Small Steps

July 21, 2019

A little warning: this post is not going to be strictly about art as usual and you’ll understand why if you’re up for reading my little mental prattle today. Just thought you ought to know!

Has anyone ever told you, when something particularly difficult has happened to you, that it was just the way things are meant to be? Do you believe that’s true? Or do you feel a little inclined to smack the messenger? It’s ok … pain, be it physical or emotional, can make you grumpy in a way that cheery, little encouragements just can’t dissipate.

So, yeah, I’ve been a little grumpy this week. My arms are getting worse and I’m not sleeping well because this really worries me. I’m certain I am going to need to take some kind of break to let them heal but being the one full-time person in my business, taking a break can wreck a production schedule. It really makes me appreciate my arms! My arms and hands are my busy little helpers. I can’t do layout without them. I can’t touch up photographs without them. I can’t work with polymer clay without them!

Luckily, I can write without them because of speech-to-text software, as buggy as it can be sometimes. So today I’m mostly going to talk at you, literally, from my end, to save my arms which are taking care of the last tweaks needed to get the magazine files to the printer tomorrow. So, forgive me for the lack of in-depth artistic information and imagery. That takes several hours of research and my mouse finger is about done in.

So, yeah, I’m hoping you’ll indulge me as I share with you what has been on my mind, you know, from one creative to another. I know many of you are small business owners or super-solopreneurs trying to make a living or supplementing your income with your art, with no additional support. If you couldn’t upload to your online shop, schlep all those boxes to the art fair, or pack up those orders, who would? There is certainly nobody who can design and make your artwork for you so if you lose the ability to do so, even for a short time, what in the world would you do?

This, of course, is where my brain has been going, worrying about the situation with my arms. To calm my worries, I’ve been telling myself that whatever I’m going to need to do to heal is going to be a necessary thing in my life, not a barrier or a hurdle or any type of calamity. I do think we end up where we need to be when we do not struggle against what we know in our gut to be the right course of action. I think that we do become tuned into the things that we need when we acknowledge the need for change. We often just don’t see opportunities or understand what is possible until we are ready for them.

So, I am wondering, if I need to take a break, what can I do with that time? And, in the process of pondering this, it has struck me is that I have not had the opportunity, in the nearly 10 years I’ve been doing polymer centric publications, to ask myself what I would do if I could not do print production. And, yes, my thoughts have gone there because although I am hoping the doctor is going to advise a reasonable break of three or four weeks, I’ve done some research and know there’s a possibility that my tendinitis has progressed into something that’s going to take much longer to heal from. And just asking myself those questions has revealed to me that I’ve not really reviewed what I’m doing and why for quite a long time. And maybe this is happening now because that is what I need– to take an honest view of my life.

I am sure I am not the only one who could use a little internal review. Have you had the opportunity to ask yourself recently if you’re happy doing what you’re doing? And I’m talking careers, relationships, living situations, as well as a creative life. Do we continue to do what we do out of inertia or because we love it or because we just don’t have time to stop and think about it?

I know it’s hard to carve out time to take a good honest look at our lives on a regular basis, but shouldn’t that be a priority? I know couples whose anniversaries are not just a time to go out to dinner and celebrate but, rather, are a time to discuss and assess the relationship. They asked each other “Do you want to stay with me another year?” I know one couple that’s been doing that for over 30 years. After that long, it seems silly to ask but I do think it wonderful that they take the time out to pose the question so that if they are at all unhappy maybe they can do something about it before becomes a problem. Maybe, we should all be doing that with every aspect of our lives. Maybe right after the busy season or on New Year’s Day – whenever in your life you know you will have some downtime each year – we can ask ourselves, “Am I happy with my life and how I am living it?”

Is it me, or does the prospect of asking that sound downright scary? What if the answer is no? I get a little twist in my stomach thinking about it. Is that because I’m afraid to of the truth or afraid of the prospect of needing change?

I’m not sure. But I am going to take the time to ask myself that question this week when I get to take a breather from production. So, if the answer is “no”, then that is the first step towards making necessary changes. I can already say that I’m not happy about the physical pain I often find myself in so I do know I will be working on that. But none of us should be afraid to ask ourselves such a question. If a change needs to be made, it doesn’t have to be drastic and it doesn’t have to be immediate. You can start by making just teeny tiny changes towards it.

The idea of making minuscule little changes comes from something I read about a process called the Kaizen method. This was developed primarily for use in business to create more efficient procedures. It seems to be rooted in the idea that you aim to create change through a series of very small steps. The Idea is that when we are faced with a big change, it’s scary and daunting and we tend not to get started working towards it because of that. But if you just change one very small thing every day, or every week, something so minuscule it would be silly to say you couldn’t do it, you will be making progress towards the change you want or need and will eventually, almost effortlessly, get there.

So, what if we took an honest look at what we’re doing with our lives and a close look at the things that don’t make us happy or causes pain and do just one teeny-tiny little thing today to put us on the path to the change that we need? And better still, tell someone you’re going to do it. Because if you say something like “I’m going to massage my arm for thirty seconds every morning before I get to work, no matter how busy I am,” (Yeah, that was mine early this week …) to your spouse or your best friend, how in the world can you tell them that you couldn’t take thirty seconds out of your day to do that? And if you reward yourself as well (I sat by the pond and watched our pretty fish while I did it), you’re even more likely to do it.

Okay, I know you don’t read this blog for motivational self-help talk but this was on my mind and if it’s on my mind as a person trying to figure out how to live a creative life and survive it, I figure it’s going to strike a chord with a few of you as well. I hope you didn’t mind.

There is a direct artistic process correlation buried in these ideas. For one, you really should ask yourself on a regular basis if you’re happy doing the kind of work that you’re creating. For instance, I’ve been antsy to get back to doing some fiber work, not just polymer, but being entrenched in polymer art day in and day out, it’s rather hard for me to think in terms of fiber design but if I get a break, I think it may do just that. And then I’ll combine the polymer, I’m sure.

And taking tiny steps… You can do incredible things one tiny bit at a time. Take a look at the Cynthia Toops and Chuck Domitrovich pin opening this post. She drops in one little chip of polymer at a time – a tedious procedure, I’m sure. But I’m also sure that as the image emerges, Cynthia becomes more and more motivated to complete the piece. And the result is gorgeous. I can only imagine how satisfying it is to complete such an intense piece. And that’s what change would be like, done one teeny tiny step at a time.

And really, our life is not made up of big events and monumental changes. It is primarily made up of all the small steps, the minor decisions, the little nudges, and all the little utterances we put out there. The small steps are what get us to the big and momentous occasions. So, hurrah for all the teeny tiny steps we make. Let’s try to keep the ball going in the right direction.

