Degraded Discs
January 22, 2015
Inspirational Art
This bit of inspired faux old art has more to do with the disintegration of materials than any past culture. The material it emulates could be seen as stone or sap or bone, but it long ago degraded into something soft and well-weathered. The texture and colors are simple but lovely in their organic connection.
I found these on an Etsy shop called @Logan Square. The artisan only identifies herself as Kristin. She does have some interesting words to explain where her textures come from and how she sees her beads:
“Each bead is unique, created by impressions taken from found objects. These objects come from my collection of plant forms, drift wood and pebbles from Lake Michigan, fossils and shells, as well as copper etchings of digital patterns I’ve created (I call these my digital “runes”) … my beads are fantasy fossils and relics.”
Take a look at her shop and the other wonderful textures she has there, especially her banner; she identifies the impressions made in those beads as being from “walnut seed, crayfish claws, fish vertebrae, digital runes, swordfish skull bones, and weathered concrete.” Wow. I would say no texture is safe from being used in this polymer work!
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Outside Inspiration: Bead & Fiber on the Verge
October 24, 2014
Inspirational Art
Before I write up a blog, I search what I’ve posted over the years to insure I’m not showing the same artists over and over, and that it’s been a while since I’ve posted their work. It’s a way of spreading the love around, so to speak. I don’t usually have to worry about that with posts from artists working in other mediums, but I was afraid I’d already shared the stunning work of Amy Gross and maybe shouldn’t be sharing it again. But, to my surprise, I never have! I don’t know how that happened. However, since her work was in the Racine Museum of Art’s (in)Organic exhibition I saw this past weekend, I can now correct that.
Amy is so one of my very favorite artists in the realm of mixed media art. The richness of the textures and colors are what draw you in, but it’s the imagery, both realistic and implied, that holds you there. At least it does me. It helps that I have an interest in both the growth and decay that is the cycle of nature. Amy’s work filters what she sees in this cycle through her own personal experiences as she notes in her artist statement on her website:
“My embroidered and beaded fiber pieces are my attempt to merge the natural observable world with my own inner life: I’m trying to remake nature sieved through my own experiences. I’ve always been attracted and frightened by things that are in their fullest bloom but on the verge of spoiling. There’s such beauty and sadness to them, heightened by the undeniable inevitability of their ending.”
I was so immensely thrilled to see her work in person for the first time at Racine Art Museum–I had read her work would be in the exhibit–that I was having a hard time containing myself. But, jumping up and down or squealing with glee is not museum-appropriate conduct. So, I am happy I have a chance to to do so here. The first image is one I was given permission to take at the museum. I really wanted to capture the colors in that top leaf in contrast with the darker colors below. The second photo is from her website and gives you more details of the lower half. See even more shots of this and other pieces of Amy’s in her website gallery pages.
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.
Carded Fall
August 6, 2014
Inspirational Art
Have you ever tried your hand at art trading cards (ATC)? I am rather partial to them; although, I haven’t had the chance to do one in a while. They are such stress-free types of creations because you know you are trading them with other artists who will appreciate your time and your creativity regardless of trends. You are not making them to sell, so you don’t worry about whether buyers will like them. There is no engineering of them like jewelry and no durability concerns as you would have with functional items. They are purely art and you doing whatever you like.
This whole idea of working without constraints or judgement is part of what the article in the next issue of The Polymer Arts, “Time to Play” will discuss. Allowing yourself the freedom to be creative without restriction or demands. Such playful creation is necessary to keep your creativity fresh and keep the childlike curiosity in you that pushes you to grow and discover, alive and well.
So, if you have a fall palette chosen, why not create a card or ten? That way, you can play with the combinations, the imagery and the textures that you are considering for use in the upcoming autumn season.
Daniela D’Uva of Alkhymeia is the creator of this very fall-esque ATC. All those swirls and the lines of dots running alongside them actually convey movement and a sense of growth in a classic autumn copper and moss green palette. And why not? More than a farewell to summer, fall is about the last push from nature to ripen its bounty while it the hails the impending Winter.
