Into the Woods in Germany
September 11, 2013
Inspirational Art
Much of the lore surrounding the mythical beings of the forest that we are familiar with today, such as faeries and elves, comes to us from Western Europe. The German lore is particularly colorful, influencing many accomplished artists and writers in Europe through the ages and certainly today. You may not presently believe in faeries and elves; but perhaps after peeking in on the work of Germany’s Tatjana Raum, you will wonder if she didn’t find inspiration and models for her pieces in some secret part of a deep Germanic forest. The amazing detail and wonderful expressions on these two creatures made me halt when I saw it. These are so realistic-looking for beings that are not supposed to exist.
Expressive faces are Tatjana’s specialty. Besides her figures and art dolls, she has these amazing pieces where she blends a face into a piece of old wood, as if she magically coaxed the spirit of the wood to emerge and reveal itself. Although this piece is less about the expression than the connection the artist is making between the wood and the personification of its spirit, it’s still quite emotive and definitely inspires wonder.
Take yourself off into another realm with a little visit to Tatjana’s gallery pages.
Outside Inspiration: Painting in Three Dimensions
July 26, 2013
Inspirational Art
The artist I’m introducing today is not a polymer artist, which is why I decided he belong in the Outside Inspiration category. However, he does use polymer. No, he doesn’t always use it, but when it suits the vision he is trying to create, polymer can play a prominent role in his images.
Andy Kehoe is an painter with quite the imagination. In researching him for this post I got completely lost in his stories and ramblings found throughout his website and on his blog. Trying to find out one serious bit about him was nigh impossible but I can’t say I didn’t have fun going down the rabbit hole of his imagination! So, back to what I do know. Andy works in painterly mediums, has a keen fascination with layers and depth and recently started playing with painting on multiple layers of resin, building up the strata of imagery that gives these works an almost surreal depth. This in conjunction with his stylized scenes that often look like paper cut-outs and/or uncertain dreamworld creatures creates an unusually strong atmosphere in the limited space the work exists in.
This piece, Approaching the Watcher of the Veil, combines oil, acrylic, polymer clay, and resin on wood. In what serious material I could find Andy is presented (usually on other people’s and galleries’ sites) as a painter, but obviously he doesn’t limit himself to any one medium. The polymer clay, which I assume is in the tree, also has a painterly look to it, making it blend into the work so that the piece transcends its motley medium existence to exist simply as an artist’s sincere and authentic vision.
Polymer is no stranger to being combined with paint or even becoming the paint so, no, this outside inspiration is not really about the painterly way polymer can be presented, but rather that polymer can be a medium used in conjunction with something as old and revered as painting and be an equal when chosen, as needed, for its particular characteristics. The medium is not the key. Its the choices of medium and how they are applied that defines a well-done piece.
Don’t miss some of Andy’s great posts on his blog as well as the entertaining material (especially in the “About” section) of his website.
Outside Inspiration: Wood with Spirit
March 29, 2013
Inspirational Art
Yes, it’s true … on Fridays I usually bring you something that is not polymer. And believe it or not, I am being true to form. As much as it might seem that this below should be polymer, it is not. It’s wood and the stunning creation of Liv Blåvarp, a Norwegian born artist whose has received a tremendous amount of recognition in the USA over the last few years.
Here is an excellent article with numerous examples of her work. As she says in the article, “… the recurring theme in my artistic practice is to create structures that seem alive.” I think we’d all agree that she manages that tremendously well in this piece. Truthfully, there hasn’t been any of her work that I’ve seen that doesn’t do this. She repeatedly gives one the impression that her pieces could get up and slink off or fly or even rise up like a proud peacock just gently prodded.
She does not seem to have a website, but the article and these couple of pages I’m listing here will give you the opportunity to really delve into the beauty of this incredible work. Enjoy!
Outside Inspiration: Wood, Metal and a Single Point
February 22, 2013
Inspirational Art
The reason a work of art has impact, draws our attention and/or fascinates us can vary greatly from piece to piece. I think we assume it is the whole composition that, in the end, is what makes us stop and examine the work. Essentially it has to be–if all the elements of a piece don’t work together every element is diminished by this failure. Yet it is often one part of the piece that grabs us in the first place and is usually what also holds our attention. Sometimes it is the color, the dazzling quality of the texture, the enticing shape of the form … but it can also be a single, small point that on its own would be nothing and mean nothing yet in the context of the work, it can be everything.