I’ll let you know next week what the doctor says. Don’t worry… I promise I will not disappear. There is nothing I would rather do than inspire the artistic and creative in people. If I need any help, I’ll let you know. I do tend to post calls for content and assistance on my personal Facebook page so if you’re at all inclined, you’re welcome to friend me there at www.facebook.com/s.sagebray

In the meantime, I hope you have a beautiful, creative, and inspired week!

 

 

Orient your Contrast (+Sitewide Sale)

June 2, 2019

Have you ever looked at a piece that you are creating and think, it could use a little more contrast? And when you think of contrast, what do you turn to? Colors? Light or dark values? Maybe texture? How about, next time you’re looking for more contrast, you consider orientation?

In most work, there is a perceivable orientation of the pieces, marks, and edges. If everything is going in the same direction –vertically, horizontally, or some version of diagonally – there is a constant and strong flow in that direction which can be a wonderful way to convey certain emotions or levels of energy, but mixing it up can increase the energy of your work when it needs that extra boost.

I was thinking about that this week because we finally determined a suitable tile design for our new shower. The go-to design for shower accent tile is running it horizontally towards the top of the wall, although vertical lines have become a thing of late. I don’t particularly like either, but then I came up with the idea of having both – a vertical run of accent tile down the middle of the faucet wall and a horizontal one on the opposite side where we created a sunken ledge. I came up to this when it hit me that we had only been considering contrast in terms of tile color and not the orientation of those swaths of contrasting tile.

So, I thought this week we could look at contrast of orientation in polymer art. It can be such a simple thing to tweak in a design and yet it can make a huge difference in the feel, dynamics, and focus of the work.

 

Orientation versus Line

I think we need to define a couple of terms before we dive in here. As you’ll see, I’m going to use the words “orientation” and “line” a lot in this post, but I don’t want you to get confused and think of them as the same thing in terms of design.

Let me start out being the master of the obvious for a moment by defining those terms: Orientation is the relative position of an object or element from a particular viewpoint while a line is an element that follows a singular path and whose path can have an orientation. For instance, a bean pod lying on the counter has a horizontal orientation. The seam of the pod, on the other hand, is a line, which, following the length of the pod, will have the same horizontal orientation as the pod’s shape. Crack open that seam and you have a horizontal row of beans as well, even if each bean is sitting up (so each bean itself has a vertical orientation.) That’s because a row is a visual line. However, each item in a row will have its own orientation as well.

In other words, most everything will have its own orientation, including lines, but lines are not the only thing that has an orientation. Their orientation just happens to be very prominent and lines are a common and highly employed design element so I end up pointing them out a lot here.

Below is a more interesting example than a bean pod (although I found this while looking for polymer bean pods because Shelley Atwood, the creator of this pair of earrings has also made bean pod earrings!) Here there are a lot of vertical elements. The overall shape, the snakes of clay, and the row of balls are all vertical. However, the texture on one side runs horizontally within the vertical shape of the earring. And with that, she’s created contrast in orientation.

So, all you have to remember is that a line will have an orientation, but a shape, mark, or edge, also has an orientation. Orientation is like a bigger, more general characteristic of an element while line is just one type of element. Is that all a bit much for a Sunday morning? I wasn’t aiming to take you to class but there you have it!

 

Cases for Contrasting Orientation

Let’s start with a simple but high contrast example in orientation. This pendant by  Kseniya of Etsy shop Solar Bird has a vertical shape but is heavy on the horizontal lines. The contrast in orientation carries this piece. It takes a simple construction – a stack of extruded canes – and creates the energy this contemporary, understated piece needs. The contrast between surfaces (the horizontal lines versus the stack of concentric circle cane ends) creates interest but such a pendant would not have had as much presence if it had been a simple square or an equilateral triangle as those lack the contrast of the vertical shape against the horizontal lines we have here.

 

Here is another way to work with a vertical shape and introduce contrast in orientation. These polymer and metal earrings by Sue Savage include vertical polymer shapes with diagonal lines in the treated polymer and in the wire, creating a very dynamic, kind of spinning feel to the set.

 

The elements in Jeffrey Lloyd Dever’s work is a constant study of variation in contrasting orientation. His pin in the opening image of this post has elements that are strongly opposed in orientation. However, how the brooch is worn determines the level of contrast and how it feels when looking at it. If the long central body of the brooch is set vertically or horizontally the individual spines create a high opposing, and thus contrasting, orientation. If set on a horizontal, like it is in the image, it becomes a series of opposing horizontals which isn’t quite as stark a contrast. Isn’t that interesting?

There is one design element on that pin, and in his assemblage piece below, that does not have an orientation but is integral to the design, slowing down all that contrasting energy and giving the eye a place to rest. I bet you can identify what that is.

As you might have noted earlier, I said that “most” objects have an orientation. Well, you are now seeing the one type of object that does not – a symmetrically round one. A circle or a ball has no top or bottom, no sides, no vertical, horizontal, or diagonal edges. It is one continuous curve. Because of that it visually sits still. It is grounded and yet imbued with mild energy. That’s why circles, dots, and balls make such great focal points. So, if you going to go high contrast with lines or orientation, and it feels like it needs to be reined in, a round element may be just what you need. With every type of orientation included in the brooch assemblage above, the ball is needed to anchor all that energy, give it focus, and provide a place for the viewer’s eye to rest.

 

Let’s look at a more subtle use of orientation that is still high contrast. Sonya Girodon loves contrasting verticals and horizontals, sometimes in very obvious and stark ways, but other times her dedication to these absolute orientations is set in a more understated manner.

In the necklace below, most elements are involved in both horizontal and vertical orientations. The horizontals appear as marks on the clay but are also present in the row of staple-like wires, the two rows of circles (the horizontal emphasized by the lines running through them), and in how the vertical marks are lined up. The staple wires themselves are vertical as are many of the marks and the overall shape of the pendant. This high contrast in vertical versus horizontal within the elements that make up this piece creates a tremendous amount of energy but it is softened and contained by the curve of the central shapes and the circles which, again, create a focal point.

 

I think by now you must be getting the idea. You can switch up the orientation of elements such as shape, line, and marks to increase, decrease or anchor the energy of your designs. I think we all inherently know this, but how often do you make a conscious decision as to how the various components or elements in your work will sit in relation to the others? I think this may be one of those too often neglected design decisions. But maybe now it won’t be glossed over next time you sit down at your studio table.

 

I am going to have to leave it at that this week. I have much to do as I prepare to run off to Australia next weekend. I am going to put together something for you to have on the weekends while I’m gone and, with any luck, I’ll be able to sneak in some pics from the trip as well. But as those of you who travel internationally a lot know, you just can’t count on Internet connectivity. And I could really use some unplugged time.

