What the Ink Reveals
November 19, 2013
Inspirational Art
Alcohol inks are a fantastic surface treatment, as their transparency can work with the clay rather than just covering it. Use on darker clays to get deep, rich ink colors, or try it on marbled or otherwise mixed clay colors for more variation in the ink applied. Or simply go white so light reflecting off the clay surface can illuminate the ink.
Veronika Sturdy’s textured bangle shows off that translucent color on white clay effect, really making the blues and greens quite juicy.
I really like the way the clay is revealed from beneath the ink colors. The white is not only a great base for the ink but revealing it brings in just the right amount of contrast of no color against bright color.
See more of Veronika’s “colorful, quirky and playful full of fun” pieces (her words) on her website or Flickr pages.
An Open Pod
October 19, 2013
Inspirational Art
Our last look at pods this week will be the end of a pod’s purpose and life cycle. It’s a bit of an incorrect statement in that a pod is really part of a plant’s life cycle, so could we consider the pod to have a life cycle of its own? Oh, sure, why not. We’re artists. We can play it a little loose with concepts, right?
In any case, the final act of a pod would be to open up and release its seeds. I think the opening of a pod is not dissimilar from the blooming of a flower in that it opens up and shows the world what it has to offer, self-serving though it may be–but then most beauty is, in essence, self-serving, and there’s nothing wrong with that. These pendants by Judy Dunn are simple but quietly beautiful examples of the revealing stage of a pod.
The polymer pod shapes peel back to reveal shimmering pearls, a very appropriate option to include as the inside of every pod is a treasure of sorts, even if just to the plant that bore it. I enjoy the way the pearls are both a focal point and partly hidden. The formality that pearls often engender is countered with the unevenness of the open pod, as well as the choice of freshwater pearls, which form unevenly. This gives the open pod an understated elegance and a show of appreciation for a very important natural form.
Creative Patterning with Canes from Israel
August 3, 2013
Inspirational Art
Did you know that Israel is geographically on the continent of Asia, but for political reasons is considered a European country? I didn’t. How very interesting. This fact has allowed me to go ahead and share the work of a rather active polymer artist from Israel, Tova Reshef, under this week’s Eastern European theme. Her penchant for great canes and floral designs fits into the aesthetic veins we’ve been seeing from Eastern Europe, so I think she’s quite well placed here.
Canes are where Tova really shines, as you can see on her Flickr pages. But along with the popular cane covered objects, she occasionally comes up with little gems like this pendant. By cutting out spaces in the center of the placed canes, she develops both visual and tactile patterning, making for a very interesting piece.
She also creates these rather intense color combinations with her rose canes–the soft gradations of the colors in the petals somehow intensify the contrast of colors. Take a look at these earrings on her Etsy site. They’re quite lovely.
Reveal the World
June 30, 2013
Ponderings
And just how do we do that?
By making the world people know appear new, maybe even unfamiliar, or by allowing people to discover and perceive things they didn’t know existed. The business of art is to open the world a little wider and, with any luck, have others see themselves and just where and what they are in this vast world of ours.
This doesn’t have to be monumental. Sometimes this goal is just making someone smile on a bad day or feel beautiful when they are feeling dull. But it can also be so revealing as to change their lives. We aren’t so in control of that outcome, but we are in control of how we present the world to others, and that is what makes it art. If it is the right time and place, the art will make them see what they didn’t see before.
Visual Reveal
June 29, 2013
Inspirational Art, Tips and Tricks
Most things that are hidden are behind, under, or otherwise obscured by other matter. In polymer craft, what is hidden is usually under more polymer; but what if it’s not buried, but just hard to see, blending in with its surroundings?
This may seem a little off theme, but sometimes what we have done with our clay is barely noticable because its subtlety is hard to see. If you texturize the surface of your clay and the pattern is not standing out the way you would like, there are ways to “reveal” the pattern that can add color and contrast along with additional interest and complexity. (Yes, I know I’m stretching the “reveal” theme, but this is fun stuff so I’m sure you’ll forgive me!)
The most common way to make your pattern stand out is to brush paint into the recesses and wipe away the excess paint from the raised surface. But there are so many variations on that basic brush and wipe technique. Different colors, different types of paint, powders instead of paint, colored liquid polymer … basically, if it can be applied to the surface and then wiped off, it can be used to highlight the pattern on the surface of the clay.
In a limited demonstration of what is commonly known as “antiquing”, Jan Geisen played with different paints, colors and other products on these sample tiles a few years back to demonstrate how a little variation can result in markedly different outcomes.
Even though this is often called antiquing, I wouldn’t call it that. Such a term limits its potential. What if you wanted to add a bright red or a metallic blue to your impressed design? That wouldn’t look so antique, but it could look very impressive. Do whatever you like to reveal your design and bring its beauty to the forefront.
