Rousing Repetition
July 28, 2019
Inspirational Art, Polymer community news, The Polymer Arts magazine news
Neon Paper beads necklace by Devi Chand.
First of all, thank you to all you amazing, wonderful, caring folks who sent me notes and words of encouragement and offers of help and even a book in one case, all due to my little tendinitis issue. You are the most amazing people. What a fantastic community we have! I expect most of you are dealing with something frustratingly disruptive in your life and things a lot worse than my little annoyance in many cases so know that my heart goes out to you too. Life is challenging. So, let’s go out and wrestle it and show the universe what we’re made of!
I do have more news but I’m going to save the update on my situation until the end so you can enjoy some artwork first.
Okay, on to the contemplation of art!
Rousing Repetition
This week I want to talk about repetition. Do you like heavy repetition in artwork, where a single form, mark, or motif is repeated over and over? Saying it like that makes it sound boring and unimaginative. But I think repetition has gotten a bad rap. I mean, sure, in some circumstances, like when someone says the same thing over and over again in a conversation, it is going to get on your nerves. But when it comes to design, repetition can be mesmerizing, energetic, and downright stunning. The trick is to put some rhythm and variation into that repetition. Or at least, if it’s very static, it’s best if it is obvious that a lack of variation is intentional to convey stillness, poise, or something of that sort.
I thought we’d pull up some really beautiful examples of repetition to prove the point. You’ll note in all these pieces that although form, shape, motif, or other characteristics are repeated, variation in other aspects of the design choices brings in the energy and rhythm that draws us in. The repeating element also serves to create cohesiveness and unity amongst all the other elements
So, as we go through these this week, identify the repeating design elements in each piece and then the variation that makes the repetition so interesting for you. I’ll show the piece first before I talk about it so you have a chance to consider and see what you come up with. Mind you, you will often come up with things that I won’t and that doesn’t mean that I’m right and you’re not. When art is viewed, it has to be fundamentally about personal interpretation so there is a ton of room for your unique point of view. Asking yourself these questions that I periodically challenge you with just gets you to actively think about the work, homes your eye, and, hopefully, gives you the understanding to verbalize those things so you can translate them into aspects of your own work.
So, let’s get to it!
Music in the Monotony
I am going heavy this week on non-polymer artists and I may do a bit more of this going forward too. There is just so much great design amongst craftspeople of other mediums that we could really learn from. I find it refreshing and immensely inspiring to consider how to get the aspects that I enjoy in the artwork of other mediums into my polymer designs. I hope you agree and will stick this out with me! But we’ll start with polymer work.
Here we have some really obvious repetition with a couple of bracelets from Maria Belkomor. A lot of things are being repeated here. How many do you count?
Depending on how you count, there are either two repeated elements– the black carved beads and the disk elements – or maybe four if you count the stacks of beads and the colors. Or maybe you counted more. Everything in these are repeated except for the clasps so pretty much every element can be counted as a repeating one. Variation and, especially, the contrast in the colors and the contrast in the shape between the round beads and the flat disks is what keeps the repetition from being boring. It’s very regular but the bracelets are still fun and visually engaging pieces.
Keep in mind, repetition doesn’t mean it needs to all be lined up to engage repetition. Take a look at the pieces below. Parallel lines are used over and over again but aren’t always the same types of parallel lines nor are they seated in the same orientation.
Anna Nel has a lot of fun with her bouncy graphic look by repeating parallel lines over and over but varying them from solid line sets to lines of blended clay, adding pops of color and focal points with the irregularly placed round cane slices. Her variation in color, going from black-and-white to very saturated hues doesn’t hurt the impact of these pieces either.
Looking outside of polymer, it is not hard to find gorgeous examples of repetition in construction jewelry like beadwork.
Obviously, the repetition here is primarily in the square beads, all lined up with the same orientation, as well as the repeated dangles. The designer, Beth Graham of Semper Fi designs on Etsy, switches up the color in the squares and the length of the dangles for a simple but very effective variation within the design. There are much more intricate bead designs out there, but I like this example because it highlights the concept in an easy to identify way and works to great effect.
