Breaking Traditions in Faux (And the Summer Issue is out!)
May 22, 2013
Inspirational Art
The really, truly amazing and incredible thing about working with polymer … you can make ANYTHING you want out of the stuff. (Well, I have yet to see properly emulated hair but close!) The thing is, we have this medium that has few limitations and endless possibilities but so often when faux stone or other faux natural materials are created from it, it is in the common natural colors and usually even in the same traditional forms we’ve seen them for centuries. Now I know some stones are expensive and making them in polymer just allows for an inexpensive option. And I am all for making faux ivory rather than getting real ivory from the source. Making faux that looks just like we’d expect the real material to look does make sense but what doesn’t make sense is why more people don’t move beyond what nature and tradition has made?
Let’s take jade for example. We think of it as green and Asian. So we see tons of faux polymer jade in variations of green in simple beads or Asian motifs. Understandable. But why be limited by what has been done?
Desiree McCrorey has never approached anything in a traditional manner as far as I can tell and that penchant has resulted in some really unusual and beautiful work. I mean, have you ever seen jade like in the necklace here?
I don’t know how difficult if would be to carve real jade into such forms but since its so easy with polymer, why not take advantage of that capability and go beyond what is usually done with the real material?
And why always green? I remember wondering that in the first year I worked with polymer. Nature already makes all these beautiful variations of soft greens in jade. But why not bright blues? Or purples? Or reds? Or all of them together.
Here you get to peek at one of my very early pieces when I was playing with what I called rainbow jade. I just kept pushing the idea of jade–the semi-translucence and inclusions often seen in it–using the basic mixing techniques common for faux jade but with unnatural colors and variation, not just between beads but within them. Because … why not?
So if you’re going to do faux stones and the like and you want to work on variation, why not look at doing what nature and tradition has not? Use different colors, different inclusions, and definitely different forms and motifs. We have the power to create that which never existed before. Embrace the power!
And … the Summer 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts is out! All print issues are in the mail and on the way and digital access was sent out to all subscribers last night. If you have a print issue coming, it takes 5-10 days so with the last of them mailed off this morning (and with Memorial Day in the midst of mailing time here) most of you should have it by the end of the month/first week of June. If you have a digital issue due to you but haven’t seen it in your inbox, check you spam/junk mail folders as they can get filtered there. Add connect@thepolymerarts.com to your safe sender list or address book to keep TPA mail from getting spam filtered.
And if you don’t have a copy on the way, go get it. This is a very cool, very packed issue. Talk about inspiration for variation … sheesh! Inclusions, hats, wall art, a huge list of covered object ideas, variation through collaboration, new wire findings ideas for polymer, changing up backgrounds for you photos and even variation in your selling technique to get more sales at shows! Much, much more of course. Get it here: www.thepolymerarts.com
Devising Variation … in Crackle!
May 20, 2013
Inspirational Art
I’ve been lining up some ideas for this week’s posts about variation, as requested. In the process, it occurred to me that we actually should write a full length article for the magazine on this subject–it’s really broad and very important to expanding an artist’s repertoire and skill. But I thought we could go over the basics and maybe get you thinking more about how to push what you already enjoy doing until we can put an in-depth article together for you.
I thought we’d used crackling as an example of how to start working out variations. Crackling is one of my favorite techniques because of the varied texture it creates as well as the wide possibilities in color, shimmer and ways it can be applied.
The basic process for working out variations starts with getting a handle on what the core concept is behind the technique, form or approach you want to expand on. In crackle, the core of the technique is based in how crackling works. Polymer is an elastic material that can be moved and stretched without breaking apart. If you adhere something that is not elastic on the clay and then stretch the clay, the non-elastic material has to break to move with it–this is what we call crackling. So any material that is non-elastic, can be laid on and adhered to raw polymer in a continuous sheet and that that will break relatively easily can be used for crackling.