Outside Inspiration: Photographing Hidden Nature
June 28, 2013
Inspirational Art
For most of us, there are patterns, colors, and textures enough throughout nature to keep us inspired for several lifetimes. But, within the forms we see in the natural world is a whole other realm of possible inspiration hidden within it.
Take flowers, for instance. They are beautiful and obviously quite inspirational as we find them presented out in nature. But there is more hidden within a flower. This image by microphotographer Ray Nelson is actually the base, or ovary, of a flower. Yes, its been enhanced using stain and special lighting, but the pattern and texture is all Mother Nature.
Mother Nature’s work can be stunning even when unenhanced. Here is the cross section of a bell flower ovary with beautiful soft colors and kaleidoscope patterning.
Isn’t it just fantastic that we can step outside our door and find hidden beauty in so many things? When you’re feeling uninspired, a walk outside is highly recommended for clearing the mind and recharging your batteries. And while you’re out there, you can look at cross sections of various plants, rocks or other natural work for new colors, patterns, and textures to help you fire up your creativity.
Exposure: Deep Underneath
June 27, 2013
Inspirational Art
So why is it that we are fascinated by things revealed, seeing things we know or suspect were once hidden?
This nearly universal allure has to do with discovery. Like digging up a buried treasure, seeing a colorful new bird in the backyard or pulling out old photos from a box you found in the attic, discovering things we didn’t know existed gives us a thrill and feeds our inherent curiosity about what we don’t know or see.
When working in polymer, the excitement of finding something that was hidden is commonly the experience of the artist and not usually the viewer of the art. But I think the viewer will often unconsciously register that special quality, that extra depth the material had to have in order for the artist to come up with such intriguing designs or imagery.
That is why it may not matter at all if the design presented actually comes from revealing the depths of the material or not. Having the sense that something may once have been buried should still give us that little thrill, even if it wasn’t. I’m pretty sure Cate van Alphen embedded the colorful swirls that show in the concave spaces on the surface of this pendant; but it might appear at first glance (or to someone unfamiliar with the material) that carving out the indentations revealed the swirls within the lentil bead.
So, even when you aren’t creating visual texture or imagery by slicing across or into your polymer, you can make a piece appear to have an exposed interior which can flip that switch in a potential buyer, intriguing them with the thought that you revealed the secret core of the clay, the hidden treasure and things otherwise unseen.
Revealing in the Round
June 26, 2013
Inspirational Art
Much of our layering and exposing of those layers in polymer happens on a flat surface which can then be applied to any number of forms. But take that usual work surface and put it in the round, and a you can get quite beautiful results that way too.
For you scrap clay technique connoisseurs, we have another one here for you! These beads were made by Belinda (Birnco on Flickr). There were created from extruded canes (which are a great way to use up scrap), coiled around a base core of raw clay with bits sliced off the coiled surface using a wavy blade.
I know these beads are a little dark but I do like the variety shown using this exposed coil approach. Belinda has a number of examples of these on her Flickr page, so you can jump over there and see the brighter varieties and other variations on this.
You can of course use tube, ovals, lentils or any other shape and then go at it with a straight or wavy blade to see what might be revealed. The thing is, the small round form allows for revealing layers in bits and pieces without the reshaping of the layers the way you do in mokume to get variation on what is exposed. I just thought some of you out there might like to explore a little revealing in the round. It has intriguing possibilities.
Beyond the Mokume Gane Reveal
June 25, 2013
Inspirational Art
When I think about how polymer revealing works, the mokume gane approach is what first comes to mind. I remember layering clay and metal leaf for the first time, punching and squishing and hoping whatever was going on in the middle of my beat up block of clay would result in something useful. Then there was that first slice. That disappointing one when you realize it might take a few slice to see what is really going on. Then I hit it … that first really gorgeous slice with rings and waves of translucent clay revealing the dull shine of buried silver foil. It was like finding a hidden treasure. Oh, who are we kidding … it was a hidden treasure! It was like doing magic or mining or gold panning. It was so cool to see those patterns emerge out of this ugly mushed-up block of clay. I was hooked.
Since then I’ve experimented with the layer and slice approach to working with polymer in dozen of ways. It never gets old. The reveal is always so very exciting because the process is partly done blind, so you can’t be certain just what will pop up when you start slicing–which is why this piece on the right here was so eye-catching. The organically occurring composition of a mokume gane slice is layered over a very controlled stripe pattern in such a way as to suggest the mokume layer is revealing the striped layer … chaos giving way to order, chance revealing the control beneath. What a great metaphoric composition.