I wonder if, in polymer, we might use repetition more often if it was not so easy for us to vary up our elements. I do think there is such a discipline in trying to create dynamic and intriguing pieces without using a wide range of variety to carry it. Just look at this necklace below. It could be polymer but is gorgeously carved, colored, and polished wood.
Liv Blavap’s works are amazing. She works with repetition in a way that it somehow becomes the focal point of her pieces. I think it’s because there’s an almost seamless transition in the variation between one element and the next, making a smooth undulation in the form and, collectively, feeling like one continuous piece even though it is dozens, maybe a couple hundred, individual elements. This approach and her workmanship make you hyper-aware that basic forms are being repeated, if changing along the way. If you’re unfamiliar with Liv’s work, jump over to this site for a quick peek at more of these stunning necklaces of hers.
Okay, one more piece that is not polymer but so readily could be and I think will be quite inspiring for those of you who like to work with sheets of thin polymer or, looking at the pattern only, cool geometric cane work. Paper does really lend itself to repetition as seen by this and the paper necklace of the opening image.
This is paper jewelry by Dutch artists Nel Linssen. Paper quite readily, and beautifully, lends itself to dynamic repetition. The energy here comes with the variation within each element that has been repeated. It doesn’t hurt that they’re basically arrow shapes all pointing inwards making it feel like all the movement is strongly and persistently moving towards the center. Yes, there is strength in repetition as well!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (as they used to say) …
Okay, so, a little bit of an update on the situation over here at Tenth Muse Arts headquarters:
The not so great news is that the conclusion about my tendinitis progressed into something called tendinosis which takes a lot longer to heal and is why I am still dealing with it. On top of that, I have some possible physiological issues which may be the cause of my slow healing (on top of working too much, of course!) The good news is it is all fixable. However, I am going to have to disrupt my usual schedule to deal with this and, with the tendinosis, I am being told that I should stay off my keyboard as much as possible for the next 3-6 months. Ack! That means I can’t do layout, photo adjustments, or anything else that takes just a ton of mouse clicking and keyboard shortcuts. I can still write thanks to speech to text software but not much of anything else.
Translation… I have had to make the decision to halt production on The Polymer Studio magazine for the time being. I’ve also decided subscription purchases will not be available during this time because I just can’t take money for something that isn’t actively in process. That just feels wrong. And yes, I considered bringing on people to help but it would take a while to get anyone up to speed on graphics and editing work and if I’m going to work on myself, I can’t add to my schedule. My crazy long workdays are why I’m having the physiological issues, so I really have to take a pretty full break.
So, I’m making plans to play around with creating some other stuff that would be doable with written, spoken, or videotaped content because I am just not good at not being productive. But without deadlines, I can take my time. And, yes, I do plan to continue to post the blog. I like chatting with you all too much to stop if I don’t really have to!
So, some weeks I might have to go a little bit light, but I do plan to be here to join you on Sunday mornings for low contemplative art. Do please join me next Sunday – I’m putting together a survey to see what you all would like me to talk about on the blog and my other possible projects. I’m working on gathering goodies for a giveaway to go with the survey so don’t miss that!
Have a wonderful, creative, healthy, and inspiring week!
Repeat a Space
March 7, 2015
Inspirational Art, Technique tutorials
I thought I’d look for some tutorials for you to play with this weekend that would accommodate some play with repetition. In that search, I found this simple, but charming, polymer bead spacer tutorial. We really didn’t talk about the repetition of strung beads, but I figured that would be a pretty obvious use of repetition. However, there are many ways to add variation to a string of beads. Different colors, sizes, shapes and textures is one way. Adding interesting spacers is another fantastic way.
Now, here is where I could use some help. I can find this tutorial on many a Pinterest board and numerous sites that gather tutorials, but I cannot pinpoint the author. And yes, there’s text on there but it does not seem to the English alphabet, so I’m at a loss. And with this tutorial so widely spread on English and non-English sites alike, it seems this person should get a little more obvious credit. So, if anyone has a clue, I’d love to hear from you. You can comment or reply to your email version of the blog post, and I’ll get it.