I am a huge fan of Daniela’s polymer and wire combinations, as well as her full consideration regarding the back sides of her pieces. Her wonderful jewelry and other work can be found on Flickr and her own website.
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.
This bit of inspired faux old art has more to do with the disintegration of materials than any past culture. The material it emulates could be seen as stone or sap or bone, but it long ago degraded into something soft and well-weathered. The texture and colors are simple but lovely in their organic connection.
I found these on an Etsy shop called @Logan Square. The artisan only identifies herself as Kristin. She does have some interesting words to explain where her textures come from and how she sees her beads:
“Each bead is unique, created by impressions taken from found objects. These objects come from my collection of plant forms, drift wood and pebbles from Lake Michigan, fossils and shells, as well as copper etchings of digital patterns I’ve created (I call these my digital “runes”) … my beads are fantasy fossils and relics.”
Take a look at her shop and the other wonderful textures she has there, especially her banner; she identifies the impressions made in those beads as being from “walnut seed, crayfish claws, fish vertebrae, digital runes, swordfish skull bones, and weathered concrete.” Wow. I would say no texture is safe from being used in this polymer work!
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or an issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Before I write up a blog, I search what I’ve posted over the years to insure I’m not showing the same artists over and over, and that it’s been a while since I’ve posted their work. It’s a way of spreading the love around, so to speak. I don’t usually have to worry about that with posts from artists working in other mediums, but I was afraid I’d already shared the stunning work of Amy Gross and maybe shouldn’t be sharing it again. But, to my surprise, I never have! I don’t know how that happened. However, since her work was in the Racine Museum of Art’s (in)Organic exhibition I saw this past weekend, I can now correct that.
Amy is so one of my very favorite artists in the realm of mixed media art. The richness of the textures and colors are what draw you in, but it’s the imagery, both realistic and implied, that holds you there. At least it does me. It helps that I have an interest in both the growth and decay that is the cycle of nature. Amy’s work filters what she sees in this cycle through her own personal experiences as she notes in her artist statement on her website:
“My embroidered and beaded fiber pieces are my attempt to merge the natural observable world with my own inner life: I’m trying to remake nature sieved through my own experiences. I’ve always been attracted and frightened by things that are in their fullest bloom but on the verge of spoiling. There’s such beauty and sadness to them, heightened by the undeniable inevitability of their ending.”
I was so immensely thrilled to see her work in person for the first time at Racine Art Museum–I had read her work would be in the exhibit–that I was having a hard time containing myself. But, jumping up and down or squealing with glee is not museum-appropriate conduct. So, I am happy I have a chance to to do so here. The first image is one I was given permission to take at the museum. I really wanted to capture the colors in that top leaf in contrast with the darker colors below. The second photo is from her website and gives you more details of the lower half. See even more shots of this and other pieces of Amy’s in her website gallery pages.
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.
Have you ever tried your hand at art trading cards (ATC)? I am rather partial to them; although, I haven’t had the chance to do one in a while. They are such stress-free types of creations because you know you are trading them with other artists who will appreciate your time and your creativity regardless of trends. You are not making them to sell, so you don’t worry about whether buyers will like them. There is no engineering of them like jewelry and no durability concerns as you would have with functional items. They are purely art and you doing whatever you like.
This whole idea of working without constraints or judgement is part of what the article in the next issue of The Polymer Arts, “Time to Play” will discuss. Allowing yourself the freedom to be creative without restriction or demands. Such playful creation is necessary to keep your creativity fresh and keep the childlike curiosity in you that pushes you to grow and discover, alive and well.
So, if you have a fall palette chosen, why not create a card or ten? That way, you can play with the combinations, the imagery and the textures that you are considering for use in the upcoming autumn season.
Daniela D’Uva of Alkhymeia is the creator of this very fall-esque ATC. All those swirls and the lines of dots running alongside them actually convey movement and a sense of growth in a classic autumn copper and moss green palette. And why not? More than a farewell to summer, fall is about the last push from nature to ripen its bounty while it the hails the impending Winter.
I am a huge fan of Daniela’s polymer and wire combinations, as well as her full consideration regarding the back sides of her pieces. Her wonderful jewelry and other work can be found on Flickr and her own website.
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.
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