You’ve Got to Move It, Move It

What are some of the first choices you make when creating a piece? Do you ask yourself, what colors are you going to use? What forms to make? What textures, what themes, what techniques? Do you ever ask yourself, what kind of movement will this piece have?

Movement is not one of the primary options that come to mind for most people when designing. If movement or kinetic components are not essential to what you are doing, it may not come to mind until much later on, if at all. And yet, in three-dimensional work and especially in jewelry, this is an integral part of the design. Sometimes the idea of movement doesn’t come along simply because it is created through another avenue – visual movement is created by lines while physical movement is created by the chosen construction. But where and how you placed those lines or the choices about the construction are actually choices about movement.

Movement is one of my favorite things about creating in three dimensions. It took me a long time to be brave enough to work in pieces that move. Why does that take courage? Because a piece that moves changes and has not one look but a multitude of looks. We are used to seeing artwork, when on display or in photographs, facing us in one neutral position where it hangs or sits still. But just as sculpture in the round will look different as you walk around it, any object that is worn or used functionally will look different as the wearer moves or the user works with it, especially when it moves and that means you aren’t always going to be able to have complete control over what the viewer of the work will see because movement means a piece will change.

Movement is actually such a big part of design and I have so much to show you on this subject, that I’m going to split this up into two or three posts. Today let’s focus on work that has physical, kinetic movement and in jewelry in particular, but keep in mind that movement isn’t just for jewelry!

 

Moving Right Along

One way to add really dynamic movement that also forces you to just rip the Band-Aid off and give in to the constant change in composition that the movement will create is to dangle a lot of individual elements in a cluster. As you see in the necklace by Natalya Aleksandrova below, the gathering of elements is going to sway and rearrange itself as the wearer moves.

However, unlike the designs of this type that utilize wire, each bead element is on a leather cord looped around a thick collection of cords, a combination that limits the amount of movement since leather on leather does not move smoothly. If this was a single cord necklace, or better yet, a thick metal wire wrapping around the neck, and the elements were attached using metal wire loops, the beads would swing far more freely. Here the beads still move but, for what is normally a very kinetic type of design, that energy will be restrained. I think that actually works in this highly organic design as you rarely see organic elements in nature swinging as freely as these would if on metal loops.

 

The above is really a subtle example of what I think this next piece does really well. You see, you can use your choice of movement to add a touch of realism or connection to the real thing it represents or was inspired by. The feather set below is also Natalya’s work. You can see how well polymer can emulate the texture of a feather, but you know it could never move like one. Breaking these feathers up into multiple sections allows the pieces to flutter and at least harken back to the movement of a feather when on a bird.

 

Necklaces and earrings are not the only pieces that this kind of energetic movement can be added to. The pin you see opening this post is by Celie Fago and was originally created for Dan Cormier’s fantastic Broken Telephone Project. It is not the still little creation one might normally associate with brooches. The leaves of the pin flutter, not unlike leaves on a tree. The light and almost whimsical movement of the leaves plays well with the very open design and its flowing lines which themselves create visual movement (more on visual movement in a week or two).

 

Celie’s work also tends to include a lot of movement, so we’ll look at one more of hers as well, but this time her bracelets. Bracelets move up and down an arm, making movement almost inherent in the idea of a bracelet. Dangles and charms are also not uncommon for bracelets, especially chain types, but they are fairly uncommon for bangle versions. The way Celie adds movement to her bangles is genius – the rings and charms on these bangles move the way the bangle itself would move up and down an arm, like tiny bangles on the bangle. This type of movement creates some of the most dynamic movement you can get in a bracelet.

We’ve been looking at a lot of horizontal or circular compositions for movement but another way to have movement in a design is with a stack of elements that you hinge so they can swing somewhat independently. I love this design because the long vertical automatically gives the piece a sense of strength and boldness—characteristics intrinsic in vertical designs–especially when it’s really long. The movement as a kind of sophisticated energy because instead of pieces swinging in multiple directions, the whole line tends of beads or elements tend to move together.

