Putting It into Context

August 8, 2018

Since we started out the week talking about two-dimensional polymer, I went looking for more polymer wall art for you. There are quite a few people who do polymer “painting” and collage work with polymer and I was having a hard time choosing but then I ran into this fascinating little piece.

Our artist here, Reuven Eliazar, a gentleman in Israel with no particular medium affiliation, created this some 10 years ago. Once I read his statement that, “The colours and the materials are the ‘subject’. My ‘stories’ are only the excuse for them to speak out,” I saw what he seems to be trying to do here and it made more sense. The butterfly is wonderful on its own, but putting it in this little scene creates context for the work and starts the idea of a story upon which Reuven can display his exploration of the clay.

Although Reuven seems to be focused on photography more than anything these days, he does have a collection of his polymer work in this album on Flickr so you can get a better idea of what he was exploring. And, of course, perhaps this example has given you some ideas about putting a scene together with your own pieces so you can tell some little stories of your own.

 

In Need of a Rainbow Coalition

March 21, 2017

DKassel rainbow coalitionNothing like a “Rainbow Coalition” to start the week off and that is what we are fortunate enough to be enjoying today with this enchanting little gather by the ever whimsical Doreen Kassel. The colors of these characters are just so juicy and combined in a most delicious way. Marks were scratched into the surface after painting to energize the forms of this little gang’s broad torsos. Although their body shapes don’t leave room for much movement everything else is in motion from the dancing gestures of the arms to the expressive facial gestures.  It is hard not to smile in their presence.

Speaking of which… I could use an energized rainbow coalition of my own as we have lost a couple of contributors for the next issue of The Polymer Arts and could use some imagination and talent to fill in the spaces. The next issue’s theme is ‘Color!’  Would you want to be a part of this delightful next issue? I could use help fleshing out a “ways to design colorful beaded necklaces” article or maybe you have a color-centric or just colorful technique tutorial such as painting with or on polymer.

We also really could use a short personal story, that may or may not have to do with color but would inspire and make people smile, for that last page, the Muse’s Corner section. Do you have any splendid ideas the readers of The Polymer Arts might want? You’ll never know unless you write us!

Please send your article ideas to me using the link on our submission page or write me directly at sbray(at)thepolymerarts.com. Avoid replying to this post if you get it by email as it won’t go to me, taking a day or two to get forwarded, and I would love to see your ideas as soon as possible!

In the meantime, for more color and smiles, take a look at what Doreen is up to on her website or follow her on Instagram.

 _________________________________________

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

businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front   never knead -july-2015c-125    The Great Create Sept 15 blog   Shades of Clay Sept 15 Blog

_________________________________________

Journals: Polymer Painted

January 19, 2017

monika autumn journalNot only is today’s journal cover an inspiration for what you can do with your own decorative journal cover, it’s a beautiful example of ‘painting’ with polymer.

England’s Monika Duchowicz actually does do a bit of acrylic painting on this along with the polymer applications but it doesn’t come across as painted. I would guess most of the painting is in the moss on the stone and in the water which is beautifully rendered and in a way that polymer would not be able to emulate in such a seamless fashion. With a successful background in painting, it’s no wonder that the water and its complex reflections look so real.

Journals are a primary form for Monika, especially these painterly ones. You can view more of her journals as well as wearable art in her Etsy shop and on her website which is in Polish and English although some pages are just one or the other. You can always drop the URL of a page or parts of text into Google Translate if you come upon text that needs translating. .

_________________________________________

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

Shades of Clay Sept 15 Blog   never knead -july-2015c-125   The Great Create Sept 15 blog   businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front

_________________________________________

Outside Inspiration: Alcohol Ink Paintings

November 22, 2013

This is a crazy concept, I know, but have you every thought of using alcohol inks to paint imagery with? Historically, ink has had two primary uses: the production of written or printed communications and, yes, imagery in the form of drawings or paintings. In polymer, we primarily use it as a colorant; but alcohol inks, even though they are dyes (you can even make your own with rubbing alcohol and fabric dye), can be used in ways similar to watercolors. So why not paint with them?

Let me back up a bit and mention the difference between alcohol inks and watercolors. Watercolors are pigment that is suspended in water in order to apply it to a porous surface, most commonly paper. Alcohol inks were developed to work on non-porous surfaces, so although they can be and often are applied to paper, they cannot be manipulated on paper the way watercolors are. The alcohol ink will stain the paper immediately so the pick-up, washes, and translucent layering of color that is common in watercolor won’t work well or at all with alcohol inks on paper. In order to have a full array of possible applications and techniques, alcohol ink painting takes a sealed surface such a gloss paper, melamine,  clay board, ceramic, glass, metal, or  … polymer clay.

