Of Polymer and Paint
August 25, 2019
Uncategorized
Have you ever used paint on polymer? If so, why did you chose to paint it rather than use the inherent color? This question is at the heart of a kind of prejudice against paint that used to be rather prevalent in the polymer community. I think painting on polymer has found its place in our repertoire of techniques but statistically (and I’m just looking at the stats I have available from the blog and the general response to articles) I don’t think it gets quite the regard that other techniques do and it makes me wonder if people still steer away from it, even when it might be the best choice.
Ages ago, I unintentionally incited a heated conversation about painting on polymer through a blog post where all the color and the focal point of the piece was painted. There were many comments about how painting on polymer was not “working in polymer” and therefore I should not be writing about it on a polymer blog. This sentiment was rooted in the thought that since polymer is already colored, painting would be superfluous if not downright heretical. This was also a time when polymer was fighting for its place in the art world and competitions for polymer were being won by pieces that were not wholly polymer which heavily irritated those who strove to create only with polymer clay. With a strong love for the material, those crafters were simply strong proponents of letting the material shine through.
Well, a material can be gorgeous on its own, but what the artist wants out of that material may be other qualities beyond its inherent visual ones. For instance, I prefer woodwork that has been treated with nothing but oil and wax to let the natural beauty shine through but wood that is stained or painted can result in beautiful work as well. It’s not wrong to change or obscure the wood’s natural look. It’s just different. Polymer has other qualities beyond it’s color, primarily its sculptural characteristics including the ability to hold very fine detail. So, if its sculptural qualities are primarily what the artist needs from the material, then why not use whatever kind of treatment gives the surface the color and feel the artist finds most appealing or fitting for the work?
The fact is, the color in polymer clay only pieces tends to be fairly uniform since we are working with a material which is colored throughout making it fairly difficult to achieve an organic variation and imperfect diffusion of color. On the other hand, paint which is applied in layers can so readily be everything from dense and uniform to translucent and feathery to gritty and splattered. The facts are that it is easy to get smooth, uniform color using polymer clay but can be tricky with paint and it is easy to get variation in a field of color with paint but takes more work than it is often worth to get a similar effect in clay. In other words, each material has its strengths and so why not employ them based on those strengths?
As an artist, one should use the material that suits the end result desired if the material and the skills to use them are available to them. We’re not talking just paint here either—this applies to any material. Sometimes real metal, with its strength and shine, will work better than faux polymer metal or real stones will glimmer and give a piece the needed weight that faux polymer stones cannot. I am not saying that the real thing should always be used though. Faux materials in polymer do have distinct advantages such as faux metal being lighter and more flexible than the real thing and faux stones are usually cheaper to produce and can be formed in ways that real stones cannot.
Ideally, you start designing a piece with the idea of what you want to make, then figure out what materials would be best suited to the look, construction, durability, and cost of the work as well as your skillset and interests. With this approach, you can make the best work possible rather than limiting yourself because you feel some sense of loyalty to a single medium or the tribe of artists that identify themselves by that medium. That loyalty, like not painting color onto polymer, can be unnecessarily limiting and you could be missing out on wonderful new ways to express yourself and create.
The fact is you and your work do not need to be defined by your primary medium. You are an artist or a crafter or an artisan. You can choose to tack a medium on to one of these basic labels in order to be identified by a related community or as a way to explain very succinctly what you do, but if one day you get up and decide you want to try working with something else, are you going to feel locked into that label? Because if you do, you may be less inclined to explore and that would be sad. As I see it, every true artist is an explorer and one that should not be limited by any one material if their path of exploration leads them elsewhere. That’s just my humble opinion!
So, if you think paint would look good on your polymer, I think you should go for it. Let’s look at a handful of artists who combine paint and polymer in ways that polymer alone would not readily be able to create.
Color on Color
If you are a fan of Doreen Kassel’s work, you’re probably in love with either her whimsy or her exuberant color. But did you know, she only works with white clay? Or at least this is what she told me a few years back. Polymer is a sculptural medium for her. Its potential color possibilities do not come into play. Instead, she paints her polymer work primarily with oil paints. The wash and translucency of the oil paint layers gives a unique depth and glow to the colors that you just wouldn’t get with polymer alone. Her use of white as the base, like oil on canvas, does much to brighten the colors as well.
Miniature polymer creation is another area where paint seems to be indispensable. Now, I am no expert in this area but after working with and publishing articles and projects with Stephanie Kilgast, I have learned just how important paint can be for creating lifelike miniature objects. The clay does provide a large amount of the color in Stephanie’s work but painting is what punches up the realism and her amazing sculptures. Highlighting and antiquing play a major role in the realistic look of pieces like this fungi and coral inspired piece.
By the way, if you’re wondering why Stephanie sculpted this on a tin can, it is because she is very active in promoting environmental awareness and uses discarded objects to celebrate “the beauty of nature in a dialogue with humanity, questioning the lost balance between human activities and nature”. If you like what she’s doing you should consider supporting her on Patreon, a platform for supporting artists you admire with a monthly donation of just a couple dollars. You are then given access to privileged information and insight on the artist and his or her work as well as, sometimes, demonstrations and tutorials. Check Stephanie’s page on Patreon here then check out the service in general. There are some really cool artists sharing some really exclusive stuff on this platform.
Lorraine Vogel applies paint to the surface of textured polymer clay using stencils. Polymer clay allows her to create textures that gives the paint variation and dimension, an approach that softens the sharp edge and graphic effect that stencil painting often has.
