Pretty Little Wonderland Girls

June 7, 2012

Today we’re going to just admire something pretty for the sake of it being pretty. Doll art is just so incredible.

This is a pair by artist Nicole West who makes incredibly detailed polymer dolls. The expressions on their face here, the choice of color for the eyes and accents on the skin and the pairing of these two is just gorgeous.

Her comments: ” These pop goth girl are sculpted with every detail including fingernails and fine hair eyelashes.  Their eyes are a bright pink/purple and are hand made by the artist. They reflect light for added depth and realism. They are not computer generated.” That is a lot of dedication to detail!

These are for sale on Ebay. Wouldn’t they be a wonderful gift to receive!

 

 

 

Working with Quiet Space

June 6, 2012

The response to the Stroppel article in our recent Summer 2012 issue and the fan base she and the technique have is bringing more and more variations of it out of the woodwork. (If you are a fan of this technique do check out the Stroppel Cane Flickr group.)

Here  Nikolina Otržan  of Croatia combines Stroppel canes with a Rex Ray influenced design. Visual texture (remember that discussion in the texture article in the Spring 2012 issue?) contrasted with large smooth spaces make the small area of Stroppel caning really stand out. This approach is not unlike utlizing white space in a painting or drawing (or in the layout of a magazine, actually) to bring the eye into the primary area of focus. The ‘quiet’ spaces recede in importance, playing up the busy spaces.

So if you have a texture, cane or other surface treatment with a lot of color and/or detail, you might consider balancing it out with calm, broad, solid spaces in order to direct the viewer’s eye where you want them to focus.

Thanks to Maja DeLorean for bringing her friend Nikolina’s work to my attention!

Want More Organizational Help?

June 5, 2012

Since there was so much excitement over the Spring 2012 issue of The Polymer Arts magazine  and all the organizational ideas it had, I figured many of you would be interested in this little book or organizational wisdom, Controlling Creative Clutter which is presently on sale for a mere $6.99 for a digital copy!

This book is structured as a workbook primarily text based rather than just being lots of photos.  It’ll get you thinking about how and why you have your space organized the way you do and help you work out ideas on how to change it to make it more usable and you more productive.

The author, Diane Dobson-Barton is also the author of Polymer People, a three book series on realistic sculpting in polymer clay. (A must for any polymer figurative sculptor.)

You can check out these wonderful books here as well:

http://artist-how-to.com/front.html

Attending to Your Back Sides

June 4, 2012

Let’s start this week with some thoughts about our back sides. (Ok … where did your mind go?!) The back of our art, especially in jewelry, can be too easily ignored or at least is treated with less consideration and attention to detail than the side we consider the front. But if you think about it, the person who owns that piece sees the back all the time. Wouldn’t you want your customers to be just as pleased or awed by what they see on the back as they are by the side that every one else sees? I think it’s such a missed opportunity to leave the back plain. How fun is it to know that the work of art around your neck or on your wrist is hiding a beautiful surprise on the back side.

This is why I so adore the work of Daniela D’Uva. She lives in Italy and works under the name Alkhymeia. All of her pieces have a carefully considered back side, some so detailed as to be more stunning than the front, making them readily reversible. (click on the photo to see the detail here.)

What do you do with your back sides?

 

A Day to Say Thank You

June 2, 2012 ,

Today I FINALLY got out to go see the group at our local Mile High Polymer Clay Guild here in the Denver, Colorado area. They were finishing up their annual Spring retreat. I wandered in around noon, into a colorful, chatty room to be warmly greeted by some 30 or so smiling faces. How fantastic it was to meet so many people, whose names I knew as subscribers to the magazine, but hadn’t had a chance to meet in person. I was heartily reminded, as they directed me to various tables to check out the art work being done and as I watched people bounce from table to table to help each other out, just how wonderfully sharing our community is.

I’ve worked in a few other creative communities and I don’t think I’ve known such generosity and eagerness to help and support each other. Our efforts to grow as a community, to get the word out about our fantastic medium, and to help elevate the perception of polymer as a fine art medium is rooted in this essential aspect of how we communicate and interact. It is also a huge reason why The Polymer Arts magazine has done so well, as new as it is. It’s  because so many of you write to let me know what you like and even what you think is missing so I can improve the content as well as spreading the word about the magazine through your groups, networks, blogs and websites. How wonderful you’ve all been.

So I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your support, enthusiasm, and especially your generous spirits. Thank you in particular to all our readers, especially the ones that write to offer suggestions and keep me on track. Big warms hugs to all the “midwives” at the PCAGOE that helped form the magazine to start with. And today, thank you to the MHPCG for being so gracious and welcoming to a stranger who just wandered into the middle of your event.

We  really have an amazing community.

Encouraging Constructive Criticism

June 1, 2012

Yesterday I posted observations about an organically inspired necklace. Beautifully done, it still had room for improvement and I mentioned my thoughts on that. It felt rather odd to do so. Our community doesn’t really spend a lot of time talking about the missed opportunities in our art work. Usually we praise (and usually deservedly so) the work of our fellow artists which certainly helps bolster confidence and enthusiasm in the artist. But how much does it help them improve their work?

A week or so ago I had a great Skype conversation with Christine Dumont of Voila (see the interview/article on Voila in our latest magazine issue). One of the very unique things about her site is that members get constructive feedback on work they submit in their gallery. Much of the Voila concept is built around ways to help polymer artists improve their work, not just receive confirmation that they are going in the right direction. I think this is a concept we all need to embrace further.

The hard part of with working more constructive feedback into our conversations is that most of us have not been through the training and educational experience of art school or other exposure to critical commentary on our heartfelt work. But in an artistic and educational environment, constructive criticism is a major part of the learning process. Not only does it help to hear other people’s opinions and ideas about how to improve what you do, but honing a critical eye through observing the work of others can help you more readily see ways of improving yours.

I would certainly love to see more of this kind of exchange in the community.  Do you think you have a thick enough skin to hear people express what might be done to improve your work so you can learn and grow your artistic skills from it? And can you give others helpful and supportive advice on opportunities you find in their work? If so, perhaps try including small suggestions in your conversations about other artists’ work. And try Voila if you haven’t already done so.

Organic Cohesiveness

Nature inspires the art of many of us but how often can you say the entire piece reflects the aesthetics of Mother Nature?

