New book! Polymer Art Projects—Coming October 20th

This week is going to be a series of announcements but I promise, they will all be very exciting, they will all be polymer, and they will all give you something you can look forward to as we move into fall and winter (or spring and summer if you’re down under.)

First up… I can finally announce and show off the cover of the first in an upcoming series of books, Polymer Art Projects. This series arose from your consistent request for more projects and a desire to support and promote our great artists, so, after many conversations, I came up with this cooperative book project. All contributing artists in the book will be part of a promotion and profit sharing team. That means they are highly motivated to provide you with some truly fantastic material on top of looking forward to sharing their love of polymer art.

For less than a couple of dollars each, you get 16 tutorials that will expand your abilities under the guidance of some of the polymer community’s best instructors. The skill level of these tutorials range from the experienced novice to the intermediate artisan, with tips and ideas for polymer crafters of all levels. The tutorials are very detailed, each showing off a variety of techniques, expert construction, and lists of ideas for variation so you can create your own unique pieces from what you learn.

The first in the series, Polymer Art Projects—Organic, includes tutorials by Donna Greenberg, Christi Friesen, Eva Haskova, Anke Humpert, Debbie Crothers, Kim Cavender, Stephanie Kilgast, Chris Kapono, Stacy Louise Smith, Nevenka Sabo, Adriana Allen, Dani Rapinett, Fabiola Ajates, Rebecca Thickbroom, Klavdija Kurent, and little ol’ me. Projects include a variety of jewelry as well as home decor, all inspired by mother nature.

Check out the cover for a sampling of what you can look forward to. The cover price for the print edition of this book will be $23.95 but for the next month, you can preorder for $16.75 – that’s 30% off the cover price. Or maybe you’d like a digital edition which will list for $15.95 – you can preorder the digital edition for just $11.95. These preorder prices are good through October 10th.

Don’t forget the last issue of The Polymer Arts comes out September 22. Preorder this last historic copy on The Polymer Arts website.

Spots of Tendrils

June 8, 2016

Klavdija Kurent sideline layers tendril bracelet

Moving along with the minimal color palette, as well as an unusual way to work tendrils into a piece, I have here, for your kind consideration, a piece by the lovely Klavdija Kurent who is always very inventive and exploratory.

The chaos here is kept to a minimum and feels more like a small rebellion by some underground snakes wanting to get out and dance. The circular layers of the bracelet keep a hand-hewn quality while being very controlled with its regular pattern. The contrast comes in with these squiggling little tendrils that add just the spark needed with their shiny red tips. Their grouping and where they are rooted along with their direction and degree of wave all vary to add a bit of an unexpectedly festive touch. That just goes to show that not every element in a piece must fit a particular style or theme. A change in style, even within a piece, can also be valid. As long as it’s obviously intentional.

If you too are attracted to the unexpected, take some time to tour Klavdija’s Flickr photostream and her blog.

 

Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Take an existing piece you’ve been working on or a design you commonly create and try adding an element or elements in a very different style or theme. It should have some connection to the other elements, thematically, visually, or otherwise.

_________________________________________

Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:

never knead -july-2015c-125  2Wards Blog May 2016  PCTV March 2016 Blog

Shades of Clay Sept 15 Blog  The Great Create Sept 15 blog  businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front

_________________________________________

Autumn Stone

October 21, 2015

Avgust 20151 Klavdija crystal stone tehcniqueIs it just me, or do the dark colors of autumn seem so much more dramatic than any other season? I’m not knocking the spark of those first Spring flowers or the brilliance of a sunny mid-summer meadow, but the brightness and purity of those colors are beautiful and cheerful while Autumn’s palette speaks of deep emotion and, well, drama. At least to me. Life is not all bright and cheery and I think that is something we actually need. The tempered days of troubled thoughts and the rough patches we experience are what truly make us appreciate the good times. Life is for living and it’s one bumpy ride. But even the bumpy times can be beautiful.

