Of Polymer and Paint

August 25, 2019

Have you ever used paint on polymer? If so, why did you chose to paint it rather than use the inherent color? This question is at the heart of a kind of prejudice against paint that used to be rather prevalent in the polymer community. I think painting on polymer has found its place in our repertoire of techniques but statistically (and I’m just looking at the stats I have available from the blog and the general response to articles) I don’t think it gets quite the regard that other techniques do and it makes me wonder if people still steer away from it, even when it might be the best choice.

Ages ago, I unintentionally incited a heated conversation about painting on polymer through a blog post where all the color and the focal point of the piece was painted. There were many comments about how painting on polymer was not “working in polymer” and therefore I should not be writing about it on a polymer blog. This sentiment was rooted in the thought that since polymer is already colored, painting would be superfluous if not downright heretical. This was also a time when polymer was fighting for its place in the art world and competitions for polymer were being won by pieces that were not wholly polymer which heavily irritated those who strove to create only with polymer clay. With a strong love for the material, those crafters were simply strong proponents of letting the material shine through.

Well, a material can be gorgeous on its own, but what the artist wants out of that material may be other qualities beyond its inherent visual ones. For instance, I prefer woodwork that has been treated with nothing but oil and wax to let the natural beauty shine through but wood that is stained or painted can result in beautiful work as well. It’s not wrong to change or obscure the wood’s natural look. It’s just different. Polymer has other qualities beyond it’s color, primarily its sculptural characteristics including the ability to hold very fine detail. So, if its sculptural qualities are primarily what the artist needs from the material, then why not use whatever kind of treatment gives the surface the color and feel the artist finds most appealing or fitting for the work?

The fact is, the color in polymer clay only pieces tends to be fairly uniform since we are working with a material which is colored throughout making it fairly difficult to achieve an organic variation and imperfect diffusion of color. On the other hand, paint which is applied in layers can so readily be everything from dense and uniform to translucent and feathery to gritty and splattered. The facts are that it is easy to get smooth, uniform color using polymer clay but can be tricky with paint and it is easy to get variation in a field of color with paint but takes more work than it is often worth to get a similar effect in clay. In other words, each material has its strengths and so why not employ them based on those strengths?

As an artist, one should use the material that suits the end result desired if the material and the skills to use them are available to them. We’re not talking just paint here either—this applies to any material. Sometimes real metal, with its strength and shine, will work better than faux polymer metal or real stones will glimmer and give a piece the needed weight that faux polymer stones cannot. I am not saying that the real thing should always be used though. Faux materials in polymer do have distinct advantages such as faux metal being lighter and more flexible than the real thing and faux stones are usually cheaper to produce and can be formed in ways that real stones cannot.

Ideally, you start designing a piece with the idea of what you want to make, then figure out what materials would be best suited to the look, construction, durability, and cost of the work as well as your skillset and interests. With this approach, you can make the best work possible rather than limiting yourself because you feel some sense of loyalty to a single medium or the tribe of artists that identify themselves by that medium. That loyalty, like not painting color onto polymer, can be unnecessarily limiting and you could be missing out on wonderful new ways to express yourself and create.

The fact is you and your work do not need to be defined by your primary medium. You are an artist or a crafter or an artisan. You can choose to tack a medium on to one of these basic labels in order to be identified by a related community or as a way to explain very succinctly what you do, but if one day you get up and decide you want to try working with something else, are you going to feel locked into that label? Because if you do, you may be less inclined to explore and that would be sad. As I see it, every true artist is an explorer and one that should not be limited by any one material if their path of exploration leads them elsewhere. That’s just my humble opinion!

So, if you think paint would look good on your polymer, I think you should go for it. Let’s look at a handful of artists who combine paint and polymer in ways that polymer alone would not readily be able to create.

 

Color on Color

If you are a fan of Doreen Kassel’s work, you’re probably in love with either her whimsy or her exuberant color. But did you know, she only works with white clay? Or at least this is what she told me a few years back. Polymer is a sculptural medium for her. Its potential color possibilities do not come into play. Instead, she paints her polymer work primarily with oil paints. The wash and translucency of the oil paint layers gives a unique depth and glow to the colors that you just wouldn’t get with polymer alone. Her use of white as the base, like oil on canvas, does much to brighten the colors as well.

 

 

Miniature polymer creation is another area where paint seems to be indispensable. Now, I am no expert in this area but after working with and publishing articles and projects with Stephanie Kilgast, I have learned just how important paint can be for creating lifelike miniature objects. The clay does provide a large amount of the color in Stephanie’s work but painting is what punches up the realism and her amazing sculptures. Highlighting and antiquing play a major role in the realistic look of pieces like this fungi and coral inspired piece.

By the way, if you’re wondering why Stephanie sculpted this on a tin can, it is because she is very active in promoting environmental awareness and uses discarded objects to celebrate “the beauty of nature in a dialogue with humanity, questioning the lost balance between human activities and nature”. If you like what she’s doing you should consider supporting her on Patreon, a platform for supporting artists you admire with a monthly donation of just a couple dollars. You are then given access to privileged information and insight on the artist and his or her work as well as, sometimes, demonstrations and tutorials. Check Stephanie’s page on Patreon here then check out the service in general. There are some really cool artists sharing some really exclusive stuff on this platform.

 

Lorraine Vogel applies paint to the surface of textured polymer clay using stencils. Polymer clay allows her to create textures that gives the paint variation and dimension, an approach that softens the sharp edge and graphic effect that stencil painting often has.

By the way, you can learn the technique in the above pendant from Lorraine’s tutorial in The Polymer Arts’ Winter 2016 issue, available in digital or print on our website of course. Or you can go to her Etsy shop and purchase one of her comprehensive digital tutorials.