Below is a piece by Carla Benedetti, with each component being attached to the one above it by jump ring hinges. The whole vertical line of elements will swing side to side and forward and back, fluidly, and all together. Using relatively large elements gives this vertical stack some weight which pulls the whole piece against the body when the wearer is upright and helps to keep the pieces lined up as it swings. In other words, the composition of this piece really doesn’t change even though it will move and sway. This allows for all the elements to be easily seen and gives you more control over the composition that the viewer will see while still harvesting the energy that movement imparts.

Let’s make this a two-pieces-per artists-post with a second piece by Carla! Another way to add movement while holding onto the composition somewhat, is to create layers of chains or beads that can move individually or altogether, to varying degrees. Multi-strand necklaces like the one below gives you the opportunity to change up and create contrast between the strands with both the forms, elements, type of strand, and even how much each one can move. For instance, the chained strands on here will move much more than the densely beaded ones. As a result, this piece has more dynamic energy than Carla’s vertical composition above, but the construction keeps it from being just a jumble.

 

I’m telling you there is so much to this whole movement in design thing. There are tons of examples of movements in pieces that are not jewelry, but I don’t seem to have time for that this post. Let me get a bunch of those together for you for next week and then maybe we’ll get to visual movement after that if we are all still having just a ton of fun with this.

 

If You’re Feeling Moved

I strongly believe that all choices in a piece of art should be intentional in order to bring out all the potential that your design has and, of course, that includes deciding how much, if any, movement your piece will have.

You can start thinking about movement now by looking at pieces that you’ve previously created or designs you have in progress on your table or in your sketchbook. Ask yourself, “Does this have movement or stillness and how well does that fulfill the need of the design?” Or, “Would this benefit from more movement, less movement, or no movement?”  If you can get yourself to regularly think about movement in your work, you’ll be thrilled with the many options you have to add energy, atmosphere, and interest in your pieces. All you need to do is think about how movement should or could play into your designs to have a myriad of new possibilities suddenly open up before your eyes.

 

All Quiet on the Home Front

Strangely enough, I very little to report on the house and health situation. This is not to say that I’ve not been extremely busy, because I have. Getting this house back together is quite the huge task and there are dozens upon dozens of little things that need to be taken care of, things that might be barely noticed by others except if they were not done or finished properly.

I have started to feel some work withdrawal, however, and I think it’s keeping me up at night because some nights I just can’t fall asleep even though I don’t have anything overly stressful on my mind. I think I just feel a little out of touch. Thank goodness I have this blog to look forward to so I can connect with all of you!

 

Last Days of the DAMAGE SALE

 

The last few days I actually did do a fair amount of work although it wasn’t in production or writing. We had our Damage Sale and, holy moly, was that crazy! We sold out of half the stock in the first two hours. I think that may be a record!

Feeling bad for anybody who didn’t get to read the newsletter right after it was sent out, I went through the unopened boxes in my storage space, opening and pulling out many of the so often damaged first and last copies in the boxes, and found some publications that took some damage during shipping that was unnoticeable until boxes were opened.

So, the sale items were restocked some and even today there are still a decent number of magazines and books, in slightly imperfect condition, that are available for up to 60% off. You can get to the sale page here.

The sale will go on through Wednesday September 11th, or until all items are sold out, whichever comes first. I only sell the imperfect copies for one week each year because it’s a bear to track them separately from the other items on an ongoing basis, so you’ll want to grab these deals now while they are still available.

 

Well I am off to work on the Mosaic backsplash I am creating for the kitchen. I promise to share that when there’s any real visual progress but right now it’s just a lot of cutting little tiles. Do enjoy the rest of your weekends and have a beautifully inspired and moving week!

 

Fond Goodbyes to Winter

I was traveling this past week, otherwise I would have posted earlier about the passing of our iconic Elise Winters. I’m sure you have heard the news through other avenues that her battle with cancer ended on New Year’s day but I wanted to post a farewell here.

Although I did not know her well, we did talk and in our few conversations, I found we had some differing views but the details mattered little as we were on the same team, wanting to promote and raise the view of polymer to the level of a fine art wherever we could. My efforts have been tiny ripples to her tremendous waves, however. Elise is the reason we have polymer art in so many museums and, especially, holding its own at the esteemed Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin where polymer is one of the six categories of craft that the museum has placed its focus on. We have so much to thank her for.