This piece by Beatriz Cominatto is striking not only because of its unexpected and yet still elegant choice of forms for a necklace but because there is no true break from organic construction anywhere along the piece. We are looking at vines twisting down to mature open pods presenting their treasures. From the focal forms all the way around the neckband the piece reflects the shapes and organization of nature.

There are, however, minor breaks from authentic organic here–one that really makes the piece and one that is a departure that could be seen as a missed opportunity.

First the interior of the pods and seeds are metallic–this isn’t a natural version of seed pods but it works because it puts emphasis on the ‘treasure’ aspect of the organic forms, mixing our sense of what treasure is with what nature holds as its most precious gifts. This juxtaposition is what takes this form being just a direct translation of seed pods into something with instilled meaning and added beauty.

The other break from nature is in how the vines are twisted. They are very uniform. This is not normal in nature–not unheard of but not as organic as we usually encounter. A slight variation in the plaiting of the vine forms would have added to the organic theme and interest of the piece. I think it can be helpful to stop before completing a piece and ask if it can be pushed just a little and in this case, it probably could have been. The trick is to know when to stop pushing it. And for this piece, its final form is actually a decent stopping point.

What do you think? And how do you feel about a blog post that both praises and presents constructive criticism of a piece like this?

Beatriz Cominatto hails from São Paulo, Brasil. You can find more of her work on her Flickr page and her website.

The Answer for When Things Get Tough: Make Good Art

May 30, 2012 ,

When was the last time you heard a really good, inspirational talk? I am a bit of a Neil Gaiman fan so I couldn’t help but listen to this. Now I can’t help but share it: Neil Gaiman’s address to the University of  the Arts Class of 2012. http://vimeo.com/42372767

This is about creative work and the challenges of living a creative life–not specifically about polymer or visual arts even, which is great. I think we get so involved (obsessed, perhaps?) in our polymer world that we forget there is inspiration in all kinds of creative corners that can push us in ways we don’t expect. This is not typical subject matter for us but the unexpected and the unusual is needed to keep our minds and ideas about what we do and why we do it fresh and clear.

Thanks to Lisa Rapp (Our reviewer for the All-in-One CaBezels in our most recent issue of The Polymer Arts magazine) for sending it my way via the PCAGOE forum.

Working on the Edge

May 29, 2012

Centering or working inside the edge or frame of a piece is a common approach for applying imagery and pattern. This will help to convey a feeling of calm and/or restraint. But what if you want something more dynamic?

Try working on or off the edge. It adds excitement and movement by bringing into question the boundary of the piece. In these lockets by the Philippines’ Jennifer Cruz,  the artist situates her antique looking flower canes so they sit just at the edge or break off the surface’s boundaries. It gives you the feeling of something that continues on beyond the confines of the form, that the images you see are only part of a larger picture. This translate into a feeling that there is much more to the piece than what you are seeing. Touching or running off the edge creates tension (the good, exciting kind) and draws you to examine the teetering or incomplete imagery further.

You don’t actually have to stop at the edge though. Playing with the boundary of a form by continuing into the outside space can also make the work more dynamic. This Layered Fragment brooch by Kathleen Dustin is a wonderful example. The internal imagery itself doesn’t run off the edge but the line does as it is visually continued with the use of wire.

How often do you work with or beyond the boundary of your pieces?

Jennifer Cruz was also featured on the lead page of the “Polymer to the Rescue” article in the present Summer 2012 issue of The Polymer Arts magazine. Go here to get your copy: www.thepolymerarts.com/Subscribe.html

The Party is in Full Swing. Come join us!

May 31, 2023
Posted in ,

 

What party is this? The latest project from little ol’ me, Sage. The Sage Arts podcast is more than up and running… I have 25 episodes up as of this posting, ready on your favorite podcast player (New to Podcasts? Click here to find out how easy it is to enjoy them!) and a new one coming out every week.

 

What’s This Podcast All About?

This podcast is all about feeding and exciting your muse. By enlightening or reminding you about important and maybe unconsidered aspects of creating and living as an artist, I hope to help you find more joy and satisfaction in what you do, sharing ways to create with authenticity and fearlessness, while supporting your uniquely defined version of success.

Now what the heck does that all mean? Well, let’s look at what this is and what this is not…

 

It IS…

… a way to consistently feed your muse

… all about you. Myself, my guests, and my guest co-hosts speak to the issues, curiousity, and hurdles that you as a creative deal with on a regular basis.

… focused on creating a more fulfilling, joyful, and meaningful artistic journey.

… a conversation that goes both ways with lots of opportunities for you to be heard.

 

It is NOT…

… all about polymer clay or any one medium, as it’s important stuff for all artistic folks.

… focused on “how-to” or the latest tools and materials.

… just interviewing successful artists and talking at you. Rather it is like a coffee house chat or other friendly gather and I include you, the listener, in every way I can.

 

I created this podcast to supercharge your creativity, motivation, and artistic style through novelty, story, conversation, and community. Everyone has how-tos and ways to increase your sales – valiant and necessary stuff, of course! But what does your muse need? What does your work and your love of your art need to thrive? That’s where I want to help.

I aim to give artists ways to further hone their unique voice, increase their joy and productivity, and create a version of artistic success that is meaningful, satisfying, and anything but ordinary.

 

Come Join the Conversation

If you have something to share, would like to be a guest (for a chatty interview), or be a guest co-host (you and I banter on a particular subject) drop me an email me via my contact page on the show website: https://thesagearts.com/contact/ or send a voice mail (use the red button on that same site, bottom right corner of any page.)

And join me on social media!

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast

And don’t forget to click “FOLLOW” or that little arrow on your favorite Podcast player so you get notices of new episodes. New Episodes come out weekly on Friday evenings, barring natural disasters or other bits of interference, of course.  I hope you’ll join me there, on The Sage Arts podcast!

There are new artists and creatives joining every day with tons of great things to say…

 

“Just what I needed!” 

“I just binged-listened … and I can’t wait for more!” 

“There is so much validity in your presentation…” 

“Looking forward to all the thinking and creating that they prompt.” 

 

 

Taste test on my RSS website: https://rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/

Or on the podcast home website: https://thesagearts.com/

Or start with this episode:

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Persistence of Ideas (And 50% OFF+ Damage Sale!)