 

And I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that in the last issue of The Polymer Studio, Debbie Crothers shows the possibilities of acrylic paint and polymer in a very comprehensive, exploratory article with numerous short tutorials to get you exploring as well. Acrylic pours on polymer is the technique on the beads that grace the cover. The resulting mix of color and its visual texture is just flat out yummy.

 

Although I am talking paint here, the idea that other materials can and should be used on polymer where they can add or express your ideas best extends to all colorants including alcohol inks, pastels, mica powders, iron oxides, or glazes. Most of these other colorants have been better accepted in polymer work, probably because they change the clay color but don’t obscure it the way paint can. But even in traditional paintings, the type of substrate the artist uses to paint on greatly effects the feel and look of the work. Polymer can be a wonderful substrate, especially since its sculptural properties allow for such a great interaction with the paint and such creative potential for the form of the piece.

So, if you’ve been curious about the various effects you can get with paint on polymer or have wondered if you can combine some other material interest such as fiber, metal, paper or whatever, try it! Mess around and explore. Search online to see what others might be doing with these combinations and let their ideas motivate you to try stretch your skills and creative interests.

So, what new material will you be trying out this week or in the very near future?

The Sage Chronicles

My so-called break has yet to feel like a break, I have to admit. There have been some family matters and siblings who need my support and getting the house back together (and getting rid of all this dust!) is slow going as I try to take it easy with the one gimpy arm. So, I still have a full schedule between that, the family stuff, my physical therapy, and my efforts to come up with a plan for returning to production without getting in this state again. You know, some day, I just want to know what it’s like to be bored. Yeah … that’s not likely to happen any time soon.

For those following the saga of the broken drain turned into a major renovation, here’s a photo of the kitchen after I laid in the first line of slate on the backsplash last week so we could at least make the kitchen fully functional and I could get to cooking properly again! I can’t wait until I actually get to start putting in the design on the backsplash. I’ve never done a mosaic project this big but I am excited and so glad I am giving myself the break just now so I can enjoy the process and not rush it. Or not take 6 months or more to complete it!

So, I’m off to rest up now. I hope you have had a great, creative, and inspiring weekend. Here’s to a creative and inspiring week as well!

 

 

Pretty Little Bits

August 18, 2019

Shing Yin Khor Title: Curiosity Cabinet #2

First of all, I have to shout out a thank you to all of you who have been reaching out to me while I am relatively out of commission this month. I received so many well wishes by email and messenger that I’ve not been able to answer you all yet and for that I do apologize! I’ve also received cards from as far away as New Zealand and even a book! I can’t tell you how touched I am! You all are so amazing and so supportive!

I feel almost guilty because while I deal with silly little stuff I could have prevented if I wasn’t such a workaholic, there are others of you out there are dealing with the really hard stuff like fibromyalgia or cancer. I just want you all to know that I’m thinking about those of you who are struggling with your own pain, debilitation, or illness as well. It is easier to get through the rough patches when you know so many people care! In fact, might I encourage you to reach out to someone you know who is having a hard time and just say you are thinking of them and wishing them well? Just those little words can do wonders for one’s spirit. It has for me!

Now let’s talk about pretty bits!

Do you have a bin or box of pieces and parts of your handiwork yet unfinished but which you are too in love with toss? If you regularly create, I can’t imagine that you don’t. But what exactly are we going to do with these pieces?

This is a question we all end up pondering at some point. Do we hold onto them, hoping that they will be just the thing needed someday or do we toss them? It can be quite the dilemma, one that even Marie Kondo can’t easily help with because, hey, these do spark joy for us! And we do see value in them, in that they represent our creativity and what we can accomplish. But do such little jewels of our work belong in a bin where we don’t get to admire them?

I’ve been thinking about this question for a while and came up with a few solutions of my own, but I am hardly alone in searching for and finding ways to display pieces that might not otherwise see the light too often. Let’s look at options for what you can do with your pretty little bits as well as how to extrapolate possibilities from what other people are doing for jewelry display in general.

Out into the Light

If you read and perused through your entire copy of Polymer Journeys 2019, you would have seen, at the very last entry, my contribution which is a display case of small exploratory items for which I had no particular use in mind when created. In other words, I created them without thinking “This is going to be a pendant,” or “This is going to be a set of earrings,” or “This is going to decorate a vessel.” I just made them to see what the material would do, most of which I liked, and which represented a little exploratory learning experience. I had already been tying bits onto ribbons and hanging them off the edge of my studio corkboard as little festive decorations but that didn’t work for the pieces that really only had one viewing angle as they would twist around on the ribbons.

Then I was out talking to the butterflies in my backyard (Yeah, I talk to the creatures in my yard. It’s a hazard of working alone from home all day. You’ll talk to anything!) and remembering how I used to catch and collect them in shadow boxes as a kid and it just randomly struck me that my little creative bits were like butterflies in a way. They are lovelies that I caught in a moment of exploratory creativity and in that small frame of time, they became a kind of an unexpected friend, going through that creative time with me. I didn’t want to toss my little friends even though I had no end-use for them. You don’t do that to friends! You hold onto them around and support each other, right?

Does that sound silly? Maybe it is, but it was revealing to me to realize that I kept certain pieces not because they were so beautiful or well done but more often because I felt connected to them. So, why not collect them and put them out like a collection of butterflies or a collage of photos of one’s friends? And this is what I started making. We find shadow boxes at garage sales and thrift stores for cheap and because they have character. I’ve made half a dozen of these so far.

By the way, I use a hot melt glue gun to tack the pieces onto a bit of mat board cut to fit the box. The nice thing about the hot melt glue is that if you do every want to take a piece out of the collection, you just pop it off the board and heat it up with a hairdryer to remove the glue from the back of the piece. So, your “friends” can come out and play in another piece or a new collection as you like!