If you didn’t immediately recognize the artist, these pendants are the work of Julie Picarello, who is rather a master of mokume and other ‘revealing’ polymer techniques. Her book, Patterns in Polymer, includes quite a few of her approaches to revealing the depth that polymer clay can go. She also has a very rich gallery of work on Flickr you may want to meander through for further revelations.
Alcohol inks are a fantastic surface treatment, as their transparency can work with the clay rather than just covering it. Use on darker clays to get deep, rich ink colors, or try it on marbled or otherwise mixed clay colors for more variation in the ink applied. Or simply go white so light reflecting off the clay surface can illuminate the ink.
Veronika Sturdy’s textured bangle shows off that translucent color on white clay effect, really making the blues and greens quite juicy.
I really like the way the clay is revealed from beneath the ink colors. The white is not only a great base for the ink but revealing it brings in just the right amount of contrast of no color against bright color.
See more of Veronika’s “colorful, quirky and playful full of fun” pieces (her words) on her website or Flickr pages.
Read MoreOur last look at pods this week will be the end of a pod’s purpose and life cycle. It’s a bit of an incorrect statement in that a pod is really part of a plant’s life cycle, so could we consider the pod to have a life cycle of its own? Oh, sure, why not. We’re artists. We can play it a little loose with concepts, right?
In any case, the final act of a pod would be to open up and release its seeds. I think the opening of a pod is not dissimilar from the blooming of a flower in that it opens up and shows the world what it has to offer, self-serving though it may be–but then most beauty is, in essence, self-serving, and there’s nothing wrong with that. These pendants by Judy Dunn are simple but quietly beautiful examples of the revealing stage of a pod.
The polymer pod shapes peel back to reveal shimmering pearls, a very appropriate option to include as the inside of every pod is a treasure of sorts, even if just to the plant that bore it. I enjoy the way the pearls are both a focal point and partly hidden. The formality that pearls often engender is countered with the unevenness of the open pod, as well as the choice of freshwater pearls, which form unevenly. This gives the open pod an understated elegance and a show of appreciation for a very important natural form.
Read More
Did you know that Israel is geographically on the continent of Asia, but for political reasons is considered a European country? I didn’t. How very interesting. This fact has allowed me to go ahead and share the work of a rather active polymer artist from Israel, Tova Reshef, under this week’s Eastern European theme. Her penchant for great canes and floral designs fits into the aesthetic veins we’ve been seeing from Eastern Europe, so I think she’s quite well placed here.
Canes are where Tova really shines, as you can see on her Flickr pages. But along with the popular cane covered objects, she occasionally comes up with little gems like this pendant. By cutting out spaces in the center of the placed canes, she develops both visual and tactile patterning, making for a very interesting piece.
She also creates these rather intense color combinations with her rose canes–the soft gradations of the colors in the petals somehow intensify the contrast of colors. Take a look at these earrings on her Etsy site. They’re quite lovely.
And just how do we do that?
By making the world people know appear new, maybe even unfamiliar, or by allowing people to discover and perceive things they didn’t know existed. The business of art is to open the world a little wider and, with any luck, have others see themselves and just where and what they are in this vast world of ours.
This doesn’t have to be monumental. Sometimes this goal is just making someone smile on a bad day or feel beautiful when they are feeling dull. But it can also be so revealing as to change their lives. We aren’t so in control of that outcome, but we are in control of how we present the world to others, and that is what makes it art. If it is the right time and place, the art will make them see what they didn’t see before.
Most things that are hidden are behind, under, or otherwise obscured by other matter. In polymer craft, what is hidden is usually under more polymer; but what if it’s not buried, but just hard to see, blending in with its surroundings?
This may seem a little off theme, but sometimes what we have done with our clay is barely noticable because its subtlety is hard to see. If you texturize the surface of your clay and the pattern is not standing out the way you would like, there are ways to “reveal” the pattern that can add color and contrast along with additional interest and complexity. (Yes, I know I’m stretching the “reveal” theme, but this is fun stuff so I’m sure you’ll forgive me!)
The most common way to make your pattern stand out is to brush paint into the recesses and wipe away the excess paint from the raised surface. But there are so many variations on that basic brush and wipe technique. Different colors, different types of paint, powders instead of paint, colored liquid polymer … basically, if it can be applied to the surface and then wiped off, it can be used to highlight the pattern on the surface of the clay.
In a limited demonstration of what is commonly known as “antiquing”, Jan Geisen played with different paints, colors and other products on these sample tiles a few years back to demonstrate how a little variation can result in markedly different outcomes.
Even though this is often called antiquing, I wouldn’t call it that. Such a term limits its potential. What if you wanted to add a bright red or a metallic blue to your impressed design? That wouldn’t look so antique, but it could look very impressive. Do whatever you like to reveal your design and bring its beauty to the forefront.