There is a whole community of alcohol ink painters out there doing gorgeous work. Some of it is realistic imagery, but I find the abstract or impressionistic paintings the most interesting as well as the most likely to inspire work on polymer clay. Trying to choose a piece to share with you today was difficult. So I’m going to share a few and then your assignment is to go look at more!

This piece is by Wendy Videlock, who sells DVDs on alcohol ink painting techniques.

IMG_8329

And here is one by self-described dreamscape artist June Rollins, who also has a book out on the subject of alcohol ink painting.

dreamscape-no-382-3x6t-web-copy

Can you imagine doing this kind of thing on polymer? Sure! Why not? Raw or cured, it’s a perfect substrate for the ink; and with clay, you have options for manipulating the clay surface before or after applying the ink, giving you many more possibilities than working with the less malleable surfaces mentioned above. Does this have you thinking?

If you want to research alcohol ink painting more, I would first suggest going to Google images and typing in “alcohol ink painting” to get a better idea of just what can be done with the ink as far as painting. Then you might hop over to  Monica Moody’s very helpful and rather humorous posts on the subject including posts on materials you might want to gather if you plan on a thorough investigation. I did, and now I have a little shopping to do!

Around the Corners

October 23, 2013

I am traveling today, heading out to the Kentucky/Tennessee Polymer Clay Guild’s retreat at Mammoth Cave National Park. I’m so excited to see the park, not to mention being immersed for four days in polymer creativity with a great group of people. I might be less verbose than usual (some of you may be relieved to hear!) but I will bring you something box related the rest of the week.

Fall is just about over but I am hoping there will still be colors in the park. I so love the change of seasons, that point of transition that brings us forms, colors, and textures that are only temporary but so much better appreciated because it isn’t static and isn’t what we see everyday. I found a very cleverly done box to match that sentiment today. This amazing piece is a lunch box created by Leigh Ross, one of the founders and wranglers of the huge Polymer Clay Central website. Every side of this represents a different season and each is just wonderfully done.

summer1

winter1

 

The polymer on here looks so much like a painting. Remember what I said earlier this week about a box being a many sided canvas? Well, here we have that certainly taken to heart!

Now off to catch a plane. More box fun tomorrow

Outside Inspiration: Painting in Three Dimensions

July 26, 2013

The artist I’m introducing today is not a polymer artist, which is why I decided he belong in the Outside Inspiration category. However, he does use polymer. No, he doesn’t always use it, but when it suits the vision he is trying to create, polymer can play a prominent role in his images.

Andy Kehoe is an painter with quite the imagination. In researching him for this post I got completely lost in his stories and ramblings found throughout his website and on his blog. Trying to find out one serious bit about him was nigh impossible but I can’t say I didn’t have fun going down the rabbit hole of his imagination! So, back to what I do know. Andy works in painterly mediums, has a keen fascination with layers and depth and recently started playing with painting on multiple layers of resin, building up the strata of imagery that gives these works an almost surreal depth. This in conjunction with his stylized scenes that often look like paper cut-outs and/or uncertain dreamworld creatures creates an unusually strong atmosphere in the limited space the work exists in.

This piece, Approaching the Watcher of the Veil, combines oil, acrylic, polymer clay, and resin on wood. In what serious material I could find Andy is presented (usually on other people’s and galleries’ sites) as a painter, but obviously he doesn’t limit himself to any one medium. The polymer clay, which I assume is in the tree, also has a painterly look to it, making it blend into the work so that the piece transcends its motley medium existence to exist simply as an artist’s sincere and authentic vision.

1640x830-_yGHfxX9pGbjob9J

 

Polymer is no stranger to being combined with paint or even becoming the paint so, no, this outside inspiration is not really about the painterly way polymer can be presented, but rather that polymer can be a medium used in conjunction with something as old and revered as painting and be an equal when chosen, as needed, for its particular characteristics. The medium is not the key. Its the choices of medium and how they are applied that defines a well-done piece.

Don’t miss some of Andy’s great posts on his blog  as well as the entertaining material (especially in the “About” section) of his website.

 

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Mixing Beauty

June 15, 2013

The only thing we really didn’t hit this week while talking about sculpture is how it can be such a wonderful type of work for mixing media. Sure, adding props, embellishments, and clothing is pretty common with polymer figure sculpture, but it doesn’t have to end there. How about mixing two-dimensional art with three-dimensional objects?

Renata Jansen creates these ethereal figures that come across as both alive and yet painterly. In fact, she calls her work “3D paintings in clay”. In her piece “Ava” you see here, it is rather hard to tell where the sculpture ends and the painting (which is both on her body and on the background piece) begins.

11

 

The way the two mediums meld together is just beautiful. There’s not much more to say about it other than this just being another example of how well polymer can work with other mediums.

You can see multiple views of this piece and others on Renata’s website.