Gold leaf is very common for crackling texture because it meets all the criteria plus its shiny surface contrasting with the non-reflective surface of the clay makes for very pretty effects. Tempura and other non-elastic paints (note: acrylics are quite elastic so they just stretch with the clay) can be laid on raw clay and, once dried, will also meet the non-elastic and easy to break criteria. Paints greatly broaden your options for color and texture as how the paint is applied (thickly, thinly, with gaps, etc.) controls the type and subtlety of the crackling. And additions to the paint including mica powders, alcohol inks, glitter–whatever material can mix into the paint and keep it non-elastic–allows you to change the color and visual impact.
Here are beads by Janice Abarbanel showing several variations on her crackle technique in different shades applied in a variety of ways to lentil beads. Some of the crackling is very subtle while other variations on it are quite bold. In this case, the biggest variation is in the choice of background clay color.
So with just this idea that you can use anything non-elastic, you have a huge treasure trove of possible variations for crackling. Then add in changing how you use it such as going from stripes to wide swathes of it like in the beads above or applying bits as accents, borders or cut up in shapes to create specific imagery, moving from just using crackled clay in jewelry to using it on home decor or even sculpture … the possibilities are really endless.
This same process–figuring out the basic premise of a technique then pushing yourself to think beyond what you usually do–can be applied to any technique or approach. Try it out–play with crackling or any technique you are into. In the meantime, if you like Janice’s subtle crackle technique, she does sell a tutorial in her Etsy shop for it. That could be a fun way to start experimenting with variations on crackle!
Do you have an unusual way of working with crackling? Drop us a comment below (if you’re getting this by email, click on the post’s header and it will take you to the page where you can leave a comment–it won’t be share-able if you just respond to the email.) If you have photos up of your crackle work, leave us a link so we can go check it out. Seeing a wide variation can help us all expand our ideas about what to do with crackling!
Faux is Fun … unless it’s You
May 19, 2013
Ponderings
Just a little faux-ish quote to end our faux week. I can’t say I try to be normal too often. It’s reaaaally hard to maintain!
Let Them Make Cake
May 18, 2013
Inspirational Art
I was really debating what f aux art form to chat about today. I wanted to share a polymer art form that can teach polymer artists of all types something. Then I knew, yes–a form that probably doesn’t end up in the spotlight quite as often as it probably be should in the polymer art world … miniatures.
If you’ve not tried your hand at miniatures in polymer, you really should. First of all, it’s so much fun and anyone, any age and from any walk of life can appreciate a well done miniature. But as an artist, you learn so much about the material in the process of trying to emulate a variety of textures and colors, especially in food. From glossy sauces to fluffy cakes to the matte sheen of pastries to juicy meats … you need to get a handle on a lot of surface textures. And color! It takes skill to find the right colors to give miniatures the realism you are after. You will learn a lot about mixing clay including what colors are strong and only need a pinch, what are weak and need a boost or translucent clay to keep saturation and how to avoid muddy colors. The skills learned creating miniatures will improve your abilities with other techniques.
My favorite miniatures are cakes. Cake art is, itself, just incredible. So take the art of cake making and now make it teeny tiny. How cool! That is the other skill you learn–manipulating polymer on a very small scale. The material can be tricky when you get down to miniature sizes. But once you get it down, you can use the miniature decorative skills to accent other work. Can’t you just see the scroll work or roses on this French wedding cake on a pair of earrings, a bracelet or circling the border of a pendant?
This cake is by Rachel D. of Rachel’s Little Things. She does incredible tiny food, especially cakes. Click her link to see some more amazing miniature work.
If you want to investigate polymer miniatures more, you can just Google it (try using Google images first) but if you want to try your hand with the foods, I highly recommend the book Miniature Food Masterclass. So much fun awaits you!
Outside Inspiration: Where we can take Faux Enamel
May 17, 2013
Inspirational Art
So, as mentioned in yesterday’s post, I want to introduce you to an enamel artist who did work that could inspire you to try something a little different with your own work.
Marilyn Druin (1941-2001) was an enamel artist of unusual vision, enthusiasm and drive. She constantly pushed her medium, ultimately creating the beautiful but time-consuming and strenuous processes that put her on a level far beyond the majority of her colleagues. The reason I wanted to share her work is partly to inspire those of you who work with faux enamel to look at possible variations. The other reason is to hopefully inspire you to push your work, challenge yourself and realize the huge rewards that Marilyn’s kind of commitment to her craft can bring you … rewards in finding an unexpected beauty you can truly, uniquely create.