 

Important Info in Our Recent Newsletter

In the meantime, if you got our recent newsletter or if you are a reader of our other publications (thank you so much for your support of our projects!), be sure to read about the upcoming increases in USPS shipping and why it has become so very important to keep us up-to-date on any change of address.

There is some fantastic news in that newsletter as well – we are having a sitewide SALE! Go ahead, stock up, and take 10% off everything in your cart. Head over to our website here by Thursday (June 6th) and use Promo code Now10.

If you don’t get our newsletter, you can see this edition here and sign up for it on our home page (scroll down … it’s on the right side) here.

 

We have walls!

For all you fabulous and funny people who are still interested in the house progress here, we have walls and floors and many fewer holes! We still don’t always have a hot shower so we have to get that figured out and soon. But we have had some warm days for the first time in I don’t how long, so it’s been a good week. But the constant checking in with the contractors and this whole designing of the shower tile has eaten up a ton of time so I must run off. It’s a working Sunday for me, which is kind of sad, but it’s going to be worth it when I am snorkeling through the Great Barrier Reef and shooting pictures of curious creatures on Kangaroo Island!

 

In the meantime, stay inspired, keep creating, and enjoy a wonderful first week of June!

 

One Element at a Time

February 3, 2019

I don’t know if you have ever considered, or found important, the fact that most polymer art is a collection of elements constructed into a single piece. Yes, I know I am stating the obvious here but consider the fact that most polymer art is put together in such a way as to make the individual elements blend into a cohesiveness whole. Have you ever considered that maybe each element can be its own little piece of art, even if it’s to be a part of something bigger?

If you make the work about each individual elements and not the single composition they are part of, you should be able to give yourself more freedom in the creative process. The idea would be to just focus on the single component in front of you without regard for the other parts it may eventually be joined with. Since you don’t have to consider any other elements you should be able to just let your mind and hands go play. You could, in fact, just create tons of individual pieces and then pull together the ones that you find relate and from that create a finished piece. There would be no pressure to make things work together or fit. Does that sound intriguing?

 

Elemental Artists

There are a lot of artists that do this almost exclusively. When Debbie Crothers creates, a finished piece is usually the last thing on her mind. She is in love with seeing what the material will do and spends most of her time playing and exploring. Once her stock builds up, or just whenever the bug bites her, then she will create finished pieces of wearable art.

Recently she has also been incorporating her love of found objects as you can see in the image above. This is just a part of a very long necklace of Debbie’s. (The whole of which I’ve not seen her posted anywhere but will be featured in the upcoming Polymer Journeys 2019 book. Look for pre-sale announcements this coming week.) Each individual component definitely stands on its own here since each individual polymer and found object component is framed. But you can also see, if you look at her work on Facebook or on her website, that her pieces are almost always a variety show, one that features the results of her exploration and just having fun with the clay.

Another cool thing about this type of artwork is that the viewer will probably want to look at each and every individual component. Just the variety heightens the interest in these kinds of pieces which means the people viewing it will spend more time looking at it and more time appreciating your work. That can really help in terms of sales too because the more time someone spends looking at a piece the more likely they will be to want to buy it.

I think this kind of intrigue born of variety may be the primary draw when it comes to the jewelry of Olga Ledneva. This piece you see here is a bit more dense and has more potential movement than her newer work but I thought it was also a good example of how all these pieces, together, create a textural canvas since they are all kind of dangling on top of each other, and yet, as cohesive as it feels, you still want to look carefully at each piece in the assembly. Olga’s Facebook page and Flickr photostream are good places to look around for other assembled element ideas.

I know those  two ladies make some pretty interesting and complex components but don’t think you have to go to that extent. The individual elements you create in this process can be as simple as punched out squares such as you might see in one of Laurie Mika’s mosaics. I am such a fan of this kind of free-form collage work, one that allows you to simply show off the characteristics you love about working with clay. You can assemble bits of your alcohol ink treated sheets, mokume gane, complex canes, impressed clay components, or hand sculpted forms. A mosaic or even a necklace of just simple shapes can let those treatments and colors shine, each on their own.

Of course, this approach isn’t just for polymer clay. This brilliant green assemblage necklace by an artist known only as Gebrufa is all fabric and fiber, although some components could as easily have been polymer. My guess would be that she gave herself just the restriction of a limited color palette but otherwise made all the individual pieces as whimsy led her. Should you want to know that you can have a cohesive finished piece when you are done freely creating components, this kind of approach would give you a path to that while still creating with relative freedom.

 

So, have I got you thinking about the individual elements of your pieces in a different way now?

Planning and meticulously designing pieces is essential in many circumstances but letting yourself just explore can also be an important part of your artistic growth as it helps to free up and expand your creativity. Letting yourself just play can be hard to do when you don’t have a lot of time and you want the time you do have to result in finished pieces. Knowing you can focus on making great little individual components which you can later put together into a fabulous necklace or wall piece might just be the thing that gives you the license to let go and doodle away with your clay.

 

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO:

  • Want to CLAY OUT EAST or CLAY OUT WEST? Registration for both of this multi-instructor, 4 day workshop events are open now. Clay out East is in Atlantic City, New Jersey, June 12-15th and Clay out West will be held Sept 30 – Oct 3 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here is the link for the East event’s registration. I couldn’t scare up a link for the West event registration but you can email them at clayoutwest@aol.com to get the details.
  • Did you catch the “Make Your Own Silkscreens” article in the Summer 2018 issue of The Polymer Arts? It was so much fun to make these and right now, the company that made it so fun and easy, EZScreenPrint if having a 15% off sale but it ends today! Go here, and use coupon code JAN15. No minimum purchase required.
  • Did you know that Poly Clay Play has a Shopping Discount Club? If you go through a lot of supplies (or just tend to get overly excited around polymer clay and tools and want to buy everything you see) this discount club could help in big ways. PCP is one of my favorite shops, especially for pastes, powders, and alcohol ink. She gets them all! Go here to check out the club deal or just shop around.

Always glad to get your feedback!

Last week we did some history, this week was about how you approach your work. Did you like the subject and did it get you thinking? Or do you thoughts on other things you’d like for me to research and write about? Just let me know. Write me in the comments below this post (click here if you are reading this in an email).

 

Organic Projects & 10% off Everything

October 29, 2018

So it is finally here! The Polymer Art Projects—Organic book ended up being a huge project, wonderfully so, due to all the dedicated and talented contributing artists. Doing them all justice with a beautiful, easy-to-follow layout while getting in all the details they wanted to share was my challenge but with the help of my fabulous and patient team, I have to say I think we have a unique and visually stunning book to share with all of you.  All the wonderful art collected in this way was bound to be eye-catching but even the step-by-step photos reveal a surprisingly beautiful look at the bones beneath the work these artists have refined. I absolutely fell in love with the collection and I am hoping you do, too.

