Long Division
January 28, 2015
Inspirational Art
One of the reasons I wanted to do this theme this week was so I could also share some of Christine K. Harris’s latest work. Her pieces are almost wholly conceptual, relaying personal, societal and universal emotions and ideas. The richness of her pieces are the primary draw, along with the clear and ubiquitous nature of so much of her symbolism.
I think this may be my favorite piece of hers to date. I say “I think” because I’m not done examining its many sides, imagery, symbolism and just beautiful application of rhythmic motifs. Every side — inside, outside, front, sides, back — is different and wholly intriguing. Most of Christine’s work is a combination of polymer, two-part sculptable epoxy and other materials as needed. But this box or sculpture or altar, or whatever you want to take it as, moves far beyond the definition of its materials, as does most of her work.
The piece is called Long Division and starts at the top with what I am sure are mirrored twins, maybe even Siamese twins. Within and without, there are Christine’s iconic birds, skulls, skeletons and other symbols of birth, freedom and death that appear in so much of her work. This piece feels more joyous than a lot of her past work though, even with the death symbology; death is so much a part of the cycle of life we are in. I have so many ideas about what might be going on here, but art is a personal interpretive experience when it really comes down to it so I will leave it to you to take from it what speaks to you. As Christine says on her home page, “As important as it is for me to use my art to make sense of the world, it is just as important that viewers take their own experience from my work …”
For a full view of this piece, you will want to go to Christine’s page with its many detail shots. But don’t hesitate to wander further about her site and find other concepts and connections for yourself. If you are curious about her use of symbolism and how you might work this kind of thing into your own work, don’t miss the beautiful article she wrote for our Spring 2013 issue still available in both print and digital.
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.
Mixing it Up
December 31, 2014
Inspirational Art
One of my more highly recommended ideas for new inspiration to try this year is to use a variety of other mediums with polymer. The versatility of polymer leaves open a vast number of compatible mediums to combine with, to accent with or to be accented with. Even if you are using other mediums with polymer now, why not try something new to you? It could open doors to entirely new ideas.
Annie Pennington, Associate Editor over at Art Jewelry magazine, mixes all kinds of mediums together. Polymer, fiber and metals have been her staple materials for a while but with them she also uses other things such as colored pencils, acrylics, and paper. None of her pieces are really well-seated within any one material category, but then why should they be restricted to that kind of categorization? This brooch does not jump out at you and say, “I am polymer!” and I think it is better for that even. We see the brooch, its form, color and textures, before we start to consider the materials. Granted, discerning the materials used in a piece is primarily done by other artists, but knowing the piece transcends such distilled defining gives us as fellow crafters a greater appreciation for the work. Don’t you think?
A little time on Annie’s website will show you many more examples of not having any one medium restrict or define the work. You might also take a look at our Summer 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts, Mix it Up, for more mixed media inspiration. You’ll also want to ensure your subscription is up to date so you’ll get our Spring 2015 issue, with the theme of Diversity, where we will offer tons of new ideas for trying different mediums and processes in polymer to get your year off to a very inspiring start.
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 Winter 2014 Cover–Boundaries
November 1, 2014
Inspirational Art, The Polymer Arts magazine news
Finally, we’ve got it done! Here it is to tease you until it comes out at the end of November–the cover for the Winter 2014–Boundaries issue. We are honored to have this classic mixed-media piece by Tory Hughes grace the cover. It celebrates both the season and the theme so well.
The articles in this issue are truly amazing. I don’t know how we lucked out getting so much talent in one issue. There’s the insightful interview with Tory, a definitive technique tutorial on silkscreening by Tonja Lenderman, Joseph Barbaccia shares his process for his stunning polymer strand illustrations, Anke Humpert reveals her new global project titled 1700 Pieces and many, many more artists share their art and thoughts as co-contributors throughout this issue.
Here are some of the article titles for the Winter 2014 issue:
–Design: Working the Visual Edge
–Painting in Bounds: The Essentials of Silkscreening
–Frame It! Jewelry Frames & Bezels
—1700 Pieces: A Project in Limitations
–Working Boundaries: Creating at Home
–Tory Hughes: Artist Without Borders
–Starting at the Edge: Joseph Barbaccia’s Polymer Strand Illustrations
–The Oozeq Primer
–The Best in New Hand Tools
–A Journey to the Perfect Finish
–Good Impressions: Creating a Portfolio
… and much more
Subscribe or Renew today to be sure you are in the first mailing that goes out.
www.thepolymerarts.com/Subscribe.html
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
One of the reasons I wanted to do this theme this week was so I could also share some of Christine K. Harris’s latest work. Her pieces are almost wholly conceptual, relaying personal, societal and universal emotions and ideas. The richness of her pieces are the primary draw, along with the clear and ubiquitous nature of so much of her symbolism.