By the way, you can learn the technique in the above pendant from Lorraine’s tutorial in The Polymer Arts’ Winter 2016 issue, available in digital or print on our website of course. Or you can go to her Etsy shop and purchase one of her comprehensive digital tutorials.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that in the last issue of The Polymer Studio, Debbie Crothers shows the possibilities of acrylic paint and polymer in a very comprehensive, exploratory article with numerous short tutorials to get you exploring as well. Acrylic pours on polymer is the technique on the beads that grace the cover. The resulting mix of color and its visual texture is just flat out yummy.
Although I am talking paint here, the idea that other materials can and should be used on polymer where they can add or express your ideas best extends to all colorants including alcohol inks, pastels, mica powders, iron oxides, or glazes. Most of these other colorants have been better accepted in polymer work, probably because they change the clay color but don’t obscure it the way paint can. But even in traditional paintings, the type of substrate the artist uses to paint on greatly effects the feel and look of the work. Polymer can be a wonderful substrate, especially since its sculptural properties allow for such a great interaction with the paint and such creative potential for the form of the piece.
So, if you’ve been curious about the various effects you can get with paint on polymer or have wondered if you can combine some other material interest such as fiber, metal, paper or whatever, try it! Mess around and explore. Search online to see what others might be doing with these combinations and let their ideas motivate you to try stretch your skills and creative interests.
So, what new material will you be trying out this week or in the very near future?
The Sage Chronicles
My so-called break has yet to feel like a break, I have to admit. There have been some family matters and siblings who need my support and getting the house back together (and getting rid of all this dust!) is slow going as I try to take it easy with the one gimpy arm. So, I still have a full schedule between that, the family stuff, my physical therapy, and my efforts to come up with a plan for returning to production without getting in this state again. You know, some day, I just want to know what it’s like to be bored. Yeah … that’s not likely to happen any time soon.
For those following the saga of the broken drain turned into a major renovation, here’s a photo of the kitchen after I laid in the first line of slate on the backsplash last week so we could at least make the kitchen fully functional and I could get to cooking properly again! I can’t wait until I actually get to start putting in the design on the backsplash. I’ve never done a mosaic project this big but I am excited and so glad I am giving myself the break just now so I can enjoy the process and not rush it. Or not take 6 months or more to complete it!
So, I’m off to rest up now. I hope you have had a great, creative, and inspiring weekend. Here’s to a creative and inspiring week as well!
Radiating Variety
August 11, 2019
Inspirational Art
Would you say you creatively lean toward symmetry or asymmetry? Although humans are innately attracted to symmetry, we all lean towards one or the other when it comes to our aesthetic preferences. However, symmetry, which represents order, is generally found to be more pleasing to the brain than asymmetry but, interestingly enough, symmetry alone cannot make something beautiful. That’s because that orderliness can get rather boring.
This is not to say that symmetry is automatically boring, because it certainly is not. It’s all a matter of how much energy the other characteristics of that symmetrical design add to it. However, there is a kind of artistic prejudice against symmetry out there sometimes. It’s this kind of default line of thought that symmetry is not only boring but a kind of cop-out in design, that it is something primarily employed by the inexperienced and unskilled aspiring artist. That always struck me as really ridiculous. Did they think that Mother Nature should rearrange the flowers, the growth of crystals, and the patterns of butterfly wings? Because they are all symmetrical and yet, these are some of the most beautiful natural things in our world.
So, make note that it’s not symmetry that makes a design boring, it’s a lack of energy in the design. Making exciting, energized, and intriguing symmetrical work can actually be challenging so when someone does it well, it can be quite impressive. Asymmetry has an innate sense of energy simply because it is off-balance and our brain, the way it is, always thinks things are moving towards balance and thus sees asymmetrical design as something in flux. So really, asymmetry might be considered a kind of a shortcut to an energized design although, in truth, both symmetry and asymmetry have plenty of challenges to contend with when designing.
There is one type of symmetrical design, however, that does have both balance and energy almost automatically included. This is the beautiful radial symmetry seen in nature in everything from starfish to flowers to snowflakes. Its energy comes from lines or a progression of shapes moving out from a central axis. The movement in this kind of symmetry is strong and directional but it can still verge on the boring if the radiating lines do not have variation.
Let’s look at some examples of beautifully done radial symmetry.
Going Around the Axis
We see radial symmetry in polymer all the time, particularly in kaleidoscope canes. The process of slicing and reassembling the canes with the same point in the pattern arranged at the center creates radial symmetry. There aren’t necessarily radiating lines in these canes, but the mirrored shapes tend to create points or a kind of visual growth outward.
Here’s a beautiful five-sided kaleidoscope cane – yes, symmetry can have an and odd number of sides because the design is still consistent around a central axis – whose parts have a sense of growth moving outward. This is by the very adept cane artist Lana Fominicheva of LaFom on Etsy.
A more direct production of radial symmetry can be created by building with a collection of elements such as in this quilled cane design by Meg Newberg of Polymer Clay Workshop.
Cool canes, right? You can get Meg’s Quilled Cane Tutorial in her Esty shop and get to making your own as soon as you download it!
Radial symmetry that is neither straight nor separate lines or progressive shapes can still create energy and interest while still staying symmetrical and beautifully balanced as seen here in this locket by Ola of PinkLaLou on Etsy. The crossing over of the lines in the central image are highly energetic and flow out more than burst out from the central axis but flowing lines are still energized only in a calmer, perhaps more elegant, way.
This is a locket created with filigree and cold enamel, not polymer. At first, I thought maybe the design in the middle was cold enamel, but I think it may be an image under resin. Cold enamel is a pigmented semi-translucent resin created to look like traditional glass enamel. If you love the look of enamel but have neither the equipment nor the patience to learn that amazing craft, cold enamel might fill the bill for you. But in the meantime, you could start a radial symmetry design with the right graphic using a liquid polymer image transfer.