In Julia Turner’s mixed media jewelry, she uses these single points of interest to draw and hold the attention of the viewer. In the two pieces below, it is the smallest thing … an enameled staple in one, a square pin in the other. Take out these single points and neither of these brooches would be nearly as fascinating.
Julia’s work is a mixture of wood, steel, enamel and paint. Most are very sparse in detail (the brooch above is about as detailed and colorful as they come) which leaves a kind of muted canvas on which to set a small focal point. These points are like seeing a single sail board out on a still ocean or a lone tree on a snow covered slope. There is something about the lone point in a space of ‘otherness’ that we feel an affinity for. Not to get overly deep here but we all know what loneliness and isolation feels like, being that one point of difference in a sea of people or the only soul in a big quiet house. Images that are like that tug at us. Not to mention the contrast of a single element unlike it’s surroundings will always be the strongest visual in any piece or scene.
A simple point of interest is something to consider when working on pieces that have large swathes of texture or color. The surface design might be quite beautiful on its own but a single point of contrasting interest can emphasis the beauty of it and give the viewer a place to focus and a visual “home base” from which to explore the piece as a whole.
Faux Burl Bangles
October 8, 2012
Inspirational Art
I’ve been working full bore on the next issue of The Polymer Arts which is themed “Shimmer & Shine”. How to properly balance glitz for a sophisticated and beautiful piece and avoid having it just look garish is one of the issues we have when working with bright and shiny bits.
One of the things that can make glitz successful is to present it with a neutral or subdued surface. Here Liz Hall uses a peek-a-boo approach with beautiful iridescence showing through the holes of a faux burl wood overlay. This makes the brillant shimmer of colors a surprise and treat at each point that it shows through.
Liz Hall works with a lot of iridescence and gems and all very tastefully done. You can ogle many more of her gorgeous pieces on her Flickr page.
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I hope you all had a wonderful, safe and relaxing New Year’s Day. Now that the holidays are over and we get back to the real world, I’ll give you a few ideas about where to get added inspiration in the coming year.
As most of you realize, you can get a lot of fantastic inspiration by simply perusing the various social network sites from Instagram to Pinterest to Facebook. But there are also some people out there that share a lot of work by other artists, not just their own work. Of course we do that here on the Daily Polymer Arts blog, reposting on our Facebook page, Instagram and Pinterest so you can follow us there to ensure you don’t miss any great content.
But you can also just follow some great artists on the social networks who share the work of other great artists. I love checking in with Melanie West, for instance, who shares tons of just wonderful craft art of all kinds. She recently posted work by this woodturner, Graeme Priddle, which just blew me away. Look at the lusciousness of the carved lines and the way they flow around the form, echoing the outside shape and bracketed with a similar feel in the flowing horn-like bars on the sides.
This may be wood but similar forms can be created in polymer and seeing this got me thinking about doing more hand sculpting and creating rippling, flowing lines in polymer. Although this may not inspire you in that same way, work in other mediums brings you fresh design ideas that may sit in the back of your mind or something might pop up that is just the thing to get you sparked on a new project.
Check out more of Graeme’s work on his website and follow Melanie on Facebook and anyone else you find who shares fantastic new-to-you work to help spark and freshen up your creative work.
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Happy Halloween, my fellow revelers! This holiday, which has its roots in both the fear of death but also the remembrance of loved ones who have gone on before us, gives us an opportunity to face that inherently scary part of this cycle of life with celebration and even laughter. This day has long been one of remembrance and reflection for me, along with the celebrations, having read, as a teen, about the many cultural traditions that celebrate our passing as a natural part of life giving our time here purpose and preciousness. The way these traditions embrace the full cycle of life just made so much sense to me.
So today (and the next couple of days that encompass the Christian All Souls Day, Gaelic Samhain, Mexican Day of the Dead, and many other related celebratory traditions) we get to recognize the role that death and the dead have in our lives and do so with merriment and even beauty. To aid in the view of the beautiful side of these traditions, I’d like to introduce you to this incredible series of sculptures by the artist Krisztianna, inspired by the four seasons and the cycle of nature.