Similarly, days like those in Autumn, with the foliage falling away, plants returning to the ground, and the days getting shorter, have their own wonderful beauty. The idea of beauty even in the process of decay has always interested me, so it’s no wonder Klavdija Kurent‘s liquid crystal stone caught my eye as I scoured for more Autumn palettes. The technique itself is gorgeous with the translucency of the shuffled layers, but also the colors in those reds, rusts, oranges and creams are so vibrant when juxtaposed. The play of this almost monochromatic palette is where the drama comes from. The many textures of this piece add to its drama and impact as well.

This image is from a promotion for a class Klavdija had last month in which she taught this liquid stone and a liquid rust technique. Hopefully she’ll teach this again in some fashion that might allow us in on her secrets. In the meantime, you can look at more drama and fun pieces on her Flickr and her blog.

___________________________________________

Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:

     

     Print

___________________________________________

 

Embedded Surprises

November 13, 2014

Kurent Garlic ringThe pull to look inside something to find out what cool thing might lie within it is quite strong. And, so is the let down when there is nothing there. I am quite the proponent for avoiding viewer disappointment. If you build a  box, a lidded bowl or something with a deep cavity of any kind, I think there should be something to surprise and delight a person who opens it for the first time. Yes, this is my point of view, but that open interior seems to be wasted space that could be decorated, used to make further statements or simply to place something fun or shiny that might give a person a smile.

I think that’s why I like this ring by Klavdija Kurent so much. She calls it her Little “Garlic” Ring. And yes, it definitely looks garlicky, but it also has a few unusual aspects for any garlic-like item. The blue peeking out of its interior for one. The little sprouts of silver for another. But, the real joy is seeing a big colorful gem deeply embedded in the open, hollow end. I don’t associate crystals with garlic, but that little surprise works. It might be hard not to just stare at a ring like this on the wearer, not just because of it’s big bold shape, but the glint of the gem as the wearer’s hand moves would make me intensely curious to see it closer. And, what a fun surprise to finally see what it is inside there.

Surprises like that not only make a memorable design, they create a memorable connection for a potential buyer. They see what is inside or on the back of something that no one else can see unless they also come in for a closer look. So, it then becomes a secret they are privy to as well.  I’ve seen this at shows, where an individual drags a friend over to see what they’ve found on the backside or inside of a piece of jewelry, box, vase or piece of clothing. Those little surprises can cinch a sale. And, the buyer will have a little secret they can share or not and revel in their little bit of fun.

Klavdija, herself, is always full of surprises in her work. She is fearless, exploring a whole range of techniques and approaches, most of them very uniquely hers. Checking in on her Flickr pages and her blog is always an inspiring visit.

 

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.

businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front      TPA Blog Newsletter Ad  ShadesofClay 1014 v2  lpedit  

Chance Lines, Chance Texture

February 5, 2014

Randomness can be used, not just in the composition of  a piece but in the way you work with your clay. Applying or sculpting clay with a random approach can add wonderful, organic and quite expressive elements and textures to a piece.

Klavdija Kurent has allowed threads of clay, wound up without asserting stringent control, and ended up with these intriguing beads and the resulting necklace.

9378295586_c80b333359_z

Letting go of your strict control over the clay and allowing the material to create the visual result can be so appealing both in creating this way and in the loose, natural result. Here, the end pattern is random but its the same type of pattern–loose flowing lines and loops–complimented by organic, rock like central beads and a large looping bead as the focal point. I love how the braided strings of clay start out orderly on the left of the focal bead but then break down, giving way suddenly to the chaos. I don’t know if Klavdija intended it, but that bead is a great metaphor for life in general!

Klavdija will be teaching her twisted techniques in April at EuroSynergy in Malta. Are you going to EuroSynergy? There are so many amazing artists and creatives that will be there with workshops, presentations and discussions panels. I’ll be there conducting two workshop style seminars to help attendees develop their personal voice and online presences as well as leading what promises to be a lively discussion with the ladies of From Polymer to Art on what we have and what we want to see more of in print. You can find a list of all our presentations on the Eurosynergy website.

And take a look at more of Klavdija’s work on her Flickr pages and her blog.

 

Thank you for supporting The Polymer Arts projects and our advertising partners you see below! Your purchases support the magazine, this blog and our upcoming “Best of” and “Workshop” books. To get even more out of our projects, subscribeget our newsletter (see form on the left side of our home page), and follow us on Facebook.  