Here is where I originally found this tutorial if anyone wants to try to sleuth it out: http://claybooks.diary.ru/p172024294.htm?oam
In the meantime, how about making creative spacers this weekend? That could be a particularly fun, little project, especially for you snow bound folks!
Update: Thanks to Anna Anpilogova, we have our mystery solved.
The tutorial is by a Russian clayer Anna Mashkova. “Here is the link to original post in her blog … http://alica19.livejournal.com/17265.html” Thank you to both Annas!
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.
;
Steady Focus
March 5, 2015
Inspirational Art
Here’s another thought on that whole adding variation to repetition thing. Just as repetition doesn’t have to mean consistent and dull, variation doesn’t have to mean anything chaotic or crazy. The idea of variation is to give us something more to look at, to mix it up a little, to put enough interesting differences into a piece to either make a big initial impact, keep us looking at it, or to evoke a complexity of an emotion. Or, really, just because we find beauty in variation.
But varied can also be part of a series of consistently repeated elements. Center-focused compositions are often considered basic and boring. I probably rallied against that idea in art school more than anything else. What was this aversion to center-focus or balance? Nature is based heavily on this concept, and some of our most beautiful inspirations come from that kind of thing.
These pieces by Ivy Niles are an excellent example of variation in repetition using a centered composition. She uses more than one cane to give the eye a variety of visual textures plus those moderately used crystals to add a sparkle to the brilliant blues. I think we are averaging about five canes per piece plus accents, which could look quite busy, but the centric and regular repetition reins it all in. Just beautiful.
Ivy is a master cane maker with some of the most beautiful and intricate designs. She sells her canes on Etsy and shows off more of her goodies on her website as well.
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.
The Ups and Downs of Repetition
March 4, 2015
Inspirational Art
Let’s talk about that perilous pitfall with repetition–when it’s just boring. Why does repetition work sometimes but not other times? Sometimes it can simply be the impact of highly unusual elements (I have the perfect example for Friday … you can look forward to that!), but more commonly, it’s because of variation combined with consistency. And then you say … “What is that supposed to mean?”, right? Well, it’s something you probably already are instinctively aware of but let’s break it down.
Lynda Braunstein-Gilcher‘s necklace you see here is a beautiful example of variation with consistent elements that are cohesive and regular enough to produce a grounding for the variety in the design. I bet you can see it easily, especially when it’s pointed out. Obviously the repetition is in the inverted drop forms, but these forms were created in different sizes with several different canes in a variety of color and line widths. Additionally, some of these lines are gradients and some are solids. That’s a fair amount of variation, but it isn’t chaotic because there is a grounding consistency–they are all the same form, they all dangle off a short bit of cord and, most of all, they all echo the vertical theme. Well, kind of radiating verticals, if you can accept that term. The fact that everything moves in the same direction, from the cords to the lines in the canes to the inverted teardrops that act like arrows makes for strong, repeated lines that all move downward in this piece. So we have variation and consistency in a design of regular repetition and yet a lot of energy thanks to the variation and strong lines. That is not boring. At all.
So, if you like using repetition, consider how you can vary it to add energy or interest to the collective elements. Just keep something consistent to keep it grounded. Unless you are after a feeling of chaos. Then just have at it!
Lynda runs a stained glass and polymer supply store called Lynda’s Artistic Haven in Loveland, Ohio, so if you’re in the area, stop by! You can see more of what she is up to on her Facebook page as well.
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.
A Little Dance
March 3, 2015
Inspirational Art
So, yes, more about repetition but in slightly less obvious or more varied manners will be in store for you the rest of the week. Hopefully, you aren’t bored with the subject. The ways you can apply it are limitless really.