Take a look at these two pins below. Marilyn did a lot more than just pins … cups, necklaces, sculpture … but these have some great, easy to see examples of her unusual enamel texture. I have no idea how she did some of this in enamel but I do have some very exciting ideas about how to do it in polymer.
I see combining textured opaque and layered translucent clays with liquid polymer glazes to get effects like some of these. I have not seen a lot of people do things that looks quite like this in polymer but its seems like a rather obvious direction for faux enamel … layering polymer in shimmering, translucent colors with texture underneath or just aiming to emulate enamel with clay instead of liquid.
I think sometimes our influence from all that we see of other people’s polymer art may actually limit our ability to think beyond what is already being done … perhaps that is the reason for the dominance of faux enamel created in single swathes of colored liquid polymer.
When I first started working with polymer, I didn’t see hardly any work. I was self-taught from sites like Glass Attic and a couple books so my exposure was limited. I did some pretty different things back then and would often be asked at shows where my ideas came from. “The ether,” I would say. But now I find my designs are often reflective of the kind of work I’ve been looking at … and I look at a ton these days. I’ve been feeling overly influenced by the immersion necessary to do this blog and the magazine. It can’t be helped. But I do find I am not happy with my designs because of it. So recently, I have been consciously forcing myself to break past or even erase/remove portions of my designs that I know are from other polymer artists’ work. I am much happier with the results when I do so. I find my mind starts wandering back into that ignorant, child-like portion of my imagination that lets me create work that feels much more my own. It can be hard to stay there though.
My point is, it can be so very advantageous to push your work beyond what you see other people doing. Combine techniques and approaches. And look at other forms of art. Because we can’t, usually, directly copy art made from other materials, we have to translate and filter it through ourselves. That should influence your work to go in directions that others aren’t going in and bring out your own voice. And that is a wonderful, beautiful thing.
In the meantime, treat yourself to a few minutes (or more!) looking through Marilyn’s gallery of work. Even if you don’t do faux enamel, her textures and colors are just stunning–they could inspire any kind of artist, dont’ you think?
The Faux Enamel Options
May 16, 2013
Inspirational Art
First, because people are waiting to hear, we’d like to announce that the winner of the Sample Cosmic Ceramic project is … Karen Donald! Congrats!
Thank you all for chiming in on the faux versus variation question and taking part in the giveaway. I’m going to line up more giveaways so we can do this regularly. Write me with any suggestions for things you’d like me to try to get for these contests. Or if you’re a retailer of any kind and have something you’d like to giveaway from your shop, let me know. Write me directly at sbray@thepolymerarts.com
So … it would be remiss of me this week not to bring up what may be the faux techniques most widely experimented with when it comes to emulating other art forms–enamel. The common approach usually involves liquid polymer and alcohol inks and/or mica powders. The challenge tends to be in creating a base that has borders and/or channels to hold in and control the faux enamel. And there are a lot of different approaches for this.
At the beginning of the month, we visited Eugena’s artwork … she uses wire as her loose borders. It’s a gorgeous effect. It does take precision and patience, well worth the work, but isn’t for everyone. My favorite is the wax impression technique (See the Winter 2011 issue of The Polymer Arts magazine for the tutorial on this) because carving the wax to create the negative design has endless possibilities and there is nothing I’ve found that allows finer detail. But if you want to try something more straight forward, take a look at these “molds” cut into erasers and clay by Madrid’s Fabi.
She briefly explains the process on her Flickr page (although I think it was sent through a translator as it has some ‘interesting’ terms.) The advantage of erasers is the crispness of the lines although curves have to be more difficult to cut. I think her “gouging” tools must be engraving tools. You can get an inexpensive set at art and craft stores if you want to get into this. They can be used to easily cut into cured clay for other effects as well.