Cover 13-P4 web   PCW blue string art cane   WhimsicalBead051512

How Do You Make Pretty Worms?

February 7, 2013

I don’t know that I have ever thought of worms as pretty. Fascinating, yes. But as a subject for a pretty piece of jewelry? Well, maybe not so much.

However, Klavdija Kurent pulled it off quite nicely. I love pieces like this. As a polymer artist, I cannot help but stop and try to figure out how she created the layered effect, especially the worms.

DSC05426

I don’t have it quite down yet. She does a lot of image transfer on other work but it seems more dimensional than that. It does look quite a bit like the wax impression technique we featured in The Polymer Arts magazine a while back. What do you think?

Even if one can’t figure out how an artist accomplished an effect, the exercise can be good for your creative muscle. You might even come up with an idea about how to do something with polymer you hadn’t thought of or seen before. And, besides, it’s just fun to see if you figure it out.

Delightfully Crowded

October 30, 2012

If you have seen crowds photographed from above, you may have noticed there tends to be a pattern in the way people group. Sometimes there is a definite direction as it will be during a concert with everyone facing the stage. Sometimes there is a pronounced flow, a line of people moving back and forth on a path through the throng. Crowded spaces, be they at an event, within an abundantly planted  garden or the result of a busy day at your studio table, have some pattern and impression to impart.

This piece by Klavdija Kurent of Slovenia is the kind of crowd I can get into. Like little faces or tiny, blooming flowers, the silver ball accented folds of polymer open up to the space outside their crowded circumstance in an almost expectant and lively manner. The fact that it is black and white rather than multi-colored keeps the crowded space from becoming overwhelming. There is always a danger of over-doing it when you crowd elements in your work but if it’s well balanced with simplicity in other aspects, it can result in a delightfully subdued complexity.

Speaking of crowds … how are our Eastern US friends doing? I’m hoping you and your families are all doing well, are safe and comfortable, and if you are crowded into shelters that your stay is very short and you get to go home soon. Good energy and wishes going out to you all.

New book! Polymer Art Projects—Coming October 20th

September 10, 2018
Posted in , ,

This week is going to be a series of announcements but I promise, they will all be very exciting, they will all be polymer, and they will all give you something you can look forward to as we move into fall and winter (or spring and summer if you’re down under.)

First up… I can finally announce and show off the cover of the first in an upcoming series of books, Polymer Art Projects. This series arose from your consistent request for more projects and a desire to support and promote our great artists, so, after many conversations, I came up with this cooperative book project. All contributing artists in the book will be part of a promotion and profit sharing team. That means they are highly motivated to provide you with some truly fantastic material on top of looking forward to sharing their love of polymer art.

For less than a couple of dollars each, you get 16 tutorials that will expand your abilities under the guidance of some of the polymer community’s best instructors. The skill level of these tutorials range from the experienced novice to the intermediate artisan, with tips and ideas for polymer crafters of all levels. The tutorials are very detailed, each showing off a variety of techniques, expert construction, and lists of ideas for variation so you can create your own unique pieces from what you learn.

The first in the series, Polymer Art Projects—Organic, includes tutorials by Donna Greenberg, Christi Friesen, Eva Haskova, Anke Humpert, Debbie Crothers, Kim Cavender, Stephanie Kilgast, Chris Kapono, Stacy Louise Smith, Nevenka Sabo, Adriana Allen, Dani Rapinett, Fabiola Ajates, Rebecca Thickbroom, Klavdija Kurent, and little ol’ me. Projects include a variety of jewelry as well as home decor, all inspired by mother nature.

Check out the cover for a sampling of what you can look forward to. The cover price for the print edition of this book will be $23.95 but for the next month, you can preorder for $16.75 – that’s 30% off the cover price. Or maybe you’d like a digital edition which will list for $15.95 – you can preorder the digital edition for just $11.95. These preorder prices are good through October 10th.

Don’t forget the last issue of The Polymer Arts comes out September 22. Preorder this last historic copy on The Polymer Arts website.

Read More

Spots of Tendrils

June 8, 2016
Posted in

Klavdija Kurent sideline layers tendril bracelet

Moving along with the minimal color palette, as well as an unusual way to work tendrils into a piece, I have here, for your kind consideration, a piece by the lovely Klavdija Kurent who is always very inventive and exploratory.