 

If you don’t want to display pieces quick and easy, you could tack them up on a corkboard, as I bet many of you do already, but you can also make a nicer, more intentional display like this reed shade like Lauren Valenzuela does with this earring collection. Now, she is using this to photograph her collection, but you can pop up your bits by looping wire that ends in a hook around it. You could change out your collection on a whim that way. This is also a great idea for hanging up earrings, brooches, and necklaces so you can admire them even when not wearing them.

 

You can use collection displays or anything with dividers that can be hung on a wall. This would work especially well if you make little sculptures are pieces that would sit upright and are better seated then hung or glued but it can work with both as seen in the piece by Shing Yin Khor at the top of this post. Gerard Collas used an old printer’s letter set tray to display collections of his little wood sculptures.

 

You can also use wall art to display your artistic bits. This canvas covered with brooches is an ingenious display put together by Kathleen Dustin. She used this display in her show booth in 2016. I’m guessing she’s still using something of the sort because it’s just such a fabulous idea. But you could do the same basic thing with your bits. Get a canvas and have at it with paint or whatever you’d like, and attach your pretty bits, maybe with the hot melt glue gun or even hang it with the wire hook method. You could, alternately, find a finished piece of art, maybe at a thrift store or home goods store, and attach your pieces to that as it hangs on your wall.

 

Earlier this year, when I was in San Francisco, I saw this great wall of jewelry displayed on life-size artistic portraits. Again, this is showing completed work, but you could print out a large portrait image or, sketch or paint your own, and adorn and the image with your little lovelies or even with finished jewelry.

 

Now, if you simply have a lot of beads and bits that may not be your special “friends” but you have held on to them because you are sure someday they will come in handy (but maybe you are starting to lose faith in that idea), you can use them to create decorative wall pieces when used collectively. I didn’t know that this was a thing but there is a ton of this type of thing on Pinterest and general home craft blogs. People are doing everything from simply arranging spare bits into heart shapes to creating elaborate scenes in a kind of mosaic manner. Here is a fairly straightforward example fashioning tree imagery out of spare bits and bobs. It looks to have been created by Berdean Mante.

By the way, I found this jeweled topiary wall piece in an article about what to do with old vintage jewelry. It is all about creating wall art or decorating home decor objects with lots of pretty bits. If that interests you, pop over to that here.

So… Do I have your little wheels turning in your head? These should give you ideas not just for what to do with your extra bits but many of these could be a jumping-off point for creating your own unique show displays and photo setups.

Do you have a cool and unique way to display your extra bits or jewelry? Send me links to images if you do. Put it in the comments below, or if you’re reading this by email, click the header for this post to get to it on mine to leave a comment.

 

Light at the End of the Tunnel

In other very exciting news, we have our house back! The construction crew did last small tasks on Friday and for the first time in four months, I’m off to sleep in a full-size bed in an actual bedroom! I love my studio but I have spent nearly every hour of every day the last four months sleeping, eating, and working from here. I’ve been getting a little more than stir crazy! But now, we basically have to move back into her house. I hadn’t thought about how the post-construction time was going to be like moving into a new place but, of course, it is because it is basically a new place. So, I have tons to do and did not have time to take pictures for you yet, but I will take some pictures for next week when it’s kind of back altogether.

Hopefully, I didn’t make too many mistakes in this post. I am dead tired and sneezey from all the cleaning and raising of dust. And yes, I am being good and cleaning away with my left hand to spare the bad right one. Well, mostly. I do forget sometimes, mostly because the pain has diminished a ton from not being on the computer all day. So, the break is working thus far, at least for my arm! The pre-diabetes has been tougher to crack but I am determined!  Having a full kitchen back and a real bed to sleep in should contribute greatly to all that. Yay!

So, until next week, I hope you have fun with the display ideas!

Radiating Variety

August 11, 2019

Would you say you creatively lean toward symmetry or asymmetry? Although humans are innately attracted to symmetry, we all lean towards one or the other when it comes to our aesthetic preferences. However, symmetry, which represents order, is generally found to be more pleasing to the brain than asymmetry but, interestingly enough, symmetry alone cannot make something beautiful. That’s because that orderliness can get rather boring.

This is not to say that symmetry is automatically boring, because it certainly is not. It’s all a matter of how much energy the other characteristics of that symmetrical design add to it. However, there is a kind of artistic prejudice against symmetry out there sometimes. It’s this kind of default line of thought that symmetry is not only boring but a kind of cop-out in design, that it is something primarily employed by the inexperienced and unskilled aspiring artist. That always struck me as really ridiculous. Did they think that Mother Nature should rearrange the flowers, the growth of crystals, and the patterns of butterfly wings? Because they are all symmetrical and yet, these are some of the most beautiful natural things in our world.

So, make note that it’s not symmetry that makes a design boring, it’s a lack of energy in the design. Making exciting, energized, and intriguing symmetrical work can actually be challenging so when someone does it well, it can be quite impressive. Asymmetry has an innate sense of energy simply because it is off-balance and our brain, the way it is, always thinks things are moving towards balance and thus sees asymmetrical design as something in flux. So really, asymmetry might be considered a kind of a shortcut to an energized design although, in truth, both symmetry and asymmetry have plenty of challenges to contend with when designing.

There is one type of symmetrical design, however, that does have both balance and energy almost automatically included. This is the beautiful radial symmetry seen in nature in everything from starfish to flowers to snowflakes. Its energy comes from lines or a progression of shapes moving out from a central axis. The movement in this kind of symmetry is strong and directional but it can still verge on the boring if the radiating lines do not have variation.

Let’s look at some examples of beautifully done radial symmetry.

 

Going Around the Axis

We see radial symmetry in polymer all the time, particularly in kaleidoscope canes. The process of slicing and reassembling the canes with the same point in the pattern arranged at the center creates radial symmetry. There aren’t necessarily radiating lines in these canes, but the mirrored shapes tend to create points or a kind of visual growth outward.

