Outside Inspiration: Challenged by Simplicity

December 5, 2014

3343252940_2108b7476e_oIt would seem that successful, simple compositions would be fairly easy to achieve, but I have found that in order to be successful with simple creations is many times more difficult than with complex ones. When the elements are few and spare, every single choice made counts in a big way. This is how I see the challenge in the work of Jon Ryan. His work is gorgeous, but rarely even approaches complexity.

This carved scale aluminum brooch of his epitomizes this. There is really only one color, and that is slightly graduated. There is one texture in the scales, and the form is balanced. That is all that is here, and yet, you can recognize the genius of the design and the bold beauty of it, even if you don’t have any idea why that is so apparent. The genius is in being reserved while choosing elements that make the brooch feel alive. Scales are, of course, an element of reptiles, so there is a hint of a living creature. The slight change in the tint of the color makes the blue glow, so it gives off a sense of soft light and energy. Also, the form curves just enough on either end to introduce  movement. These choices along with an impeccable finish is what makes this feel so masterly. I have a hard time imagining how I would go about creating something anywhere near as elegant with such minimalism. I find it quite amazing.

Jon’s body of work is all about simplicity. And, lucky for us, there is an easily recognized correlation to be seen between his metal work and working in polymer. Take even just  a few seconds to look at his Flickr portfolio album to see what I mean. If you are intrigued by his work, you can read more about his process on his blog.

 

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A Few Floating

December 4, 2014

71db4c11fb3712c11cfe74a6969e741dSimplicity often works best when presented in an unexpected manner. A necklace of leaves is nothing unexpected. A necklace of three leaves floating, however, is.

This interesting neck-piece is the creation of Delphine Roche de Montgrand of Paris, France. There is grace in the simple triad composition, the slight variation of the leaf sizes and the way they are arranged. But, we are halted by the way they float around the neck, and then, I think, we linger because of the rich color and the naturally attractive fan shape that makes ginkgo leaves so popular. To add anything else here would ruin the quiet feel of an autumn morning so succinctly replicated here. Do you agree?

Delphine works primarily in replications of nature with a little splash of illusion thrown in here and there. You can read more on her blog through Google translate if you don’t speak French.

 

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Simple Green & Winter 2014 is Here

December 3, 2014

moss glass petkovaFirst of all … yes, the Winter 2014 issue is being released today. I am pre-scheduling this blog to post at its usual time, and then I am getting back to testing and getting access ready for the digital issue today. If you are waiting on your issue, digital access should be in everyone’s inbox by dinnertime in the United States, which would be around bedtime in Europe, I believe. I am hoping for earlier, but with our plague of technical issues lately, I am going for some pretty thorough testing before we send it out. Send prayers and coffee sacrifices to the technical powers that be asking for a smooth digital release today. As for the print copies, they were not supposed to be at the post office for sorting until yesterday, but apparently our service got them out early because people are already receiving them in the United States. Keep an eye on your inbox and mailboxes! It is on the way, if not already there for you!

As for our simple theme this week, what can be simpler than monochrome and free-form? With the right color and overall texture, something as simple as this faux beach glass can be mesmerizing. This is a pendant by Maria Petkova, author of the blog Polymer Clay Diaries. According to her image description, this is a polymer, beach glass and acrylic paint. Which is the real beach glass, I am wondering? Or is there any real beach glass? Even not knowing the listed description, I would be fascinated by what this is made of, and why it is so eye catching. Like the last two pieces this week, it comes down to a sudden change in what is a broad, evenly treated surface. Interruptions and surprises always catch our eye, don’t they?

You can find more inspiration by Maria on her personal Flickr pages as well as on her blog as listed above.

 

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Simple Interruptions

December 1, 2014

5789532915_29abe14684_o“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” You’ve probably all heard this adage and may even find yourself repeating it like a mantra as you sit at your studio table while tempted to add just one more color, one more accent or one more layer. Many, many times, you should really opt for the more simplistic approach. I want to focus on that this week. Let’s talk about simplicity as an approach and see just how beautiful simple can be.

This pendant is one in a series by Belgium’s NiQui that I think is very successful for it’s restraint. The mash of color within this monolithic black form is all about contrast and restriction, which makes what little color there is very strong. The stripes of marbled color break the line of the bar of black very suddenly and certainly, and then pulls your eye immediately to it. Depending on your view, or maybe even how your day is going, you can see that as lines breaking into the solid bar or as color being compressed to nearly nothing by the black.  Either way, you probably sense that there is energy and some kind of relationship between the contrasts of no color to a mishmash of it, and the question of what that relationship might be is what holds you there. It may be simple, but it holds the potential for complex ideas.

