Dali’s Lines

October 13, 2013

So finding an inspiring quote about lines has not been very easy. There is always the “color outside the lines” adage–but yes, we all know that breaking the rules is part of creating art. Then a friend told me about this short film, a collaboration between Salvador Dali and Disney Animation; and although it’s not a quote nor do I see any particular message in it to talk about, there are some really beautiful lines and forms in it, especially in the long flowing hair of the woman that is followed throughout–talk about wild lines and tendrils! It’s only about 6 minutes and well worth the time. (The video may look cut off in some browsers but you can just click here to see it at well.)

Interesting lines are all around us. Search them out as you go through your day today, and see what you can find that you hadn’t noticed before.

 

pg collage 13-P3 Fall 2013

Tendrils for Days

October 12, 2013

It would be hard to bring up a week of squiggly, wild lines and not post something from Chris Kapono. Being a lover and creator of tendril adorned work myself, I was just tranfixed by Chris’s Flickr page when I first found it some five years ago. She goes heavy on the dots and spots as well, but it’s the movement of the lines she creates that add that really dynamic element to her work. Here is a rather tame example of her wild lines, but I thought it would be a nice change for this week since she has several kinds of wandering lines in this diptych tile piece.

8637028727_eac81b3b2b

The random wandering of her lines is consistent with the random scattering of elements across the tiles. She does have some lovely directional tendrils the begin or end with curls for some consistency between them. The large hill like wave of a line unites the two tiles and and gives the pieces a grounding focus. The rough band of white at the bottom is an erratic yet fluffy feeling line that pushes us to think of clouds, and that maybe we are floating above them where the starry night sky and winds have gone wild.

More of Chris’ wild lines and tendrils can be viewed on her Etsy siteDeviant Art, and, as mentioned, Flickr.

 

Outside Inspiration: Delicate Tendrils

October 11, 2013

Wait a minute … isn’t this Friday? The day we look at some non-polymer? So what, then, is this piece made from? It sure looks like it could be polymer. It could be said to be a bit Dustin or Dever-esque even. But it’s not polymer at all.

6275724_orig

This piece is by artist Tania Radda. She works in wood. That’s right–those tendrils spinning off the stem of this bud-like form are wood, brightly painted with automotive paint. I would not have thought of using wood to create such delicate lines and forms, but until Nan Roche started knitting with extruded polymer, I never thought of polymer as something to create loose, independent lines from either. It can be quite wonderful to see how far a material can be pushed and still fulfill the intention of the work created. Could polymer hold up the weight from this kind of form leaning on it? I can imagine that yes, it would with wire or other stiff reinforcement. It’s got me thinking about just how thin our lines could go. It may be nothing but a mental exercise, but that’s the kind of questioning of limitations that new techniques and improved approaches come from. Never accept that the way most things are done is the right or only way. Half of being an artist is exploring and half of exploring is failing and making mistakes. But that is how we learn and grow and discover the really cool stuff.

Inherent Squiggles

October 10, 2013

As I looked around for more wild lines today, it occurred to me that the predominant squiggle source in polymer is actually found in mokume gane. Although the lines in mokume can be controlled and consistent if you want them to be, I think the real joy in the technique comes from the mystery of an unknown outcome and the wandering lines the hidden layers reveal.

This bracelet by Melanie Muir is quite the mokume gone wild. High contrast colors and variation from bead to bead make this bit of clay “doodling” quite intriguing.

Orange-Fire

 

Melanie is also quite the master at finishing her work. The careful edges and high polish are definitely something to aspire to. Take a look at some of her latest pieces on her website here. If you are still in the mood for more wild lines, I would suggest diving into her archive gallery, where the modest squiggle can be found quite readily.

Vase Gone Wild

October 9, 2013

Tendrils and squiggles on the surface of a piece are wonderful elements that add direction and energy, but it just seems to take it up a notch when the piece is actually made from such lines alone.

Emily Squires Levine creates most of her vessels with this open type of form, pinning together canes and lines of clay to create vases, bowls, and other decorative containers. This wonderful vase is aptly called “Tendril Vase.”

3-462

 

The tendrils look to be from a caned sheet, made from layers of clay folded over onto one another, rather than a roll or bar cane. These long sliced lines create the very structure of this sinuous vase. Does her approach get you thinking about open forms, or just what wide range of shapes a cane can actually take?

For more examples of this kind of structure with many different caned shapes, take a look at her website and blog.

Wild Lines

October 7, 2013

I know I already did a week of curls and swirls a few months ago, but this week we will be enjoying some squiggles and tendrils which are a tad different. During Curl and Swirl week we saw some rather contained curling lines, usually with consistent repetition and a feeling of control over their direction. The lines often came to a tight circle at the end or center of the line, creating a strong focal point. This week is going to be all about the wild lines, the ones that go in different directions, wander off the edge, undulate across the space, and create a more open sense of movement.

This piece is what got me thinking about the effect of uncontrolled lines, how they create a different kind of beauty with  maybe a little chaos in the mix. Lines like these make me think of dancing rather than flowing, and showcase a bit of wild abandon. This piece is a J.M. Syron and Bonnie Bishoff collaboration of walnut trim and polymer veneer. How I would love to see this in person.

one_circle_of_swirls_det

 

What sense do you get from this piece?