For instance, take this fun, contemporary piece titled “Little Cities Necklace” by Ann Dillon. There is plenty of repetition in the shape of the beads, the colors and order of the layers and the general placement of the thick cane cuts. But, the canes are laid out in a varied manner and are all different canes. This wonderfully illustrates the interconnection between repetition and rhythm. Repetition doesn’t mean regular, measured, evenly applied elements. It means something is used over and over, but how those elements are applied create rhythm that can be steady and strong or varied and even chaotic.
An underlying regular rhythm, like the bead bases here, provide grounding for the less predictable rhythm of the canes that kind of dance about in close but buoyant manner. The fact that they are applied across the horizontal center of each bead gives them that floating feel, so it’s definitely more of a dance or flight. If they were in the same formation but at the bottom, they could look heavy, as if they were spilled–nothing wrong with that, but definitely a different feel to the rhythm because they will look grounded.
Ann works in polymer and also a lot in seedbeads–talk about repetition and rhythm! That kind of bead work is all about that. Take a look at her website and practice identifying and feeling the rhythm of the pieces. It’s rather fun to think of work in that way.
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.
A Rainbow of Repetition
February 26, 2015
Inspirational Art
This was such a gorgeous find. Actually, everything this artist has done is just amazing. The thing is, it doesn’t seem to be polymer, but it took quite a bit of research to convince me otherwise. The work is by Raluca Bazura, a Romanian artist working in contemporary jewelry. From what I could tell from the translations on the various little snippets I found about her online, she seems to work primarily in porcelain ceramics. This must be why all the pieces are stitched together. Of course, that may allow for movement and flexibility, but it might not be necessary if it was polymer. Really, this should be polymer. OK … yes, perhaps I am a tad biased sometimes.
But, whether this is made in ceramics or polymer, it is another wonderful example of the dynamic complexity that repetition can bring to a piece. And yes, we’re looking at a gradient of color, but this time only in terms of the collective set of overlapping scales not blended. It still has a similar effect in helping aid the feel of movement as the arrangement fans out. Raluca uses this kind of color effect in a lot of his work, but she’s also done a whole series in just black with the occasional gold or silver additions.
If you find this at all intriguing, you must go take a look at more of her work on her website. You’ll see many other pieces that you’ll swear are polymer, or should be. Go see and tell me what you think.
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.
Neon Paper beads necklace by Devi Chand.
First of all, thank you to all you amazing, wonderful, caring folks who sent me notes and words of encouragement and offers of help and even a book in one case, all due to my little tendinitis issue. You are the most amazing people. What a fantastic community we have! I expect most of you are dealing with something frustratingly disruptive in your life and things a lot worse than my little annoyance in many cases so know that my heart goes out to you too. Life is challenging. So, let’s go out and wrestle it and show the universe what we’re made of!
I do have more news but I’m going to save the update on my situation until the end so you can enjoy some artwork first.
Okay, on to the contemplation of art!
Rousing Repetition
This week I want to talk about repetition. Do you like heavy repetition in artwork, where a single form, mark, or motif is repeated over and over? Saying it like that makes it sound boring and unimaginative. But I think repetition has gotten a bad rap. I mean, sure, in some circumstances, like when someone says the same thing over and over again in a conversation, it is going to get on your nerves. But when it comes to design, repetition can be mesmerizing, energetic, and downright stunning. The trick is to put some rhythm and variation into that repetition. Or at least, if it’s very static, it’s best if it is obvious that a lack of variation is intentional to convey stillness, poise, or something of that sort.
I thought we’d pull up some really beautiful examples of repetition to prove the point. You’ll note in all these pieces that although form, shape, motif, or other characteristics are repeated, variation in other aspects of the design choices brings in the energy and rhythm that draws us in. The repeating element also serves to create cohesiveness and unity amongst all the other elements
So, as we go through these this week, identify the repeating design elements in each piece and then the variation that makes the repetition so interesting for you. I’ll show the piece first before I talk about it so you have a chance to consider and see what you come up with. Mind you, you will often come up with things that I won’t and that doesn’t mean that I’m right and you’re not. When art is viewed, it has to be fundamentally about personal interpretation so there is a ton of room for your unique point of view. Asking yourself these questions that I periodically challenge you with just gets you to actively think about the work, homes your eye, and, hopefully, gives you the understanding to verbalize those things so you can translate them into aspects of your own work.