Elise’s work is readily recognizable and has never been well replicated. Her combination of Skinner blends and crazed acrylic stripes were coaxed into some of the most unusual and unexpected shapes and forms. Although her ruffled and pillow forms were some of her most widely known pieces, I have always thought the piece you see here was one of her best. It’s a brooch from 2006 called Skinner Inner Brooch. This has a much more direct and grounded energy than her well-known ruffles and its inner reveal of a bull’s-eye cane gives it another dimension, bringing us to consider what is underneath, beyond the beautiful surface.

Movement and energy of this kind were paramount in her artwork and, as we have seen, also in her passion and drive to make polymer a recognized fine art material. I hope there are enough of us to amass a similarly zealous energy to continue the work for which she paved such an integral path for our craft. Thank you, Elise.

For a look back at this legendary artist, jewelry designer, and polymer art advocate you can visit her website here.

From Winter into Spring …

I would also like to put out a reminder that the first issue of The Polymer Studio is set to go to print at the end of this week. If you would like to get the first print copies straight from the printer, be sure to purchase your subscription or single issue pre-order by this Wednesday, January 9th, to get on the direct mail list we give to the printer. The issue will be released on January 19th in digital.

You can look forward to …

Tutorials

  • Kitchen Sink Imprint Mokume by Julie Picarello
  • Magical Phoenix Feather by Christi Friesen
  • Martian Footprints Necklace by Anna Malnaya
  • Swoop Pendant by Beatrice Picq
  • More is More Fimo Bracelet by Jeannette Froese LeBlanc
  • Mosaic Stained Glass Canes by Linda Leach
  • Shimmering Scenery Pendant by Sage Bray

Tips

  • Mix a Near and Far Color Palette with Tracy Holmes
  • Mix it Up with Embossing Powders with Debbie Crothers
  • Creative Studio Organization Ideas by our Staff

Inspiration

  • Studio Tour: Small Spaces in Germany with Anke Humpert
  • In-Depth Artist Profile: Julie Picarello
  • Uncommon Clay Artist Profile: Travis Suda

… and much more!

Get your subscription here at www.ThePolymerStudio.com or www.TenthMuseArts.com.

 

Shimmer and Swirl

December 21, 2018

This bit of drama in silver is not, of course, polymer, but just look at the textures and possibilities!

The drama comes from the swirling motion initiated by the ammonite shell but this artist team, Sergey Toritsyn and Svetlana Larina, selling under the shop Art-Dreams on Livemaster, have ramped up the energy with a variety of textures and lines that move off the central body of the work. The bezeled stones help to put the brakes on this just enough to keep it in the barely contained state but that just adds to the beauty and satisfying feeling of the movement in the piece. The shimmer of the ammonite interior also helps to anchor our eyes towards the center so that our eyes wander from the sparkle and shimmer to the swirling wire to the stones and back to center again.

The piece is a great example of well-composed movement in jewelry as well as being an intriguing piece to just visually investigate. From the lined-up granulation in the center to the bits of color under the wires near the base of where most of them start (enamel, I think), there is just a ton of detail to take in and admire.

This is the most complex piece of theirs that I found but they have plenty of other work to admire on their Livemaster page here.

Dark Beauty Descending

October 26, 2018

Dark and creepy can be so astonishingly beautiful, as evidenced by this amazing piece by Forest Rogers.

This polymer and epoxy sculpture, Octopoid Descending, recently won the Chesley Award, a recognition of the best work in the realm of Fantasy and Science Fiction, for best three-dimensional work in 2018. I got my start selling polymer art in this market so I keep a fond eye on it.  After years of seeing the work created in this genre, I am still constantly floored by the imagination and creativity of these artists. Being so wholly unlimited in what one can create, without the boundaries of real world visuals or expectations, can certainly free the imagination!

Forest’s sculptures are intensely dynamic and visually kinetic. This suspended sense of movement is one of the signature characteristics of her work and probably the primary thing that makes you stop and stare. Then once you get beyond that, you can get lost in all the details of her work. It looks like every millimeter was given serious and careful consideration. You can admire that kind of dedication to the quality of the work, even if tentacles kind of creep you out.

See more of Forest’s breathtaking work on her website and follow her on Facebook to see her work-in-progress.

