Put a Little Heart Into It
April 13, 2017 Inspirational Art
Here is what caught my eye today. I decided to peruse Flickr this time and came upon the pages of Anna Kokareva (aka Annie Bimur) and although there were a lot of pieces to grab my attention, it was this pair of not quite matching earrings with the heart just hanging out among all the crackle that really grabbed me.
I was a little thrown by that initially since I’m not much of a heart girl but the contrast of the simple sweet heart in all that texture really spoke to me. The uncomplicated things in life, like pure love and joy, set against a back drop of chaos … this is often what life is like, isn’t it? We just have to stop and appreciate the beauty within the bedlam. And in this case, we can appreciate the differences between the two earrings and probably find a smile on our faces when the little heart catches us by surprise.
The one thing I would improve is actually the background of the image. It is usually better to use a contrasting background, especially where texture (and color) is concerned or your work can blend too much with it, as it tends to here.
More little surprises as well as a riot of color and texture can be found on Anna’s Flickr photostream.
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Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
_________________________________________
Outside Inspiration: Reflecting Subtlety
October 3, 2014 Inspirational Art
Although earrings are commonly made as two of the same exact design, this is no steadfast rule and a little change up to this standard can be just what is needed to make a pair stand out on the wearer. Mirroring the design is a very simple and subtle way of doing this.
Simple and subtle is also the hallmark of enamel artist Angela Gerhard whose echos of both ancient and contemporary design are melded into quietly balanced, yet stunning pieces of art jewelry. These earrings with their mirrored design would frame the wearer’s face rather than simply being separate, but duplicate accents dangling from the ears. Mirroring in earrings allows for balance between the pairs while creating asymmetrical designs, effectively getting you out of the centered standard while creating a still matching pair.
Although Angela’s website was down due to a server move as of the writing of this post, you can find more of her work on her online store and more photos and news about her work on her Facebook page.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Spinning Off
March 8, 2014 Inspirational Art
For this Saturday, here is a bit of fun asymmetry composed from elements not aligning. In this case, these earrings by Elvira Krick consist of incomplete circles whose breaks sit at different positions make the line kind of rock back and forth. But then, free them from hanging in the same flat plane as shown in the right side image, and you have a number of new asymmetrical compositions and, still with a kinetic feel to them.
Elvira hails from Amsterdam where she creates jewelry from a variety of materials including glass beads, metals, and fiber as well as polymer clay. Check out more of her work on her Flickr page and in her Etsy shop.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Outside Inspiration: Hanging Felt
March 7, 2014 Inspirational Art
Asymmetrical composition is common in every artistic area so choosing just one for today’s outside inspiration was tough. This necklace has been on one of my Pinterest boards for a while though so this seemed like a great chance to share it.
Felted jewelry is becoming more common and the felters are getting quite creative. I like this example by Nadine of Dans Mon Corbillon, not because it’s the most creative but because of it’s intricacy and use of other materials including beads and what I think are feathers. It’s just so full of varied textures. The variation and asymmetrical arrangement could have looked a bit too chaotic but I think it comes across as rather celebratory instead, the way nature can get at the peak of the season when all the foilage and flowers are taking over. (and those of us in the Northern hemisphere are sure looking forward to that!)
You can look at more of Nadine’s gorgeous work on her Flickr site and her blog.
By the way, the Spring issue of The Polymer Arts came out today. If you are due a digital issue but it’s not in your inbox, look in your spam/junkmail folder as they can be sometimes be routed there. If you are waiting on a print issue, they were sent to the post office in Idaho on Wednesday to be processed so most people will be getting those next week or the week after if you are in the east or far south of the States or overseas. Due to cuts in postal services a few issues took over three weeks in the US and some places in Europe last time but be patient. They are on their way!
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Bringing it Back to Center
March 6, 2014 Inspirational Art
Although this pin by Kay Bonitz is asymmetrical, the pin uses the rule of thirds that we innately identify as balanced. The rule of thirds is a theory that says we recognize beauty and balance in images and objects whose proportions can be split into thirds. Our bodies are composed of elements that are built primarily on mirrored parts but all our limb to torso proportions and many facial proportions can be broken down into thirds which is why we likely identify with other items with proportions in thirds. In this case, Kay also has added further balance by using the feathers to create a center focal point.