Here’s a beautiful five-sided kaleidoscope cane – yes, symmetry can have an and odd number of sides because the design is still consistent around a central axis – whose parts have a sense of growth moving outward. This is by the very adept cane artist Lana Fominicheva of LaFom on Etsy.

 

A more direct production of radial symmetry can be created by building with a collection of elements such as in this quilled cane design by Meg Newberg of Polymer Clay Workshop.

Cool canes, right? You can get Meg’s Quilled Cane Tutorial in her Esty shop and get to making your own as soon as you download it!

 

Radial symmetry that is neither straight nor separate lines or progressive shapes can still create energy and interest while still staying symmetrical and beautifully balanced as seen here in this locket by Ola of PinkLaLou on Etsy. The crossing over of the lines in the central image are highly energetic and flow out more than burst out from the central axis but flowing lines are still energized only in a calmer, perhaps more elegant, way.

This is a locket created with filigree and cold enamel, not polymer. At first, I thought maybe the design in the middle was cold enamel, but I think it may be an image under resin. Cold enamel is a pigmented semi-translucent resin created to look like traditional glass enamel. If you love the look of enamel but have neither the equipment nor the patience to learn that amazing craft, cold enamel might fill the bill for you. But in the meantime, you could start a radial symmetry design with the right graphic using a liquid polymer image transfer.

 

Okay, so now that you’ve seen a few examples, would you say this next piece below is radial symmetry? Scroll down before reading on and just take a quick peek. Its looks like it is, right?

Well, technically no, it isn’t, but it has all the initial markers with a central axis from which elements radiate outward in a similar pattern. However, nothing is actually symmetrical from one side to the other. Our brain perceives balance because the progression from the center feels consistent, going from radiating lines of inlaid polymer to an even boundary of solid silver to a filigree of swirls and set gems that fill the outside perimeter. But all the elements have an irregular placement, especially in the stones and swirls outside of the focal center but also in the thickness, pattern, and coloring of the inlaid polymer. So, this pendant echoes radial symmetry without being symmetrical thus giving it a tremendous amount of energy without feeling chaotic. Pretty cool!

This necklace, of course, is a Liz Hall creation. Liz has been one of my polymer heroes since nearly the beginning of my exploration into the material. She combines precious metal clay with polymer inlays, adding in stones, glass, and other shiny bits here and there as well. Her openness to other materials allows for this broad range of exploration in design and yet she has a very distinctive style. If you look closely at her work, you’ll see every regular pattern and design is just a touch off, including the pendant that opens this blog post. That’s part of her signature style. Simple but effective.

 

Of course, the most quintessential of radial symmetry design is the mandala. Much of the radial symmetry we see could be considered mandalas of sorts, if we are just speaking of the geometry of it. Mandalas are, however, traditionally a reference to a kind of spiritual map, one that was originally meant to be a model for the organizational structure of life, in both the physical and metaphysical sense, and consisted of a square with a circle and four T-shaped gates, one facing each side of the square. But, as you might have noticed, that definition and the base design has been broadly extended. As long as the design has a regular structure organized around a unifying center, it seems to be generally accepted that it can be called a mandala.

We see these mandala structures in polymer pieces created with cane slices a lot but it is also readily achieved with layered polymer elements like these layered ornaments Kay Miller used to make. She’s off focused on dimensional greeting cards now but we can still enjoy the images of her perfectly designed and finished ornaments.

 

Mandalas are certainly not relegated to polymer when it comes to artwork. And it’s not just about those dot painted rocks that are all the rage now either. Take a gander at this gorgeous mandala brooch created by Jima and Carlie Abbott of Mixed Metal Jewels.

So… do you use radial symmetry in your work? If you don’t or haven’t done much of it or simply haven’t thought much about it, maybe it’s time to try it out. It can be very meditative. See for yourself!

 

Best Laid Plans

Well, this week I was going to start casually working on plans for future publications and new projects between physical therapy and catching up on sleep, but chaos reigned here at the house. Again. There was light at the end of the tunnel when we suddenly went from being a couple of days from finishing the house renovations to a couple of weeks.

The appliances were in and the final painting had commenced but then we discovered that the floor had a problem along with more damage than was anticipated so instead of simply repairing our flooring around the construction areas, we had to tear out nearly half the flooring in our house! Talk about frustrating! And depressing. And nerve-racking. Blah.

But, long story short, we worked it and persisted until we found something we could afford and miraculously ended up with this gorgeous acacia wood flooring and a crew that rushed in and got it all taken care of pretty much in one day! It was nuts. There were so many guys here, it was like ants in the house. But it was by far the best work done on this whole project. Here is my husband Brett, just super excited about his new floors, in our nearly done kitchen.

 

I’m pretty sure his expression will change when we sit down to pay the bill though. But at least we can drown our sorrows over a glass of wine in a gorgeous new kitchen.

Or a glass of seltzer in my case. My metabolic issues are dampening my potential to celebrate or drown my sorrows in my family’s traditional Irish way. No sugars including alcohol for me for a while, not until my metabolic issues are under control and it’ll be minimal even then. It’s sad but it’s really nothing compared to what some of my other friends are going through right now. All you wonderful people … take good care of yourselves! I don’t want any more troubling health news. Ok?

On the positive side, my arm is much better even after this one week with minimal computer time. It is starting to hurt now though, but only because I keep forgetting to not type! Three decades of writing for a living and it’s hard not to use the keyboard when pain is not there to readily remind me not to. I’ll learn!

So, the word now is that we should have our house back in a week. Then I can start cooking properly and really button-down on the new diet regimen I have. So, keep your fingers and toes crossed for us as I will keep good, positive energy and prayers flowing out to all of you with challenges going on right now.

Have a beautiful, creative, and inspiring week!

