Shiny and Striking

April 6, 2018

We are going to move away from polymer for the last piece of this week because this was just too amazing to not share right away. Caroline Rivière was originally a marine biologist; however, with the birth of her children she questioned her career choice and ended up exploring jewelry making. Self-taught, she really found her passion and a unique voice in metal and stonework.

The open airiness of her work is reminiscent of some of the polymer work we have seen in recent years from the likes of Sona Grigoryan and Donna Greenberg. I thought this would also be particularly inspiring to those working with a more delicate polymer construction.

For more inspiration, visit her website and check out the Instagram page “The Eclectic Artisans” where I first found this piece.

New and Shiny

April 2, 2018

Thank you to all you readers who cleared out our damaged stock this past week. We sold out of nearly everything in the first 24 hours but there are a few books left for $10 each and the regular back issue sale of 35% off the cover price is still going on in my Etsy shop through tomorrow, April 3rd. Jump on over to get a great deal on our print edition back issues and book.

In looking around at what people have been creating recently, I’ve noticed a lot of shiny, new work. This piece by Betsy Baker, although recognizable in her grungy but still elegant surface texture, has some added bling not commonly seen in her work.

The luscious variegated green texture is in heavy contrast to the shiny green gems but the consistency of the green color palette inevitably brings it all together. The simple circular form and symmetrical layout of the gems do much to bring calm and serenity to the highly textured composition.

If you’re not familiar with Betsy’s work, you can see many of her lovely pieces on her website and on her Instagram page.

 

Pasteled and Fractaled

January 26, 2018

For our last day of rich color, I thought I’d take it down a notch saturation-wise. This isn’t polymer or any kind of dimensional material but it is a fabulous fractal design and what lovely colors and light it has. Fractals have been a fascination of mine and many other artists for a while now. Their intricate patterns make inspiring textures not to mention that the color choices of these designers can be a great source of ideas for polymer work.

If you are unfamiliar with fractals, these are both a natural and math-based design where one form is repeated over and over, usually getting smaller as it progresses and even forming the same shape in the way it is laid out. Found everywhere in nature, fractals have moved into the realm of art with people developing designs based on natural formations but using math as a kind of paintbrush to help create the composition.

This stunning piece is by a gentleman who goes by Troythulu online while stating that his real name is “either Troy Loy or Troy Thompson.” Not sure why he is confused but I imagine just he wants to remain mysterious, and quirky. His fractals are amazing, though. This piece, in particular, could easily be translated into pearl clay with some mica powder painting to color tips and edges. I think it’s something worth playing with, especially if you like both shiny and colorful pieces.

See more fractals by Troy whatever-his-name-is on his Tumblr page.

Shiny and Striking

April 6, 2018
Posted in

We are going to move away from polymer for the last piece of this week because this was just too amazing to not share right away. Caroline Rivière was originally a marine biologist; however, with the birth of her children she questioned her career choice and ended up exploring jewelry making. Self-taught, she really found her passion and a unique voice in metal and stonework.

The open airiness of her work is reminiscent of some of the polymer work we have seen in recent years from the likes of Sona Grigoryan and Donna Greenberg. I thought this would also be particularly inspiring to those working with a more delicate polymer construction.

For more inspiration, visit her website and check out the Instagram page “The Eclectic Artisans” where I first found this piece.

Read More

New and Shiny

April 2, 2018
Posted in

Thank you to all you readers who cleared out our damaged stock this past week. We sold out of nearly everything in the first 24 hours but there are a few books left for $10 each and the regular back issue sale of 35% off the cover price is still going on in my Etsy shop through tomorrow, April 3rd. Jump on over to get a great deal on our print edition back issues and book.

In looking around at what people have been creating recently, I’ve noticed a lot of shiny, new work. This piece by Betsy Baker, although recognizable in her grungy but still elegant surface texture, has some added bling not commonly seen in her work.

The luscious variegated green texture is in heavy contrast to the shiny green gems but the consistency of the green color palette inevitably brings it all together. The simple circular form and symmetrical layout of the gems do much to bring calm and serenity to the highly textured composition.

If you’re not familiar with Betsy’s work, you can see many of her lovely pieces on her website and on her Instagram page.

 

Read More

Pasteled and Fractaled

January 26, 2018
Posted in

For our last day of rich color, I thought I’d take it down a notch saturation-wise. This isn’t polymer or any kind of dimensional material but it is a fabulous fractal design and what lovely colors and light it has. Fractals have been a fascination of mine and many other artists for a while now. Their intricate patterns make inspiring textures not to mention that the color choices of these designers can be a great source of ideas for polymer work.

If you are unfamiliar with fractals, these are both a natural and math-based design where one form is repeated over and over, usually getting smaller as it progresses and even forming the same shape in the way it is laid out. Found everywhere in nature, fractals have moved into the realm of art with people developing designs based on natural formations but using math as a kind of paintbrush to help create the composition.

This stunning piece is by a gentleman who goes by Troythulu online while stating that his real name is “either Troy Loy or Troy Thompson.” Not sure why he is confused but I imagine just he wants to remain mysterious, and quirky. His fractals are amazing, though. This piece, in particular, could easily be translated into pearl clay with some mica powder painting to color tips and edges. I think it’s something worth playing with, especially if you like both shiny and colorful pieces.

See more fractals by Troy whatever-his-name-is on his Tumblr page.

Read More
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