Beautifully Strung Along

October 3, 2018

There has been a wonderful variety of wall art popping up lately, using a number of interesting techniques, many involving inventive mosaic applications and a kind of polymer marquetry. Although they all stand out for one reason or another, I don’t think they jump out at you the way the unique look of Joe Barbaccia’s work does.

Joe developed an illustrative technique based on using tapered strings of polymer clay. He wrote a wonderful article in the Winter 2014 issue of The Polymer Arts about his technique including step-by-step details on how he creates his pieces. It takes planning and patience but the result is a gorgeous, vibrant texture that flows and moves throughout the change in value and form of the images.

He has quite a number of really stunning new pieces, many showcasing newer polymer applications for him including the marquetry-like background behind this beautifully composed fox. The large swatches of color really make the texture and movement of the fox stand out. Joe also has a wonderful eye for the juxtaposition of color, creating high contrast as well as subtle gradations in such a way as to make the work come alive with a sense of light and form that his limited palette and choice of application might make difficult but for his well-trained eye.

Joe has been stretching his techniques as well as his market in what looks to be a very successful series of endeavors. Just take a look at his website gallery to to see what he has been up to.

 

Small Circles of Joy

August 29, 2018

Something else that really speaks to me is an expression of simple joy. Think about some of the favorite moments in your life. They aren’t always—maybe are not even usually—the big elaborate parties or exotic trips. They tend to be little things like that morning your granddaughter snuck out of her bed to come curl up next to you because she was so excited that you were visiting. It’s the time you and your sister laughed so hard at something the dog did that you literally fell out of your chair. It’s the wonder you feel that day in spring when the first flowers show themselves. Simple little joys are such disproportionately delightful and treasured things.

I can’t say for sure that the emotion of simple joy is what Denada Palla intended when she created these sweet little earrings but I can’t imagine, if it’s not, that it’s not something related. The stems the flowers stand on are not straight but wiggle just a little bit like they are starting to dance. The red poppies float to the top of their little canvas like they’re ready to fly off. The movement created by the imperfection of the lines and the proximity of the edge contributes greatly to that sense of joyfulness, as does the not-quite-alike pair. The uncomplicated design keeps that joy front and center.

Denada hails from Greece where she creates simple, floral-inspired jewelry which she sells on Etsy. Her sense of fun and, that which I interpret as joy, comes across on her Facebook page as well.

Inside a Glass Tower

July 20, 2018

Since we got on a glass kick this week, I rummaged through my outside inspiration board on Pinterest and came up with this fantastic artist who I have long wanted to share with you.

Jean Fernandes was born in India but was raised both there and in California. After graduating with a Masters in Glass from the University of Texas at Arlington, she became an award-winning emerging artist and winner of a 2015 Niche award.

And it’s no wonder. Just look at this simple but mesmerizing cast glass tower she created in 2015—its interiors look almost alive with movement. The basic shape and grayscale color palette allows the interior lines and undulating forms to captivate us without distraction. The vertical shape relies on a sense of strength, as vertical forms and lines do, adding to the monumental feel of this piece even though it’s only 16 inches high.

Jean considers herself a multimedia artist although glass has been her primary medium. To quote her from an interview in 2015, “Often, I work with glass because of its conceptual flexibility and duality. It has the ability to be fragile or strong, transparent or opaque, stiff or flexible, etc. and acts as an excellent metaphor in my work. The properties of the media are often integral to my work; I’ve used yarn for its softness and strength, ice for its temporality, wax for its ability to melt when introduced to heat, etc. and all of these qualities often play a large role in the concept of the piece I am working on.”

This brings up an interesting thought that I’ve discussed with several artists recently and that is whether our art is defined by our medium or do we work with the mediums that help us to define our art? I think those who put the artwork first may often find themselves working in various mediums simply because they’re looking for the materials that help them realize what they want to express. It’s wonderful that polymer’s versatility can fulfill many artistic needs so readily, but I thought I’d take this moment to remind us that we can, and should, use other mediums when it helps us express what it is we want to put out there in the world.

Take a look at more of Jean’s work on her website here.

 

Spring as a Work in Progress

March 26, 2018

Spring has sprung, and we are seeing all kinds of colorful, foliage-focused artwork as well. Bonnie Bishoff just completed this wall piece called Murmuration. We see leaves moving like water in a series of flowing, organized lines. Behind it, the more conventional colors of water swirl and rush in opposing directions to further energize the composition.