Crosswise Crafts

Heather Campbell – “Keep Circling”

If you read this blog because polymer is your primary art material, do you consider yourself a polymer artist or a mixed-media artist? This question has arisen in a few conversations recently – how to identify oneself as an artist – and also in regard to the content of these blogs posts because a lot of people that are writing me of late have turned out not to be primarily polymer artists, or at least identify themselves as mixed-media rather than polymer artists. I think that’s really cool and I don’t find it terribly surprising that people who work in other art materials are interested in polymer because polymer has so much crossover and such a wide range of possible applications.

I mean, is polymer clay the only material in your art studio? Aside from maybe dedicated caners, I think the majority of us who identify as polymer artists also have drawers and bins and boxes of other things like beads, fabric, paints, paper, resin, and so much more. So, is your polymer art really a type of mixed-media art? And what is mixed-media art really anyways?

And most of all… do the labels really matter?

Labels are important for the purpose of organizing all the information we are inundated with daily, but unfortunately, it also puts people and concepts in restrictive boxes and that can become problematic. When someone is labeled (or calls themselves) a polymer artist, it doesn’t mean that they work only with polymer or even primarily with polymer. They may simply have an affinity for the material more than any other single material.

Not only do we use a lot of other materials in polymer work, but we can also so readily draw inspiration from looking at artwork in materials. I, myself, find fiber art to be an immense resource for ideas in my polymer work, especially modern quilting, so I thought I’d bring you along to explore some of the ways today’s quilt art and polymer creatively crossover.

Crosswise Crafts

Quilt art is a form of fiber art which pushes beyond functional bedcovers and quilted clothing of the past. Fiber Art itself is a relatively recent term, first used shortly after World War II to categorize fine art using natural or synthetic fiber as the material. This speaks to how relatively new the focus has been on fiber as an art form. Luckily, the term quickly worked its way out of the relatively elite world of curators and art historians into a more generalized use encompassing all fiber-based artistic applications, from weaving and quilting to intensely detailed embroidery and monumental outdoor installations.

There has been a tremendous amount of experimentation going on in fiber arts since the latter decades of the twentieth century, something as polymer artists we understand and applaud but, unlike polymer the many forms of fiber art draw from some of mankind’s oldest crafts so experimentation tends to rally not around techniques but around form, nontraditional materials, unusual use and placement of materials, and conceptual approaches, especially those involving cultural issues and activism. This makes it a rich source of inspiration that can really light the way for new possibilities in polymer.

As I’m sure you know, not only do we emulate fiber in polymer, we also have methods of construction and layout with veneers and inlays which use basically the same approach as quilting, less the sewing. Both art forms also technically work in three-dimensions but are commonly composed in two-dimensions which is why I think it’s such a great arena to look to for a creative shot in the arm.

Here is a very direct example of the crossover between quilting and polymer. Lindly Haunani draws the patterns for her polymer quilts directly from classic quilt patterns, like this one based on a half square quilt design.

She uses these wall pieces to examine and teach color. She also applies the concepts to brooches like these lovely pieces.

By the way, Lindly has a series of workshops teaching color through the creation of veneers and polymer quilts coming up in late August/early September at Creative Journey Studios. You can check those out here.

 

Although classic quilt patterns pop up in polymer quite often, contemporary quilts are nothing like these. Here is an example of traditional quilting techniques but without the traditional patterns by Lisa Jenni. Do the colors or composition poke at your creative brain but with polymer on the mind? It could be an arrangement with alcohol ink dyed polymer, striped canes, and stamped clay medallions, right?

 

That quilt reminds me a little bit of Gera Scott Chandler’s work. The colors and the emphasis on oblong circles are probably the connections but you see how one could possibly inspire the other, yes?

 

And how have we not seen something like this piece below done in polymer? This is embroidered quilting by Susan Lenz It’s less than 3’ x 2’ so such a piece in polymer would not be a monumental task. This has given me an idea … I think I know what I’m going to do with all the inchies collected over the years. Let’s all make wall pieces from our collections!

Be sure to look at Susan’s Lancet window series too. They have a similarly open layout but in kind of stained-glass patterns.

 

Contemporary quilts, like polymer, are not restricted to a two-dimensional canvas or flat layers. There are a lot of things being added into and onto quilts today. Just look at this riot of wonder by Molly Jean Hobbit.

Does this piece bring to mind any polymer artists who also use lots of pieces and materials in their work? Maybe Laurie Mika, Heather Campbell (as seen in the opening image), or even Christi Friesen with her mixed-media mosaics? If you have always liked what these ladies are doing, just imagine the fresh batch of ideas you could get from contemporary quilts.

Want to really delve into the quilt world now? You go down a rabbit hole by simply putting “quilt art” into Pinterest, or you could start on the Contemporary Quilt Art associations gallery pages. Click on each image to get a whole slew of additional quilts by various artists. It’s quite the fabulous (and possibly time gobbling) rabbit hole to go down.

Want to do a little polymer quilting of your own today? Well, you could sit down to this video by Jan Montarsi, demonstrating how to make striped polymer quilt squares. Mind you, he uses his new Create Template, but you could do it without the template if you want to get right to it. If you have the latest edition of The Polymer Studio, Issue #3, go to Jan’s article on multicolor blends first to make some really bright and saturated blended sheets to work with. If you didn’t subscribe or purchase your copy yet, you can get an immediate digital download or order a print edition on the website here. And you can get Jan’s templates here.

 

Where Two Crafts Collide – working with the Craft Industry Alliance

So, my curiosity about this mixed media labeling question pushed me to do some research early last month and, in the process, I found the Craft Industry Alliance. This is a fairly new organization – it was created in 2015 – but it is growing quite quickly as an information and supportive advocacy trade association for all working craft artists – this includes you!

I really liked that this organization recognizes craft art as a broader community that is not segregated by material or form. Since the founders are primarily fiber artist, however, it started out heavy in that arena, but they are actively growing into other communities. I know this because the president of CIA (gosh, their acronym sounds so covert!) contacted me after I joined their organization online with an earnest request to get to know the polymer community better. After a lovely chat and a few emails, we are now working on polymer based content for the Alliance. How cool is that?