The chaos here is kept to a minimum and feels more like a small rebellion by some underground snakes wanting to get out and dance. The circular layers of the bracelet keep a hand-hewn quality while being very controlled with its regular pattern. The contrast comes in with these squiggling little tendrils that add just the spark needed with their shiny red tips. Their grouping and where they are rooted along with their direction and degree of wave all vary to add a bit of an unexpectedly festive touch. That just goes to show that not every element in a piece must fit a particular style or theme. A change in style, even within a piece, can also be valid. As long as it’s obviously intentional.

If you too are attracted to the unexpected, take some time to tour Klavdija’s Flickr photostream and her blog.

 

Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Take an existing piece you’ve been working on or a design you commonly create and try adding an element or elements in a very different style or theme. It should have some connection to the other elements, thematically, visually, or otherwise.

_________________________________________

Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:

never knead -july-2015c-125  2Wards Blog May 2016  PCTV March 2016 Blog

Shades of Clay Sept 15 Blog  The Great Create Sept 15 blog  businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front

_________________________________________

Read More

Autumn Stone

October 21, 2015
Posted in

Avgust 20151 Klavdija crystal stone tehcniqueIs it just me, or do the dark colors of autumn seem so much more dramatic than any other season? I’m not knocking the spark of those first Spring flowers or the brilliance of a sunny mid-summer meadow, but the brightness and purity of those colors are beautiful and cheerful while Autumn’s palette speaks of deep emotion and, well, drama. At least to me. Life is not all bright and cheery and I think that is something we actually need. The tempered days of troubled thoughts and the rough patches we experience are what truly make us appreciate the good times. Life is for living and it’s one bumpy ride. But even the bumpy times can be beautiful.

Similarly, days like those in Autumn, with the foliage falling away, plants returning to the ground, and the days getting shorter, have their own wonderful beauty. The idea of beauty even in the process of decay has always interested me, so it’s no wonder Klavdija Kurent‘s liquid crystal stone caught my eye as I scoured for more Autumn palettes. The technique itself is gorgeous with the translucency of the shuffled layers, but also the colors in those reds, rusts, oranges and creams are so vibrant when juxtaposed. The play of this almost monochromatic palette is where the drama comes from. The many textures of this piece add to its drama and impact as well.

This image is from a promotion for a class Klavdija had last month in which she taught this liquid stone and a liquid rust technique. Hopefully she’ll teach this again in some fashion that might allow us in on her secrets. In the meantime, you can look at more drama and fun pieces on her Flickr and her blog.

___________________________________________

Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners:

     

     Print

___________________________________________

 

Read More

Embedded Surprises

November 13, 2014
Posted in

Kurent Garlic ringThe pull to look inside something to find out what cool thing might lie within it is quite strong. And, so is the let down when there is nothing there. I am quite the proponent for avoiding viewer disappointment. If you build a  box, a lidded bowl or something with a deep cavity of any kind, I think there should be something to surprise and delight a person who opens it for the first time. Yes, this is my point of view, but that open interior seems to be wasted space that could be decorated, used to make further statements or simply to place something fun or shiny that might give a person a smile.

I think that’s why I like this ring by Klavdija Kurent so much. She calls it her Little “Garlic” Ring. And yes, it definitely looks garlicky, but it also has a few unusual aspects for any garlic-like item. The blue peeking out of its interior for one. The little sprouts of silver for another. But, the real joy is seeing a big colorful gem deeply embedded in the open, hollow end. I don’t associate crystals with garlic, but that little surprise works. It might be hard not to just stare at a ring like this on the wearer, not just because of it’s big bold shape, but the glint of the gem as the wearer’s hand moves would make me intensely curious to see it closer. And, what a fun surprise to finally see what it is inside there.

Surprises like that not only make a memorable design, they create a memorable connection for a potential buyer. They see what is inside or on the back of something that no one else can see unless they also come in for a closer look. So, it then becomes a secret they are privy to as well.  I’ve seen this at shows, where an individual drags a friend over to see what they’ve found on the backside or inside of a piece of jewelry, box, vase or piece of clothing. Those little surprises can cinch a sale. And, the buyer will have a little secret they can share or not and revel in their little bit of fun.