Putting It into Context

August 8, 2018
Posted in

Since we started out the week talking about two-dimensional polymer, I went looking for more polymer wall art for you. There are quite a few people who do polymer “painting” and collage work with polymer and I was having a hard time choosing but then I ran into this fascinating little piece.

Our artist here, Reuven Eliazar, a gentleman in Israel with no particular medium affiliation, created this some 10 years ago. Once I read his statement that, “The colours and the materials are the ‘subject’. My ‘stories’ are only the excuse for them to speak out,” I saw what he seems to be trying to do here and it made more sense. The butterfly is wonderful on its own, but putting it in this little scene creates context for the work and starts the idea of a story upon which Reuven can display his exploration of the clay.

Although Reuven seems to be focused on photography more than anything these days, he does have a collection of his polymer work in this album on Flickr so you can get a better idea of what he was exploring. And, of course, perhaps this example has given you some ideas about putting a scene together with your own pieces so you can tell some little stories of your own.

 

Read More

In Need of a Rainbow Coalition

March 21, 2017
Posted in

DKassel rainbow coalitionNothing like a “Rainbow Coalition” to start the week off and that is what we are fortunate enough to be enjoying today with this enchanting little gather by the ever whimsical Doreen Kassel. The colors of these characters are just so juicy and combined in a most delicious way. Marks were scratched into the surface after painting to energize the forms of this little gang’s broad torsos. Although their body shapes don’t leave room for much movement everything else is in motion from the dancing gestures of the arms to the expressive facial gestures.  It is hard not to smile in their presence.

Speaking of which… I could use an energized rainbow coalition of my own as we have lost a couple of contributors for the next issue of The Polymer Arts and could use some imagination and talent to fill in the spaces. The next issue’s theme is ‘Color!’  Would you want to be a part of this delightful next issue? I could use help fleshing out a “ways to design colorful beaded necklaces” article or maybe you have a color-centric or just colorful technique tutorial such as painting with or on polymer.

We also really could use a short personal story, that may or may not have to do with color but would inspire and make people smile, for that last page, the Muse’s Corner section. Do you have any splendid ideas the readers of The Polymer Arts might want? You’ll never know unless you write us!

Please send your article ideas to me using the link on our submission page or write me directly at sbray(at)thepolymerarts.com. Avoid replying to this post if you get it by email as it won’t go to me, taking a day or two to get forwarded, and I would love to see your ideas as soon as possible!

In the meantime, for more color and smiles, take a look at what Doreen is up to on her website or follow her on Instagram.

 _________________________________________

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

businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front   never knead -july-2015c-125    The Great Create Sept 15 blog   Shades of Clay Sept 15 Blog

_________________________________________

Read More

Journals: Polymer Painted

January 19, 2017
Posted in

monika autumn journalNot only is today’s journal cover an inspiration for what you can do with your own decorative journal cover, it’s a beautiful example of ‘painting’ with polymer.

England’s Monika Duchowicz actually does do a bit of acrylic painting on this along with the polymer applications but it doesn’t come across as painted. I would guess most of the painting is in the moss on the stone and in the water which is beautifully rendered and in a way that polymer would not be able to emulate in such a seamless fashion. With a successful background in painting, it’s no wonder that the water and its complex reflections look so real.

Journals are a primary form for Monika, especially these painterly ones. You can view more of her journals as well as wearable art in her Etsy shop and on her website which is in Polish and English although some pages are just one or the other. You can always drop the URL of a page or parts of text into Google Translate if you come upon text that needs translating. .

_________________________________________

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

Shades of Clay Sept 15 Blog   never knead -july-2015c-125   The Great Create Sept 15 blog   businesscard-3.5inx2in-h-front

_________________________________________

Read More

Outside Inspiration: Alcohol Ink Paintings

November 22, 2013
Posted in

This is a crazy concept, I know, but have you every thought of using alcohol inks to paint imagery with? Historically, ink has had two primary uses: the production of written or printed communications and, yes, imagery in the form of drawings or paintings. In polymer, we primarily use it as a colorant; but alcohol inks, even though they are dyes (you can even make your own with rubbing alcohol and fabric dye), can be used in ways similar to watercolors. So why not paint with them?

Let me back up a bit and mention the difference between alcohol inks and watercolors. Watercolors are pigment that is suspended in water in order to apply it to a porous surface, most commonly paper. Alcohol inks were developed to work on non-porous surfaces, so although they can be and often are applied to paper, they cannot be manipulated on paper the way watercolors are. The alcohol ink will stain the paper immediately so the pick-up, washes, and translucent layering of color that is common in watercolor won’t work well or at all with alcohol inks on paper. In order to have a full array of possible applications and techniques, alcohol ink painting takes a sealed surface such a gloss paper, melamine,  clay board, ceramic, glass, metal, or  … polymer clay.