This is just another example of Bonnie’s penchant for movement. It’s why she made the cover of our movement-themed issue in the summer of 2016. Get a copy to check out her gallery page and short biography as well as to take in all the articles about adding movement to one’s designs if this is of interest to you.

I look forward to seeing what she will do with the framing and hanging of this piece. But for right now we’re just privileged to get this sneak peak. You can follow Bonnie on Instagram and the work she does with her partner, J.M. Syron,  on their website.

A Bead Cubed

June 8, 2017

How about just a little bead beauty from the consistently wonderful Sarah Shriver today while I amble down the road?

Six canes constructed into a cube that is both turned on its side and has had its corner’s tweaked makes for a beautiful simple bead design. Just those two changes to the upright and steady cube has created movement due to its relative instability, facing the world with but one point down, and direction since the slight sweep of the sides slides our eye out to the point of the cube corners and beyond. And let’s not forget the lovely lines of the canes themselves that add to both the movement and directing of the viewers eyes beyond the constrains of the cube.

Apparently, Sarah will be teaching this Celtic cane on the Alaska Polymer Clay Cruise, the “Clayditarod” coming up next month. I was not able to discern if spaces are left for what is certain to be an amazing polymer adventure but you can check out the details and query as needed on the cruise website here. And for more splendid Sarah Shriver work, jump over to her website here.

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Polymer in Flight

June 20, 2013
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I have to confess that the movement idea for this week wasn’t something I came up with on my own. Denise Graham, who works in polymer “clay paintings” and has been very sweet to share work beyond what she has contributed for the Wall Art articles you’ve seen in the present Summer 2013 issue (and will see more of in the upcoming Fall 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts magazine), sent me this intriguing piece you see here. The idea of flight and its emulation in the breezy hanging strands that outline flight’s most iconic creature was what triggered the idea for this week.

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The floating dove piece is large — 6′ x 5 1/2 ‘! It’s rare to see something in polymer that big, but why not? Polymer makes wonderful components from which you can create larger work. And with its light weight, it makes a great material for kinetic sculpture that is dependent upon changes in airflow, like this piece.

Denise has been thinking outside the box in polymer ever since she moved from watercolor to this new and amazing medium. She presently has several classes on CraftArtEdu teaching her clay painting techniques. Although these are not classes on kinetic sculpture, they teach you another option for using polymer in a painterly way. From still life to water to clouds & starry skies, Denise’s classes may open up a whole new world for you — and that can be quite ‘moving’!

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Kinetic Fun

June 19, 2013
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Yesterday we touched on ways to add visual movement to your work; but visual is only way one to add the excitement of movement to artwork. Kinetic design involves creating work that actually moves due to the way it is used or where it is displayed.

Jewelry lends itself to kinetic design quite easily since it is displayed on a person and we do expect people to move about, providing the motion that engages that part of the design. If you are familiar with Alice Stroppel’s fun and whimsical work, you probably do not find it surprising that she has played with kinetic design. Here is a necklace the uses both visual movement (in the lines of the canes) as well as actual movement. Part of the whimsy here is in how the dangling beads will dance back and forth and the whole set can move on the main cord as the wearer moves about.

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Dangles are a pretty common method of adding movement to jewelry. Allowing the whole focal set here to move quite freely along the neck cord will just add to the sense of liveliness and fun in this piece. Such additions to the design aren’t hard to implement as you can see by Alice’s basic engineering here. If you have a piece that you want to add a little liveliness or whimsy to, something as simple as dangling beads can do that quite easily for you.

 

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Mesmerizing Movement

June 18, 2013
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Visual movement usually consists of some kind of directional lines. These lines don’t have to be straight. They don’t have to all be the same. They don’t even have to be repeated. But what they do need is to be emphasized in some manner that makes the viewer focus in on them.

Swirls as well as lines that meet at a point are very strong components for creating visual movement because they highlight a single point of focus where the swirl ends or the lines meet.  In other words, the line draws your view, making your gaze ‘move’ across the piece to those single points. And your eyes will keep wanting to do that. This is where the sense of movement comes from. You can see both these in Keila Hernandez‘s beautiful Plum Blossom necklace. 