This piece is Autumn, of course, which is a time of final harvesting and of blooming and changing colors as nature prepares for winter. Krisztianna captures the richness of the season with a nod to the Day of the Dead and its celebratory themes in a riot of color and texture. Polymer is but one of the materials used in her sculptures. This is a serious mix of media. With resin cast elements, resin clay detailing, wood, acrylic paint, stainless steel wire, and foam, as well as synthetic and dried flowers, it’s a celebration of artistic materials as well as the season and this day.
You can see more of her fabulous wall pieces on her website, in her shop and on Instagram.
Have a happy and safe holiday!
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Here’s another image dug up from my Pinterest board, a piece done by a jewelry artist who was a real game changer.
What you see here is not polymer, although it so easily could be. This is a piece by Marjorie Schick, who passed away in late 2017. This bit of unique sculpture, titled Henri’s Garden, is painted paper, wood, canvas, plastic laminate, and bronze. Quite a mix of materials. Its wide-ranging pallet of saturated color and busy repetition is anchored by the symmetry of a common radiating form. Classic and yet, with the range of materials to use, quite unique.
Emerging during the time when many jewelers are rejecting traditional materials and techniques, Schick really formed a unique and, as she put it, “quietly rebellious” style.
The article on the Craft Council’s website that was posted after her passing does a beautiful job of giving you a picture of this woman and the how and why of her creations. Take a moment to jump over there and read about this highly influential jeweler, or you might enjoy this enlightening interview with her back in 2016. See if her work and words don’t influence you.
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Guest Blog Post by Alison Lee
How much fun to be a guest blogger and share with even more readers about art, craft, and inspiration. Thank you, Sage.
I’m not a polymer clay artist but a polymer clay enthusiast to be sure. Of course, it is always to my delight to have a polymer artist join us at CRAFTCAST.com to teach and share their techniques and passions. It’s a privilege to have watched hours of artists’ demonstrations while preparing for our online classes!
The artist I wanted to share today is Tanya Mayorova. I think she started following me first on Instagram and I followed back.
I don’t know a lot about her except that she is Russian and I love what she creates. As soon as I saw this necklace of Tanya’s, though, I was hooked. She uses polymer clay, beads, cord, hardware, agate, wood, and wire. The color palette makes me long for a jaunt to the beach and the textures and shapes simply make me smile.
These “boho beads” spoke to me as well. The colors and patterns are just scrumptious. I love getting a glimpse into other people’s color palette choices. It’s a peek into someone’s visual viewpoint. Always inspiring to me. There is depth and contrast in her choices of color and design, plus an overall golden glow that adds a royal elegance. Her findings compliment the beads as well.
Enjoy her Instagram page and her website.
Alison Lee runs www.CRAFTCAST.com, an online resource for polymer clay and other craft tutorials with master artists and teachers from around the world.
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I know, I know … this is not polymer, but there was some question about that as it was posted on a few Pinterest boards under polymer. And that colorful inlay could be polymer, right? It could, but it’s not. It’s painted. The reason it was popping up under polymer searches was because it was posted to the polymer tutorial site, claylessons.com, in a message posted to encourage people to visit the Daily Art Muse blog (let’s see how many plugs and links we can fit into one blog post, shall we?). So there is the polymer connection.
But why am I featuring a non-polymer piece today? Because it’s nearly Christmas and if I can’t break some rules now, when can I? Well, yes, I do break rules on occasion for no reason at all, but let’s say this is because it’s a holiday week. And because this piece is gorgeous. It is all carved wood by wood artist, Joey Richardson. The detail is amazing. The form and intricacy are so fluid and natural you might wonder if it’s not alive. It also reminded me of my favorite gourd artist Mark Doolittle (we needed another plug and link here, right?).
But wait, there’s more! More incredible work like this that is (although more links will certainly happen). After holding onto this, waiting for the right themed week to share it in for nearly a year, I finally found out who the unattributed artist was, opened her site and just got lost there. I don’t know how Joey has the patience or hasn’t ruined her fingers with all this fine carving, but I am grateful that she does. What a treat. Treat yourself as well by heading over to her site and be sure to read her About page. Her feeling about her sources of inspiration really fit the season.