Okay, so now that you’ve seen a few examples, would you say this next piece below is radial symmetry? Scroll down before reading on and just take a quick peek. Its looks like it is, right?
Well, technically no, it isn’t, but it has all the initial markers with a central axis from which elements radiate outward in a similar pattern. However, nothing is actually symmetrical from one side to the other. Our brain perceives balance because the progression from the center feels consistent, going from radiating lines of inlaid polymer to an even boundary of solid silver to a filigree of swirls and set gems that fill the outside perimeter. But all the elements have an irregular placement, especially in the stones and swirls outside of the focal center but also in the thickness, pattern, and coloring of the inlaid polymer. So, this pendant echoes radial symmetry without being symmetrical thus giving it a tremendous amount of energy without feeling chaotic. Pretty cool!
This necklace, of course, is a Liz Hall creation. Liz has been one of my polymer heroes since nearly the beginning of my exploration into the material. She combines precious metal clay with polymer inlays, adding in stones, glass, and other shiny bits here and there as well. Her openness to other materials allows for this broad range of exploration in design and yet she has a very distinctive style. If you look closely at her work, you’ll see every regular pattern and design is just a touch off, including the pendant that opens this blog post. That’s part of her signature style. Simple but effective.
Of course, the most quintessential of radial symmetry design is the mandala. Much of the radial symmetry we see could be considered mandalas of sorts, if we are just speaking of the geometry of it. Mandalas are, however, traditionally a reference to a kind of spiritual map, one that was originally meant to be a model for the organizational structure of life, in both the physical and metaphysical sense, and consisted of a square with a circle and four T-shaped gates, one facing each side of the square. But, as you might have noticed, that definition and the base design has been broadly extended. As long as the design has a regular structure organized around a unifying center, it seems to be generally accepted that it can be called a mandala.
We see these mandala structures in polymer pieces created with cane slices a lot but it is also readily achieved with layered polymer elements like these layered ornaments Kay Miller used to make. She’s off focused on dimensional greeting cards now but we can still enjoy the images of her perfectly designed and finished ornaments.
Mandalas are certainly not relegated to polymer when it comes to artwork. And it’s not just about those dot painted rocks that are all the rage now either. Take a gander at this gorgeous mandala brooch created by Jima and Carlie Abbott of Mixed Metal Jewels.
So… do you use radial symmetry in your work? If you don’t or haven’t done much of it or simply haven’t thought much about it, maybe it’s time to try it out. It can be very meditative. See for yourself!
Best Laid Plans
Well, this week I was going to start casually working on plans for future publications and new projects between physical therapy and catching up on sleep, but chaos reigned here at the house. Again. There was light at the end of the tunnel when we suddenly went from being a couple of days from finishing the house renovations to a couple of weeks.
The appliances were in and the final painting had commenced but then we discovered that the floor had a problem along with more damage than was anticipated so instead of simply repairing our flooring around the construction areas, we had to tear out nearly half the flooring in our house! Talk about frustrating! And depressing. And nerve-racking. Blah.
But, long story short, we worked it and persisted until we found something we could afford and miraculously ended up with this gorgeous acacia wood flooring and a crew that rushed in and got it all taken care of pretty much in one day! It was nuts. There were so many guys here, it was like ants in the house. But it was by far the best work done on this whole project. Here is my husband Brett, just super excited about his new floors, in our nearly done kitchen.
I’m pretty sure his expression will change when we sit down to pay the bill though. But at least we can drown our sorrows over a glass of wine in a gorgeous new kitchen.
Or a glass of seltzer in my case. My metabolic issues are dampening my potential to celebrate or drown my sorrows in my family’s traditional Irish way. No sugars including alcohol for me for a while, not until my metabolic issues are under control and it’ll be minimal even then. It’s sad but it’s really nothing compared to what some of my other friends are going through right now. All you wonderful people … take good care of yourselves! I don’t want any more troubling health news. Ok?
On the positive side, my arm is much better even after this one week with minimal computer time. It is starting to hurt now though, but only because I keep forgetting to not type! Three decades of writing for a living and it’s hard not to use the keyboard when pain is not there to readily remind me not to. I’ll learn!
So, the word now is that we should have our house back in a week. Then I can start cooking properly and really button-down on the new diet regimen I have. So, keep your fingers and toes crossed for us as I will keep good, positive energy and prayers flowing out to all of you with challenges going on right now.
Have a beautiful, creative, and inspiring week!
A Big, Bold Challenge
April 14, 2019
Inspirational Art
Kathleen Nowak Tucci, Secret Garden Necklace
Have you considered challenging yourself creatively with something you’ve never done before, or at least not for a long time? I have a lot of creative friends who are doing just that right now and, as I work towards having free time again after an exceedingly busy couple of years, I am too considering what to start in on. My mind, probably like yours, never stops churning up ideas so the designs in my head and in my sketchbook have progressed into a variety of new possibilities. The question is, what do I challenge myself with first when I can get back to creating my own artwork on a regular basis?
Whether or not you are at a similar crossroads or want to change up what you’ve been creating, I encourage you to consider the question of how you could challenge yourself as we go through some work that is very much unlike what I have done in the past. I am hoping that, going through some of my own possibilities, this might start those wheels turning for you. What, if any, pieces here feel like they are in the same vein as your present work and which of these approaches have you’ve never imagined yourself doing but might consider?
Not Sage
I, like the vast majority of polymer artists, work primarily from organic inspiration. (See my post from last month about man-made inspiration for contrast.) A lot of my work is also rooted in story, particularly speculative stories dealing with the human struggle in both usual and unusual circumstances. It’s emotional, and personal and not at all neat and tidy. So, this means that certain styles of work almost never cross my mind as options. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try it.