I think this may be my favorite piece of hers to date. I say “I think” because I’m not done examining its many sides, imagery, symbolism and just beautiful application of rhythmic motifs. Every side — inside, outside, front, sides, back — is different and wholly intriguing. Most of Christine’s work is a combination of polymer, two-part sculptable epoxy and other materials as needed. But this box or sculpture or altar, or whatever you want to take it as, moves far beyond the definition of its materials, as does most of her work.
The piece is called Long Division and starts at the top with what I am sure are mirrored twins, maybe even Siamese twins. Within and without, there are Christine’s iconic birds, skulls, skeletons and other symbols of birth, freedom and death that appear in so much of her work. This piece feels more joyous than a lot of her past work though, even with the death symbology; death is so much a part of the cycle of life we are in. I have so many ideas about what might be going on here, but art is a personal interpretive experience when it really comes down to it so I will leave it to you to take from it what speaks to you. As Christine says on her home page, “As important as it is for me to use my art to make sense of the world, it is just as important that viewers take their own experience from my work …”
For a full view of this piece, you will want to go to Christine’s page with its many detail shots. But don’t hesitate to wander further about her site and find other concepts and connections for yourself. If you are curious about her use of symbolism and how you might work this kind of thing into your own work, don’t miss the beautiful article she wrote for our Spring 2013 issue still available in both print and digital.
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.
One of my more highly recommended ideas for new inspiration to try this year is to use a variety of other mediums with polymer. The versatility of polymer leaves open a vast number of compatible mediums to combine with, to accent with or to be accented with. Even if you are using other mediums with polymer now, why not try something new to you? It could open doors to entirely new ideas.
Annie Pennington, Associate Editor over at Art Jewelry magazine, mixes all kinds of mediums together. Polymer, fiber and metals have been her staple materials for a while but with them she also uses other things such as colored pencils, acrylics, and paper. None of her pieces are really well-seated within any one material category, but then why should they be restricted to that kind of categorization? This brooch does not jump out at you and say, “I am polymer!” and I think it is better for that even. We see the brooch, its form, color and textures, before we start to consider the materials. Granted, discerning the materials used in a piece is primarily done by other artists, but knowing the piece transcends such distilled defining gives us as fellow crafters a greater appreciation for the work. Don’t you think?
A little time on Annie’s website will show you many more examples of not having any one medium restrict or define the work. You might also take a look at our Summer 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts, Mix it Up, for more mixed media inspiration. You’ll also want to ensure your subscription is up to date so you’ll get our Spring 2015 issue, with the theme of Diversity, where we will offer tons of new ideas for trying different mediums and processes in polymer to get your year off to a very inspiring start.
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.
Finally, we’ve got it done! Here it is to tease you until it comes out at the end of November–the cover for the Winter 2014–Boundaries issue. We are honored to have this classic mixed-media piece by Tory Hughes grace the cover. It celebrates both the season and the theme so well.
The articles in this issue are truly amazing. I don’t know how we lucked out getting so much talent in one issue. There’s the insightful interview with Tory, a definitive technique tutorial on silkscreening by Tonja Lenderman, Joseph Barbaccia shares his process for his stunning polymer strand illustrations, Anke Humpert reveals her new global project titled 1700 Pieces and many, many more artists share their art and thoughts as co-contributors throughout this issue.
Here are some of the article titles for the Winter 2014 issue:
–Design: Working the Visual Edge
–Painting in Bounds: The Essentials of Silkscreening
–Frame It! Jewelry Frames & Bezels
—1700 Pieces: A Project in Limitations
–Working Boundaries: Creating at Home
–Tory Hughes: Artist Without Borders
–Starting at the Edge: Joseph Barbaccia’s Polymer Strand Illustrations
–The Oozeq Primer
–The Best in New Hand Tools
–A Journey to the Perfect Finish
–Good Impressions: Creating a Portfolio
… and much more
Subscribe or Renew today to be sure you are in the first mailing that goes out.
www.thepolymerarts.com/Subscribe.html
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