The slide pin you see here is one piece from the book that hasn’t made the rounds yet as we promoted this book so I thought I’d let you get a closer look at one more item you could make from these tutorials. It was the very last one to make it to layout because, well, this artist always goes in last … me! I haven’t made a lot this year between all the publications and the injuries and such but I’ve been working on this rippled clay texture for a couple of years now, finding the ruffled wood-like border texture accidentally along the way. So now I am really excited to share these easy-to-accomplish techniques as they have plenty of room in them to play with and perfect to your liking.

So, if you pre-ordered the book, then your copy is either in your inbox (digital editions were released Saturday) or on its way to your mailbox. If you didn’t, you can get a copy now and just for this week get 10% off the book AND shipping. And, heck, take 10% off anything else you throw into the cart including the back issues of Polymer Journeys 2016 (which is already on sale) and back issues of The Polymer Arts.

Use promo code PAP10 to get your 10% discount at this link, good through Sunday November 4th.

No tricks, just treats here!

Elevating the Squiggle

September 17, 2018

I recently realized that I don’t think I’ve ever talked about the lowly squiggle. But who doesn’t like a well-done squiggle? I guess it’s hard to take it seriously with such a silly-sounding name but the sound of the word itself describes it so well.

I myself am very fond of squiggles and apply them throughout my work, primarily as accents, but some people take the squiggle to wonderfully elevated levels as the central theme of their piece.

This pin by Petra Nemravová is an excellent example of the squiggle stealing the show. The organization of these wonderfully unruly squiggles brings a regular rhythm to their organic movement. It reins in the rambling energy that this kind of squiggle contains. The bright array of colors, which could also get out of hand, is held in check by a regular graduation from one color to the next, helping to create an energetic but contained feeling.

Petra is such an advocate of bright colors and cheerful compositions. Enjoy a stroll through her colorful world on her Flickr photostream. She is also the genius mind behind the wonderful selections found in the online polymer shop Nemravka, serving the European polymer and craft communities and beyond.

A Day for Dots

September 3, 2018

In the US today, it is Labor Day. It’s a day to recognize and honor our working citizens. And we do… Most people get the day off as a thank you. Unless you work for yourself and your “boss” is a slave driver. I will join in our tradition of barbecues and games later but I’m working hard and wrapping up the fall issue, finally. It looks fantastic and will be a great send off to The Polymer Arts title. The release date has been set for the 22nd! You can preorder on The Polymer Arts website for the single issue.

In the meantime, whether you are in the US and join the holiday or elsewhere working, I thought I’d share a little something to do when you settle down tonight. I’ve seen these pins by syndee holt before but didn’t realize that Polyform had posted a video tutorial for them. What a fantastic and eye-catching texture this technique creates.

As syndee mentions in the video, this type of work is very relaxing and meditative as well as resulting in a beautiful polymer sheet to cut and use as you please. Her method does require the use of the pearling tool produced by Polyform but if you don’t have the pearling tools, use small hole punchers and seed beads. Click the image to go to the video.

So I’m going to leave you in the capable hands of syndee holt while I go get some more work done before I get a chance to play. Also, you can follow syndee’s experiments and ideas on her blog here. Enjoy your Labor Day or I hope you’ve enjoyed your Monday!

 

 

Coloring Outside the Usual

June 8, 2018

As much of a focus as Ellen and Sue have on polymer art at Creative Journey Studios, they make plenty of room for other types of beautiful craft mediums.

This work here is by one of the other craft artists they show and sell at the studio, Deb Karash, who works with metal and, surprisingly enough, colored pencil. Her reasons for choosing this combination of mediums sounds much like what many of us say about working with polymer.  In her words, “drawing on metal provides a surface that is unique and can’t be achieved any other way. Colored pencil drawing allows me to blend colors and create patterns that are uniquely mine. I draw on metal because it is strong but easily formed. I create jewelry because I appreciate the intimacy of an art form that is worn on the body and that, historically, carries emotional weight.”

Her colors and forms might even impress one as polymer at first glance, making her work a possible source of inspiration for designing in polymer clay. Take a look at more of her pieces, and drink in more of her beautiful color, on her website and her Facebook page.

Creature Faces

May 2, 2018

The faces that draw our attention in artwork do not have to be human. They don’t even have to be real creatures. Anything with an eye will jump out at us as a focal point. If there is an eye then we recognize the presence of another consciousness, or at least our primitive brain does, and so we have to check it out.

Artist Valeria Myrusso created this amazing bird pin, choosing to give it these big black beads for eyes that you can hardly pull away from. But please do. The work around it is beautiful, intricate, flowing, and regally dramatic with its golds and reds.

Valeria works with a lot of faces although she seems primarily focused on intricate, filigree-like work in her sculptural polymer. Go take a look at her delicately sculpted creations in the extensive gallery on her website and Instagram.

And yes, I know, I somehow picked two artists with the same first name, both from Russia, working in very similar styles this week. Initially, I wondered if they are the same person but my research says they are not. I don’t pay any attention to where the artists are from when I pick art for the posts. Most of the time I don’t know until I’ve completed the research. Either the work fits the theme and what I’d like to discuss or it doesn’t.  I can tell you that, particularly in polymer, people from the same area often create in similar styles—I imagine it is rooted in similar cultural influences.  If we are most strongly influenced by our local culture than looking outside of it would certainly give us a wider pool of inspiration which should help us develop a unique style.

Just know that I’m not partial to any one part of the world. We’re all one big community as far as I’m concerned.

 

Can’t Miss Ron

February 9, 2018

No technique, no cane, no scrap is safe from the creative machinations of Ron Lehocky. And apparently neither is the admiration of so many, many people inside and outside the polymer community. Ron may have a big focus on hearts and creates them in just a few shapes but he never stops exploring what he can do on his little canvases. Dropping in to see what he has created recently is always a treat and an inspiring reminder of how many little things can make a huge difference in so many people’s lives.

If for some reason you are not familiar with Ron’s crusade to help ailing children, he raises funds through the sale of his hearts for a center that aids in the ongoing education of these children’s caregivers and physicians. Here is a video where he explains how this came about as well as how to make these beautiful hearts.

Ron uses canes and mokume blocks kindly donated from artists from all over to quickly create these little masterpieces, occasionally creating his own surface treatments. In the image here, starting with the iris hearts and going clockwise, he used canes from Jayne Dwyer, Jon Stuart Anderson, and Ivy Niles. The last set shows his own surface designs using metallic powders.

If you have some special people you want gifts for this Valentine’s day, Ron’s hearts are ideal. He doesn’t create special orders as much of his work depends on what he’s been sent but any one of them would be lovely to give or own. You can find a list of the places they are sold as well as how to order them by email by going to this link.

If you want to admire his many pieces, the best places to go are his Instagram or Facebook accounts.