One of the things I wonder is whether we have really pushed faux enamel enough. I think there are possibilities, especially with the translucent clays, that we haven’t really seen. I’ve been playing with an idea myself but it’s not quite ready for prime time. However, tomorrow I am going to show you an artist that I think will knock your socks off, not just because it’s gorgeous work but because of the possibilities it shows us as polymer artists. She worked in real enamel and metal but the way it’s done, it actually reminds me of polymer and could be done in a way that would really push what we do with faux enamel right now. Intrigued? Well, tune in tomorrow …
A Little Faux Lampwork
May 15, 2013
Inspirational Art
Wow … thank you all for chiming in with your comments and emails on what to do with the rest of the week. It’s really very cool to hear from you all. Perhaps we’ll pose options (and giveaways!) for upcoming weeks on a regular basis. You can tell me what is of the most interest … I get very energized writing because of your feedback rather than the ideas that pop into my head, out of the ether. And who doesn’t like a chance to get free stuff! Sounds like a win-win to me!
So, faux came in heavy right off but a call to see more about variation started coming up from behind as the evening went on. The end result is … we are going to start with faux this week then look at how to work out variations next week.
Since Iris and Hilla brought to our attention another art form emulated in polymer, why don’t we stick with other craft arts that we can create in polymer? Try to keep in mind as we look at these techniques that the objective is not to find other arts to emualte but to see new directions that polymer can be pushed in your studio. For instance, I thought we’d start with an artist who’s faux lampwork has fascinated me since I stumbled on it a few years back. I love experimenting with liquid polymer and I was fascinated by how high Sharon Solly makes her glass like dots and how well controlled they are.
Sharon may have an bit of an advantage over the rest of us as she actually does lampwork. I am really curious as to how similar the work is. I know I experimented for a while trying to get the dot not to spread. My solution was to either add just a smidge at a time, hitting it with a heat gun between dabs or preheating the base clay so the dot of liquid polymer would start to solidify immediately. The pre-heat worked well on flat items as I could lay the base clay on a hot plate/mug warmer and work on that but the round beads … I just couldn’t get the same effect that Sharon is getting. But if you can work on building up liquid polymer like this, you could add a bit of the faux lampwork look to many things you couldn’t add glass to in the first place. There are tremendous possibilities for decorative dotting!
If you are in the least bit interested, do look through Sharon’s Flicker pages. This one image is a bare tip of the iceberg … she has a broad body of work showing her on-going experimentation with this process. Actually, Sharon looks to be a major faux experimentator with a large variety of stones and dichroic-like pieces done in polymer.
So go explore some faux! Tomorrow we’ll announce the winner of the Cosmic Ceramic giveway as well. See you then!
The Many Possibilities of Faux Ceramics … & a Cool Giveaway!
May 14, 2013
Inspirational Art, Technique tutorials
I’m still debating on what direction to go this week. I have been sent some wonderful new art from Iris Mishly based on a new series of faux ceramic tutorials she developed with Hilla Bushari. I’ve been thinking about having a faux themed week but then I was intrigued by the variation in types of pieces Iris and Hilla created with this technique–everything from flower beads to beads that look like tiny houses to tea caddies to incense burners to cuff bracelets and on and on–and I thought maybe we should talk about variation and pushing what you do with a particular technique. I still haven’t decided so … tomorrow’s post will be a surprise but it will be determined by you! (Read on about how you can help me decide and put yourself in the running for a free Sample Project!)
So, let’s check out what Iris has for us. She just put these tutorials up just last week. They do have an amazingly realistic ceramic look. These ladies got so creative with her beads too. Look at this strangely beautiful “Moon beads”, both otherworldly and organic in style.
And if you like making home decor, they’ve created quite a few unique items like these tea caddies–they’re adorable and so much more appealing than stacking those boxes of tea on the counter.
Here is what Iris says about her new tutorials:
“The tutorials are covering 10 different beads designs and 8 final projects, each is examining the different faces of faux ceramic – textures, surface treatments etc. In general, the projects are demonstrating the various ways we came up with to imitate ceramic glazed products; some are dimensional, some flat, some created with chalks, pastels, gilders paste and some with alcohol inks. Each project is accompanied by a separate video and screen shots in a PDF file. The videos are for the ones who want to see the complete process from start to finish, and the pdf is for those in a hurry and want to go briefly over the photos.”