Kay, who is a retired accountant, has moved from counting numbers to counting beads. She is actually a beading artist who embellishes her polymer clay creations with beads and feathers. You can see more of her work and learn more about this artist on her website.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Disconnected Balance
March 5, 2014 Inspirational Art
This stunning necklace, titled “Eleganz”, by Ingrid Ulrich is another example of asymmetry in design. This German artist uses a wire form to create a unique one-of-a-kind wrap necklace that has to balance both visually and physically!
With a limited color palette, Ingrid uses textures and finishes to add depth and volume to the individual elements to form a cohesive whole. She uses a synthetic clay (Künstlerton) and fires it at a constant temperature for 60 minutes to give this necklace its strength and rigidity. She mixes her finishing techniques so that some of the surfaces are polished to a high shine and others are a matte finish.
For a more in-depth look at Ingrid’s work, take a look at her website and her Flickr pages. She is fascinated by polymer clay and says, “It livens up the fantasy and gives therapy to the soul, but it also makes addictive to more and more perfection.”
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Aysmmetrical Balancing Act
March 4, 2014 Inspirational Art
So, yesterday I very briefly started talking about how balance is at the center of well produced asymmetry. Here is a piece that works more toward a feeling of tension rather than being well-balanced.
In this piece, Margaret Polcawich has mixed wood and polymer clay. The strength of both materials is highlighted in the design as well as the asymmetry. The metal arm leans out to one side while the stacked shapes struggle to lean inward and in the opposite direction. There is a kind of balance in the juxtaposition of the components’ visual movement, even though that movement seems more of a struggle than an harmonious existence. But the piece is named “Temporary” and so the feeling that the balance achieved is only momentary fulfills that idea.
This Maryland artist is not only a sculptor but also a furniture designer. She calls furniture our most accessible sculpture. She explains, “While studying sculpture in college, I began utilizing the chair as a metaphor for the human figure, and have been drawn to functional art ever since.” You can see her furniture, mixed media jewelry and polymer clay accessories, along with some great Mokume
Gane tutorials, on her website.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Here is what caught my eye today. I decided to peruse Flickr this time and came upon the pages of Anna Kokareva (aka Annie Bimur) and although there were a lot of pieces to grab my attention, it was this pair of not quite matching earrings with the heart just hanging out among all the crackle that really grabbed me.
I was a little thrown by that initially since I’m not much of a heart girl but the contrast of the simple sweet heart in all that texture really spoke to me. The uncomplicated things in life, like pure love and joy, set against a back drop of chaos … this is often what life is like, isn’t it? We just have to stop and appreciate the beauty within the bedlam. And in this case, we can appreciate the differences between the two earrings and probably find a smile on our faces when the little heart catches us by surprise.
The one thing I would improve is actually the background of the image. It is usually better to use a contrasting background, especially where texture (and color) is concerned or your work can blend too much with it, as it tends to here.
More little surprises as well as a riot of color and texture can be found on Anna’s Flickr photostream.
_________________________________________
Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
_________________________________________
Read MoreAlthough earrings are commonly made as two of the same exact design, this is no steadfast rule and a little change up to this standard can be just what is needed to make a pair stand out on the wearer. Mirroring the design is a very simple and subtle way of doing this.
Simple and subtle is also the hallmark of enamel artist Angela Gerhard whose echos of both ancient and contemporary design are melded into quietly balanced, yet stunning pieces of art jewelry. These earrings with their mirrored design would frame the wearer’s face rather than simply being separate, but duplicate accents dangling from the ears. Mirroring in earrings allows for balance between the pairs while creating asymmetrical designs, effectively getting you out of the centered standard while creating a still matching pair.