So, let’s get to it!
Music in the Monotony
I am going heavy this week on non-polymer artists and I may do a bit more of this going forward too. There is just so much great design amongst craftspeople of other mediums that we could really learn from. I find it refreshing and immensely inspiring to consider how to get the aspects that I enjoy in the artwork of other mediums into my polymer designs. I hope you agree and will stick this out with me! But we’ll start with polymer work.
Here we have some really obvious repetition with a couple of bracelets from Maria Belkomor. A lot of things are being repeated here. How many do you count?
Depending on how you count, there are either two repeated elements– the black carved beads and the disk elements – or maybe four if you count the stacks of beads and the colors. Or maybe you counted more. Everything in these are repeated except for the clasps so pretty much every element can be counted as a repeating one. Variation and, especially, the contrast in the colors and the contrast in the shape between the round beads and the flat disks is what keeps the repetition from being boring. It’s very regular but the bracelets are still fun and visually engaging pieces.
Keep in mind, repetition doesn’t mean it needs to all be lined up to engage repetition. Take a look at the pieces below. Parallel lines are used over and over again but aren’t always the same types of parallel lines nor are they seated in the same orientation.
Anna Nel has a lot of fun with her bouncy graphic look by repeating parallel lines over and over but varying them from solid line sets to lines of blended clay, adding pops of color and focal points with the irregularly placed round cane slices. Her variation in color, going from black-and-white to very saturated hues doesn’t hurt the impact of these pieces either.
Looking outside of polymer, it is not hard to find gorgeous examples of repetition in construction jewelry like beadwork.
Obviously, the repetition here is primarily in the square beads, all lined up with the same orientation, as well as the repeated dangles. The designer, Beth Graham of Semper Fi designs on Etsy, switches up the color in the squares and the length of the dangles for a simple but very effective variation within the design. There are much more intricate bead designs out there, but I like this example because it highlights the concept in an easy to identify way and works to great effect.
I wonder if, in polymer, we might use repetition more often if it was not so easy for us to vary up our elements. I do think there is such a discipline in trying to create dynamic and intriguing pieces without using a wide range of variety to carry it. Just look at this necklace below. It could be polymer but is gorgeously carved, colored, and polished wood.
Liv Blavap’s works are amazing. She works with repetition in a way that it somehow becomes the focal point of her pieces. I think it’s because there’s an almost seamless transition in the variation between one element and the next, making a smooth undulation in the form and, collectively, feeling like one continuous piece even though it is dozens, maybe a couple hundred, individual elements. This approach and her workmanship make you hyper-aware that basic forms are being repeated, if changing along the way. If you’re unfamiliar with Liv’s work, jump over to this site for a quick peek at more of these stunning necklaces of hers.
Okay, one more piece that is not polymer but so readily could be and I think will be quite inspiring for those of you who like to work with sheets of thin polymer or, looking at the pattern only, cool geometric cane work. Paper does really lend itself to repetition as seen by this and the paper necklace of the opening image.
This is paper jewelry by Dutch artists Nel Linssen. Paper quite readily, and beautifully, lends itself to dynamic repetition. The energy here comes with the variation within each element that has been repeated. It doesn’t hurt that they’re basically arrow shapes all pointing inwards making it feel like all the movement is strongly and persistently moving towards the center. Yes, there is strength in repetition as well!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (as they used to say) …
Okay, so, a little bit of an update on the situation over here at Tenth Muse Arts headquarters:
The not so great news is that the conclusion about my tendinitis progressed into something called tendinosis which takes a lot longer to heal and is why I am still dealing with it. On top of that, I have some possible physiological issues which may be the cause of my slow healing (on top of working too much, of course!) The good news is it is all fixable. However, I am going to have to disrupt my usual schedule to deal with this and, with the tendinosis, I am being told that I should stay off my keyboard as much as possible for the next 3-6 months. Ack! That means I can’t do layout, photo adjustments, or anything else that takes just a ton of mouse clicking and keyboard shortcuts. I can still write thanks to speech to text software but not much of anything else.