So if you’ve been looking for something new to explore, these look to be all too much fun. And Iris’ tutorials are beautifully created with lots of tips and carefully thought out steps. You can see the full array of possibilities (not that there is a limit to what you can do here!) on the PolyPedia Online website. Iris and Hilla are also giving away sample beads to the kit purchasers who buy the best set.
WIN A FREE SAMPLE PROJECT!
Iris and Hilla have been kind enough to offer a free *sample* project from the complete “Cosmic Ceramic” tutorials to one lucky reader commenting on this post. Just tell me whether we should cover faux techniques or the subject of technique variation the rest of this week … or post a comment about whatever this post brings to mind! The winner will be announced in Thursday’s post!
Last Chance and a Little Fun
May 13, 2013
Inspirational Art, The Polymer Arts magazine news
A little bit of business to chat about today but we’ll get back to our standard programming tomorrow.
The Summer issue is at the printers and rolling down the machines as I write this. It’s so exciting … can’t wait to get my copies here! But the first copies get sent out to the readers directly from the printer. I send them the list of readers to mail tomorrow so if you haven’t pre-ordered your copy or need to subscribe or renew your print subscription, today is the day to do so! Just go here to do so: http://www.thepolymerarts.com/Subscribe.html
This issue is packed!! Tons of fun to be had between learning about collaborative art work, being inspired by combining other materials with polymer, ideas for adhering polymer to all kinds of objects, exploring inclusions, ideas for great photo backgrounds, making wire findings for polymer and so much eye candy and inspiration you can take straight to the studio. Don’t miss it!
Because this issue was so packed, we couldn’t include everything sent to us or that I wanted to show you. Like this garden pendant from Nikolina Otrzan …
Nikolina has such a unique, fun and quirky style. Her pieces just make you smile. She is a featured gallery artist in this upcoming issue and I hope will continue to share with us in the future. She is also a CraftArtEdu instructor with one her coolest techniques–her Colori pieces–up as a tutorial now. Take a look at what she has to offer and keep your eye out as she has more coming soon!
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Today we’re just going to take a quick look and a well-deserved bow to a humble finding used regularly in seed bead pieces – the button style clasp. This is simply a bead or button that slips through a loop to secure it. It’s quite the popular clasp among seed bead artists for both necklaces and bracelets.
This bracelet showing a pretty typical button clasp is by Rachel of Balanced Crafts in Dublin, Ireland. This shows a button clasp that is really the central focus of the piece, one that contrasts with the even pattern of the beading, adding that focal point to bring it all together.
Here’s one more by bead artist Smadar Grossman. Looks somewhat like a toggle clasp, doesn’t it? The toggle and button clasp are essentially the same concept, only the entry point with a button clasp is a loop, and the back-up piece is the larger part of the pair.
Do these give you any good ideas? You can make the button from polymer, although you will need a cord, ribbon, or beaded loop of some sort to accomplish create this kind of clasp; but the cool thing is, the loop can be made basically invisible if the button half of the clasp is big enough. That way the button can become a focal point or a major component, without even drawing attention to its necessary function. Neat, huh?
Read MoreIf there is any pre-made finding that polymer versions replace as well as, if not better, I think it would be the bail. Of course, many of us integrate polymer bails into our pendants and focal beads almost without thinking. But you can also create a stock of decorative polymer bails that can be used in combination with jump rings, or embedded in the clay as needed.
My most basic polymer bail stock had always been extruded hollow tubes in scrap clay. I would make them fairly thin-walled and bake them so I had sturdy base tubes to cover in my choice of raw clay, which I could then press onto newly created pendant pieces. Easy, quick, and made to match the pieces.
However, I have to say I was very intrigued when I found these polymer and wire combination bails created by Марина Горячих (translates as Marina Hot which may or may not be the best English translation).
Of course, I have a thing for the filigree work, but most any kind of decorative clay work would make for some interesting bails. She goes through the steps for making these bails on her LiveJournal page here – just replace or adjust the decorative filigree with your type of work. Definitely worth trying out!
Read MoreThe one person who has probably spent more time than any other polymer artist exploring the possibilities of polymer-centric connections for jewelry is Maggie Maggio. Her architectural design background makes pondering the capabilities of a material almost inevitable.