Highly graphic work is one of the things that I’ve never done. I have no aversion to it and, in fact, really enjoy beautifully crafted and highly graphic artwork. I have even drawn particular elements as inspiration for aspects of my work, both in polymer and in graphic design, from the likes of Mondrian, Mucha, and even graphic novels. But I have never designed any highly graphic art work.
If I did aim for a more graphical approach, it might be something like Jana Lehmann’s colorful and fun pieces, with clean lines but still plenty of blended color and subtle color variation to make the colors glow and give it the calm energy I gravitate towards. I could see trying to create cleaner lines and using purer color and standard shapes although I think the organic would find its way in at some point.
Aren’t those flowerpot pins just adorable? That brings up another thing I don’t do much of. I don’t do cute. Which is strange because I love cute! Although I am kind of picky and maybe a bit odd about the cute that I enjoy. So, if I were to try to create something cute, it would probably be cute with a dark edge to it. Maybe something like these Bitty Bitey Ones by Darcy of North Carolina. Just look at these faces! The big black bead eyes help but it takes some serious sculptural instincts to get such great expressions. The cuteness factor is through the roof! Could I work on my skills long enough to create something even half as cute? Would I want to? Won’t know unless I try, right?
There is one thing though – I just couldn’t create such pieces in pink. Now, I have made some pink polymer jewelry in years past, mostly because of requests, and it did sell well but it didn’t do anything for me. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. But the important thing was that I tried and found out I just didn’t want to. That period did get me a touch more comfortable with the color so when it turns up incidentally in a blend or interference powder, I don’t just set it aside. The thing is, it’s not just pink that I steer away from. I don’t, in general, work in bright colors. But I’ve really been thinking that more saturated colors are something I should push myself into trying out.
Maybe I could do something like Jana’s super saturated color schemes above or, go completely over the rails and aim to mix-and-match a little bit of everything in one piece like Susan Dyer so expertly does. Talk about graphic! Her use of solid colors and highly contrasting patterns could be sniped from Bauhaus prints. Her compositions often teeter on the edge of chaos but the confining silver bezels and the consistency of her unmuddled approach to color and pattern creates cohesiveness.
One of the reasons Susan’s work appeals to me is because it’s not actually that big – the pendant above is all of 1.75” by 1.5”. I also tend to design jewelry that works as an accent or embellishment for the wearer rather than it outshining a person. But I know a lot of polymer artists prefer large pieces as one can really show off the surface design and techniques that way. And, honestly, I would love to do some really large jewelry but since I generally wouldn’t wear anything really large, it’s hard for me to envision what a wearer of this kind of work would want, and I think that makes me hesitate to the point that I have not tried.
I have been trying to work up the courage to go big by taking a close look at the work of big and bold artists like Kathleen Nowak Tucci. I love her work because it’s not only unabashedly large but it’s also, in part or almost wholly, created from recycled materials, such as the Saul Bellow award winning piece of hers you see at the opening of this post. And talk about going big … her work has also appeared on several big TV shows including the multiple times her work adorned the immensely talented Lily Tomlin on the show Grace and Frankie. You can see both Kathleen’s Leaf Necklace and Pistil Bracelet on Lily here.
What’s on Your List?
There are a number of other things I could try to push my work outside my comfort zone but these are presently on the top of my list. So, now that you’ve seen the top of my list, what do you think you would you be willing to try out that you would not normally do?
Keep in mind, this self-challenge is not designed to change your style but to just put yourself, and hard, to see what you come up with. There is the potential for as yet unimaginable discoveries about yourself and where you want to take your work. It can be a way to inject some fresh new energy into your studio time and, since there is no end goal such as even showing the work to anyone or selling it, these explorations can give you the freedom to just push yourself in unselfconscious directions.
Are you one of the ones that have been doing this already this year? If so, maybe you’d like to share what you’ve tried to do and how you like the experience. You can insert a comment at the end of the post to let me know. Maybe when things slow down over here in the chaos it is my home at the moment, we can devise a midyear challenge for us all to work on. What do you think?
A Bit of Business … Last Chance to Subscribe and Get Issue #2 Directly from the Printer
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Back to the Chaos
Ok, gang, I have to get back to wrapping up the next magazine issue while navigating my discombobulated house. The chaos is in a holding pattern while we wait for the city to get the plans back to us. There is a ton of construction still going on due to the fires in November so things are a tad busy over there. But at least we figured out how to NOT have the refrigerator in the studio although it is just outside my door, just looming over me. So my present challenge is not to open that thing every time I have to squeeze by it!
As for you, my darling readers, I hope you are enjoying your weekend and have a fabulous week to look forward to.
Masses of Flowers
August 12, 2014
Inspirational Art
In all of the comments and emails that I received regarding yesterday’s post, it seems as if we find nature’s masses of similar items most alluring.
Flowers are, of course, an obvious example. Nature packs them in bunches on bushes, in small explosions of colors in meadows and amassed across the canopy of trees in the spring.
So, I went looking for a polymer example, and there are plenty of them, but I particularly like this bracelet due to the likeness of the flowers in shape and size, with just a little change in color. I think this is more nature’s type of design versus the lovely, but very varied designs of the more ornate floral pieces we have seen so much of the last few years.
This was created by a Russian artist who lists her name as Valeria-Maslova in her Livemaster shop. She has a lot of lovely items in her shop, which include more masses of flowers, circles and colonies of shapes that will intrigue you. I am off to keep working on polishing up the next issue, and as you all suggest, I will head off in search of more of these designs to share with you.