Translation… I have had to make the decision to halt production on The Polymer Studio magazine for the time being. I’ve also decided subscription purchases will not be available during this time because I just can’t take money for something that isn’t actively in process. That just feels wrong. And yes, I considered bringing on people to help but it would take a while to get anyone up to speed on graphics and editing work and if I’m going to work on myself, I can’t add to my schedule. My crazy long workdays are why I’m having the physiological issues, so I really have to take a pretty full break.
So, I’m making plans to play around with creating some other stuff that would be doable with written, spoken, or videotaped content because I am just not good at not being productive. But without deadlines, I can take my time. And, yes, I do plan to continue to post the blog. I like chatting with you all too much to stop if I don’t really have to!
So, some weeks I might have to go a little bit light, but I do plan to be here to join you on Sunday mornings for low contemplative art. Do please join me next Sunday – I’m putting together a survey to see what you all would like me to talk about on the blog and my other possible projects. I’m working on gathering goodies for a giveaway to go with the survey so don’t miss that!
Have a wonderful, creative, healthy, and inspiring week!
Read More
I thought I’d look for some tutorials for you to play with this weekend that would accommodate some play with repetition. In that search, I found this simple, but charming, polymer bead spacer tutorial. We really didn’t talk about the repetition of strung beads, but I figured that would be a pretty obvious use of repetition. However, there are many ways to add variation to a string of beads. Different colors, sizes, shapes and textures is one way. Adding interesting spacers is another fantastic way.
Now, here is where I could use some help. I can find this tutorial on many a Pinterest board and numerous sites that gather tutorials, but I cannot pinpoint the author. And yes, there’s text on there but it does not seem to the English alphabet, so I’m at a loss. And with this tutorial so widely spread on English and non-English sites alike, it seems this person should get a little more obvious credit. So, if anyone has a clue, I’d love to hear from you. You can comment or reply to your email version of the blog post, and I’ll get it.
Here is where I originally found this tutorial if anyone wants to try to sleuth it out: http://claybooks.diary.ru/p172024294.htm?oam
In the meantime, how about making creative spacers this weekend? That could be a particularly fun, little project, especially for you snow bound folks!
Update: Thanks to Anna Anpilogova, we have our mystery solved.
The tutorial is by a Russian clayer Anna Mashkova. “Here is the link to original post in her blog … http://alica19.livejournal.com/17265.html” Thank you to both Annas!
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.
;
Here’s another thought on that whole adding variation to repetition thing. Just as repetition doesn’t have to mean consistent and dull, variation doesn’t have to mean anything chaotic or crazy. The idea of variation is to give us something more to look at, to mix it up a little, to put enough interesting differences into a piece to either make a big initial impact, keep us looking at it, or to evoke a complexity of an emotion. Or, really, just because we find beauty in variation.
But varied can also be part of a series of consistently repeated elements. Center-focused compositions are often considered basic and boring. I probably rallied against that idea in art school more than anything else. What was this aversion to center-focus or balance? Nature is based heavily on this concept, and some of our most beautiful inspirations come from that kind of thing.
These pieces by Ivy Niles are an excellent example of variation in repetition using a centered composition. She uses more than one cane to give the eye a variety of visual textures plus those moderately used crystals to add a sparkle to the brilliant blues. I think we are averaging about five canes per piece plus accents, which could look quite busy, but the centric and regular repetition reins it all in. Just beautiful.
Ivy is a master cane maker with some of the most beautiful and intricate designs. She sells her canes on Etsy and shows off more of her goodies on her website as well.
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.