Although Angela’s website was down due to a server move as of the writing of this post, you can find more of her work on her online store and more photos and news about her work on her Facebook page.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Read More
For this Saturday, here is a bit of fun asymmetry composed from elements not aligning. In this case, these earrings by Elvira Krick consist of incomplete circles whose breaks sit at different positions make the line kind of rock back and forth. But then, free them from hanging in the same flat plane as shown in the right side image, and you have a number of new asymmetrical compositions and, still with a kinetic feel to them.
Elvira hails from Amsterdam where she creates jewelry from a variety of materials including glass beads, metals, and fiber as well as polymer clay. Check out more of her work on her Flickr page and in her Etsy shop.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Read MoreAsymmetrical composition is common in every artistic area so choosing just one for today’s outside inspiration was tough. This necklace has been on one of my Pinterest boards for a while though so this seemed like a great chance to share it.
Felted jewelry is becoming more common and the felters are getting quite creative. I like this example by Nadine of Dans Mon Corbillon, not because it’s the most creative but because of it’s intricacy and use of other materials including beads and what I think are feathers. It’s just so full of varied textures. The variation and asymmetrical arrangement could have looked a bit too chaotic but I think it comes across as rather celebratory instead, the way nature can get at the peak of the season when all the foilage and flowers are taking over. (and those of us in the Northern hemisphere are sure looking forward to that!)
You can look at more of Nadine’s gorgeous work on her Flickr site and her blog.
By the way, the Spring issue of The Polymer Arts came out today. If you are due a digital issue but it’s not in your inbox, look in your spam/junkmail folder as they can be sometimes be routed there. If you are waiting on a print issue, they were sent to the post office in Idaho on Wednesday to be processed so most people will be getting those next week or the week after if you are in the east or far south of the States or overseas. Due to cuts in postal services a few issues took over three weeks in the US and some places in Europe last time but be patient. They are on their way!
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Read MoreAlthough this pin by Kay Bonitz is asymmetrical, the pin uses the rule of thirds that we innately identify as balanced. The rule of thirds is a theory that says we recognize beauty and balance in images and objects whose proportions can be split into thirds. Our bodies are composed of elements that are built primarily on mirrored parts but all our limb to torso proportions and many facial proportions can be broken down into thirds which is why we likely identify with other items with proportions in thirds. In this case, Kay also has added further balance by using the feathers to create a center focal point.
Kay, who is a retired accountant, has moved from counting numbers to counting beads. She is actually a beading artist who embellishes her polymer clay creations with beads and feathers. You can see more of her work and learn more about this artist on her website.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Read MoreThis stunning necklace, titled “Eleganz”, by Ingrid Ulrich is another example of asymmetry in design. This German artist uses a wire form to create a unique one-of-a-kind wrap necklace that has to balance both visually and physically!
With a limited color palette, Ingrid uses textures and finishes to add depth and volume to the individual elements to form a cohesive whole. She uses a synthetic clay (Künstlerton) and fires it at a constant temperature for 60 minutes to give this necklace its strength and rigidity. She mixes her finishing techniques so that some of the surfaces are polished to a high shine and others are a matte finish.
For a more in-depth look at Ingrid’s work, take a look at her website and her Flickr pages. She is fascinated by polymer clay and says, “It livens up the fantasy and gives therapy to the soul, but it also makes addictive to more and more perfection.”
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Read MoreSo, yesterday I very briefly started talking about how balance is at the center of well produced asymmetry. Here is a piece that works more toward a feeling of tension rather than being well-balanced.
In this piece, Margaret Polcawich has mixed wood and polymer clay. The strength of both materials is highlighted in the design as well as the asymmetry. The metal arm leans out to one side while the stacked shapes struggle to lean inward and in the opposite direction. There is a kind of balance in the juxtaposition of the components’ visual movement, even though that movement seems more of a struggle than an harmonious existence. But the piece is named “Temporary” and so the feeling that the balance achieved is only momentary fulfills that idea.
This Maryland artist is not only a sculptor but also a furniture designer. She calls furniture our most accessible sculpture. She explains, “While studying sculpture in college, I began utilizing the chair as a metaphor for the human figure, and have been drawn to functional art ever since.” You can see her furniture, mixed media jewelry and polymer clay accessories, along with some great Mokume
Gane tutorials, on her website.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Read More