Small Steps

July 21, 2019
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A little warning: this post is not going to be strictly about art as usual and you’ll understand why if you’re up for reading my little mental prattle today. Just thought you ought to know!

Has anyone ever told you, when something particularly difficult has happened to you, that it was just the way things are meant to be? Do you believe that’s true? Or do you feel a little inclined to smack the messenger? It’s ok … pain, be it physical or emotional, can make you grumpy in a way that cheery, little encouragements just can’t dissipate.

So, yeah, I’ve been a little grumpy this week. My arms are getting worse and I’m not sleeping well because this really worries me. I’m certain I am going to need to take some kind of break to let them heal but being the one full-time person in my business, taking a break can wreck a production schedule. It really makes me appreciate my arms! My arms and hands are my busy little helpers. I can’t do layout without them. I can’t touch up photographs without them. I can’t work with polymer clay without them!

Luckily, I can write without them because of speech-to-text software, as buggy as it can be sometimes. So today I’m mostly going to talk at you, literally, from my end, to save my arms which are taking care of the last tweaks needed to get the magazine files to the printer tomorrow. So, forgive me for the lack of in-depth artistic information and imagery. That takes several hours of research and my mouse finger is about done in.

So, yeah, I’m hoping you’ll indulge me as I share with you what has been on my mind, you know, from one creative to another. I know many of you are small business owners or super-solopreneurs trying to make a living or supplementing your income with your art, with no additional support. If you couldn’t upload to your online shop, schlep all those boxes to the art fair, or pack up those orders, who would? There is certainly nobody who can design and make your artwork for you so if you lose the ability to do so, even for a short time, what in the world would you do?

This, of course, is where my brain has been going, worrying about the situation with my arms. To calm my worries, I’ve been telling myself that whatever I’m going to need to do to heal is going to be a necessary thing in my life, not a barrier or a hurdle or any type of calamity. I do think we end up where we need to be when we do not struggle against what we know in our gut to be the right course of action. I think that we do become tuned into the things that we need when we acknowledge the need for change. We often just don’t see opportunities or understand what is possible until we are ready for them.

So, I am wondering, if I need to take a break, what can I do with that time? And, in the process of pondering this, it has struck me is that I have not had the opportunity, in the nearly 10 years I’ve been doing polymer centric publications, to ask myself what I would do if I could not do print production. And, yes, my thoughts have gone there because although I am hoping the doctor is going to advise a reasonable break of three or four weeks, I’ve done some research and know there’s a possibility that my tendinitis has progressed into something that’s going to take much longer to heal from. And just asking myself those questions has revealed to me that I’ve not really reviewed what I’m doing and why for quite a long time. And maybe this is happening now because that is what I need– to take an honest view of my life.

I am sure I am not the only one who could use a little internal review. Have you had the opportunity to ask yourself recently if you’re happy doing what you’re doing? And I’m talking careers, relationships, living situations, as well as a creative life. Do we continue to do what we do out of inertia or because we love it or because we just don’t have time to stop and think about it?

I know it’s hard to carve out time to take a good honest look at our lives on a regular basis, but shouldn’t that be a priority? I know couples whose anniversaries are not just a time to go out to dinner and celebrate but, rather, are a time to discuss and assess the relationship. They asked each other “Do you want to stay with me another year?” I know one couple that’s been doing that for over 30 years. After that long, it seems silly to ask but I do think it wonderful that they take the time out to pose the question so that if they are at all unhappy maybe they can do something about it before becomes a problem. Maybe, we should all be doing that with every aspect of our lives. Maybe right after the busy season or on New Year’s Day – whenever in your life you know you will have some downtime each year – we can ask ourselves, “Am I happy with my life and how I am living it?”

Is it me, or does the prospect of asking that sound downright scary? What if the answer is no? I get a little twist in my stomach thinking about it. Is that because I’m afraid to of the truth or afraid of the prospect of needing change?

I’m not sure. But I am going to take the time to ask myself that question this week when I get to take a breather from production. So, if the answer is “no”, then that is the first step towards making necessary changes. I can already say that I’m not happy about the physical pain I often find myself in so I do know I will be working on that. But none of us should be afraid to ask ourselves such a question. If a change needs to be made, it doesn’t have to be drastic and it doesn’t have to be immediate. You can start by making just teeny tiny changes towards it.

The idea of making minuscule little changes comes from something I read about a process called the Kaizen method. This was developed primarily for use in business to create more efficient procedures. It seems to be rooted in the idea that you aim to create change through a series of very small steps. The Idea is that when we are faced with a big change, it’s scary and daunting and we tend not to get started working towards it because of that. But if you just change one very small thing every day, or every week, something so minuscule it would be silly to say you couldn’t do it, you will be making progress towards the change you want or need and will eventually, almost effortlessly, get there.

So, what if we took an honest look at what we’re doing with our lives and a close look at the things that don’t make us happy or causes pain and do just one teeny-tiny little thing today to put us on the path to the change that we need? And better still, tell someone you’re going to do it. Because if you say something like “I’m going to massage my arm for thirty seconds every morning before I get to work, no matter how busy I am,” (Yeah, that was mine early this week …) to your spouse or your best friend, how in the world can you tell them that you couldn’t take thirty seconds out of your day to do that? And if you reward yourself as well (I sat by the pond and watched our pretty fish while I did it), you’re even more likely to do it.

Okay, I know you don’t read this blog for motivational self-help talk but this was on my mind and if it’s on my mind as a person trying to figure out how to live a creative life and survive it, I figure it’s going to strike a chord with a few of you as well. I hope you didn’t mind.

There is a direct artistic process correlation buried in these ideas. For one, you really should ask yourself on a regular basis if you’re happy doing the kind of work that you’re creating. For instance, I’ve been antsy to get back to doing some fiber work, not just polymer, but being entrenched in polymer art day in and day out, it’s rather hard for me to think in terms of fiber design but if I get a break, I think it may do just that. And then I’ll combine the polymer, I’m sure.

And taking tiny steps… You can do incredible things one tiny bit at a time. Take a look at the Cynthia Toops and Chuck Domitrovich pin opening this post. She drops in one little chip of polymer at a time – a tedious procedure, I’m sure. But I’m also sure that as the image emerges, Cynthia becomes more and more motivated to complete the piece. And the result is gorgeous. I can only imagine how satisfying it is to complete such an intense piece. And that’s what change would be like, done one teeny tiny step at a time.

And really, our life is not made up of big events and monumental changes. It is primarily made up of all the small steps, the minor decisions, the little nudges, and all the little utterances we put out there. The small steps are what get us to the big and momentous occasions. So, hurrah for all the teeny tiny steps we make. Let’s try to keep the ball going in the right direction.

