Antique Does Ancient

January 23, 2015

art nouveau egyptEmulating other cultures and ancient work is not a new idea. Artists throughout history have been inspired by the relative uniqueness of other cultures and times. This adaptation of other aesthetics, however, became quite a bit more common when world exploration, archaeology and increased global trade and communication made this type of inspiration more readily available to more and more artists.

The 19th and 20th centuries were particularly enthusiastic about other cultures. The discoveries of ancient Egypt at the end of the 18th century spurred what is know as the Egyptian Revival in American decorative arts. This period began sometime after Napolean’s campaign in Egypt and lasted all the way into the 1920s. We have the combination of this Egyptian Revival with the period of Art Nouveau to thank for gorgeous pieces like this hair comb and bracelet. Their creator is unknown, but the Tumblr page I found it on said they are of French origin and are estimated to have been made around 1900. They consist of gold, enamel, rubies, sapphires and ancient Egyptian scarabs noted to be glazed steatite. I just call them lovely.

I wish I had a particular site to send you to in order to do some more exploring of your own, but I didn’t find anything better than a keyword search on Pinterest or Google images. So if you want to see more Egyptian Revival or Art Nouveau or the combination of these, let your fingers do the tapping and have fun getting into lots of pages of beautiful, inspiring imagery.

 

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.

businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front    PolymerArts Kaleidoscope     sfxpaad

Outside Inspiration: A Clay-Fire Connection

January 9, 2015

Chris_Hawkins1206Raku pottery is so fascinating. There are a myriad of variations and techniques, so much so that it’s rather hard to define. The only real commonalities between them all seem to be the low-firing temperature and pulling the pottery out of the kiln while still red hot. The Western method includes introducing red hot clay to a combustible material to halt the chemical reaction in glazes and introducing the black smoke that works its way into the cracked glaze, creating those characteristic black crazing patterns. But it has been the intense color that can be achieved with raku that has drawn it into such favor in recent decades.

I had a chance to build a few of my own raku pots back in art school and found myself drawn not only to the color and crazing but to the direct relationship the pottery had with fire and earth. We would bury our hot pots in a sawdust-filled hole in the ground, watch it smolder and then cover the hole with a heavy metal lid to let the pottery sit and take it in. There was this primal, raw feeling that the earth itself was assisting in creating this art. It was so unusual, to be outside, letting the fire, smoke and earth create the texture and design of my pieces, and I can’t say I’ve had quite that kind of experience since then.

I think it is that uncontrollable outcome in the surface design of raku that also draws people to this kind of work. That happenstance texture is dominant in the work of ceramicist Chris Hawkins. Yes, he works up some really brilliant colors, but it is his collaboration with the fire elements, allowing the heat, flame and smoke to choose the patterning, that makes it so breathtakingly beautiful.

You can find a gallery of Chris’s work on his website and a bit of insight into how and why he creates these pieces on his blog.

 

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.

businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front    PolymerArts Kaleidoscope     lpedit

Outside Inspiration: Challenge Yourself

January 2, 2015

gil bruvel flow series

I know, for some readers, Friday is their least favorite blog day because it is the one day I do not post something made with polymer. But in my opinion, these posts are some of the most important posts I show to you because you have to stretch your mind to find the inspiration within the characteristics of these non-polymer pieces, not just see how others are working with our favorite material. I often wonder how many of you, dear readers, have created something or changed something in a polymer piece of yours because of something you’ve seen that wasn’t made from polymer. I’m hoping it is the majority of you. But if you are one that has not or don’t usually look to other kinds of materials for new ideas and imagery, may I suggest that this year you try to pull something from non-polymer work?

I guess I could really have pulled anything for today’s post, but this amazing piece by the fabulous Gil Bruvel stood out because it is not only something that could be accomplished with polymer but because the artist himself is trying something different (so he’s possibly influenced by another art form as well). This bust looks realistic in some intangible manner but is made up completely of lines. The energy of the lines is where the feeling of its liveliness comes from, the feeling that this could be a realistic representation of another person, not just in looks but in expression. I have seen drawings like this, even recall form-defining line drawing exercises in art school not unlike this, so I wonder if he got the idea for his “Flow” series from drawing. A sculptor borrowing from not just another medium but one the works in another dimension. Every art form, every form in life, can be inspiration.