June 20, 2021
Posted in ,

First, my apologies for being absent the last few weekends. I kept thinking I’d be able to post something, but my days have been exhausting.

The roller coaster of the last month, not to mention the last year and a half, has really brought into perspective the concept of self-care. Balancing responsibilities with care for yourself as well as for others can be a tricky thing but, it’s not unlike art—if the composition can’t achieve some sort of balance, not much else is going to work.

So, I’ve been hashing out some ideas that will allow me to keep chatting with you as well as do what I need to do for my family and with my creative projects. I am hoping that will all be settled this coming week and we can have a little chat about that next weekend.

 

Persistent Ideas

In the meantime, let me share a thought by a fellow polymer artist, Adam Thomas Rees. He posted this intriguing piece, seen above, on Facebook last month, saying:

This was my first hybrid sculpture mixing metal and clay. I’d had this idea floating around in my head for about 10 years before I finally went for it. If you have an idea you’ve been sitting on, it might be time to go for it!

I have to agree. The first of the two novels I’m working on was also started a decade ago, maybe more. It can take some time to get around to it but, if an idea sticks with you, I think it’s a sign that you should really try it out!

What have you always thought about doing but haven’t tried yet? It can be very invigorating to take on something brand new and challenging.


Annual Damage Sale!

Grab Imperfect Publications for as little as $3.98 or Perfects & Supplies for 30% off

So, it’s that time! I’m cleaning out the mailing room and collecting all the publications with a dinged corner or a little shelf wear and am putting all these perfectly readable publications up for purchase at 50%-60% OFF the list price.

  • Print Magazines: 3.98 each
  • Print books: $5-$12 each.

Half of the imperfect issues will sell out day one if tradition holds so don’t wait!
This only happens once every year or so and once they are sold, the great deals are — whoosh –outta here!

Go here to grab up these steals before they’re gone.

Need Something Else?

Get new PRINT items and design tools for 30% off! So, if you can’t round out your collection of TMA publications with an imperfect copy, you can do so with an amazing deal on a shiny new one!

PROMO CODE FOR 30% OFF : damsale21

Promo code works for any PRINT publications or Design Tools NOT already on sale on the whole of the website. 

 

30% off sale end June 30, 2021. Not good with other discounts, coupons, or on shipping. Damage sale ends when stock is gone, which can be pretty darn quick so don’t wait!

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The Shadow Side

May 16, 2021
Posted in

To all my fabulous readers: I apologize for not having a post last week and for the lack of much of one this week as well. I am overwhelmed and exhausted as the first half of this month has been a rough one.

Still struggling with the loss of our brother-in-law and childhood friend to cancer last year, we found out last week that my baby sister is now also faced with a cancer diagnosis although the doctors are fairly positive about her prognosis. On top of this, my mother’s situation is deteriorating more rapidly although she is hanging on and literally every other member of my immediate family is dealing with some trauma or fresh tragedy aside from the bad news we’ve gotten. I spent the last two weeks in Colorado and Kansas just trying to be there for everybody. I’m back in California now but then, today, my cat, who we also found out had a large tumor just a couple weeks ago, passed away today. I wasn’t ready for that. We thought she had months, not weeks.

So, today’s image is a lesson in contrast. I’ve actually posted and blogged about this image before because I love the quote so much. The quote speaks to the same concept as yin and yang, that balance is found in the interconnectedness of opposites, that all light needs dark and dark needs light in order to be understood and appreciated.

In design that’s the concept of contrast. Dark colors make light colors seem lighter and vice versa. Rough textures emphasize the evenness of smooth textures and vice versa. The more contrast you have, the more the opposite characteristics of your colors, textures, shapes, forms, etc. stand out.

As you might have surmised, this photo is of the cat I lost today, the incomparable Cleo. She was not even a week old when we rescued each other—she was to be sent to a pound to be destroyed and I was being destroyed by depression. I was just trying to do the right thing for the innocent creature, but didn’t realize how she would change my view of my own life through the act of helping her and receiving so much love in return.

Being allergic to cats, I had planned to find her a home when she was well and old enough, but she crept into my heart. She was the friendliest and most empathetic cat I’ve known, but she also didn’t put up with any crap and ruled the dogs. And, honestly, the humans too. In like fashion, she decided not to put up with this tumor crap and left us on her own terms.

So, of course, I’m sad—heartbroken to be truthful. But it was such a wonder and privilege to have that little creature in my life that I am as grateful as I am sorrowful. And, maybe, it’s not until we feel the absence of those souls that touch us that we fully understand and appreciate the importance of their presence. That’s the contrast we find in life and death and in so much of our own lives, a contrast which we can express in our own art.

 

I would like to say that I will be able to continue with my posts as usual as of next week but I am honestly not sure how the rest of this month is going to go. If nothing else happens and my sister’s doctors continue to bring us hopeful news, I think I should be able to continue writing posts each weekend, but if I miss one, know that I will be back and am thinking of you.


 

You can support this blog by buying yourself a little something at Tenth Muse Arts or, if you like…


 

 

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The Source of Beauty

May 2, 2021
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What kind of things do you do when you have had a really bad day or week or month? Sometimes we can be helped just by looking for the beauty in the world. That has been my solace this week.

It’s just been a rough week for me and my family and I’ve heard a few too many stories from friends who are having a hard time as well. It’s almost like 2020 hasn’t ended quite yet. So, when I sat down to work on this blog, all I wanted to do was find something to feed my spirit. As a result, I decided to look through images of artwork I’ve collected and find pieces that I find particularly beautiful.

The necklace here, by Kaelin Cordis, is the piece I decided to post as a representation of my idea of beauty. No, it’s not polymer but, as you know if you been with me a while, I don’t think, as a polymer artist, we should just look at polymer. There is so much inspirational artwork in all types of mediums that can spark ideas for us as well as help us understand and appreciate different types of beauty.

I don’t know that anyone’s been able to identify why some people find one thing beautiful and others find the same thing dull but I find it very interesting that each of us can be mesmerized by a beauty that only some of us see. For instance, although I think most people will be able to see beauty in this piece, I am certain that a lot of you would’ve chosen pieces to epitomize beauty that are much different than this. So, what is it in the pieces that we choose that defines our idea of beauty?

To me, the beauty in this piece is in the movement created through the use of lines and edges. I am also drawn to simplicity and although this isn’t a super simple piece, it is not complex, certainly not in terms of color. Accented only by the blue stone, the particularly white silver reins in the energy from the movement with its absence of color, conveying a calm and grace that I find entrancing.

