the application of pastels might be more easily imagined not to mention there are a lot of fun details to explore with this elfin character.
You can see her incredibly easy to follow approach to using pastels on her doll sculptures in her sample sculpting video that covers this part of the couple’s doll making process. Even if you don’t do any sculpting, this approach can be used to add a blush of blue or tinge of purple to the edges of a translucent bead or opaque shape. The blush effect can add dimension to an expanse of color that you feel appears too flat, or exaggerate the shadows of a form. It’s an option for subtlety that would be difficult to achieve with most other media.
See more of Judi and Richard’s stunning work on their collaborative website, Creager Studios.
Eyes as Big as Saucers
December 6, 2012
Inspirational Art
Having a cutesy moment today. There’s just something about the big-eyed innocent look that seems to go along with the holiday season. So I thought I’d let you all get that soft and fuzzy feeling admiring the very talented Ana Salvador. Born in Portugal but now living in The Netherlands she has a degree in Communication Design but these days dedicates her creativity primarily to sculpture and primarily in polymer clay.
Although cutesy is usually relegated to not-so-serious work, there is something about this work that is both adorable and austere. The bulldog and doll seem so utterly sad but the girl’s sadness seems resigned and angelic … with the most subtle hint of a smile in her eyes, almost Mona Lisa like. I get the feeling she could break out in a teeny tiny grin if given the chance. Makes the piece heart warming and heart breaking at the same time.
See more of Ana’s work on her website here.
Okay, yes, I’m sneaking this one in on Art Doll week when it would probably be better categorized under sculpture or illustration, but I don’t know when else I will get to share the immensely entertaining work of Gesine Kratzner. We have doll-like forms, props and a story told through the expressions; all things that are common with most doll art. But mostly, we have smiles. On our faces. Do we not?
Gesine is from Germany, educated in the UK and now lives and breathes life into her creations in Portland, Oregon. Technically, she’s an animator but pieces like these are where her heart is at. As she says, “Most of all, I love to draw and sculpt squiggly creatures and to dream up small worlds and stories for them to inhabit.” Creatures. Dolls. Pretty much the same thing.
Her creatures are polymer clay with color added through acrylic paint. Polymer purists might cringe at the mention of painted polymer, but the look she gets is not something that could be done with polymer alone. I imagine it also allows her to spontaneously and freely create the forms leaving color until later when the personalities have made themselves known. Her process certainly shows a lot of personality.
You can further entertain yourself with Gesine’s pieces by heading over to her website. And, if you fall in love with these faces and want to own your own little creature, you can grab them up in her Etsy shop that goes by the sophisticated name of … Blobhouse.
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.
A good portion of the articles in our new issue are, at least in part, interviews with multiple artists so you get a well-rounded view of the ideas our contributors have brought you. One particularly insightful as well as fun article is the one exploring the idea of humor and whimsy in art. Contributor Sherilyn Dunn interviewed four amazing artists for this–Christi Friesen, Layl McDill, Doreen Kassel and Maureen Carlson. Maureen Carlson was one of the first names in polymer that I knew since her book Family and Friends in Polymer Clay was one of the first polymer books I ever bought. Along with being a talented sculptor, she has very inventive, fun and thought-provoking pieces and I wish we’d had more room to show off her playful yet seriously expressive side.
This doll for instance, is a wonderful example of mixing whimsy with a personal message. This piece is made up of stackable and mobile elements of polymer enhanced with paints and powders as well as the words and ideas you see on it. Play is evident in the movable parts and the toy like construction but there’s a bit of the serious instilled in it. I know at one time she taught this as a workshop as a way to explore personal expression. What a fun workshop that must have been.
Don’t miss the insightful comments and observations in the “Art of Humor and Whimsy” article you’ll find in the Fall 2014 issue of The Polymer Arts. And for more fun and thought-provoking pieces, take a look at Maureen’s gallery.
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 look at this face. I feel like there’s nothing much more that I can say about this sculpture. It is all hand sculpted polymer. It’s actually that tiny. It’s incredible, isn’t it?
The artist of this beautiful face is Poland’s Tatiana Nagrebecka. Her dolls are created without molds, completely by hand in polymer clay, using Genesis paints for the lifelike skin tones and details. If you are entranced by this face, take some time to look over the many photos she’s taken of her works in progress and finished creations on her blog.
Read More
Today we’re going to visit with Chris Bivins, another artist that chooses his medium based on what fits best with what he wants to create. Chris is an illustrator as well as a craft artist who works in pottery and makes polymer figures. He will also unashamedly refer to his figures as dolls. Yes, he’s a guy who clays (and plays) with dolls.
Why dolls? Well, in his words: “I’ve always been intrigued with dolls. They have a decidedly eerie quality that stems from the fact that they are really tiny recreations of ourselves or, at least, some part of ourselves.” I couldn’t agree more. So if this piece, Crow’s Gift, is a tiny recreation of Chris, one might wonder about the guy just a tad.
Actually, Chris seems to have a particularly keen sense of humor, so even when his work tends toward a darker aesthetic, I think he is just having fun and enjoying letting out his child self.
Go and enjoy more of his work yourself on his website here.
And thanks to Lynette Yore for reminding me of Chris and his fabulous figures.
Chalks and pastels have been grabbing the imagination of quite a few polymer clayers in recent years. Their matte, subdued colors can add a subtle texture and softness that isn’t found in other common surface colorants like mica powders and alcohol inks. This can be of particular use to sculptors and those working in translucent clays, since chalk pastels can be easily added for just a blush of color where needed.
The best use of this approach that I know of has to be the way Jodi Creager adds color to the skin tones of the amazing art dolls she creates with her husband Richard Creager. Her most stunning work is probably her realistic dolls with historic or cultural representations of people around the world, but I thought I’d share one of her fantasy dolls where the application of pastels might be more easily imagined not to mention there are a lot of fun details to explore with this elfin character.
You can see her incredibly easy to follow approach to using pastels on her doll sculptures in her sample sculpting video that covers this part of the couple’s doll making process. Even if you don’t do any sculpting, this approach can be used to add a blush of blue or tinge of purple to the edges of a translucent bead or opaque shape. The blush effect can add dimension to an expanse of color that you feel appears too flat, or exaggerate the shadows of a form. It’s an option for subtlety that would be difficult to achieve with most other media.
See more of Judi and Richard’s stunning work on their collaborative website, Creager Studios.
Read MoreHaving a cutesy moment today. There’s just something about the big-eyed innocent look that seems to go along with the holiday season. So I thought I’d let you all get that soft and fuzzy feeling admiring the very talented Ana Salvador. Born in Portugal but now living in The Netherlands she has a degree in Communication Design but these days dedicates her creativity primarily to sculpture and primarily in polymer clay.
Although cutesy is usually relegated to not-so-serious work, there is something about this work that is both adorable and austere. The bulldog and doll seem so utterly sad but the girl’s sadness seems resigned and angelic … with the most subtle hint of a smile in her eyes, almost Mona Lisa like. I get the feeling she could break out in a teeny tiny grin if given the chance. Makes the piece heart warming and heart breaking at the same time.
See more of Ana’s work on her website here.
Read More