Let’s talk about that perilous pitfall with repetition–when it’s just boring. Why does repetition work sometimes but not other times? Sometimes it can simply be the impact of highly unusual elements (I have the perfect example for Friday … you can look forward to that!), but more commonly, it’s because of variation combined with consistency. And then you say … “What is that supposed to mean?”, right? Well, it’s something you probably already are instinctively aware of but let’s break it down.
Lynda Braunstein-Gilcher‘s necklace you see here is a beautiful example of variation with consistent elements that are cohesive and regular enough to produce a grounding for the variety in the design. I bet you can see it easily, especially when it’s pointed out. Obviously the repetition is in the inverted drop forms, but these forms were created in different sizes with several different canes in a variety of color and line widths. Additionally, some of these lines are gradients and some are solids. That’s a fair amount of variation, but it isn’t chaotic because there is a grounding consistency–they are all the same form, they all dangle off a short bit of cord and, most of all, they all echo the vertical theme. Well, kind of radiating verticals, if you can accept that term. The fact that everything moves in the same direction, from the cords to the lines in the canes to the inverted teardrops that act like arrows makes for strong, repeated lines that all move downward in this piece. So we have variation and consistency in a design of regular repetition and yet a lot of energy thanks to the variation and strong lines. That is not boring. At all.
So, if you like using repetition, consider how you can vary it to add energy or interest to the collective elements. Just keep something consistent to keep it grounded. Unless you are after a feeling of chaos. Then just have at it!
Lynda runs a stained glass and polymer supply store called Lynda’s Artistic Haven in Loveland, Ohio, so if you’re in the area, stop by! You can see more of what she is up to on her Facebook page as well.
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.
So, yes, more about repetition but in slightly less obvious or more varied manners will be in store for you the rest of the week. Hopefully, you aren’t bored with the subject. The ways you can apply it are limitless really.
For instance, take this fun, contemporary piece titled “Little Cities Necklace” by Ann Dillon. There is plenty of repetition in the shape of the beads, the colors and order of the layers and the general placement of the thick cane cuts. But, the canes are laid out in a varied manner and are all different canes. This wonderfully illustrates the interconnection between repetition and rhythm. Repetition doesn’t mean regular, measured, evenly applied elements. It means something is used over and over, but how those elements are applied create rhythm that can be steady and strong or varied and even chaotic.
An underlying regular rhythm, like the bead bases here, provide grounding for the less predictable rhythm of the canes that kind of dance about in close but buoyant manner. The fact that they are applied across the horizontal center of each bead gives them that floating feel, so it’s definitely more of a dance or flight. If they were in the same formation but at the bottom, they could look heavy, as if they were spilled–nothing wrong with that, but definitely a different feel to the rhythm because they will look grounded.
Ann works in polymer and also a lot in seedbeads–talk about repetition and rhythm! That kind of bead work is all about that. Take a look at her website and practice identifying and feeling the rhythm of the pieces. It’s rather fun to think of work in that way.
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.
This was such a gorgeous find. Actually, everything this artist has done is just amazing. The thing is, it doesn’t seem to be polymer, but it took quite a bit of research to convince me otherwise. The work is by Raluca Bazura, a Romanian artist working in contemporary jewelry. From what I could tell from the translations on the various little snippets I found about her online, she seems to work primarily in porcelain ceramics. This must be why all the pieces are stitched together. Of course, that may allow for movement and flexibility, but it might not be necessary if it was polymer. Really, this should be polymer. OK … yes, perhaps I am a tad biased sometimes.
But, whether this is made in ceramics or polymer, it is another wonderful example of the dynamic complexity that repetition can bring to a piece. And yes, we’re looking at a gradient of color, but this time only in terms of the collective set of overlapping scales not blended. It still has a similar effect in helping aid the feel of movement as the arrangement fans out. Raluca uses this kind of color effect in a lot of his work, but she’s also done a whole series in just black with the occasional gold or silver additions.
If you find this at all intriguing, you must go take a look at more of her work on her website. You’ll see many other pieces that you’ll swear are polymer, or should be. Go see and tell me what you think.
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