Simplicity is Nicole’s (NiQui’s) hallmark. If you want to see a lot of exploration in this area, do take a look around her Flickr photostream.

 

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Keeping Elegance Simple

June 25, 2014

One of the common hallmarks of elegant art is understated design choices. In the case of this necklace by Elizabeth Kosterich we have a single predominant and austere blue color as well as simple long rectangular shapes accented by nothing more than a stop bead on the end and the shine of polished silver. It’s such a simple composition but the symmetry and simplicity contrast against the organic texture of the polymer creating all the interest it needs to draw the eye and dress up the wearer.

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Elizabeth creates art jewelry in polymer clay, sterling silver, and other mediums as well. Her work is sometimes simple, sometimes visually complex but always contemporary and understated in some aspect. You can take a look at more of her approach on her website.

 

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The Art of Occam’s Razor

April 20, 2013

If you aren’t familiar with the concept, Occam’s Razor is, at its essence the idea that, all other things being equal, the simplest solution is the better option. It’s a hard concept to wrap around the creation of art but I have found the idea to be a life saver … or an art saver. I have these words taped above my studio table: When you can’t decide … Occam’s Razor! It’s a reminder for those times I get really wound up over a design and can’t figure out how to fix it. The inclination is often to add more or overwork what I’ve done but it usually works out much better when I can step back, look at the basics of what I am doing and pare down the work to its simple essence.

After talking about pushing the construction of your work this week, I did wonder if some readers might think complexity would be the way to break out from any standard forms they had been adhering to, but complexity is not what it’s about. So here is a great example of pushing a standard necklace design in the most simple and yet highly impactful manner. This piece was created by Kaytie Johnson, a curator of contemporary art who professes to be obsessed with design. I can see that … this is all about the design not about the polymer at all.

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She’s taken a dangling bead necklace design and pushed it by repeating the chains of beads but with a carefully measured change in color from one to the next. The beads themselves are very basic but done well, with a good eye for color so that the piece looks anything but basic. It’s simply simple design executed well.

So if you have been inspired by the construction and form ideas this week, just keep in mind you don’t have to go crazy. And only push the design when it makes sense for the effect and use of the piece you are creating. Sometimes it’s better to not deviate from the standards. They became standards for a good reason. Occam’s Razor … sometimes the simple solution–using a proven form–is the best answer. Just keep in mind, that it’s not always going to be the case.

Curling a Bouquet

April 10, 2013

As complex as I like to work, I do so enjoy beautiful little things borne of simplicity. Katerina Kubova looks to spend a fair amount of time carefully curling small, bright colorful bits of clay and gathering them into simple but beautiful little bouquets.

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Simple designs may seem to make creating a nice piece easier but in fact the simplicity makes getting it done well all the more important. With the complexity and dazzle of a more intricate design or treatment of the clay, the workmanship, color choices, and form will stand out. If you want to work simple, you must do it very, very well. That is why pieces like this work. There is obvious care and consideration and that is what makes them noteworthy.

Small Circles of Joy

August 29, 2018
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Something else that really speaks to me is an expression of simple joy. Think about some of the favorite moments in your life. They aren’t always—maybe are not even usually—the big elaborate parties or exotic trips. They tend to be little things like that morning your granddaughter snuck out of her bed to come curl up next to you because she was so excited that you were visiting. It’s the time you and your sister laughed so hard at something the dog did that you literally fell out of your chair. It’s the wonder you feel that day in spring when the first flowers show themselves. Simple little joys are such disproportionately delightful and treasured things.

I can’t say for sure that the emotion of simple joy is what Denada Palla intended when she created these sweet little earrings but I can’t imagine, if it’s not, that it’s not something related. The stems the flowers stand on are not straight but wiggle just a little bit like they are starting to dance. The red poppies float to the top of their little canvas like they’re ready to fly off. The movement created by the imperfection of the lines and the proximity of the edge contributes greatly to that sense of joyfulness, as does the not-quite-alike pair. The uncomplicated design keeps that joy front and center.

Denada hails from Greece where she creates simple, floral-inspired jewelry which she sells on Etsy. Her sense of fun and, that which I interpret as joy, comes across on her Facebook page as well.

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When Simple Is Complex

April 27, 2018
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After all that blathering to you on Wednesday, I thought I’d keep it simple today. Let’s just enjoy some relatively minimal but beautiful canes to spark some ideas for your creative time this weekend.