When I think about the artwork that I have always been drawn to, the principle of movement in the form of curvilinear lines and shapes is almost always present. I think there is also a dominance of limited color palettes. Although it was not difficult for me to come up with that conclusion, I’m not sure I really recognized the root of my aesthetics before writing this just now. It’s interesting what we can learn about ourselves when asked just the right questions.

So, do you know what primarily defines beauty for you? If that’s not something you have defined for yourself, consider looking around and see if you can find the elements, principles, or compositions that you are most drawn to. Not only will it give you the opportunity to exercise your design knowledge, but you may find that spending time with beauty will refresh your mind and spirit as well.


 

You can support this blog by buying yourself a little something at Tenth Muse Arts or, if you like…


 

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A Second Collective Look

April 25, 2021
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This week, I need to beg your forgiveness as I am recycling a post from a couple years ago. There’s been a small avalanche of family emergencies — nothing life-threatening — and I need to head out to Colorado and Kansas for a couple of weeks. I’ve been unable to put something together for the blog with all the distractions, but I’ve been thinking about this idea of collections again. It seems a lot of us were doing it a bit of exploring last year, which tends to result in lots of unused bits and pieces. So, this might be a useful reminder of things you can do with those bits and bobs.

Do you have a bin or box of pieces and parts of your handiwork yet unfinished but which you are too in love with toss? If you regularly create, I can’t imagine that you don’t. But what exactly do we do with these pieces? Do we hold on to them, hoping that they will be just the thing needed someday or do we toss them?

It can be quite the dilemma, one that even Marie Kondo can’t easily help with because, hey, these do spark joy for us! We see value in them, in that they represent our creativity and what we can accomplish. But do such little jewels of our work belong in a bin where we don’t get to admire them?

I’ve been thinking about this question for a while and came up with a few solutions of my own. If you have a copy of Polymer Journeys 2019, you can see, in the very last entry, my contribution, which is a display case of small exploratory items for which I had no particular use in mind when created them. I created them without thinking, “This is going to be a pendant,” or “This is going to be a set of earrings,” or “This is going to decorate a vessel.” I just made them to see what the material would do, most of which I liked, and they all represented a little exploratory learning experience.

I had already been tying bits onto ribbons and hanging them off the edge of my studio corkboard as little festive decorations. That doesn’t work for pieces that only had one viewing angle though as they would twist around on the ribbons, so I was still in search of other options.

Then I was out talking to the butterflies in my backyard (Yeah, I talk to the creatures in my yard,) and remembering how I used to catch and collect them in shadow boxes as a kid. It just randomly struck me that my little creative bits were like butterflies. They are lovelies I caught in a moment of exploratory creativity and in that small frame of time, they became a kind of unexpected friend, going through that creative time with me. I didn’t want to toss my little friends, even though I had no end-use for them. You don’t do that to friends! You hold on to them and support each other, right?

Does that sound silly? Maybe it is, but it was revealing to me to realize that I kept certain pieces not because they were so beautiful or well done, but because I felt connected to them. So, why not collect them and put them out like a collection of butterflies or a collage of photos? What you see here is what I started making. My husband and I would find shadow boxes at garage sales and thrift stores for cheap, and I’d arrange my bits in them like compositional jigsaw puzzles. I’ve made half a dozen of these so far.

By the way, I use a hot melt glue gun to tack the pieces onto a bit of mat board cut to fit the box. The nice thing about the hot melt glue is that if you do every want to take a piece out of the collection, you warm the back of the mat board with heat gun or hair dryer for a couple seconds and pop them right off. So, your “friends” can come out and play in another piece or a new collection if you like!

As I shared in the previous version of this blog in 2019, people have also used old collectibles display boxes to show off small sculptural pieces or heavy pieces of fabric to pin or hook jewelry pieces as a means of display as well. Look around at how you are other people put together collectibles for ideas about how you might display your polymer bits.

So, do I have your little wheels turning? These should give you ideas not just for what to do with your extra bits, but many of these could be a jumping-off point for creating your own unique show displays and photo setups.

Do you have a cool and unique way to display your extra bits or jewelry? Send me links to images if you do. Put it in the comments below, or if you’re reading this by email, click the header for this post to get to it online to leave a comment.

 


 

You can support this blog by buying yourself a little something at Tenth Muse Arts or, if you like…


 

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Hard Won Joy

April 18, 2021
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Libby Mills’ Mod Flowers are her latest challenges. Take a look at her Instagram page and all that she’s been doing over the last couple of years, including process and studio pics.

How adverse are you to hard work and challenges?

Recognizing your ability to face the challenges and incredible effort that goes into creating original artwork can be a necessary, if somewhat painful, bit of self-assessment. Most of us find ourselves on one or the other extremes—either we give up too soon, not doing the work or finding shortcuts that don’t help us grow, or we don’t give up even when the process becomes pointless or detrimental.

Are you one or the other, or are you somewhere in the middle? Or does it depend on the type of work or challenge?

The Easy Way

Trying to find an easy way around hard work and difficult challenges is probably a bit more common. If we’re all being honest, there’s few of us who have never used a tutorial or ideas from artwork we’ve seen to develop our own pieces. That’s okay. I’m not saying that it’s bad or wrong—taking inspiration from other people’s design is one way we learn. However, if you don’t get past that stage, you are missing out on some of the most joyful work you’ll ever experience.

Using other people’s instructions or ideas allows you to create something without putting your creative self or your ego at too much risk. However, it’s taking chances and doing the hard work that makes the successes so exceptionally sweet. By going out on a limb and creating purely from your own inspiration can result in one of the most joyful feelings I think a human being can have. Seriously. There is nothing like hard earned success in your creative work to put you on Cloud 9.

Now why do we feel that way about our own artwork? Well, for one, the work is born of our ideas, experiences, and loves. But more so, it’s because of the struggles we went through either to learn the skills that allowed us to make the art and/or the hard work and time we put into its creation. When it’s done, your talent, your spirit, and your perseverance become a concrete thing that you can revel in and share.