Dali’s Lines

October 13, 2013
Posted in

So finding an inspiring quote about lines has not been very easy. There is always the “color outside the lines” adage–but yes, we all know that breaking the rules is part of creating art. Then a friend told me about this short film, a collaboration between Salvador Dali and Disney Animation; and although it’s not a quote nor do I see any particular message in it to talk about, there are some really beautiful lines and forms in it, especially in the long flowing hair of the woman that is followed throughout–talk about wild lines and tendrils! It’s only about 6 minutes and well worth the time. (The video may look cut off in some browsers but you can just click here to see it at well.)

Interesting lines are all around us. Search them out as you go through your day today, and see what you can find that you hadn’t noticed before.

 

pg collage 13-P3 Fall 2013

Read More

Tendrils for Days

October 12, 2013
Posted in

It would be hard to bring up a week of squiggly, wild lines and not post something from Chris Kapono. Being a lover and creator of tendril adorned work myself, I was just tranfixed by Chris’s Flickr page when I first found it some five years ago. She goes heavy on the dots and spots as well, but it’s the movement of the lines she creates that add that really dynamic element to her work. Here is a rather tame example of her wild lines, but I thought it would be a nice change for this week since she has several kinds of wandering lines in this diptych tile piece.

8637028727_eac81b3b2b

The random wandering of her lines is consistent with the random scattering of elements across the tiles. She does have some lovely directional tendrils the begin or end with curls for some consistency between them. The large hill like wave of a line unites the two tiles and and gives the pieces a grounding focus. The rough band of white at the bottom is an erratic yet fluffy feeling line that pushes us to think of clouds, and that maybe we are floating above them where the starry night sky and winds have gone wild.

More of Chris’ wild lines and tendrils can be viewed on her Etsy siteDeviant Art, and, as mentioned, Flickr.

 

Read More

Outside Inspiration: Delicate Tendrils

October 11, 2013
Posted in

Wait a minute … isn’t this Friday? The day we look at some non-polymer? So what, then, is this piece made from? It sure looks like it could be polymer. It could be said to be a bit Dustin or Dever-esque even. But it’s not polymer at all.

6275724_orig

This piece is by artist Tania Radda. She works in wood. That’s right–those tendrils spinning off the stem of this bud-like form are wood, brightly painted with automotive paint. I would not have thought of using wood to create such delicate lines and forms, but until Nan Roche started knitting with extruded polymer, I never thought of polymer as something to create loose, independent lines from either. It can be quite wonderful to see how far a material can be pushed and still fulfill the intention of the work created. Could polymer hold up the weight from this kind of form leaning on it? I can imagine that yes, it would with wire or other stiff reinforcement. It’s got me thinking about just how thin our lines could go. It may be nothing but a mental exercise, but that’s the kind of questioning of limitations that new techniques and improved approaches come from. Never accept that the way most things are done is the right or only way. Half of being an artist is exploring and half of exploring is failing and making mistakes. But that is how we learn and grow and discover the really cool stuff.

Read More

Inherent Squiggles

October 10, 2013
Posted in

As I looked around for more wild lines today, it occurred to me that the predominant squiggle source in polymer is actually found in mokume gane. Although the lines in mokume can be controlled and consistent if you want them to be, I think the real joy in the technique comes from the mystery of an unknown outcome and the wandering lines the hidden layers reveal.

This bracelet by Melanie Muir is quite the mokume gone wild. High contrast colors and variation from bead to bead make this bit of clay “doodling” quite intriguing.

Orange-Fire

 

Melanie is also quite the master at finishing her work. The careful edges and high polish are definitely something to aspire to. Take a look at some of her latest pieces on her website here. If you are still in the mood for more wild lines, I would suggest diving into her archive gallery, where the modest squiggle can be found quite readily.

Read More

Vase Gone Wild

October 9, 2013
Posted in

Tendrils and squiggles on the surface of a piece are wonderful elements that add direction and energy, but it just seems to take it up a notch when the piece is actually made from such lines alone.

Emily Squires Levine creates most of her vessels with this open type of form, pinning together canes and lines of clay to create vases, bowls, and other decorative containers. This wonderful vase is aptly called “Tendril Vase.”

3-462

 

The tendrils look to be from a caned sheet, made from layers of clay folded over onto one another, rather than a roll or bar cane. These long sliced lines create the very structure of this sinuous vase. Does her approach get you thinking about open forms, or just what wide range of shapes a cane can actually take?

For more examples of this kind of structure with many different caned shapes, take a look at her website and blog.

Read More

Wild Lines

October 7, 2013
Posted in

I know I already did a week of curls and swirls a few months ago, but this week we will be enjoying some squiggles and tendrils which are a tad different. During Curl and Swirl week we saw some rather contained curling lines, usually with consistent repetition and a feeling of control over their direction. The lines often came to a tight circle at the end or center of the line, creating a strong focal point. This week is going to be all about the wild lines, the ones that go in different directions, wander off the edge, undulate across the space, and create a more open sense of movement.

This piece is what got me thinking about the effect of uncontrolled lines, how they create a different kind of beauty with  maybe a little chaos in the mix. Lines like these make me think of dancing rather than flowing, and showcase a bit of wild abandon. This piece is a J.M. Syron and Bonnie Bishoff collaboration of walnut trim and polymer veneer. How I would love to see this in person.

one_circle_of_swirls_det

 

What sense do you get from this piece?

Read More
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