I’ll let you know next week what the doctor says. Don’t worry… I promise I will not disappear. There is nothing I would rather do than inspire the artistic and creative in people. If I need any help, I’ll let you know. I do tend to post calls for content and assistance on my personal Facebook page so if you’re at all inclined, you’re welcome to friend me there at www.facebook.com/s.sagebray

In the meantime, I hope you have a beautiful, creative, and inspired week!

 

 

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Orient your Contrast (+Sitewide Sale)

June 2, 2019
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Have you ever looked at a piece that you are creating and think, it could use a little more contrast? And when you think of contrast, what do you turn to? Colors? Light or dark values? Maybe texture? How about, next time you’re looking for more contrast, you consider orientation?

In most work, there is a perceivable orientation of the pieces, marks, and edges. If everything is going in the same direction –vertically, horizontally, or some version of diagonally – there is a constant and strong flow in that direction which can be a wonderful way to convey certain emotions or levels of energy, but mixing it up can increase the energy of your work when it needs that extra boost.

I was thinking about that this week because we finally determined a suitable tile design for our new shower. The go-to design for shower accent tile is running it horizontally towards the top of the wall, although vertical lines have become a thing of late. I don’t particularly like either, but then I came up with the idea of having both – a vertical run of accent tile down the middle of the faucet wall and a horizontal one on the opposite side where we created a sunken ledge. I came up to this when it hit me that we had only been considering contrast in terms of tile color and not the orientation of those swaths of contrasting tile.

So, I thought this week we could look at contrast of orientation in polymer art. It can be such a simple thing to tweak in a design and yet it can make a huge difference in the feel, dynamics, and focus of the work.

 

Orientation versus Line

I think we need to define a couple of terms before we dive in here. As you’ll see, I’m going to use the words “orientation” and “line” a lot in this post, but I don’t want you to get confused and think of them as the same thing in terms of design.

Let me start out being the master of the obvious for a moment by defining those terms: Orientation is the relative position of an object or element from a particular viewpoint while a line is an element that follows a singular path and whose path can have an orientation. For instance, a bean pod lying on the counter has a horizontal orientation. The seam of the pod, on the other hand, is a line, which, following the length of the pod, will have the same horizontal orientation as the pod’s shape. Crack open that seam and you have a horizontal row of beans as well, even if each bean is sitting up (so each bean itself has a vertical orientation.) That’s because a row is a visual line. However, each item in a row will have its own orientation as well.

In other words, most everything will have its own orientation, including lines, but lines are not the only thing that has an orientation. Their orientation just happens to be very prominent and lines are a common and highly employed design element so I end up pointing them out a lot here.

Below is a more interesting example than a bean pod (although I found this while looking for polymer bean pods because Shelley Atwood, the creator of this pair of earrings has also made bean pod earrings!) Here there are a lot of vertical elements. The overall shape, the snakes of clay, and the row of balls are all vertical. However, the texture on one side runs horizontally within the vertical shape of the earring. And with that, she’s created contrast in orientation.

So, all you have to remember is that a line will have an orientation, but a shape, mark, or edge, also has an orientation. Orientation is like a bigger, more general characteristic of an element while line is just one type of element. Is that all a bit much for a Sunday morning? I wasn’t aiming to take you to class but there you have it!

 

Cases for Contrasting Orientation

Let’s start with a simple but high contrast example in orientation. This pendant by  Kseniya of Etsy shop Solar Bird has a vertical shape but is heavy on the horizontal lines. The contrast in orientation carries this piece. It takes a simple construction – a stack of extruded canes – and creates the energy this contemporary, understated piece needs. The contrast between surfaces (the horizontal lines versus the stack of concentric circle cane ends) creates interest but such a pendant would not have had as much presence if it had been a simple square or an equilateral triangle as those lack the contrast of the vertical shape against the horizontal lines we have here.

 

Here is another way to work with a vertical shape and introduce contrast in orientation. These polymer and metal earrings by Sue Savage include vertical polymer shapes with diagonal lines in the treated polymer and in the wire, creating a very dynamic, kind of spinning feel to the set.

 

The elements in Jeffrey Lloyd Dever’s work is a constant study of variation in contrasting orientation. His pin in the opening image of this post has elements that are strongly opposed in orientation. However, how the brooch is worn determines the level of contrast and how it feels when looking at it. If the long central body of the brooch is set vertically or horizontally the individual spines create a high opposing, and thus contrasting, orientation. If set on a horizontal, like it is in the image, it becomes a series of opposing horizontals which isn’t quite as stark a contrast. Isn’t that interesting?

There is one design element on that pin, and in his assemblage piece below, that does not have an orientation but is integral to the design, slowing down all that contrasting energy and giving the eye a place to rest. I bet you can identify what that is.

As you might have noted earlier, I said that “most” objects have an orientation. Well, you are now seeing the one type of object that does not – a symmetrically round one. A circle or a ball has no top or bottom, no sides, no vertical, horizontal, or diagonal edges. It is one continuous curve. Because of that it visually sits still. It is grounded and yet imbued with mild energy. That’s why circles, dots, and balls make such great focal points. So, if you going to go high contrast with lines or orientation, and it feels like it needs to be reined in, a round element may be just what you need. With every type of orientation included in the brooch assemblage above, the ball is needed to anchor all that energy, give it focus, and provide a place for the viewer’s eye to rest.

 

Let’s look at a more subtle use of orientation that is still high contrast. Sonya Girodon loves contrasting verticals and horizontals, sometimes in very obvious and stark ways, but other times her dedication to these absolute orientations is set in a more understated manner.

In the necklace below, most elements are involved in both horizontal and vertical orientations. The horizontals appear as marks on the clay but are also present in the row of staple-like wires, the two rows of circles (the horizontal emphasized by the lines running through them), and in how the vertical marks are lined up. The staple wires themselves are vertical as are many of the marks and the overall shape of the pendant. This high contrast in vertical versus horizontal within the elements that make up this piece creates a tremendous amount of energy but it is softened and contained by the curve of the central shapes and the circles which, again, create a focal point.

 

I think by now you must be getting the idea. You can switch up the orientation of elements such as shape, line, and marks to increase, decrease or anchor the energy of your designs. I think we all inherently know this, but how often do you make a conscious decision as to how the various components or elements in your work will sit in relation to the others? I think this may be one of those too often neglected design decisions. But maybe now it won’t be glossed over next time you sit down at your studio table.

 

I am going to have to leave it at that this week. I have much to do as I prepare to run off to Australia next weekend. I am going to put together something for you to have on the weekends while I’m gone and, with any luck, I’ll be able to sneak in some pics from the trip as well. But as those of you who travel internationally a lot know, you just can’t count on Internet connectivity. And I could really use some unplugged time.