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In Keila’s flowers, the points of focus are in the middle where the lines of the caning bring us. These centered focal points give us reassuring positions of stability, but the swirls on the outside keep pulling the eye back out and actually create repeated points of tension where the paired swirls meet. It makes the flowers feel very lively.

Repetition is another way to increase the visual effect of lines suggesting movement.  One flower would still give a sense of movement because of the lines used, but seeing this effect repeated across the necklace compounds it. Do you get a sense the flowers are almost swirling themselves?

If you are interested in the effect of line on the sense of movement, be sure to read last year’s Fall issue articles on Rhythm and Repetition.

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A Giveaway and Introduction to Movement This Week

June 17, 2013
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This week I want to focus on the idea of movement in your artwork. Movement can be either a kinetic design (having parts that move as an integral part of the design), or a visual sense of movement. But before we move onto that, I’ve got a new little feature for you all.

Nearly every day I get an email, a card in the mail, pingbacks/notices or a comment on the blog with tips, ideas, thank yous for the blog and the magazine, as well as people who are just out promoting The Polymer Arts projects of their own accord. It’s hard to convey just how heart-warming and encouraging these notes and notices are to me, knowing that readers are taking time out of their busy lives to direct me to new information, help promote what we do here or just to let me know that TPA is making a difference.  So I have this idea. Although I won’t be able to acknowledge everyone, I’d like to take time on at least one blog a week to bring these helpful and enthusiastic readers to your attention. It would be my way of saying thanks as well as helping show all you readers just how supportive this community can be. I hope seeing this will encourage you all to to reach out and add to that support or take advantage of it when you need help and encouragement.

This week, I want to give away four back issues (winner chooses any four in print, or digital if preferred) to one of our enthusiastic readers. I’ll draw a name from the folks who help spread the word about our latest issue, Summer 2013’s Mixing it Up, and the flipbook sampler that is now up on the website. This little flipbook has sample pages from the latest issue for those who haven’t decided to get their own copy yet. If you have a guild member site, a Facebook page, Twitter account, Pinterest board, or blog that you know polymer people watch, I’d be ever so grateful if you’d share this fun little teaser. There are several other flipbook sampler issues available on the same page on The Polymer Arts website. Just post this share-able link, www.thepolymerarts.com/SampleIssues.html, and/or right click and “save image” using the image below.

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To get in on the drawing for the four back issues, email me or post a comment to this blog post with a link to where you posted the information. You’ll be helping encourage other aspiring polymer artists, as well as giving yourself a chance to gain any issues you might be missing in your collection. On Sunday, I’ll share some of these links and reveal the winning reader for the giveaway!

Be sure to check in tomorrow; we will investigate movement in polymer art for the rest of the week. We have some really beautiful and unusual pieces to share and hopefully inspire you with!

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The Challenge of Changing Earrings

April 16, 2013
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Alright, more construction chatter. I thought I’d go for the hardest form to talk about … earrings. Mind you the construction of earrings themselves are not usually challenging but that’s the point. What else can you do with them but create a bead of some kind and attach an ear wire or a post? Finding something different to share … THAT turned out to be quite a challenge.

So let’s think about this.  What about the earring form is different from all other adornment? Well, two things come to mind … for one, they are usually made in pairs and secondly, they are the only standard type of body adornment that doesn’t go ‘around’ a body part. We have two ears so we think we need two earrings because of the symmetry inherent in the pair of ears that they will adorn. So that is the first area we can push … the symmetry. I’ve seen quite a bit of this kind of thing–a pair of earrings that are related in form and color but are not alike. Have you ever tried that?

That is not so much about construction as about the type of design you choose. The second unique characteristic is the fact that earrings hang off the ear in some manner, so they have the potential for movement as well as being seen from nearly all sides. Can we push the construction to exploit these characteristics? (Because it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t ask you to consider pushing an idea!)

With earrings you have all this open space below an ear to work with and when the wearer moves, the earring can move through all this space. So why not exploit the possibility of movement? This might require a few more connections, maybe a row of beads or multiple dangles. There will need to be some consideration of how they will hang from the post or ear wire if there are multiple parts. But this could be fun.