In one of my writer’s group, a friend of mine asked why every story has to have conflict. The answer is that story IS conflict. Can you imagine watching a movie where the hero of the story had everything happen just the way they wanted it to? If Harry Potter just flicked his wand and make Voldemort go away, or Hamlet didn’t care that his father was killed, why would we watch those shows? Do you gossip about the good things that happen to people or the difficulties people are having?

Now, think about how satisfying it is when Harry vanquishes his nemesis and Hamlet finally avenges his father. Those moments are so immensely satisfying to us because of what we went through with the characters to get there. And that is true of anything we want to attain as well. The more conflict and struggle we face, the more satisfying it is when we accomplish or gain what we are after.

There’s actually science behind this. Researchers have studied everything from job positions to winning the lottery and they have found that when people are simply given something without having to work for it, not only does any elation from the acquisition die quickly but people are far less fulfilled and, sometimes, even become depressed. However, when people struggle to get promoted or have wealth because of years of hard work, they are not only happier, but they are also more motivated to keep at it than those that were simply given those things.

So, when you’re in the studio, don’t be frustrated or shy away from challenges. When you find them, think, “This is my chance to achieve something wonderful and fulfilling.” If you presently lean on the ideas of others, challenge yourself to create from your own designs as much as possible if not completely. Take risks. Push yourself just past the point of being comfortable. Do the hard work and see if you don’t find it more than worthwhile.

 

The Other End of the Spectrum

Now, if you’re one of those that doesn’t give up when you should, or you don’t give yourself the time off when you should, learn to take more breaks both physically and from the work you’re struggling with. It often helps to put a difficult piece away for a little while. Pull it out a few days or a few weeks later and you can see whether it is still worth working on. If it is, you’ll probably see a solution you didn’t see before.

Just don’t be afraid to set aside a piece that is going nowhere. Don’t feel you have to try finishing something because you put a lot of time into it. None of your time spent is wasted. Everything you do helps you learn and hone your skills.

Me, I’m of this sort. A dog with a bone, as they say. I look at every challenge as a battle to be won, and I don’t know the meaning of surrender. It’s rather ridiculous sometimes. I also don’t stop working when I should either, which is why I keep hurting myself.

 

Scaling Back on the Blog for a Bit

For those of you that were not with me for the Great Elbow Drama of 2019, I developed an advanced form of tendinitis in my right arm and can no longer type with it for any length of time. Well, now I have an overused left arm after too much research for my novel and too much gardening. *Sigh*

So, this post, and probably the next few, will be primarily chatting rather than deep dives into design concepts as I’m limited to using my speech to text software while my arm (hopefully) heals. Searching for a selection of great art images to go with what I’m writing about requires too much mousing I’m afraid. I hope you’ll stick with me though. I’ll aim for a mix of “Life As an Artist” articles like this one and design refresh posts that need only one image for the time being.

In the meantime, for those of you who can, get to the studio, give yourselves some reasonable challenges, and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

 


 

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The Right Size

April 11, 2021
Posted in

Big bold earrings in polymer and brass by Pavel of Handmade by Tarja on Etsy.

Does the question of how big to make a piece just flummox you? When we were doing the giveaways last month, many commentors asked about size, particularly about how to determine what size to work in, It’s a great question. So, let’s go over the decision-making process for size.

If you’ve been a reader for a while, then you know this statement is inevitable: Choosing size should be based on fulfilling your intention. Sort of. Although I usually push you to consider intention in terms of your expression or creative goals, there are other factors that also play a role in this decision.

Yes, every design decision should reflect your creative intention, but size is also a consideration of construction, wearability, feasibility, and the end user’s preferences. So, I’d like to propose two general approaches to determine size—put your creativity first or put your market first. You choose what works for you.

 

Putting Your Creativity First

So, are you one of those that makes jewelry for giants? That’s great. There is nothing wrong with big jewelry. In fact, if you pick up any art jewelry book, you’ll notice that much of the jewelry is so huge it would be quite uncomfortable to wear for any length of time. So why is it still considered jewelry?

Big, uncomfortable art jewelry is created with the artist’s expression and ideas being dominant not the comfort of the wearer. These pieces coexist with the human form to relay a particular message. Without a body to adorn, the work would diminish in meaning or impact. So, the artist was either not concerned with its wearability or was purposely making it uncomfortable to drive home a point. That valid. And intentional. They put their creative concepts first.

Mariyana Avramova created this huge necklace to move with the whole body, not just the neck.

What you have to say, and your process, is as important, if not more important, than the end result. I know we tend to think our studio time is about creating finished work, but is it really? Can the joy of creating be equal to, if not greater than, the value of the finished piece? If so, then your consideration for size comes down to what you need to express or create what you want.

I think if you continuously make large pieces, then that must be where your creativity wants to take you. Sure, it could be because bigger pieces can be easier to work with and you have more space to embellish and play with surface design, but what’s wrong with that? Just check that your design choices make sense with that size and your intention for the piece.

It’s true that big jewelry is not for everybody, but if that’s what you want to make, and you intend to sell it, then you need only to find the market that wants that kind of work. Look at how big those earrings are in the opening image. All her earrings are that big or bigger, and she’s sold thousands of them. She found her market and so can you.

If you make decor that is too small or too large to be functional, so what? Do you make wall pieces that are far smaller than most people would hang on a wall? I bet somebody out there would. You can also make multiples and sell them as collections to be hung together. The bottom line is, if your muse takes you there, I think you should keep exploring it.

I know we are often inclined to create work based on what the majority of people seem to prefer, but remember, you aren’t the majority of people. The majority already have a lot of choices anyway. Make what gets your heart singing.

 

Creating for Your Market

Now, if you create primarily to sell work and put food on the table (or to buy more materials even), you may want to consider size in terms of the wearability or usability of your pieces for the sake of your sales before, or in addition to, what your muse wants you to make.

If you make wall pieces, sculpture, or decor, your consideration of size will probably revolve around pricing since you won’t have the issue of comfort that adornment has.

For instance, if you’re inclined to make enormous pieces, you will probably need to price them higher because of material and time involved. Will your market pay those prices or can you find a market that will? If not, what can you make that still expresses your creativity but can be priced at a more acceptable level?

Whatever you do, don’t price yourself low just so you can sell it. Value yourself and your work! You can always put an expensive piece on sale if you really need to sell it. Remember, you can always discount your prices, but it is very difficult to raise them.