 

Important Info in Our Recent Newsletter

In the meantime, if you got our recent newsletter or if you are a reader of our other publications (thank you so much for your support of our projects!), be sure to read about the upcoming increases in USPS shipping and why it has become so very important to keep us up-to-date on any change of address.

There is some fantastic news in that newsletter as well – we are having a sitewide SALE! Go ahead, stock up, and take 10% off everything in your cart. Head over to our website here by Thursday (June 6th) and use Promo code Now10.

If you don’t get our newsletter, you can see this edition here and sign up for it on our home page (scroll down … it’s on the right side) here.

 

We have walls!

For all you fabulous and funny people who are still interested in the house progress here, we have walls and floors and many fewer holes! We still don’t always have a hot shower so we have to get that figured out and soon. But we have had some warm days for the first time in I don’t how long, so it’s been a good week. But the constant checking in with the contractors and this whole designing of the shower tile has eaten up a ton of time so I must run off. It’s a working Sunday for me, which is kind of sad, but it’s going to be worth it when I am snorkeling through the Great Barrier Reef and shooting pictures of curious creatures on Kangaroo Island!

 

In the meantime, stay inspired, keep creating, and enjoy a wonderful first week of June!

 

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One Element at a Time

February 3, 2019
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I don’t know if you have ever considered, or found important, the fact that most polymer art is a collection of elements constructed into a single piece. Yes, I know I am stating the obvious here but consider the fact that most polymer art is put together in such a way as to make the individual elements blend into a cohesiveness whole. Have you ever considered that maybe each element can be its own little piece of art, even if it’s to be a part of something bigger?

If you make the work about each individual elements and not the single composition they are part of, you should be able to give yourself more freedom in the creative process. The idea would be to just focus on the single component in front of you without regard for the other parts it may eventually be joined with. Since you don’t have to consider any other elements you should be able to just let your mind and hands go play. You could, in fact, just create tons of individual pieces and then pull together the ones that you find relate and from that create a finished piece. There would be no pressure to make things work together or fit. Does that sound intriguing?

 

Elemental Artists

There are a lot of artists that do this almost exclusively. When Debbie Crothers creates, a finished piece is usually the last thing on her mind. She is in love with seeing what the material will do and spends most of her time playing and exploring. Once her stock builds up, or just whenever the bug bites her, then she will create finished pieces of wearable art.

Recently she has also been incorporating her love of found objects as you can see in the image above. This is just a part of a very long necklace of Debbie’s. (The whole of which I’ve not seen her posted anywhere but will be featured in the upcoming Polymer Journeys 2019 book. Look for pre-sale announcements this coming week.) Each individual component definitely stands on its own here since each individual polymer and found object component is framed. But you can also see, if you look at her work on Facebook or on her website, that her pieces are almost always a variety show, one that features the results of her exploration and just having fun with the clay.

Another cool thing about this type of artwork is that the viewer will probably want to look at each and every individual component. Just the variety heightens the interest in these kinds of pieces which means the people viewing it will spend more time looking at it and more time appreciating your work. That can really help in terms of sales too because the more time someone spends looking at a piece the more likely they will be to want to buy it.

I think this kind of intrigue born of variety may be the primary draw when it comes to the jewelry of Olga Ledneva. This piece you see here is a bit more dense and has more potential movement than her newer work but I thought it was also a good example of how all these pieces, together, create a textural canvas since they are all kind of dangling on top of each other, and yet, as cohesive as it feels, you still want to look carefully at each piece in the assembly. Olga’s Facebook page and Flickr photostream are good places to look around for other assembled element ideas.

I know those  two ladies make some pretty interesting and complex components but don’t think you have to go to that extent. The individual elements you create in this process can be as simple as punched out squares such as you might see in one of Laurie Mika’s mosaics. I am such a fan of this kind of free-form collage work, one that allows you to simply show off the characteristics you love about working with clay. You can assemble bits of your alcohol ink treated sheets, mokume gane, complex canes, impressed clay components, or hand sculpted forms. A mosaic or even a necklace of just simple shapes can let those treatments and colors shine, each on their own.

Of course, this approach isn’t just for polymer clay. This brilliant green assemblage necklace by an artist known only as Gebrufa is all fabric and fiber, although some components could as easily have been polymer. My guess would be that she gave herself just the restriction of a limited color palette but otherwise made all the individual pieces as whimsy led her. Should you want to know that you can have a cohesive finished piece when you are done freely creating components, this kind of approach would give you a path to that while still creating with relative freedom.

 

So, have I got you thinking about the individual elements of your pieces in a different way now?

Planning and meticulously designing pieces is essential in many circumstances but letting yourself just explore can also be an important part of your artistic growth as it helps to free up and expand your creativity. Letting yourself just play can be hard to do when you don’t have a lot of time and you want the time you do have to result in finished pieces. Knowing you can focus on making great little individual components which you can later put together into a fabulous necklace or wall piece might just be the thing that gives you the license to let go and doodle away with your clay.

 

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO:

  • Want to CLAY OUT EAST or CLAY OUT WEST? Registration for both of this multi-instructor, 4 day workshop events are open now. Clay out East is in Atlantic City, New Jersey, June 12-15th and Clay out West will be held Sept 30 – Oct 3 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here is the link for the East event’s registration. I couldn’t scare up a link for the West event registration but you can email them at clayoutwest@aol.com to get the details.
  • Did you catch the “Make Your Own Silkscreens” article in the Summer 2018 issue of The Polymer Arts? It was so much fun to make these and right now, the company that made it so fun and easy, EZScreenPrint if having a 15% off sale but it ends today! Go here, and use coupon code JAN15. No minimum purchase required.
  • Did you know that Poly Clay Play has a Shopping Discount Club? If you go through a lot of supplies (or just tend to get overly excited around polymer clay and tools and want to buy everything you see) this discount club could help in big ways. PCP is one of my favorite shops, especially for pastes, powders, and alcohol ink. She gets them all! Go here to check out the club deal or just shop around.

Always glad to get your feedback!

Last week we did some history, this week was about how you approach your work. Did you like the subject and did it get you thinking? Or do you thoughts on other things you’d like for me to research and write about? Just let me know. Write me in the comments below this post (click here if you are reading this in an email).

 

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Organic Projects & 10% off Everything

October 29, 2018
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So it is finally here! The Polymer Art Projects—Organic book ended up being a huge project, wonderfully so, due to all the dedicated and talented contributing artists. Doing them all justice with a beautiful, easy-to-follow layout while getting in all the details they wanted to share was my challenge but with the help of my fabulous and patient team, I have to say I think we have a unique and visually stunning book to share with all of you.  All the wonderful art collected in this way was bound to be eye-catching but even the step-by-step photos reveal a surprisingly beautiful look at the bones beneath the work these artists have refined. I absolutely fell in love with the collection and I am hoping you do, too.