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Have you ever used paint on polymer? If so, why did you chose to paint it rather than use the inherent color? This question is at the heart of a kind of prejudice against paint that used to be rather prevalent in the polymer community. I think painting on polymer has found its place in our repertoire of techniques but statistically (and I’m just looking at the stats I have available from the blog and the general response to articles) I don’t think it gets quite the regard that other techniques do and it makes me wonder if people still steer away from it, even when it might be the best choice.
Ages ago, I unintentionally incited a heated conversation about painting on polymer through a blog post where all the color and the focal point of the piece was painted. There were many comments about how painting on polymer was not “working in polymer” and therefore I should not be writing about it on a polymer blog. This sentiment was rooted in the thought that since polymer is already colored, painting would be superfluous if not downright heretical. This was also a time when polymer was fighting for its place in the art world and competitions for polymer were being won by pieces that were not wholly polymer which heavily irritated those who strove to create only with polymer clay. With a strong love for the material, those crafters were simply strong proponents of letting the material shine through.
Well, a material can be gorgeous on its own, but what the artist wants out of that material may be other qualities beyond its inherent visual ones. For instance, I prefer woodwork that has been treated with nothing but oil and wax to let the natural beauty shine through but wood that is stained or painted can result in beautiful work as well. It’s not wrong to change or obscure the wood’s natural look. It’s just different. Polymer has other qualities beyond it’s color, primarily its sculptural characteristics including the ability to hold very fine detail. So, if its sculptural qualities are primarily what the artist needs from the material, then why not use whatever kind of treatment gives the surface the color and feel the artist finds most appealing or fitting for the work?
The fact is, the color in polymer clay only pieces tends to be fairly uniform since we are working with a material which is colored throughout making it fairly difficult to achieve an organic variation and imperfect diffusion of color. On the other hand, paint which is applied in layers can so readily be everything from dense and uniform to translucent and feathery to gritty and splattered. The facts are that it is easy to get smooth, uniform color using polymer clay but can be tricky with paint and it is easy to get variation in a field of color with paint but takes more work than it is often worth to get a similar effect in clay. In other words, each material has its strengths and so why not employ them based on those strengths?
As an artist, one should use the material that suits the end result desired if the material and the skills to use them are available to them. We’re not talking just paint here either—this applies to any material. Sometimes real metal, with its strength and shine, will work better than faux polymer metal or real stones will glimmer and give a piece the needed weight that faux polymer stones cannot. I am not saying that the real thing should always be used though. Faux materials in polymer do have distinct advantages such as faux metal being lighter and more flexible than the real thing and faux stones are usually cheaper to produce and can be formed in ways that real stones cannot.
Ideally, you start designing a piece with the idea of what you want to make, then figure out what materials would be best suited to the look, construction, durability, and cost of the work as well as your skillset and interests. With this approach, you can make the best work possible rather than limiting yourself because you feel some sense of loyalty to a single medium or the tribe of artists that identify themselves by that medium. That loyalty, like not painting color onto polymer, can be unnecessarily limiting and you could be missing out on wonderful new ways to express yourself and create.
The fact is you and your work do not need to be defined by your primary medium. You are an artist or a crafter or an artisan. You can choose to tack a medium on to one of these basic labels in order to be identified by a related community or as a way to explain very succinctly what you do, but if one day you get up and decide you want to try working with something else, are you going to feel locked into that label? Because if you do, you may be less inclined to explore and that would be sad. As I see it, every true artist is an explorer and one that should not be limited by any one material if their path of exploration leads them elsewhere. That’s just my humble opinion!
So, if you think paint would look good on your polymer, I think you should go for it. Let’s look at a handful of artists who combine paint and polymer in ways that polymer alone would not readily be able to create.
Color on Color
If you are a fan of Doreen Kassel’s work, you’re probably in love with either her whimsy or her exuberant color. But did you know, she only works with white clay? Or at least this is what she told me a few years back. Polymer is a sculptural medium for her. Its potential color possibilities do not come into play. Instead, she paints her polymer work primarily with oil paints. The wash and translucency of the oil paint layers gives a unique depth and glow to the colors that you just wouldn’t get with polymer alone. Her use of white as the base, like oil on canvas, does much to brighten the colors as well.
Miniature polymer creation is another area where paint seems to be indispensable. Now, I am no expert in this area but after working with and publishing articles and projects with Stephanie Kilgast, I have learned just how important paint can be for creating lifelike miniature objects. The clay does provide a large amount of the color in Stephanie’s work but painting is what punches up the realism and her amazing sculptures. Highlighting and antiquing play a major role in the realistic look of pieces like this fungi and coral inspired piece.
By the way, if you’re wondering why Stephanie sculpted this on a tin can, it is because she is very active in promoting environmental awareness and uses discarded objects to celebrate “the beauty of nature in a dialogue with humanity, questioning the lost balance between human activities and nature”. If you like what she’s doing you should consider supporting her on Patreon, a platform for supporting artists you admire with a monthly donation of just a couple dollars. You are then given access to privileged information and insight on the artist and his or her work as well as, sometimes, demonstrations and tutorials. Check Stephanie’s page on Patreon here then check out the service in general. There are some really cool artists sharing some really exclusive stuff on this platform.
Lorraine Vogel applies paint to the surface of textured polymer clay using stencils. Polymer clay allows her to create textures that gives the paint variation and dimension, an approach that softens the sharp edge and graphic effect that stencil painting often has.