If you have the option, it’s often best to make smaller, reasonably priced pieces and large, impressive pieces. This way, you can draw people into your booth, online shop, or website with the large, impressive pieces while giving those with smaller budgets something of yours they can afford.

Now, I’m not saying that the size of jewelry and its pricing doesn’t have a similar consideration at times. With jewelry, it’s often as much the complexity of the work as the size that affects people’s perception of its value and how much they are willing to pay. However, a range of sizes as well as price points is a very sensible approach unless, of course, very large a very small pieces are what your signature style is about.

 

Overcoming Limitations

We all do it. We make our pieces based on the size dictated by our tools or materials. In some cases, it can’t be helped. There are limitations we have to work with because of physics, finances, or our studio situation. But what you do want to avoid is making size decisions based solely on what you have on hand when you could have other options.

Really, in art or any type of creativity, you should decide what you want first and then find what you need to make it happen. This is true of everything from material to tools to size.

Even if you’re not sure what you’re going to make when you sit down, you can at least determine some generalizations about whether it’s going to be a necklace or wall piece or sculpture, right?

You could also determine what you want to do with the piece when you’re done. Is it for you, a friend, family, or are you going to sell it?

Carol Simmons made these tiny bowls for a swap. They had to be a specific size, so her choice of canes and the size of the slices was dictated by the size of the bowls.

If it’s for you or friends or family, what size do you or they prefer? If you’re going to sell it, and you want to take the market approach to deciding size, what does your market want or what do you need to fill in your gaps in inventory?

If you are going to let your creativity determine size, how big do you need it in order to express what you want?

Making these decisions before you start exploring can give you some direction, right? Even though you don’t know what you’re making or maybe even what techniques you want to use, size can give you a broad jumping off point.

For instance, if you want to create a small piece with hand tooled texture, delicate pin tools would work wonderfully. But if you’re making something big, you can confidently pull out a selection of bigger ball stylus tools.

If you’re thinking you would like to go bigger than any cutters you have on hand would allow, put those cutters away and hand cut your work.

If you would like to make a wall piece bigger than your 10” X 12” toaster oven space, then figure out what it will take. Use your kitchen oven with your work securely enclosed so you contain any fumes. Or buy a bigger countertop oven or a cheap used electric stove and put it on the porch or in the garage. You can also create your piece in sections and put them together after they’re cured.

You know the old adage—If there’s a will, there’s a way.

If there’s a certain size piece you want to make but polymer doesn’t seem feasible because of the amount of polymer needed or strength issues, use another material. I know, sometimes that doesn’t seem possible because of the additional skills, tools, or material costs, but consider what is possible before simply giving into the limitations of what you have and are familiar with.

 

So, was that the talk on size you thought you might get? I know, we could have talked about how your choices communicate different emotions or we might have discussed standard sizes for pendants or bracelets or bathroom wall pieces. But the fact is, there aren’t really standards in art, are there? We make what we need based on our muse or market. The important thing is to stop and consider the options and make a determination based on those considerations.

So, make jewelry for giants if you want or bowls too small for anything but a mouse’s meal. As long as it makes sense for you, your muse, and your market, then it’s the right size.

 


 

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Diving into Exploration

April 4, 2021
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Flickr’s Dragonfly555 shows off impressions samples.

Do you feel like you have to make a finished piece or be working on a particular design when you sit down at your studio table? Sure, it feels good, and it’s very exciting to have a finished piece to show and share, but learning a craft is as much about exploration as is about creating finished work.

So, if you’re not giving yourself that exploratory time, let me give you some reasons to highly consider it. And if you do a bit of exploring already, maybe I can offer up some new ideas about ways to use and organize your exploratory bits that you might not have tried.

 

The Exploratory Reasoning

When you’re fairly new to a material, technique, form, or construction method, it is to your advantage to spend time just playing with it. This is especially true, I think, of texture, mark making, color mixing, new techniques, and new materials including new brands of a familiar material. Trying to make finished work before you are familiar with the technique or material can get frustrating, if not downright depressing. You can gain more success in the long run if you develop a better understanding of what it is that you’re working and hone your skills a bit before gambling your time, materials, and hopes on finished work.

It certainly can be tempting to just pick up something and see what you can make with it right out the gate. With a lot of home craft materials, polymer clay in particular, you can create a decent completed piece within a day of picking it up. However, the ease of these materials is a bit of a deception. They may be easy to get started with, but mastering them, even just a little, takes time and effort. Give yourself a gift of that time to get to know what you’re working with without the pressure of trying to finish something presentable.

 

Samples to Reference

Mica powders with sample chips

Probably the best way to explore new materials and techniques is to make small samples, ones you can keep and reference as you make decisions for future finished pieces. If the color of the sample is not relevant, you can just use scrap clay. If you use clay straight out of the package, you may also have an option to transform the samples into finished work. Let’s go over all these options.

(Although I’m going to talk specifically about polymer clay, if you work primarily in another material, consider an equivalent process. Consider how you can cut out or form small samples that can be saved as references. See if this clay focused process inspires you.)

For some orderly exploration, sheet your clay and then hand cut or punch cut the sheets into whatever shapes tickle your fancy. Then you can just go crazy with whatever you’re exploring. Use as many of these pieces as you like for each process you’re exploring. Keep the ones you are pleased with, etching with a needle tool or, after curing, writing on the back with permanent marker, what you made them with. Keep cured pieces in a baggie or punch holes in them before curing so you can string them on wire or chain, making them easy to flip through.

If you are playing with textures, mark making, or any kind of tooling on polymer clay, I would suggest sheeting three different thicknesses—the thickest setting, a medium setting, and the thinnest setting on your pasta machine. Then try out each of your experiments at least once on each of the three different thicknesses. Anything that impresses or otherwise moves around the clay will be affected differently by the clay thickness, sometimes subtly but sometimes quite dramatically.

Cure the samples you like, being sure to inscribe or write a note on the back indicating what thickness the clay sheet was along with what made the impression or marks.

If you’re color mixing, sheet the finished color, then punch out a decent sized shape, one that has enough room for you to write down your proportions for that color mix. For example, if you mix a deep rich purple by combining 6 parts cobalt, 3 parts magenta, and one part black, inscribe on the back:

6X blue

3X magenta

1X black

Also include a big initial for the brand of clay (P for Premo, F for Fimo, K for Kato, etc) since colors by the same name in one brand are usually nothing like those colors in another brand.