Klavdija, herself, is always full of surprises in her work. She is fearless, exploring a whole range of techniques and approaches, most of them very uniquely hers. Checking in on her Flickr pages and her blog is always an inspiring visit.

 

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.

businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front      TPA Blog Newsletter Ad  ShadesofClay 1014 v2  lpedit  

Read More

Chance Lines, Chance Texture

February 5, 2014
Posted in

Randomness can be used, not just in the composition of  a piece but in the way you work with your clay. Applying or sculpting clay with a random approach can add wonderful, organic and quite expressive elements and textures to a piece.

Klavdija Kurent has allowed threads of clay, wound up without asserting stringent control, and ended up with these intriguing beads and the resulting necklace.

9378295586_c80b333359_z

Letting go of your strict control over the clay and allowing the material to create the visual result can be so appealing both in creating this way and in the loose, natural result. Here, the end pattern is random but its the same type of pattern–loose flowing lines and loops–complimented by organic, rock like central beads and a large looping bead as the focal point. I love how the braided strings of clay start out orderly on the left of the focal bead but then break down, giving way suddenly to the chaos. I don’t know if Klavdija intended it, but that bead is a great metaphor for life in general!

Klavdija will be teaching her twisted techniques in April at EuroSynergy in Malta. Are you going to EuroSynergy? There are so many amazing artists and creatives that will be there with workshops, presentations and discussions panels. I’ll be there conducting two workshop style seminars to help attendees develop their personal voice and online presences as well as leading what promises to be a lively discussion with the ladies of From Polymer to Art on what we have and what we want to see more of in print. You can find a list of all our presentations on the Eurosynergy website.

And take a look at more of Klavdija’s work on her Flickr pages and her blog.

 

Thank you for supporting The Polymer Arts projects and our advertising partners you see below! Your purchases support the magazine, this blog and our upcoming “Best of” and “Workshop” books. To get even more out of our projects, subscribeget our newsletter (see form on the left side of our home page), and follow us on Facebook.  

Cover 13-P4 web   PCW blue string art cane   WhimsicalBead051512

Read More

How Do You Make Pretty Worms?

February 7, 2013
Posted in

I don’t know that I have ever thought of worms as pretty. Fascinating, yes. But as a subject for a pretty piece of jewelry? Well, maybe not so much.

However, Klavdija Kurent pulled it off quite nicely. I love pieces like this. As a polymer artist, I cannot help but stop and try to figure out how she created the layered effect, especially the worms.

DSC05426

I don’t have it quite down yet. She does a lot of image transfer on other work but it seems more dimensional than that. It does look quite a bit like the wax impression technique we featured in The Polymer Arts magazine a while back. What do you think?

Even if one can’t figure out how an artist accomplished an effect, the exercise can be good for your creative muscle. You might even come up with an idea about how to do something with polymer you hadn’t thought of or seen before. And, besides, it’s just fun to see if you figure it out.

Read More

Delightfully Crowded

October 30, 2012
Posted in

If you have seen crowds photographed from above, you may have noticed there tends to be a pattern in the way people group. Sometimes there is a definite direction as it will be during a concert with everyone facing the stage. Sometimes there is a pronounced flow, a line of people moving back and forth on a path through the throng. Crowded spaces, be they at an event, within an abundantly planted  garden or the result of a busy day at your studio table, have some pattern and impression to impart.

This piece by Klavdija Kurent of Slovenia is the kind of crowd I can get into. Like little faces or tiny, blooming flowers, the silver ball accented folds of polymer open up to the space outside their crowded circumstance in an almost expectant and lively manner. The fact that it is black and white rather than multi-colored keeps the crowded space from becoming overwhelming. There is always a danger of over-doing it when you crowd elements in your work but if it’s well balanced with simplicity in other aspects, it can result in a delightfully subdued complexity.

Speaking of crowds … how are our Eastern US friends doing? I’m hoping you and your families are all doing well, are safe and comfortable, and if you are crowded into shelters that your stay is very short and you get to go home soon. Good energy and wishes going out to you all.

Read More
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