So what do think? Will you meet the challenge? I’ll even bring the work to you to ponder. Or you can try other fabulous blogs like the Daily Art Muse, This is Colossal, or the Wearable Art Blog.

 

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.

businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front    PolymerArts Kaleidoscope     lpedit

Not Polymer and Not a Gourd so …

December 24, 2014

6171f7b83dbd2d9643e720851f260ad7

I know, I know … this is not polymer, but there was some question about that as it was posted on a few Pinterest boards under polymer. And that colorful inlay could be polymer, right? It could, but it’s not. It’s painted. The reason it was popping up under polymer searches was because it was posted to the polymer tutorial site, claylessons.com, in a message posted to encourage people to visit the Daily Art Muse blog (let’s see how many plugs and links we can fit into one blog post, shall we?). So there is the polymer connection.

But why am I featuring a non-polymer piece today? Because it’s nearly Christmas and if I can’t break some rules now, when can I? Well, yes, I do break rules on occasion for no reason at all, but let’s say this is because it’s a holiday week. And because this piece is gorgeous. It is all carved wood by wood artist, Joey Richardson. The detail is amazing. The form and intricacy are so fluid and natural you might wonder if it’s not alive. It also reminded me of my favorite gourd artist Mark Doolittle (we needed another plug and link here, right?).

But wait, there’s more! More incredible work like this that is (although more links will certainly happen).  After holding onto this, waiting for the right themed week to share it in for nearly a year, I finally found out who the unattributed artist was, opened her site and just got lost there.  I don’t know how Joey has the patience or hasn’t ruined her fingers with all this fine carving, but I am grateful that she does. What a treat. Treat yourself as well by heading over to her site and be sure to read her About page. Her feeling about her sources of inspiration really fit the season.

 

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  

Antique Does Ancient

January 23, 2015
Posted in

art nouveau egyptEmulating other cultures and ancient work is not a new idea. Artists throughout history have been inspired by the relative uniqueness of other cultures and times. This adaptation of other aesthetics, however, became quite a bit more common when world exploration, archaeology and increased global trade and communication made this type of inspiration more readily available to more and more artists.

The 19th and 20th centuries were particularly enthusiastic about other cultures. The discoveries of ancient Egypt at the end of the 18th century spurred what is know as the Egyptian Revival in American decorative arts. This period began sometime after Napolean’s campaign in Egypt and lasted all the way into the 1920s. We have the combination of this Egyptian Revival with the period of Art Nouveau to thank for gorgeous pieces like this hair comb and bracelet. Their creator is unknown, but the Tumblr page I found it on said they are of French origin and are estimated to have been made around 1900. They consist of gold, enamel, rubies, sapphires and ancient Egyptian scarabs noted to be glazed steatite. I just call them lovely.

I wish I had a particular site to send you to in order to do some more exploring of your own, but I didn’t find anything better than a keyword search on Pinterest or Google images. So if you want to see more Egyptian Revival or Art Nouveau or the combination of these, let your fingers do the tapping and have fun getting into lots of pages of beautiful, inspiring imagery.

 

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.

businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front    PolymerArts Kaleidoscope     sfxpaad

Read More

Outside Inspiration: A Clay-Fire Connection

January 9, 2015
Posted in

Chris_Hawkins1206Raku pottery is so fascinating. There are a myriad of variations and techniques, so much so that it’s rather hard to define. The only real commonalities between them all seem to be the low-firing temperature and pulling the pottery out of the kiln while still red hot. The Western method includes introducing red hot clay to a combustible material to halt the chemical reaction in glazes and introducing the black smoke that works its way into the cracked glaze, creating those characteristic black crazing patterns. But it has been the intense color that can be achieved with raku that has drawn it into such favor in recent decades.