So this is what I found for you. Talk about movement! Here we have the polymer not only able to swing in the space below the ear but this eclectic jewelry artist, Sunitha Lal, makes more space within the polymer, space from which additional pieces can swing and move as well provide areas of attachment to hang additional beads.

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The chandelier style of earring here is not that unique, certainly not in metal work. But in polymer, creating space as part of the design is not utilized quite as often. I imagine much of that has to do with consideration for strength but also it may simply be out of habit, some kind of standard that we’ve established whereby we expect to make solid pieces to dangle from our ears.

If you have any unusual earring constructions, I’d love to see them. Perhaps we can share a few at the end of the week. Just write me directly at sbray@thepolymerarts.com.

And if you want to expand your repertoire of ear wires and findings, don’t miss our next issue in which we have a whole article on that very subject. Subscribe or renew at www.thepolymerarts.com to ensure you don’t miss out!

 

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Reading Weather in the Swirls

April 9, 2013
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For me, swirls and curls represent, more than anything, the liveliness of Mother Nature, especially the drama of changing weather which is very much the theme here for us today in Colorado.

I grew up in Los Angeles where I think they pay Mother Nature to stay away as much as possible. Here at the foot of the Rocky Mountains we get all kinds of weather, often several wide variations in the same week if not in the same day. Yesterday it was warm enough for shorts and sunbathing but by evening we were getting blizzard warnings. It can be rather exciting and amazing to see clouds spilling over the mountain peaks in billowing curls, the swirl of leaves and dust on the sidewalks as the storm builds then the twisting fall of the snow as it comes down. Quite inspiring I have to say.

This piece of Daniela D’Uva‘s  (same piece, four views) also reminds me of the power of weather. It could be seen as the icy blue of a harsh winter wind or the swirling pools on the side of a rushing river.

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The repetition of the curling lines, echoed in the winding wire creates nonstop movement, the motion becoming an element of repetition unto itself. The near saving grace here, that which might keep us from being overwhelmed, are the three almost too small beads of blue. A touch larger or with more contrast and the beads would provide a solid resting point for the eye. I’m not saying it needs that, not if Daniela wants us to feel a little overwhelmed and lost here. It is certainly matching the crazy weather outside my window today.

Daniela is quite the master of polymer and wire work as well as completing some of the most interesting ‘back sides’ in polymer jewelry. If you’re stuck inside or just want a break from work, take a minute or two to look over the gorgeous work on her Flickr pages.

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Dynamic, Dancing Sculpture

February 28, 2013
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As you know, polymer is particularly popular among figurine and art doll sculptors. And so is the passive stance of the figures. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this … a figure posed standing still and looking off into the distance is often the best way to show the character and emotive facial expressions of the subject. When sculptures convey actual movement though, the effect can be almost mesmerizing.

Mark A Dennis is an accomplished doll sculptor with a tendency towards dynamic, movement based compositions. This piece below, “Sky Dancers” is a gorgeous example of instilling a kinetic feel to stationary figures.

Sky Dancers 3

 

Movement in sculpture is all about the lines. The lines in this case are in the bend and flow of the figures’ torsos and limbs with emphasis and focus brought to this through the the swirl of the fabric. Establishing single or connected flowing lines gives us the sense that the single moment portrayed keeps going, off the composition into the surrounding space and off into that next moment of time we easily imagine follows this frozen one.

If you want to learn  more about using lines to convey movement and direction, see the Fall 2012 issue of The Polymer Arts where both flow and repetition are discussed at length. You can also check out more of Mark’s work on his website here.

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Spiraling Color

October 24, 2012
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Movement in art is often times instilled with the use of lines just as they are in the earrings below by Carol Blackburn. But along with the lines, there is also a feeling of movement due to color changes.

The movement is not just from a cool blue to a warm brown but there is also a sense that time is working its way up the spirals from the tip, much like the browning edges of leaves to the clinging brights of a deep sky that has not given into to the change. It’s an interesting and intriguing color combination that emphasizes the active lines of the spiral polymer strips.

If you find the form of these pieces intriguing as well, Carol just released her class on these Shell Earrings on CraftArtEdu.com. Perhaps its time to try arranging your own spiraling colors.

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