Spain’s Pilar Rodríguez Domínguez creates lovely, dynamic flower petal canes. The soft but dense sets of radiating lines that dominate her designs help to create a sense of complexity with relatively few elements. I chose this one because you can see how much energy is created with the just these brushed-looking lines, three oval marks, and a vibrant burgundy red.  You don’t need a lot of different stuff to create complexity and energy.

She works similarly in almost all her canes although more commonly with highly contrasting colors to create finely controlled finished flower canes. Enjoy a good eyeful of color and pattern in her Etsy shop,  and on her InstagramFacebook, and Flickr accounts.

Also, since you all couldn’t click-through to see the work of Cécile Bos last week, as she went on vacation and shuttered her shop right after I drafted the blog on her work, take this opportunity to click-through to her website now to see her delicately detailed pieces.

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Something to Hold Onto

April 6, 2017
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Cecilia Botton toggleIt’s official. I’ve decided that holes are not something to be filled but rather, they are for holding things or for us to hold onto. We make quite a few holes in our craft work but when we have a hole in our lives, we try to fill it up. Why? Why can they not be something that we utilize and gain from?

For today’s metaphor on loss, I give you the work of Cecilia Botton, who simply and beautifully, shows us the usefulness of a hole.  The empty space gives us a place through which we can hold things, like this lovely textured toggle pendant does, as well as being a serene and steady focal point. The rough texture and scattered color in this brilliant turquoise to cobalt blue  is enough to carry the simple design and bring our attention to center.

Cecilia uses holes for both design and function in quite a bit of her work. She what she has been up to lately on her Flickr photostream.

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Standard in Stripes

March 2, 2017
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Julia Peker stripe bracelet earringsSo many artists spend an inordinately large amount of time looking for the next really cool and totally different thing that will get them all kinds of attention and make their work stand out. But here is the thing … nothing is really new anymore. It’s just a variation of something that was done before. Thinking and creating with this in mind can be so freeing. It allows you to just create what you love or what you want to express.

And some days you just want to be simple, clean and use some no-fuss forms and applications. Nothing wrong with that. Go for it. You can see how a basic striped composition on a bangle shape and a couple of lentil earrings did for Julia Peker‘s approach. Choosing an array of both visual and tactile textures gives this variation within the limitations of a palette of subdued and tinted cool colors. Nothing crazy or new design wise, but it pulls off a tasteful and understated elegance that most anyone can appreciate.

Julia takes notes from a lot of other polymer artists as can be seen in her work so I suspect she is still working on her voice but I think I see it emerging. Her postings look to be relegated to Instagram for the moment but I would be interested to see how her work develops. We’ll keep an eye out!ow

 

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Simple Efforts

February 28, 2017
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veru simpleSome days, you just want things simple. You know … you head off to the studio or to work and you hope for something that is not going to bend your brain or make you feel all beat up and worn out when you’re done, even if it is successful. Some days, you just want to take it easy.

You can do this in the studio any time and, regardless of your simple approach, you can still get stunning results. The funny thing is, you can set aside all the complex techniques and the tricky materials and you may still end up making something that takes you all day. I think that once we engage the creative mind, it will just keep going on its own momentum even when you were thinking that you wanted to do something quick and easy.

I think that is what Veruschka Stevens was thinking when she first sat down to create this necklace she calls Prorsum. As she says:

I generally use different techniques that vary in complexity for making our jewelry. This necklace in particular was made using the simplest technique I know. However it is equally one of the most time-consuming and very much detail-oriented as well.

You can see some great close up views of this piece as well as its inspiration and a “how I made it” video on her blog. Also stop to take a look at her interesting approach to marketing herself and her jewelry on her website here .

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All Scratched Up

January 23, 2017
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Katya Tryfonova scratched earringsWhat a weekend! There was lots of heavy lifting as I continued to get my new home and studio set up in California and in the background, I’m thinking about the news of yet another craft magazine closing down while here at TPA we are ramping up plans for a new periodical (see the TPA newsletter for this news and check out the links to the sale I Love 2 Craft is having on our book and back issues), all this while hoping we don’t get washed away the heavy deluge of rain here. I have to say, I’m thoroughly worn out. And yet here is a new week to greet us with much left to do!

Perhaps that is why I found myself collecting images of work with scratches and dings and wonderful worn textures. I kind of feel the same way. However, there is beauty even in the worn out and scratched up.

These simple bell forms, created by Katya Tryfonoava, are elevated, rather than diminished, by a cacophony of scratches. The lines, emphasized by what I assume is rubbed in black paint, show energy as well as give the beads texture and contrast. This is quietly balanced by consistently sized and evenly placed dots marching around the higher slopes.