One of her first experiments with polymer-only connections was the split ring. A roll of polymer is looped twice around and then baked to make split ring links. This process of creating a ring of polymer that can be securely looped through other rings after baking creates beads that are not only beautiful and intriguing to work with, but are also really just a ton of fun to make. This Rose Chain is one of Maggie’s expanded versions of the polymer split ring, with an additional wrap of clay and added layers to create the fabric-like ruffles.
Intrigued by the split ring idea but haven’t tried it yet? Take a couple minutes to view Maggie’s split ring video tutorial.
Maggie has also successfully created polymer hooks and jewelry that wraps around the neck or arm, so that no metal or other findings are needed. Check out her other finding-less creations on her website, and follow her adventures in polymer and color on her Smashing Color blog.
Read MoreSince I brought up polymer clasps yesterday, I thought I’d talk about a variation on that type of connection: the front side toggle, and derivations of it. The connection for a necklace does not have to be at the back. If you are making a piece with a central focal bead, why not make the bead a connectors as well?
One of my favorite versions of this is the almost bolo-like polymer and filigree pieces Janet Pitcher creates for her Petal Pushers line of polymer jewelry. The focal bead is like the entry point half of a toggle; but instead of an insertion piece that will back up against the opening of the entry point, Janet creates weighted lengths of ribbons with beads created from the same petal canes as the center piece. The bead-weighted ribbons are threaded through the focal bead, and hang there as part of the design.
This is not, by far, the only option for front side connections. A really showy or beautifully done toggle type clasp can operate as a focal bead, or a large bead sliced in half with magnets in either half can be the central focus of a necklace or bead design. Just don’t relegate your beautiful connectors to the back of the necklace or bracelet if showing them off out front will make for a gorgeous piece of jewelry.
Read MoreThis week I thought we’d do look at polymer fasteners – the connections and findings made from or dependent on polymer for their construction. One of the reasons I want to look into this is because of a new section in The Polymer Arts magazine called “Polymer Jeweler’s Workbench”. In this regular section we’ll be exploring techniques, ideas, and designs specific to jewelry created in polymer.
In the recently released Summer issue of The Polymer Arts, we feature combining wire findings with polymer; but one can easily create findings from polymer itself. Here is a straightforward example of polymer toggle clasp findings by Tina Holden.
The great thing about making polymer clasps is, of course, that you can make them to match the design of the piece using the same colors, textures, and motifs so the clasp becomes a integral part of the necklace or bracelet design, not just an add-on.
Tina is a very inventive and creative polymer artist. She shares many of her wonderful techniques through her tutorials which you can find on her Etsy and Artfire shops including one for the clasps you see here.
Read MoreI have long been a fan of Brian Eno, ever since I went to a sensory exhibit of his in Long Beach, California, back in my art school days. The huge meandering gallery space was in almost complete darkness but for these glowing, changing colors in variously constructed light boxes. His music played in the background, and you had to move about slowly because you couldn’t see that well. You could see the forms of other people, but that was it, so you weren’t distracted by any people watching or influenced by anyone else’s reaction to the work. It was ethereal, wandering through the dark space, watching these kind of light sculptures hover in the space around you. THAT was an experience, not a series of objects.
Now, I know we’re not likely to do anything quite so grand in the way our work is presented, but sometimes we can influence our work by simply thinking about how it is experienced by the person who ends up owning or viewing it: how it might relate to their life, how it would live in their home, or how it will feel to the wearer or make other people feel when they see it on that person. Our works are not just a series of objects. They are additions to our lives and the lives of those who end up with them. They can be experiences.
Read More
We’ve been talking about pushing variation all week. Pushing it usually means you are leaning towards an extreme, or at least a pretty good departure from the norm. But I wanted to correct that notion a bit. I do think swinging that pendulum to an extreme can be great for breaking through any creative barriers, but sometimes it’s the subtle changes that can really make a difference.
Little changes in your design elements can take something from still and calm to energized and exciting. I’m not say still and calm is bad, but changing the forms from what one might expect or varying them in a single piece can produce a whole new feeling in the piece.
Let’s take this piece by Judy Kuskin. This necklace has circles, rectangles and triangles in it. Sort of.