The slide pin you see here is one piece from the book that hasn’t made the rounds yet as we promoted this book so I thought I’d let you get a closer look at one more item you could make from these tutorials. It was the very last one to make it to layout because, well, this artist always goes in last … me! I haven’t made a lot this year between all the publications and the injuries and such but I’ve been working on this rippled clay texture for a couple of years now, finding the ruffled wood-like border texture accidentally along the way. So now I am really excited to share these easy-to-accomplish techniques as they have plenty of room in them to play with and perfect to your liking.

So, if you pre-ordered the book, then your copy is either in your inbox (digital editions were released Saturday) or on its way to your mailbox. If you didn’t, you can get a copy now and just for this week get 10% off the book AND shipping. And, heck, take 10% off anything else you throw into the cart including the back issues of Polymer Journeys 2016 (which is already on sale) and back issues of The Polymer Arts.

Use promo code PAP10 to get your 10% discount at this link, good through Sunday November 4th.

No tricks, just treats here!

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Elevating the Squiggle

September 17, 2018
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I recently realized that I don’t think I’ve ever talked about the lowly squiggle. But who doesn’t like a well-done squiggle? I guess it’s hard to take it seriously with such a silly-sounding name but the sound of the word itself describes it so well.

I myself am very fond of squiggles and apply them throughout my work, primarily as accents, but some people take the squiggle to wonderfully elevated levels as the central theme of their piece.

This pin by Petra Nemravová is an excellent example of the squiggle stealing the show. The organization of these wonderfully unruly squiggles brings a regular rhythm to their organic movement. It reins in the rambling energy that this kind of squiggle contains. The bright array of colors, which could also get out of hand, is held in check by a regular graduation from one color to the next, helping to create an energetic but contained feeling.

Petra is such an advocate of bright colors and cheerful compositions. Enjoy a stroll through her colorful world on her Flickr photostream. She is also the genius mind behind the wonderful selections found in the online polymer shop Nemravka, serving the European polymer and craft communities and beyond.

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A Day for Dots

September 3, 2018
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In the US today, it is Labor Day. It’s a day to recognize and honor our working citizens. And we do… Most people get the day off as a thank you. Unless you work for yourself and your “boss” is a slave driver. I will join in our tradition of barbecues and games later but I’m working hard and wrapping up the fall issue, finally. It looks fantastic and will be a great send off to The Polymer Arts title. The release date has been set for the 22nd! You can preorder on The Polymer Arts website for the single issue.

In the meantime, whether you are in the US and join the holiday or elsewhere working, I thought I’d share a little something to do when you settle down tonight. I’ve seen these pins by syndee holt before but didn’t realize that Polyform had posted a video tutorial for them. What a fantastic and eye-catching texture this technique creates.

As syndee mentions in the video, this type of work is very relaxing and meditative as well as resulting in a beautiful polymer sheet to cut and use as you please. Her method does require the use of the pearling tool produced by Polyform but if you don’t have the pearling tools, use small hole punchers and seed beads. Click the image to go to the video.

So I’m going to leave you in the capable hands of syndee holt while I go get some more work done before I get a chance to play. Also, you can follow syndee’s experiments and ideas on her blog here. Enjoy your Labor Day or I hope you’ve enjoyed your Monday!

 

 

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Coloring Outside the Usual

June 8, 2018
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As much of a focus as Ellen and Sue have on polymer art at Creative Journey Studios, they make plenty of room for other types of beautiful craft mediums.

This work here is by one of the other craft artists they show and sell at the studio, Deb Karash, who works with metal and, surprisingly enough, colored pencil. Her reasons for choosing this combination of mediums sounds much like what many of us say about working with polymer.  In her words, “drawing on metal provides a surface that is unique and can’t be achieved any other way. Colored pencil drawing allows me to blend colors and create patterns that are uniquely mine. I draw on metal because it is strong but easily formed. I create jewelry because I appreciate the intimacy of an art form that is worn on the body and that, historically, carries emotional weight.”

Her colors and forms might even impress one as polymer at first glance, making her work a possible source of inspiration for designing in polymer clay. Take a look at more of her pieces, and drink in more of her beautiful color, on her website and her Facebook page.

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Creature Faces

May 2, 2018
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The faces that draw our attention in artwork do not have to be human. They don’t even have to be real creatures. Anything with an eye will jump out at us as a focal point. If there is an eye then we recognize the presence of another consciousness, or at least our primitive brain does, and so we have to check it out.

Artist Valeria Myrusso created this amazing bird pin, choosing to give it these big black beads for eyes that you can hardly pull away from. But please do. The work around it is beautiful, intricate, flowing, and regally dramatic with its golds and reds.

Valeria works with a lot of faces although she seems primarily focused on intricate, filigree-like work in her sculptural polymer. Go take a look at her delicately sculpted creations in the extensive gallery on her website and Instagram.

And yes, I know, I somehow picked two artists with the same first name, both from Russia, working in very similar styles this week. Initially, I wondered if they are the same person but my research says they are not. I don’t pay any attention to where the artists are from when I pick art for the posts. Most of the time I don’t know until I’ve completed the research. Either the work fits the theme and what I’d like to discuss or it doesn’t.  I can tell you that, particularly in polymer, people from the same area often create in similar styles—I imagine it is rooted in similar cultural influences.  If we are most strongly influenced by our local culture than looking outside of it would certainly give us a wider pool of inspiration which should help us develop a unique style.

Just know that I’m not partial to any one part of the world. We’re all one big community as far as I’m concerned.

 

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Can’t Miss Ron

February 9, 2018
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No technique, no cane, no scrap is safe from the creative machinations of Ron Lehocky. And apparently neither is the admiration of so many, many people inside and outside the polymer community. Ron may have a big focus on hearts and creates them in just a few shapes but he never stops exploring what he can do on his little canvases. Dropping in to see what he has created recently is always a treat and an inspiring reminder of how many little things can make a huge difference in so many people’s lives.

If for some reason you are not familiar with Ron’s crusade to help ailing children, he raises funds through the sale of his hearts for a center that aids in the ongoing education of these children’s caregivers and physicians. Here is a video where he explains how this came about as well as how to make these beautiful hearts.

Ron uses canes and mokume blocks kindly donated from artists from all over to quickly create these little masterpieces, occasionally creating his own surface treatments. In the image here, starting with the iris hearts and going clockwise, he used canes from Jayne Dwyer, Jon Stuart Anderson, and Ivy Niles. The last set shows his own surface designs using metallic powders.

If you have some special people you want gifts for this Valentine’s day, Ron’s hearts are ideal. He doesn’t create special orders as much of his work depends on what he’s been sent but any one of them would be lovely to give or own. You can find a list of the places they are sold as well as how to order them by email by going to this link.

If you want to admire his many pieces, the best places to go are his Instagram or Facebook accounts.

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