Katya’s simple shapes and hand crafted texture seems to be at the heart of her desire to combine the modern with folk art. As she says in her Flickr profile, “My goal is to empower modern styles with the inner truth, the energy and wisdom of generations that are naturally embedded in the traditional art. This is what I define as a largely overlooked link between the old and new cultures, worlds, ways of life. I don’t want to simplify the contemporary art to primitive, but I want to bring to it character, spontaneity, energy, living vibrations, expression and passion, which are inherent in folk art, to fill the contemporary shapes with new meaning.”

See where her goals have taken her by perusing her wide array of exploratory pieces on her Flickr photostream.

 

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Outside Inspiration: Through the Trees

November 18, 2016
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michelle_mckinney_treesI’m going to end this week with something that is translucent although maybe not the way you are thinking, a piece that shies away from the fall colors, moving into Winter, as so many of us are, at least in terms of upcoming plans if not weather.

I share this work with you upon one condition (okay, maybe it’s not a condition, but it is a very strong urging) … that you visit the links I have for you for this artist. Michelle McKinney is one of those artists whose work you need to see in its many variation to really understand the scope and beauty of her vision. She works in what she calls ” hand cut translucent woven metal”. The images she creates are so delicate and yet they are generally rife with energy and, in my view, struggle.

That fact that she calls her material translucent and we see it as delicate makes for a fairly dramatic contrast with our understanding that this is metal. There is further contrast between concept and material in that images are almost all organic and yet what they are made of is industrial. More impressive though, is the undeniable beauty in her subject matter, the usually simple images that are a bit torn and twisted. I think it garners empathy for the idea of something so delicate being in such a state. It’s rather hard to put one’s finger on exactly what it is that is so striking about these but it is there without question.

You need to look at her collection of work for yourself and see if the pieces speak to you in a similar fashion. Please treat yourself to the beauty of her pieces on her Facebook page which looks to hold the largest collection of images like these trees here. But also stop over at her website to see the black and white prints she is creating with these sculptural pieces, developing a collection she calls Ghost Editions. They are eerily beautiful and not to be missed.

 

Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Design or create something whose imagery is one thing but the texture, color or embellishment would say something else. Work in conceptual and visual contrast. Don’t think too hard about it or too long. Start with a few ideas and see where the muse takes you.

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Simple Grace

September 16, 2016
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aliceballard-leaves-and-podWhen putting together the Simplicity article, we contemplated showing a few non-polymer pieces because there are just so many beautiful designs in other materials that could be inspirational to polymer artists but alas, there was only so much room and much to discuss.

Alice Ballard was a top pick on my list for this because her work shows simplicity that somehow doesn’t appear simple. These ceramic leaves and pod are not super minimalistic but the white center piece is definitely about the essence of the form and image. The colored leaves feel like they are the color and impression of the center piece, taken out and set aside, as if saying the form is first and the color is secondary. It’s the pod set in the middle that brings both a focus to the trio and a bit of mystery. Why is it there? This is not a common arrangement, not in nature, but it does feel natural. For all that this is minimal in form and color, there is a lot to explore.

I find the last statement to be true of the best of simplified design and Alice’s work in particular. Grab a cup of something comforting and take some time out for a visual stroll through her beautiful gallery of work on her website.

 

Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Create in white alone. Focus on the essence of some object or image that catches your eye and think about the form before creating it. What can you remove aside from color and still make it recognizable? After you decide that, what else can you do without? Ask this until you have in your mind that essential form of it. Then create that in clay.

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Taking a Simple Step

December 6, 2014
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Exif_JPEG_PICTUREMy aim today was to bring up something to encourage you to create a simple piece; to make something with a minimum of detail, but that still has eye-catching impact. There are a lot of options. You could look at anything we posted this week, and after finding the element that most intrigues you, create something of your own. You could also look through the links for the artists featured and find other pieces that speak to you.

If you like the idea of attempting a simple piece, but would like some direction, there are many tutorials out there that could get you on your way. I found this one by Gretchen Amberg on the Sculpey website. Simple graduated color and bead size brings enough variation to carry the simple composition. A careful finish would be key to making an elegant piece. This tutorial uses Sculpey’s new hollow bead tray, but you could use light bulbs and various cutter sizes to accomplish the size difference and still retain the volume of the bead forms.

In any case, I hope this week’s theme has inspired you to try your hand at simplicity, even if it doesn’t seem to be your style. There are great lessons to be learned by reducing a design to very simple elements.

 

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