By the way, you can learn the technique in the above pendant from Lorraine’s tutorial in The Polymer Arts’ Winter 2016 issue, available in digital or print on our website of course. Or you can go to her Etsy shop and purchase one of her comprehensive digital tutorials.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that in the last issue of The Polymer Studio, Debbie Crothers shows the possibilities of acrylic paint and polymer in a very comprehensive, exploratory article with numerous short tutorials to get you exploring as well. Acrylic pours on polymer is the technique on the beads that grace the cover. The resulting mix of color and its visual texture is just flat out yummy.
Although I am talking paint here, the idea that other materials can and should be used on polymer where they can add or express your ideas best extends to all colorants including alcohol inks, pastels, mica powders, iron oxides, or glazes. Most of these other colorants have been better accepted in polymer work, probably because they change the clay color but don’t obscure it the way paint can. But even in traditional paintings, the type of substrate the artist uses to paint on greatly effects the feel and look of the work. Polymer can be a wonderful substrate, especially since its sculptural properties allow for such a great interaction with the paint and such creative potential for the form of the piece.
So, if you’ve been curious about the various effects you can get with paint on polymer or have wondered if you can combine some other material interest such as fiber, metal, paper or whatever, try it! Mess around and explore. Search online to see what others might be doing with these combinations and let their ideas motivate you to try stretch your skills and creative interests.
So, what new material will you be trying out this week or in the very near future?
The Sage Chronicles
My so-called break has yet to feel like a break, I have to admit. There have been some family matters and siblings who need my support and getting the house back together (and getting rid of all this dust!) is slow going as I try to take it easy with the one gimpy arm. So, I still have a full schedule between that, the family stuff, my physical therapy, and my efforts to come up with a plan for returning to production without getting in this state again. You know, some day, I just want to know what it’s like to be bored. Yeah … that’s not likely to happen any time soon.
For those following the saga of the broken drain turned into a major renovation, here’s a photo of the kitchen after I laid in the first line of slate on the backsplash last week so we could at least make the kitchen fully functional and I could get to cooking properly again! I can’t wait until I actually get to start putting in the design on the backsplash. I’ve never done a mosaic project this big but I am excited and so glad I am giving myself the break just now so I can enjoy the process and not rush it. Or not take 6 months or more to complete it!
So, I’m off to rest up now. I hope you have had a great, creative, and inspiring weekend. Here’s to a creative and inspiring week as well!
Read More
Would you say you creatively lean toward symmetry or asymmetry? Although humans are innately attracted to symmetry, we all lean towards one or the other when it comes to our aesthetic preferences. However, symmetry, which represents order, is generally found to be more pleasing to the brain than asymmetry but, interestingly enough, symmetry alone cannot make something beautiful. That’s because that orderliness can get rather boring.
This is not to say that symmetry is automatically boring, because it certainly is not. It’s all a matter of how much energy the other characteristics of that symmetrical design add to it. However, there is a kind of artistic prejudice against symmetry out there sometimes. It’s this kind of default line of thought that symmetry is not only boring but a kind of cop-out in design, that it is something primarily employed by the inexperienced and unskilled aspiring artist. That always struck me as really ridiculous. Did they think that Mother Nature should rearrange the flowers, the growth of crystals, and the patterns of butterfly wings? Because they are all symmetrical and yet, these are some of the most beautiful natural things in our world.
So, make note that it’s not symmetry that makes a design boring, it’s a lack of energy in the design. Making exciting, energized, and intriguing symmetrical work can actually be challenging so when someone does it well, it can be quite impressive. Asymmetry has an innate sense of energy simply because it is off-balance and our brain, the way it is, always thinks things are moving towards balance and thus sees asymmetrical design as something in flux. So really, asymmetry might be considered a kind of a shortcut to an energized design although, in truth, both symmetry and asymmetry have plenty of challenges to contend with when designing.
There is one type of symmetrical design, however, that does have both balance and energy almost automatically included. This is the beautiful radial symmetry seen in nature in everything from starfish to flowers to snowflakes. Its energy comes from lines or a progression of shapes moving out from a central axis. The movement in this kind of symmetry is strong and directional but it can still verge on the boring if the radiating lines do not have variation.
Let’s look at some examples of beautifully done radial symmetry.
Going Around the Axis
We see radial symmetry in polymer all the time, particularly in kaleidoscope canes. The process of slicing and reassembling the canes with the same point in the pattern arranged at the center creates radial symmetry. There aren’t necessarily radiating lines in these canes, but the mirrored shapes tend to create points or a kind of visual growth outward.
Here’s a beautiful five-sided kaleidoscope cane – yes, symmetry can have an and odd number of sides because the design is still consistent around a central axis – whose parts have a sense of growth moving outward. This is by the very adept cane artist Lana Fominicheva of LaFom on Etsy.
A more direct production of radial symmetry can be created by building with a collection of elements such as in this quilled cane design by Meg Newberg of Polymer Clay Workshop.
Cool canes, right? You can get Meg’s Quilled Cane Tutorial in her Esty shop and get to making your own as soon as you download it!
Radial symmetry that is neither straight nor separate lines or progressive shapes can still create energy and interest while still staying symmetrical and beautifully balanced as seen here in this locket by Ola of PinkLaLou on Etsy. The crossing over of the lines in the central image are highly energetic and flow out more than burst out from the central axis but flowing lines are still energized only in a calmer, perhaps more elegant, way.
This is a locket created with filigree and cold enamel, not polymer. At first, I thought maybe the design in the middle was cold enamel, but I think it may be an image under resin. Cold enamel is a pigmented semi-translucent resin created to look like traditional glass enamel. If you love the look of enamel but have neither the equipment nor the patience to learn that amazing craft, cold enamel might fill the bill for you. But in the meantime, you could start a radial symmetry design with the right graphic using a liquid polymer image transfer.