I had a chance to build a few of my own raku pots back in art school and found myself drawn not only to the color and crazing but to the direct relationship the pottery had with fire and earth. We would bury our hot pots in a sawdust-filled hole in the ground, watch it smolder and then cover the hole with a heavy metal lid to let the pottery sit and take it in. There was this primal, raw feeling that the earth itself was assisting in creating this art. It was so unusual, to be outside, letting the fire, smoke and earth create the texture and design of my pieces, and I can’t say I’ve had quite that kind of experience since then.

I think it is that uncontrollable outcome in the surface design of raku that also draws people to this kind of work. That happenstance texture is dominant in the work of ceramicist Chris Hawkins. Yes, he works up some really brilliant colors, but it is his collaboration with the fire elements, allowing the heat, flame and smoke to choose the patterning, that makes it so breathtakingly beautiful.

You can find a gallery of Chris’s work on his website and a bit of insight into how and why he creates these pieces on his blog.

 

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.

businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front    PolymerArts Kaleidoscope     lpedit

Read More

Outside Inspiration: Challenge Yourself

January 2, 2015
Posted in

gil bruvel flow series

I know, for some readers, Friday is their least favorite blog day because it is the one day I do not post something made with polymer. But in my opinion, these posts are some of the most important posts I show to you because you have to stretch your mind to find the inspiration within the characteristics of these non-polymer pieces, not just see how others are working with our favorite material. I often wonder how many of you, dear readers, have created something or changed something in a polymer piece of yours because of something you’ve seen that wasn’t made from polymer. I’m hoping it is the majority of you. But if you are one that has not or don’t usually look to other kinds of materials for new ideas and imagery, may I suggest that this year you try to pull something from non-polymer work?

I guess I could really have pulled anything for today’s post, but this amazing piece by the fabulous Gil Bruvel stood out because it is not only something that could be accomplished with polymer but because the artist himself is trying something different (so he’s possibly influenced by another art form as well). This bust looks realistic in some intangible manner but is made up completely of lines. The energy of the lines is where the feeling of its liveliness comes from, the feeling that this could be a realistic representation of another person, not just in looks but in expression. I have seen drawings like this, even recall form-defining line drawing exercises in art school not unlike this, so I wonder if he got the idea for his “Flow” series from drawing. A sculptor borrowing from not just another medium but one the works in another dimension. Every art form, every form in life, can be inspiration.

So what do think? Will you meet the challenge? I’ll even bring the work to you to ponder. Or you can try other fabulous blogs like the Daily Art Muse, This is Colossal, or the Wearable Art Blog.

 

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.

businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front    PolymerArts Kaleidoscope     lpedit

Read More

Not Polymer and Not a Gourd so …

December 24, 2014
Posted in

6171f7b83dbd2d9643e720851f260ad7

I know, I know … this is not polymer, but there was some question about that as it was posted on a few Pinterest boards under polymer. And that colorful inlay could be polymer, right? It could, but it’s not. It’s painted. The reason it was popping up under polymer searches was because it was posted to the polymer tutorial site, claylessons.com, in a message posted to encourage people to visit the Daily Art Muse blog (let’s see how many plugs and links we can fit into one blog post, shall we?). So there is the polymer connection.

But why am I featuring a non-polymer piece today? Because it’s nearly Christmas and if I can’t break some rules now, when can I? Well, yes, I do break rules on occasion for no reason at all, but let’s say this is because it’s a holiday week. And because this piece is gorgeous. It is all carved wood by wood artist, Joey Richardson. The detail is amazing. The form and intricacy are so fluid and natural you might wonder if it’s not alive. It also reminded me of my favorite gourd artist Mark Doolittle (we needed another plug and link here, right?).

But wait, there’s more! More incredible work like this that is (although more links will certainly happen).  After holding onto this, waiting for the right themed week to share it in for nearly a year, I finally found out who the unattributed artist was, opened her site and just got lost there.  I don’t know how Joey has the patience or hasn’t ruined her fingers with all this fine carving, but I am grateful that she does. What a treat. Treat yourself as well by heading over to her site and be sure to read her About page. Her feeling about her sources of inspiration really fit the season.

 

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
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