The shapes here are not, for the most part, standard or evenly shaped, except the circles and the oblong center bead. And none of the shapes match their brethren. None of the ‘rectangles’ are actually rectangles (the shape is called a quadrilateral… just a shape with four sides); instead, they are all are off-kilter, some more than others, and are hung at varying orientations. Same thing with the triangles. The circles are also different sizes, with different accent pieces in them. What Judy has done is broken our expectations. We naturally look for repetition, cohesiveness, and pattern. There isn’t any pattern here, except in a lack of repetition and consistency. This makes our eye bounce around the necklace, looking for what we expect and a place to rest. Having neither actually provides the sense of movement and energy we get from it.
This kind of full departure from expectation can be difficult to master. But as you experiment with variations in your work, you can at least take away the idea of pushing something – like a shape or the orientation of a shape – and changing it so it isn’t standard. Cut off the tip of a triangle. Slice in the sides of a square. Remove the petals in one section of a flower. Punch out the side of a circle like an eclipsing sun. Small, subtle changes like this can take a piece that you don’t find as exciting as you wanted it to be and really give it some punch.
Changes don’t need to be big and bold to make a big or bold difference. Playing with your options will help you learn what will work, and when.
Read More
I’m sure by now you get that the key to finding variation in your work is pushing what you already know or do. You can look at other people’s art to find additional variation and inspiration to push your work. If we keep looking just at polymer though, we are limiting our potential avenues of inspiration.
Many of us look to nature for ideas because we find beauty and insight into our world there and can translate into our art–and its been a primary muse for artists for all our existence. But this can be true of many other things as well, such as other art forms. This is why I show another form of art once a week. You can’t really look at other art forms as separate from what we do with polymer. Forms, textures, colors, patterns, structure … these all can be translated from other art into polymer in some manner. When looking to vary your work or a technique, looking outside polymer is probably your best source of ideas. Truly. Other clays in particular can be so helpful because the building process is similar and we can create similar forms.
Meagan Chaney works in ceramics with a focus on movement and change so creating variation is a large part of what she does. Probably her most impressive work are her multi-part wall sculptures that climb or flow across a space. But when on her site, these small decorative domes are what caught my eye. They remind me of urchins in form and often in line but without spines. Like cultured, high class urchins in an alternate world, perhaps.
Meagan works with a limited palette here and then works out variations in texture, pattern and composition. The dome form and patterning could be directly translated into polymer although the stenciled patterns might be tricky. It can be done with polymer paste or using the Sutton slice but you could also just go for visual texture using mica shift or mokume. And of course, there’s always stamping. You can also take away just the idea for mixing up patterns on a form, or taking what you usually do on flat form and try it on similar dome forms. The idea is, if you want to work on variation, look at other work like this and think about what you like about it that you aren’t doing in your own work and then figure out how to translate it into what you do. That will push variation in your work even if you don’t end up liking the approach. Primarily what it will do is get you to work and think differently.
Take a look at Meagan’s wall sculptures and other incredible work on her website for a pleasant break in your day.
Read MoreI mentioned inchies as an option for exploring variation a couple days ago but have been thinking maybe a brief word on breaking out of the inchie tradition of minimal variation was worth a post. If you aren’t familiar with inchies they are simply one inch square tiles of artwork. They are often made for swaps and exchanges at events, somewhat like art trading cards but tiny.
As a means for exploring variation, the use of this concept is hard to beat. Inchies give you a limited space to work in but no limitations on what you do with it. And for those of us who have limited time and resources, creating them while exploring variation means we get to build a stock of exchangeable tiny samples of our art for the next inchie exchange while pushing ourselves artistically.
Although most inchies are created to be quickly produced, don’t rush or limit your exploration of variation through inchies. Here are a few inchies by the Philippines’ Donna Cruz-Comia that obviously took some time but what wonderful results.
The consistency that makes these inchies related are that they are all petals and are built off a corner. Beyond that, that couldn’t be more different. But its this kind of work, pushing a limited idea such as the many ways one can create a petal and build the form of a flower from it that will result in new discoveries for you.
And how impressive will your inchies be at the next exchange if you created such involved work as this? Isn’t exploration wonderful?
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