You can also note proportions visually by punching out a circle of clay, smaller than your mixed sample, from each of the colors you used in the mix. Cut out portions, like pie slices, from each color in proportion to how much was used in the mix to re-create a single circle showing how much of each color was used in the mix. Don’t forget to inscribe your initial for the brand of clay. See the image here for an approximate example of the purple mix above.

Adhere this combination pie to the mixed color shape, punch a hole in the sample, cure, and string on a chain or wire.

(If you are confused about how to figure out the parts aspect of the color mixing, just use a small cutter to punch your unmixed colors out of sheets of the same thickness. Each piece is a part. Use these punched bits of clay to make your mix, keeping track of how many pieces/parts you use to create the color you’re making.)

If you’re playing with a surface colorant, try it on both white clay and black clay or on clay colors you use quite often. It’s a rare colorant that doesn’t allow the clay base underneath to the show through, so trying it on black and white will give you an idea of how the colorant will appear on lighter versus darker colors, not just black and white.

I punch small-ish circles out of white and black sheets of clay, then I cut them in half and put a white half with a black half. I apply the colorant to these splits chips. After curing, I glue them to the colorant’s product container so my reference sample is right on the product. You can see here how well this works for those little mica powder containers, above. I keep them in a drawer with the samples facing up so I can quickly find the color I want.

The best part about all these samples is that while you’re designing a finished piece, you can pull them out and compare them side-by-side to see what works well together. You can also hold them up to a partially finished piece to see what you might want to add. Personally, I can’t imagine working without all my exploratory samples.

 

Turning Discovery into Works of Art

Just a few pendants and beads I made with extra texture samples by reforming and/or adding pin lace layers of clay. You can learn the pin lace technique in the February VAB here. The VAB PDFs are 40% right now too.

Now, for those of you who are anxious to produce something with your time at the studio table, you can take any samples you’re not going to save for reference and create with them. You can add additional layers, reshape, or attach embellishment to your extra samples to easily create pendants, earrings, or brooches. You can also use them for collages or mosaics.

Keep cured samples, even if you’re not going to use them for reference, for further experiments where you want to play with cured clay techniques or to test new glues or sealants. This way, not only is your time not wasted, neither are any of the materials you’re playing with.

 

Give Yourself Permission to Explore

Whatever your inclination, the big take-away here is that in-depth exploration can, and probably should, be a regular part of your creative process. Give yourself the permission and time to do this throughout your creative journey or career, not just when you’re starting out.

Keep in mind, not only does this kind of exploratory time hone your skills, your familiarity and confidence with the processes and techniques grow stronger and faster than they would if you tried to learn just through making finished work. This is because you are willing to take more chances with these scrap samples. They just don’t have the same stakes, right?

And, you know, taking chances with this exploratory sample work should eventually translate into taking bigger risks with your finished pieces. I think, when we take the big risks, that’s when we make the biggest leaps and create the most amazing work. Well, sometimes we make absolute disasters as well, but it’s all part of the process. You’re certainly less likely to have a disaster if you do a lot of exploration first.

Christi Friesen shares unusual and creative mark making in the March Virtual Art Box

So, if you have not let yourself just explore and play with the materials you work with, maybe, this week, you can either set some time aside or make all of your studio time exploration time. Making many of your mistakes in the exploratory phase and not always on completed pieces will make your creative time more efficient, less stressful, and more enjoyable.

 

Texture Hungry?

If you’re one of those who is looking for more ideas and direction on texture, don’t forget we have an entire issue of The Polymer Arts on texture, the Fall 2017 issue. Also check out the mark making focused edition of the Virtual Art Box from March of last year. All Virtual Art Box content that was previously members only is 40% off right now.

 

 

The Last of the March Giveaways

Our month of giveaways has ended, but all your wonderful comments have given me so many ideas for upcoming posts. I thank all of you who commented so very sincerely!

I have one last giveaway winner to announce. Valerie Hall is receiving the last batch of my giveaway Polyform clay. I was very excited about this. Valerie is a very active and giving soul who has been trying to teaching through the great clay shortage of 2020 in any way she can. So it’s fantastic to aid her with this clay package. Congrats Valerie!

This was so much fun. I will try to do this here and there as I receive samples or find opportunities to gather stuff for you. So stick around for more free stuff in the not-too-distant future!


 

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Metaphor and Simile

March 28, 2021
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Christine Damm fits together leftovers from old veneers to create her “Distant Worlds” earring components. Just for fun, what kind of soup would make a suitable metaphor for these? I was thinking Italian Wedding soup!

How often do you use metaphors and similes when you are trying to explain something? I read somewhere that we use metaphor about five or six times a minute. I’m not sure about the accuracy of that number but we do use metaphor in small ways all day long and similes are often our go to option for things that we are having a hard time explaining. Why do we use these so much? Because metaphors and similes help us simplify complicated or hard to grasp ideas. They also help us see old things in a fresh way or make daunting things less intimidating.

Can you think of some things in your life that you would like to simplify, see in a new way, or find less intimidating? I think we all do and our creative time often has many complications and blind spots as the rest of her life. So let’s talk about metaphor and simile in terms of how can help you resolve questions in design.

To ensure the terminology doesn’t get confusing, let’s quickly define these devices.

Metaphor: assigning a word or phrase to something for which it is not literally applicable. For instance, “my studio table is a disaster area,” or “think outside the box.” Certainly, the studio table is not being cordoned off and applying for federal emergency relief, and I do hope you aren’t in a box to start with.

Simile: comparing two unlike things to make an interesting or exaggerated point, usually using the word like or as to make the connection. For example, “my studio looks like a war zone” or “I was as sick as a dog.”

 

Find Your Answers in Metaphors

The idea of metaphors and similes as a device for helping in design came up when I was reading the comments made last week for the giveaway in which I asked what design element people were struggling with. A lot of people are struggling with color which was expected since that is one of the harder elements to master but there was also a lot of concern about size and, most surprisingly, confusion surrounding the use of texture. Of course, this got me thinking about how I can help you better utilize or master these elements. The first things I came up with were metaphors.

So, let me give you a little design lesson on texture, since that’s the one that surprised me the most, with a metaphor.

In terms of techniques, textures are not hard to create, especially if you’re working with something as forgiving as polymer clay. The question seems to be where to use it, how much to use, and how to choose textures for your work. Thinking about this, I came up with a broad metaphor—cooking.