So, what is this organization and what might it do for you? Well, here is the skinny, straight from President, Abby Glassenberg:

Craft Industry Alliance is a community of craft professionals. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections within a supportive trade association. Artists who are interested in becoming teachers of their craft, writing books, and showing their work in galleries need to think about setting up a solid business foundation from which to grow. Marketing and branding, legal, accounting and tax issues, social media and blogging … these are all issues creative business owners need to think through. Don’t do it alone! Come together with 1,300+ fellow members in a supportive community where you can find solid answers to your questions, make connections with the right people, and find the resources you need. Check it out at https://www.craftindustryalliance.org  

As you can see, the organization is focused on active artists who show and sell their work or promote themselves as teachers or writers. It doesn’t really matter how small or how big your creative operation is, you’ll always benefit from a little help and I think it’s a fantastic idea to have a community of people from all areas of craft supporting each other. I’ve always been a little worried that the polymer community has remained a bit insular since we have issues that few other material arenas have, being such a very young material, working with a plastic in an environmentally sensitive world, and battling the “kids art material” image. But growth in this community will come from the outside, not from within so the more we reach out and network with other craft artists and the larger craft community, the more energized and innovative we will be as a whole and that will keep the community growing and vital.

The Sage Sabbatical

So, as most of you probably know by now, August starts my little sabbatical from production work on print publications so I can attend to some health issues. I have to admit, it’s made me a little depressed. It’s just rather sudden and I’m such a workaholic and so used to having a deadline hanging over me all the time so it’s a little unnerving. Luckily, it actually started out busy since we wrapped up the release of The Polymer Studio Issue #3. It turned out just beautiful and we’ve already received so many great comments on it with particular excitement around articles like the fascinating story of Brazil’s polymer master, Beatriz Cominatto, Debbie Crothers’ acrylic and polymer exploration, and Jan’s multi-color skinner blend techniques.

If you’re waiting on your copy, the digital edition went out on the 31st – check spam/junk mail folders if you’re due one and didn’t see it in your inbox. Print editions went to the post office this past Wednesday, so they are on the way too. I have my batch of stock here if you need to order it. Just go to the website.

We also added a Special 3 issue Package of all three of The Polymer Studio issues if you need to do some catching up.

If you’re unfamiliar with my silly little situation that forced me into taking time off, you can find the more-or-less full story in our most recent newsletter here.

If you don’t get our twice a month newsletter, signing up for the newsletter is one of the best ways to stay informed on our publications and new projects, of which there will be something before the year ends even if I can’t do print! But yes, I promise I will not overextend myself and do with the doctor orders!

Speaking of which … I should go now. I hope you are excited by the peek at quilts and the connection to polymer. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend and an inspired week!

Of Polymer and Paint

August 25, 2019
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Have you ever used paint on polymer? If so, why did you chose to paint it rather than use the inherent color? This question is at the heart of a kind of prejudice against paint that used to be rather prevalent in the polymer community. I think painting on polymer has found its place in our repertoire of techniques but statistically (and I’m just looking at the stats I have available from the blog and the general response to articles) I don’t think it gets quite the regard that other techniques do and it makes me wonder if people still steer away from it, even when it might be the best choice.

Ages ago, I unintentionally incited a heated conversation about painting on polymer through a blog post where all the color and the focal point of the piece was painted. There were many comments about how painting on polymer was not “working in polymer” and therefore I should not be writing about it on a polymer blog. This sentiment was rooted in the thought that since polymer is already colored, painting would be superfluous if not downright heretical. This was also a time when polymer was fighting for its place in the art world and competitions for polymer were being won by pieces that were not wholly polymer which heavily irritated those who strove to create only with polymer clay. With a strong love for the material, those crafters were simply strong proponents of letting the material shine through.

Well, a material can be gorgeous on its own, but what the artist wants out of that material may be other qualities beyond its inherent visual ones. For instance, I prefer woodwork that has been treated with nothing but oil and wax to let the natural beauty shine through but wood that is stained or painted can result in beautiful work as well. It’s not wrong to change or obscure the wood’s natural look. It’s just different. Polymer has other qualities beyond it’s color, primarily its sculptural characteristics including the ability to hold very fine detail. So, if its sculptural qualities are primarily what the artist needs from the material, then why not use whatever kind of treatment gives the surface the color and feel the artist finds most appealing or fitting for the work?

The fact is, the color in polymer clay only pieces tends to be fairly uniform since we are working with a material which is colored throughout making it fairly difficult to achieve an organic variation and imperfect diffusion of color. On the other hand, paint which is applied in layers can so readily be everything from dense and uniform to translucent and feathery to gritty and splattered. The facts are that it is easy to get smooth, uniform color using polymer clay but can be tricky with paint and it is easy to get variation in a field of color with paint but takes more work than it is often worth to get a similar effect in clay. In other words, each material has its strengths and so why not employ them based on those strengths?

As an artist, one should use the material that suits the end result desired if the material and the skills to use them are available to them. We’re not talking just paint here either—this applies to any material. Sometimes real metal, with its strength and shine, will work better than faux polymer metal or real stones will glimmer and give a piece the needed weight that faux polymer stones cannot. I am not saying that the real thing should always be used though. Faux materials in polymer do have distinct advantages such as faux metal being lighter and more flexible than the real thing and faux stones are usually cheaper to produce and can be formed in ways that real stones cannot.

Ideally, you start designing a piece with the idea of what you want to make, then figure out what materials would be best suited to the look, construction, durability, and cost of the work as well as your skillset and interests. With this approach, you can make the best work possible rather than limiting yourself because you feel some sense of loyalty to a single medium or the tribe of artists that identify themselves by that medium. That loyalty, like not painting color onto polymer, can be unnecessarily limiting and you could be missing out on wonderful new ways to express yourself and create.