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Today’s featured artwork isn’t completely an outside inspiration since polymer is involved, but the primary material certainly is. I found these pods on the Daily Art Muse blog. They are a collaboration between Kauri woodturning artist Alby Hall and polymer pen artist Toni Ransfield.
The collaborative work itself is quite beautiful, but in researching for this post I became rather fascinated by the wood itself, its history and the long, arduous process of preparing it. This is no ordinary wood. Kauri trees are among the oldest and biggest tress in the world. The wood Alby uses is actually Ancient Kauri, a wood recovered from swamps in his native New Zealand where the trees had fallen some 45,000 years before. Ancient Kauri is the oldest workable wood in the world and is also considered one of the most difficult to work with, primarily due to the drying and finishing that is required. It is a very soft wood with a tight grain but no sap, since that was dissolved in the swamp waters ages ago. This makes for some very different working characteristics. If you are as fascinated as I am by unusual materials and the processes required to gain and work with them, you’d enjoy reading about this wood on the Ancient Kauri website.
Alby himself doesn’t seem to have a website, but do take a moment to look at his other pod forms on the DAM blog (a blog I very highly recommend you follow if you don’t already). And then stop on over to Toni’s website to see more of Toni’s beautifully caned and finished pieces.
Read MoreYesterday’s pods were primarily of the plumper variety, so today I thought we’d look at a beautiful example of a thinner, longer version.
I find these caned and charred looking beads by Keryn Wells to have a rich, almost tribal feel to them. I enjoy how the patterning is worked fluidly into the black spaces, aided by the way the shapes in the cane mimic the form of the elongated pods themselves.
Although I get more of a sense of wood from the coloring and treatment, it is one good example of a fairly familiar pod shape, at least here in the US–that of the string bean. I don’t think many of us think of beans as pods but, of course, that is exactly what they are. And they can have such a lovely, graceful shape and line to them. Yes, I have been quite often inspired by my dinner plate. Sometimes I get lost in my Brussels sprouts or become almost too enamored of my kiwi slices to eat them. (I said almost!) Food is certainly great inspiration.
Wait a minute … isn’t this Friday? The day we look at some non-polymer? So what, then, is this piece made from? It sure looks like it could be polymer. It could be said to be a bit Dustin or Dever-esque even. But it’s not polymer at all.
This piece is by artist Tania Radda. She works in wood. That’s right–those tendrils spinning off the stem of this bud-like form are wood, brightly painted with automotive paint. I would not have thought of using wood to create such delicate lines and forms, but until Nan Roche started knitting with extruded polymer, I never thought of polymer as something to create loose, independent lines from either. It can be quite wonderful to see how far a material can be pushed and still fulfill the intention of the work created. Could polymer hold up the weight from this kind of form leaning on it? I can imagine that yes, it would with wire or other stiff reinforcement. It’s got me thinking about just how thin our lines could go. It may be nothing but a mental exercise, but that’s the kind of questioning of limitations that new techniques and improved approaches come from. Never accept that the way most things are done is the right or only way. Half of being an artist is exploring and half of exploring is failing and making mistakes. But that is how we learn and grow and discover the really cool stuff.
Read MoreI know I already did a week of curls and swirls a few months ago, but this week we will be enjoying some squiggles and tendrils which are a tad different. During Curl and Swirl week we saw some rather contained curling lines, usually with consistent repetition and a feeling of control over their direction. The lines often came to a tight circle at the end or center of the line, creating a strong focal point. This week is going to be all about the wild lines, the ones that go in different directions, wander off the edge, undulate across the space, and create a more open sense of movement.
This piece is what got me thinking about the effect of uncontrolled lines, how they create a different kind of beauty with maybe a little chaos in the mix. Lines like these make me think of dancing rather than flowing, and showcase a bit of wild abandon. This piece is a J.M. Syron and Bonnie Bishoff collaboration of walnut trim and polymer veneer. How I would love to see this in person.
What sense do you get from this piece?
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