Okay, so now that you’ve seen a few examples, would you say this next piece below is radial symmetry? Scroll down before reading on and just take a quick peek. Its looks like it is, right?
Well, technically no, it isn’t, but it has all the initial markers with a central axis from which elements radiate outward in a similar pattern. However, nothing is actually symmetrical from one side to the other. Our brain perceives balance because the progression from the center feels consistent, going from radiating lines of inlaid polymer to an even boundary of solid silver to a filigree of swirls and set gems that fill the outside perimeter. But all the elements have an irregular placement, especially in the stones and swirls outside of the focal center but also in the thickness, pattern, and coloring of the inlaid polymer. So, this pendant echoes radial symmetry without being symmetrical thus giving it a tremendous amount of energy without feeling chaotic. Pretty cool!
This necklace, of course, is a Liz Hall creation. Liz has been one of my polymer heroes since nearly the beginning of my exploration into the material. She combines precious metal clay with polymer inlays, adding in stones, glass, and other shiny bits here and there as well. Her openness to other materials allows for this broad range of exploration in design and yet she has a very distinctive style. If you look closely at her work, you’ll see every regular pattern and design is just a touch off, including the pendant that opens this blog post. That’s part of her signature style. Simple but effective.
Of course, the most quintessential of radial symmetry design is the mandala. Much of the radial symmetry we see could be considered mandalas of sorts, if we are just speaking of the geometry of it. Mandalas are, however, traditionally a reference to a kind of spiritual map, one that was originally meant to be a model for the organizational structure of life, in both the physical and metaphysical sense, and consisted of a square with a circle and four T-shaped gates, one facing each side of the square. But, as you might have noticed, that definition and the base design has been broadly extended. As long as the design has a regular structure organized around a unifying center, it seems to be generally accepted that it can be called a mandala.
We see these mandala structures in polymer pieces created with cane slices a lot but it is also readily achieved with layered polymer elements like these layered ornaments Kay Miller used to make. She’s off focused on dimensional greeting cards now but we can still enjoy the images of her perfectly designed and finished ornaments.
Mandalas are certainly not relegated to polymer when it comes to artwork. And it’s not just about those dot painted rocks that are all the rage now either. Take a gander at this gorgeous mandala brooch created by Jima and Carlie Abbott of Mixed Metal Jewels.
So… do you use radial symmetry in your work? If you don’t or haven’t done much of it or simply haven’t thought much about it, maybe it’s time to try it out. It can be very meditative. See for yourself!
Best Laid Plans
Well, this week I was going to start casually working on plans for future publications and new projects between physical therapy and catching up on sleep, but chaos reigned here at the house. Again. There was light at the end of the tunnel when we suddenly went from being a couple of days from finishing the house renovations to a couple of weeks.
The appliances were in and the final painting had commenced but then we discovered that the floor had a problem along with more damage than was anticipated so instead of simply repairing our flooring around the construction areas, we had to tear out nearly half the flooring in our house! Talk about frustrating! And depressing. And nerve-racking. Blah.
But, long story short, we worked it and persisted until we found something we could afford and miraculously ended up with this gorgeous acacia wood flooring and a crew that rushed in and got it all taken care of pretty much in one day! It was nuts. There were so many guys here, it was like ants in the house. But it was by far the best work done on this whole project. Here is my husband Brett, just super excited about his new floors, in our nearly done kitchen.
I’m pretty sure his expression will change when we sit down to pay the bill though. But at least we can drown our sorrows over a glass of wine in a gorgeous new kitchen.
Or a glass of seltzer in my case. My metabolic issues are dampening my potential to celebrate or drown my sorrows in my family’s traditional Irish way. No sugars including alcohol for me for a while, not until my metabolic issues are under control and it’ll be minimal even then. It’s sad but it’s really nothing compared to what some of my other friends are going through right now. All you wonderful people … take good care of yourselves! I don’t want any more troubling health news. Ok?
On the positive side, my arm is much better even after this one week with minimal computer time. It is starting to hurt now though, but only because I keep forgetting to not type! Three decades of writing for a living and it’s hard not to use the keyboard when pain is not there to readily remind me not to. I’ll learn!
So, the word now is that we should have our house back in a week. Then I can start cooking properly and really button-down on the new diet regimen I have. So, keep your fingers and toes crossed for us as I will keep good, positive energy and prayers flowing out to all of you with challenges going on right now.
Have a beautiful, creative, and inspiring week!
Read MoreKathleen Nowak Tucci, Secret Garden Necklace
Have you considered challenging yourself creatively with something you’ve never done before, or at least not for a long time? I have a lot of creative friends who are doing just that right now and, as I work towards having free time again after an exceedingly busy couple of years, I am too considering what to start in on. My mind, probably like yours, never stops churning up ideas so the designs in my head and in my sketchbook have progressed into a variety of new possibilities. The question is, what do I challenge myself with first when I can get back to creating my own artwork on a regular basis?
Whether or not you are at a similar crossroads or want to change up what you’ve been creating, I encourage you to consider the question of how you could challenge yourself as we go through some work that is very much unlike what I have done in the past. I am hoping that, going through some of my own possibilities, this might start those wheels turning for you. What, if any, pieces here feel like they are in the same vein as your present work and which of these approaches have you’ve never imagined yourself doing but might consider?
Not Sage
I, like the vast majority of polymer artists, work primarily from organic inspiration. (See my post from last month about man-made inspiration for contrast.) A lot of my work is also rooted in story, particularly speculative stories dealing with the human struggle in both usual and unusual circumstances. It’s emotional, and personal and not at all neat and tidy. So, this means that certain styles of work almost never cross my mind as options. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try it.