The fact is you and your work do not need to be defined by your primary medium. You are an artist or a crafter or an artisan. You can choose to tack a medium on to one of these basic labels in order to be identified by a related community or as a way to explain very succinctly what you do, but if one day you get up and decide you want to try working with something else, are you going to feel locked into that label? Because if you do, you may be less inclined to explore and that would be sad. As I see it, every true artist is an explorer and one that should not be limited by any one material if their path of exploration leads them elsewhere. That’s just my humble opinion!

So, if you think paint would look good on your polymer, I think you should go for it. Let’s look at a handful of artists who combine paint and polymer in ways that polymer alone would not readily be able to create.

 

Color on Color

If you are a fan of Doreen Kassel’s work, you’re probably in love with either her whimsy or her exuberant color. But did you know, she only works with white clay? Or at least this is what she told me a few years back. Polymer is a sculptural medium for her. Its potential color possibilities do not come into play. Instead, she paints her polymer work primarily with oil paints. The wash and translucency of the oil paint layers gives a unique depth and glow to the colors that you just wouldn’t get with polymer alone. Her use of white as the base, like oil on canvas, does much to brighten the colors as well.

 

 

Miniature polymer creation is another area where paint seems to be indispensable. Now, I am no expert in this area but after working with and publishing articles and projects with Stephanie Kilgast, I have learned just how important paint can be for creating lifelike miniature objects. The clay does provide a large amount of the color in Stephanie’s work but painting is what punches up the realism and her amazing sculptures. Highlighting and antiquing play a major role in the realistic look of pieces like this fungi and coral inspired piece.

By the way, if you’re wondering why Stephanie sculpted this on a tin can, it is because she is very active in promoting environmental awareness and uses discarded objects to celebrate “the beauty of nature in a dialogue with humanity, questioning the lost balance between human activities and nature”. If you like what she’s doing you should consider supporting her on Patreon, a platform for supporting artists you admire with a monthly donation of just a couple dollars. You are then given access to privileged information and insight on the artist and his or her work as well as, sometimes, demonstrations and tutorials. Check Stephanie’s page on Patreon here then check out the service in general. There are some really cool artists sharing some really exclusive stuff on this platform.

 

Lorraine Vogel applies paint to the surface of textured polymer clay using stencils. Polymer clay allows her to create textures that gives the paint variation and dimension, an approach that softens the sharp edge and graphic effect that stencil painting often has.

By the way, you can learn the technique in the above pendant from Lorraine’s tutorial in The Polymer Arts’ Winter 2016 issue, available in digital or print on our website of course. Or you can go to her Etsy shop and purchase one of her comprehensive digital tutorials.

 

And I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that in the last issue of The Polymer Studio, Debbie Crothers shows the possibilities of acrylic paint and polymer in a very comprehensive, exploratory article with numerous short tutorials to get you exploring as well. Acrylic pours on polymer is the technique on the beads that grace the cover. The resulting mix of color and its visual texture is just flat out yummy.

 

Although I am talking paint here, the idea that other materials can and should be used on polymer where they can add or express your ideas best extends to all colorants including alcohol inks, pastels, mica powders, iron oxides, or glazes. Most of these other colorants have been better accepted in polymer work, probably because they change the clay color but don’t obscure it the way paint can. But even in traditional paintings, the type of substrate the artist uses to paint on greatly effects the feel and look of the work. Polymer can be a wonderful substrate, especially since its sculptural properties allow for such a great interaction with the paint and such creative potential for the form of the piece.

So, if you’ve been curious about the various effects you can get with paint on polymer or have wondered if you can combine some other material interest such as fiber, metal, paper or whatever, try it! Mess around and explore. Search online to see what others might be doing with these combinations and let their ideas motivate you to try stretch your skills and creative interests.

So, what new material will you be trying out this week or in the very near future?

The Sage Chronicles

My so-called break has yet to feel like a break, I have to admit. There have been some family matters and siblings who need my support and getting the house back together (and getting rid of all this dust!) is slow going as I try to take it easy with the one gimpy arm. So, I still have a full schedule between that, the family stuff, my physical therapy, and my efforts to come up with a plan for returning to production without getting in this state again. You know, some day, I just want to know what it’s like to be bored. Yeah … that’s not likely to happen any time soon.

For those following the saga of the broken drain turned into a major renovation, here’s a photo of the kitchen after I laid in the first line of slate on the backsplash last week so we could at least make the kitchen fully functional and I could get to cooking properly again! I can’t wait until I actually get to start putting in the design on the backsplash. I’ve never done a mosaic project this big but I am excited and so glad I am giving myself the break just now so I can enjoy the process and not rush it. Or not take 6 months or more to complete it!

So, I’m off to rest up now. I hope you have had a great, creative, and inspiring weekend. Here’s to a creative and inspiring week as well!

 

 

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Pretty Little Bits

August 18, 2019
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Shing Yin Khor Title: Curiosity Cabinet #2

First of all, I have to shout out a thank you to all of you who have been reaching out to me while I am relatively out of commission this month. I received so many well wishes by email and messenger that I’ve not been able to answer you all yet and for that I do apologize! I’ve also received cards from as far away as New Zealand and even a book! I can’t tell you how touched I am! You all are so amazing and so supportive!

I feel almost guilty because while I deal with silly little stuff I could have prevented if I wasn’t such a workaholic, there are others of you out there are dealing with the really hard stuff like fibromyalgia or cancer. I just want you all to know that I’m thinking about those of you who are struggling with your own pain, debilitation, or illness as well. It is easier to get through the rough patches when you know so many people care! In fact, might I encourage you to reach out to someone you know who is having a hard time and just say you are thinking of them and wishing them well? Just those little words can do wonders for one’s spirit. It has for me!

Now let’s talk about pretty bits!

Do you have a bin or box of pieces and parts of your handiwork yet unfinished but which you are too in love with toss? If you regularly create, I can’t imagine that you don’t. But what exactly are we going to do with these pieces?