So, think about what you would have to do to throw together a pot of homemade soup. (Even if cooking is not your thing, it’s not so much about whether you can relate as whether you can imagine the equivalences the metaphors draw between art and cooking.) When you start a soup, you make a lot of your big choices up front, such as what kind of base—broth, tomato, or creamy—and then what’s going to go into it, particularly the protein and vegetables.

Your artwork isn’t that different. Your base choice starts with your intention—what you want to make or what you want to express—then you choose the materials you use and some key design elements such as colors marks, lines, surface design, and embellishments.

At the end of the soup recipe is where you usually find the spice. Texture, to me, is the spice. Although I tend to have an idea about what textures I might want in a piece just as I tend to know what kind of spices I think I’ll want in the soup, my process tends to bring in the texture towards the end of the decision-making. Note that I say it comes at the end of decision-making not at the end of the making of a piece since often times materials need to be textured before they are cut or attached.

Now, why would I save my decisions about texture until the end? Well, with soup, spice is what creates a lot of the discernible flavor and can really bring all the ingredients together. So, if we think of texture as spice, use it where this visual or tactile spice will heighten the “flavor” of the piece or, if you have kind of disparate sections, if they all have a similar texture then it becomes more cohesive.

The metaphor even works for the amount of spice or texture you use. Use a lot if you want the spice to be the primary experience the viewer has or keep it subtle or light so that it complements the other elements or helps them shine. Choose textures that work with the other elements just as you would choose spices that go with the proteins, vegetables, and soup base.

Kathleen Krucoff spices up her dangle earrings with a very light rough surface on the silver and a touch of gritty gold texture to bring our eye up from the focal point gems.

For instance, you’re probably not going to throw a bunch of pungent nutmeg and turmeric into a delicate chicken and wonton soup. That kind of simple soup needs some flavor from spice and herbs, but you would be better off with some bright lemon or ginger, maybe a sprinkling of cilantro or shallots. Likewise, if your artwork is pale and delicate, you might not want a deep and dense texture, but something shallow and subtle.

There is one point at which the soup metaphor kind of fails. You don’t actually have to have spice In soup but in artwork, every surface has texture even if the texture is smooth. Still, you can think of smooth textures as equivalent to a soup that doesn’t depend on spice for its flavor. That does mean that all the other ingredients/elements need to carry the design. If you go heavy on the texture, keep in mind that is it will probably overpower, visually, many of the other elements. You know, like cayenne pepper does in a pot of Texas chili!

Okay, so, This metaphor soup for texture will work for some and not for others. For some of you, the idea of texture being spice may have lit a big light bulb over your head and you just left me to run off to your studio table to try some things out. Fabulous! Of course, then there’s a bunch of you who have gotten this far but are scratching your head thinking, “I don’t get it.” That’s okay. Maybe you can find a different metaphor, or you might find similes easier to visualize. There’s Bound to be something that can give the concepts you’re struggling with the structure and simplicity you need.

I’m going to work up some ways to talk more about texture, size, and color over the next few weeks since those seem to be the primary concerns for so many of you. But in the meantime, look to other things you do for potential metaphors that might help you with your approach to various aspects of design, especially things you find easy to do or have a lot of experience with such as gardening, party planning, interior decorating, writing, or putting together the perfect ensemble for a special night out (if any of us can remember what that was like.) Ask yourself, what do I start with, what do I add next, what are the little decisions I have to make to get it to be perfect?

There is a good chance you can find a somewhat equivalent process to plan your designs if you think on it. At the very least, searching for metaphors and similes might bring up some options for a new approach to your work that you would not have seen had you not looked for a metaphor.

 

An Easy Search

If you need more detailed information on various aspects of design right now, go to the blog and use the search box there to find the posts in which we discuss those elements.

Also, did you know that you can search for articles and artists published in any of the Tenth Muse magazines by going to this table of contents page? There is a link at the top of all the magazine sales pages too.

The page allows you to search through the titles of every magazine article published through Tenth Muse, most of which include the subject matter in the title. The listings also include artist’s names and the author of each article. To search the page, use your “find” keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+F in Windows or Command-F for Mac) to bring up a search box that will help you find specific subjects, artists, or authors. Use the simplest version of keywords, (like mokume instead of mokume gane, or transfer instead of transfers) to have the most success in your search.

If you have a collection of The Polymer Arts or Polymer Studio magazines, bookmark the table of contents page so you can find out which issues have the technique, artists, or subject matter you’re looking for.

 

Last Week’s Giveaway

Last week the giveaway box went to Kathleen von Balson. She actually posted about trying to be more subtle in her use of contrast. I just love when the blogs get someone going in the studio and I get to hear about it!

Congrats Kathleen!

(You know, you are always welcome to post comments below or send me an email about what you got out of a blog post, especially if you have suggestions or questions. It helps me determine what to share with you here.)

 

This Week’s Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who took part in last week’s giveaway through comments on the post. I do hope it gave you a moment to think and refocus on design elements you’re struggling with. I think it was really revealing for other readers as well– there were quite a lot of replies to the various comments. So, let’s do this one more time.

The Goodies:

  • This week I have a selection of Sculpey clays in 2 new Soufflé colors, 3 new Premo colors, and 2 big 8 oz. blocks of clay stash basics—Sculpey III in Pearl and Silver. That’s 26 ounces of fresh clay along with a three-piece set of Sculpey silkscreens.
  • Or if outside the US, I have a $30 Tenth Muse certificate, since it would be such a gamble to ship clay outside the US.

How to Win:

  • Put a note in the blog comments* (below), this time letting me know what else besides design elements you’re struggling with in your artwork or creative time. (Yes, I’m using you to give me ideas about what to write about my coming months. I think that will work well for all of us!) It can be one word or a whole explanation.
  • Note: It may take some time for the comment to appear if you’ve not commented before since, due to annoying spamming, I have to approve it .
  • Giveaway winners will be chosen by random—it will NOT be based on your answers. I do hope you’ll give it some thought anyway. The answers could be helpful to you as well as interesting for the rest of us.
  • And let’s say you can only win once this month so we can spread the love around.
  • Get your comments posted by Wednesday March 31st at midnight Pacific time to get in for the raffle.
  • I’ll announce the winner here on the blog next weekend!

 


 

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