Highly graphic work is one of the things that I’ve never done. I have no aversion to it and, in fact, really enjoy beautifully crafted and highly graphic artwork. I have even drawn particular elements as inspiration for aspects of my work, both in polymer and in graphic design, from the likes of Mondrian, Mucha, and even graphic novels. But I have never designed any highly graphic art work.
If I did aim for a more graphical approach, it might be something like Jana Lehmann’s colorful and fun pieces, with clean lines but still plenty of blended color and subtle color variation to make the colors glow and give it the calm energy I gravitate towards. I could see trying to create cleaner lines and using purer color and standard shapes although I think the organic would find its way in at some point.
Aren’t those flowerpot pins just adorable? That brings up another thing I don’t do much of. I don’t do cute. Which is strange because I love cute! Although I am kind of picky and maybe a bit odd about the cute that I enjoy. So, if I were to try to create something cute, it would probably be cute with a dark edge to it. Maybe something like these Bitty Bitey Ones by Darcy of North Carolina. Just look at these faces! The big black bead eyes help but it takes some serious sculptural instincts to get such great expressions. The cuteness factor is through the roof! Could I work on my skills long enough to create something even half as cute? Would I want to? Won’t know unless I try, right?
There is one thing though – I just couldn’t create such pieces in pink. Now, I have made some pink polymer jewelry in years past, mostly because of requests, and it did sell well but it didn’t do anything for me. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. But the important thing was that I tried and found out I just didn’t want to. That period did get me a touch more comfortable with the color so when it turns up incidentally in a blend or interference powder, I don’t just set it aside. The thing is, it’s not just pink that I steer away from. I don’t, in general, work in bright colors. But I’ve really been thinking that more saturated colors are something I should push myself into trying out.
Maybe I could do something like Jana’s super saturated color schemes above or, go completely over the rails and aim to mix-and-match a little bit of everything in one piece like Susan Dyer so expertly does. Talk about graphic! Her use of solid colors and highly contrasting patterns could be sniped from Bauhaus prints. Her compositions often teeter on the edge of chaos but the confining silver bezels and the consistency of her unmuddled approach to color and pattern creates cohesiveness.
One of the reasons Susan’s work appeals to me is because it’s not actually that big – the pendant above is all of 1.75” by 1.5”. I also tend to design jewelry that works as an accent or embellishment for the wearer rather than it outshining a person. But I know a lot of polymer artists prefer large pieces as one can really show off the surface design and techniques that way. And, honestly, I would love to do some really large jewelry but since I generally wouldn’t wear anything really large, it’s hard for me to envision what a wearer of this kind of work would want, and I think that makes me hesitate to the point that I have not tried.
I have been trying to work up the courage to go big by taking a close look at the work of big and bold artists like Kathleen Nowak Tucci. I love her work because it’s not only unabashedly large but it’s also, in part or almost wholly, created from recycled materials, such as the Saul Bellow award winning piece of hers you see at the opening of this post. And talk about going big … her work has also appeared on several big TV shows including the multiple times her work adorned the immensely talented Lily Tomlin on the show Grace and Frankie. You can see both Kathleen’s Leaf Necklace and Pistil Bracelet on Lily here.
What’s on Your List?
There are a number of other things I could try to push my work outside my comfort zone but these are presently on the top of my list. So, now that you’ve seen the top of my list, what do you think you would you be willing to try out that you would not normally do?
Keep in mind, this self-challenge is not designed to change your style but to just put yourself, and hard, to see what you come up with. There is the potential for as yet unimaginable discoveries about yourself and where you want to take your work. It can be a way to inject some fresh new energy into your studio time and, since there is no end goal such as even showing the work to anyone or selling it, these explorations can give you the freedom to just push yourself in unselfconscious directions.
Are you one of the ones that have been doing this already this year? If so, maybe you’d like to share what you’ve tried to do and how you like the experience. You can insert a comment at the end of the post to let me know. Maybe when things slow down over here in the chaos it is my home at the moment, we can devise a midyear challenge for us all to work on. What do you think?
A Bit of Business … Last Chance to Subscribe and Get Issue #2 Directly from the Printer
If you haven’t subscribed or renewed your subscription to The Polymer Studio, you will want to do so by end of day Monday as we send off the mailing list to the printer to Tuesday morning. Be one of the first to get the new issue in your hot little hands by subscribing or pre-ordering your single issue now.
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Back to the Chaos
Ok, gang, I have to get back to wrapping up the next magazine issue while navigating my discombobulated house. The chaos is in a holding pattern while we wait for the city to get the plans back to us. There is a ton of construction still going on due to the fires in November so things are a tad busy over there. But at least we figured out how to NOT have the refrigerator in the studio although it is just outside my door, just looming over me. So my present challenge is not to open that thing every time I have to squeeze by it!
As for you, my darling readers, I hope you are enjoying your weekend and have a fabulous week to look forward to.
Read MoreIn all of the comments and emails that I received regarding yesterday’s post, it seems as if we find nature’s masses of similar items most alluring.
Flowers are, of course, an obvious example. Nature packs them in bunches on bushes, in small explosions of colors in meadows and amassed across the canopy of trees in the spring.
So, I went looking for a polymer example, and there are plenty of them, but I particularly like this bracelet due to the likeness of the flowers in shape and size, with just a little change in color. I think this is more nature’s type of design versus the lovely, but very varied designs of the more ornate floral pieces we have seen so much of the last few years.
This was created by a Russian artist who lists her name as Valeria-Maslova in her Livemaster shop. She has a lot of lovely items in her shop, which include more masses of flowers, circles and colonies of shapes that will intrigue you. I am off to keep working on polishing up the next issue, and as you all suggest, I will head off in search of more of these designs to share with you.
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