There is a whole community of alcohol ink painters out there doing gorgeous work. Some of it is realistic imagery, but I find the abstract or impressionistic paintings the most interesting as well as the most likely to inspire work on polymer clay. Trying to choose a piece to share with you today was difficult. So I’m going to share a few and then your assignment is to go look at more!

This piece is by Wendy Videlock, who sells DVDs on alcohol ink painting techniques.

IMG_8329

And here is one by self-described dreamscape artist June Rollins, who also has a book out on the subject of alcohol ink painting.

dreamscape-no-382-3x6t-web-copy

Can you imagine doing this kind of thing on polymer? Sure! Why not? Raw or cured, it’s a perfect substrate for the ink; and with clay, you have options for manipulating the clay surface before or after applying the ink, giving you many more possibilities than working with the less malleable surfaces mentioned above. Does this have you thinking?

If you want to research alcohol ink painting more, I would first suggest going to Google images and typing in “alcohol ink painting” to get a better idea of just what can be done with the ink as far as painting. Then you might hop over to  Monica Moody’s very helpful and rather humorous posts on the subject including posts on materials you might want to gather if you plan on a thorough investigation. I did, and now I have a little shopping to do!

Read More

Around the Corners

October 23, 2013
Posted in

I am traveling today, heading out to the Kentucky/Tennessee Polymer Clay Guild’s retreat at Mammoth Cave National Park. I’m so excited to see the park, not to mention being immersed for four days in polymer creativity with a great group of people. I might be less verbose than usual (some of you may be relieved to hear!) but I will bring you something box related the rest of the week.

Fall is just about over but I am hoping there will still be colors in the park. I so love the change of seasons, that point of transition that brings us forms, colors, and textures that are only temporary but so much better appreciated because it isn’t static and isn’t what we see everyday. I found a very cleverly done box to match that sentiment today. This amazing piece is a lunch box created by Leigh Ross, one of the founders and wranglers of the huge Polymer Clay Central website. Every side of this represents a different season and each is just wonderfully done.

summer1

winter1

 

The polymer on here looks so much like a painting. Remember what I said earlier this week about a box being a many sided canvas? Well, here we have that certainly taken to heart!

Now off to catch a plane. More box fun tomorrow

Read More

Outside Inspiration: Painting in Three Dimensions

July 26, 2013
Posted in

The artist I’m introducing today is not a polymer artist, which is why I decided he belong in the Outside Inspiration category. However, he does use polymer. No, he doesn’t always use it, but when it suits the vision he is trying to create, polymer can play a prominent role in his images.

Andy Kehoe is an painter with quite the imagination. In researching him for this post I got completely lost in his stories and ramblings found throughout his website and on his blog. Trying to find out one serious bit about him was nigh impossible but I can’t say I didn’t have fun going down the rabbit hole of his imagination! So, back to what I do know. Andy works in painterly mediums, has a keen fascination with layers and depth and recently started playing with painting on multiple layers of resin, building up the strata of imagery that gives these works an almost surreal depth. This in conjunction with his stylized scenes that often look like paper cut-outs and/or uncertain dreamworld creatures creates an unusually strong atmosphere in the limited space the work exists in.

This piece, Approaching the Watcher of the Veil, combines oil, acrylic, polymer clay, and resin on wood. In what serious material I could find Andy is presented (usually on other people’s and galleries’ sites) as a painter, but obviously he doesn’t limit himself to any one medium. The polymer clay, which I assume is in the tree, also has a painterly look to it, making it blend into the work so that the piece transcends its motley medium existence to exist simply as an artist’s sincere and authentic vision.

1640x830-_yGHfxX9pGbjob9J

 

Polymer is no stranger to being combined with paint or even becoming the paint so, no, this outside inspiration is not really about the painterly way polymer can be presented, but rather that polymer can be a medium used in conjunction with something as old and revered as painting and be an equal when chosen, as needed, for its particular characteristics. The medium is not the key. Its the choices of medium and how they are applied that defines a well-done piece.

Don’t miss some of Andy’s great posts on his blog  as well as the entertaining material (especially in the “About” section) of his website.

 

blog Banner Ad 230x125

Read More

Mixing Beauty

June 15, 2013
Posted in

The only thing we really didn’t hit this week while talking about sculpture is how it can be such a wonderful type of work for mixing media. Sure, adding props, embellishments, and clothing is pretty common with polymer figure sculpture, but it doesn’t have to end there. How about mixing two-dimensional art with three-dimensional objects?

Renata Jansen creates these ethereal figures that come across as both alive and yet painterly. In fact, she calls her work “3D paintings in clay”. In her piece “Ava” you see here, it is rather hard to tell where the sculpture ends and the painting (which is both on her body and on the background piece) begins.

11

 

The way the two mediums meld together is just beautiful. There’s not much more to say about it other than this just being another example of how well polymer can work with other mediums.

You can see multiple views of this piece and others on Renata’s website.

Read More
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