For most of us, there are patterns, colors, and textures enough throughout nature to keep us inspired for several lifetimes. But, within the forms we see in the natural world is a whole other realm of possible inspiration hidden within it.
Take flowers, for instance. They are beautiful and obviously quite inspirational as we find them presented out in nature. But there is more hidden within a flower. This image by microphotographer Ray Nelson is actually the base, or ovary, of a flower. Yes, its been enhanced using stain and special lighting, but the pattern and texture is all Mother Nature.
Mother Nature’s work can be stunning even when unenhanced. Here is the cross section of a bell flower ovary with beautiful soft colors and kaleidoscope patterning.
Isn’t it just fantastic that we can step outside our door and find hidden beauty in so many things? When you’re feeling uninspired, a walk outside is highly recommended for clearing the mind and recharging your batteries. And while you’re out there, you can look at cross sections of various plants, rocks or other natural work for new colors, patterns, and textures to help you fire up your creativity.
So why is it that we are fascinated by things revealed, seeing things we know or suspect were once hidden?
This nearly universal allure has to do with discovery. Like digging up a buried treasure, seeing a colorful new bird in the backyard or pulling out old photos from a box you found in the attic, discovering things we didn’t know existed gives us a thrill and feeds our inherent curiosity about what we don’t know or see.
When working in polymer, the excitement of finding something that was hidden is commonly the experience of the artist and not usually the viewer of the art. But I think the viewer will often unconsciously register that special quality, that extra depth the material had to have in order for the artist to come up with such intriguing designs or imagery.
That is why it may not matter at all if the design presented actually comes from revealing the depths of the material or not. Having the sense that something may once have been buried should still give us that little thrill, even if it wasn’t. I’m pretty sure Cate van Alphen embedded the colorful swirls that show in the concave spaces on the surface of this pendant; but it might appear at first glance (or to someone unfamiliar with the material) that carving out the indentations revealed the swirls within the lentil bead.
So, even when you aren’t creating visual texture or imagery by slicing across or into your polymer, you can make a piece appear to have an exposed interior which can flip that switch in a potential buyer, intriguing them with the thought that you revealed the secret core of the clay, the hidden treasure and things otherwise unseen.
Much of our layering and exposing of those layers in polymer happens on a flat surface which can then be applied to any number of forms. But take that usual work surface and put it in the round, and a you can get quite beautiful results that way too.
For you scrap clay technique connoisseurs, we have another one here for you! These beads were made by Belinda (Birnco on Flickr). There were created from extruded canes (which are a great way to use up scrap), coiled around a base core of raw clay with bits sliced off the coiled surface using a wavy blade.
I know these beads are a little dark but I do like the variety shown using this exposed coil approach. Belinda has a number of examples of these on her Flickr page, so you can jump over there and see the brighter varieties and other variations on this.
You can of course use tube, ovals, lentils or any other shape and then go at it with a straight or wavy blade to see what might be revealed. The thing is, the small round form allows for revealing layers in bits and pieces without the reshaping of the layers the way you do in mokume to get variation on what is exposed. I just thought some of you out there might like to explore a little revealing in the round. It has intriguing possibilities.
When I think about how polymer revealing works, the mokume gane approach is what first comes to mind. I remember layering clay and metal leaf for the first time, punching and squishing and hoping whatever was going on in the middle of my beat up block of clay would result in something useful. Then there was that first slice. That disappointing one when you realize it might take a few slice to see what is really going on. Then I hit it … that first really gorgeous slice with rings and waves of translucent clay revealing the dull shine of buried silver foil. It was like finding a hidden treasure. Oh, who are we kidding … it was a hidden treasure! It was like doing magic or mining or gold panning. It was so cool to see those patterns emerge out of this ugly mushed-up block of clay. I was hooked.
Since then I’ve experimented with the layer and slice approach to working with polymer in dozen of ways. It never gets old. The reveal is always so very exciting because the process is partly done blind, so you can’t be certain just what will pop up when you start slicing–which is why this piece on the right here was so eye-catching. The organically occurring composition of a mokume gane slice is layered over a very controlled stripe pattern in such a way as to suggest the mokume layer is revealing the striped layer … chaos giving way to order, chance revealing the control beneath. What a great metaphoric composition.
If you didn’t immediately recognize the artist, these pendants are the work of Julie Picarello, who is rather a master of mokume and other ‘revealing’ polymer techniques. Her book, Patterns in Polymer, includes quite a few of her approaches to revealing the depth that polymer clay can go. She also has a very rich gallery of work on Flickr you may want to meander through for further revelations.
