Obsession with Curls and Swirls

One of the ways I manage to keep up with blogging daily is to keep a list of links to interesting art I find in my many forays down the internet highway as well as those sent by staff and readers. I noticed today as I looked over some options that my list consisted heavily of pieces with curls and swirls and spiraling things. We even had a couple curly things last week. It got me to thinking … what is it about the curly swirlies that we like so much? Okay, yes, I may have a penchant for them but the links that I have include work sent from others and come from what I run across just randomly. So what is it?

Well, from a design standpoint, curls, swirls and things that spiral to a center make for very strong focal points. These elements are made up of directional lines that take you from an outside point into a center or a more tightly wound end point of the line. Your eye can’t help but follow these lines from outside to inside or to the end point. Even when grouped in multiples where they may make up a pattern rather than draw your eye to a primary focal position, the feeling that each curl is trying to draw your attention makes for a very dynamic visual.

I’m thinking I’ll take the next few days to ponder several variations of this element from what I have on my list. Today let’s take a look at the spiral lentil … haven’t we all made one or a hundred (or at least contemplated making them?) And have you ever meet a skillfully made swirl lentil you didn’t like? It would be hard to speak of swirl lentils and not bring up our community’s master swirler, Laura Timmins. I’ll let her provide the example of a wonderfully dynamic grouping of swirls in this very organic necklace.

That brings to mind another reason we may be so drawn to the encircling elements … they are so very common in nature. From curling vines to swirling tornadoes to winding tentacles to nautilus shells to the whorls of our fingerprints … these lines are familiar and present all around us. And we will always be drawn to the comfort of the things we recognize as familiar.

But back to polymer … if you’ve not attempted a swirl lentil before or have had limited success, you may want to check out this very clear tutorial by Desiree McCrorey. Her instruction and tips could have you making any number of these beauties below in no time.