This is a question we all end up pondering at some point. Do we hold onto them, hoping that they will be just the thing needed someday or do we toss them? It can be quite the dilemma, one that even Marie Kondo can’t easily help with because, hey, these do spark joy for us! And we do see value in them, in that they represent our creativity and what we can accomplish. But do such little jewels of our work belong in a bin where we don’t get to admire them?

I’ve been thinking about this question for a while and came up with a few solutions of my own, but I am hardly alone in searching for and finding ways to display pieces that might not otherwise see the light too often. Let’s look at options for what you can do with your pretty little bits as well as how to extrapolate possibilities from what other people are doing for jewelry display in general.

Out into the Light

If you read and perused through your entire copy of Polymer Journeys 2019, you would have seen, at the very last entry, my contribution which is a display case of small exploratory items for which I had no particular use in mind when created. In other words, I created them without thinking “This is going to be a pendant,” or “This is going to be a set of earrings,” or “This is going to decorate a vessel.” I just made them to see what the material would do, most of which I liked, and which represented a little exploratory learning experience. I had already been tying bits onto ribbons and hanging them off the edge of my studio corkboard as little festive decorations but that didn’t work for the pieces that really only had one viewing angle as they would twist around on the ribbons.

Then I was out talking to the butterflies in my backyard (Yeah, I talk to the creatures in my yard. It’s a hazard of working alone from home all day. You’ll talk to anything!) and remembering how I used to catch and collect them in shadow boxes as a kid and it just randomly struck me that my little creative bits were like butterflies in a way. They are lovelies that I caught in a moment of exploratory creativity and in that small frame of time, they became a kind of an unexpected friend, going through that creative time with me. I didn’t want to toss my little friends even though I had no end-use for them. You don’t do that to friends! You hold onto them around and support each other, right?

Does that sound silly? Maybe it is, but it was revealing to me to realize that I kept certain pieces not because they were so beautiful or well done but more often because I felt connected to them. So, why not collect them and put them out like a collection of butterflies or a collage of photos of one’s friends? And this is what I started making. We find shadow boxes at garage sales and thrift stores for cheap and because they have character. I’ve made half a dozen of these so far.

By the way, I use a hot melt glue gun to tack the pieces onto a bit of mat board cut to fit the box. The nice thing about the hot melt glue is that if you do every want to take a piece out of the collection, you just pop it off the board and heat it up with a hairdryer to remove the glue from the back of the piece. So, your “friends” can come out and play in another piece or a new collection as you like!

 

If you don’t want to display pieces quick and easy, you could tack them up on a corkboard, as I bet many of you do already, but you can also make a nicer, more intentional display like this reed shade like Lauren Valenzuela does with this earring collection. Now, she is using this to photograph her collection, but you can pop up your bits by looping wire that ends in a hook around it. You could change out your collection on a whim that way. This is also a great idea for hanging up earrings, brooches, and necklaces so you can admire them even when not wearing them.

 

You can use collection displays or anything with dividers that can be hung on a wall. This would work especially well if you make little sculptures are pieces that would sit upright and are better seated then hung or glued but it can work with both as seen in the piece by Shing Yin Khor at the top of this post. Gerard Collas used an old printer’s letter set tray to display collections of his little wood sculptures.

 

You can also use wall art to display your artistic bits. This canvas covered with brooches is an ingenious display put together by Kathleen Dustin. She used this display in her show booth in 2016. I’m guessing she’s still using something of the sort because it’s just such a fabulous idea. But you could do the same basic thing with your bits. Get a canvas and have at it with paint or whatever you’d like, and attach your pretty bits, maybe with the hot melt glue gun or even hang it with the wire hook method. You could, alternately, find a finished piece of art, maybe at a thrift store or home goods store, and attach your pieces to that as it hangs on your wall.

 

Earlier this year, when I was in San Francisco, I saw this great wall of jewelry displayed on life-size artistic portraits. Again, this is showing completed work, but you could print out a large portrait image or, sketch or paint your own, and adorn and the image with your little lovelies or even with finished jewelry.

 

Now, if you simply have a lot of beads and bits that may not be your special “friends” but you have held on to them because you are sure someday they will come in handy (but maybe you are starting to lose faith in that idea), you can use them to create decorative wall pieces when used collectively. I didn’t know that this was a thing but there is a ton of this type of thing on Pinterest and general home craft blogs. People are doing everything from simply arranging spare bits into heart shapes to creating elaborate scenes in a kind of mosaic manner. Here is a fairly straightforward example fashioning tree imagery out of spare bits and bobs. It looks to have been created by Berdean Mante.

By the way, I found this jeweled topiary wall piece in an article about what to do with old vintage jewelry. It is all about creating wall art or decorating home decor objects with lots of pretty bits. If that interests you, pop over to that here.

So… Do I have your little wheels turning in your head? These should give you ideas not just for what to do with your extra bits but many of these could be a jumping-off point for creating your own unique show displays and photo setups.

Do you have a cool and unique way to display your extra bits or jewelry? Send me links to images if you do. Put it in the comments below, or if you’re reading this by email, click the header for this post to get to it on mine to leave a comment.

 

Light at the End of the Tunnel

In other very exciting news, we have our house back! The construction crew did last small tasks on Friday and for the first time in four months, I’m off to sleep in a full-size bed in an actual bedroom! I love my studio but I have spent nearly every hour of every day the last four months sleeping, eating, and working from here. I’ve been getting a little more than stir crazy! But now, we basically have to move back into her house. I hadn’t thought about how the post-construction time was going to be like moving into a new place but, of course, it is because it is basically a new place. So, I have tons to do and did not have time to take pictures for you yet, but I will take some pictures for next week when it’s kind of back altogether.

Hopefully, I didn’t make too many mistakes in this post. I am dead tired and sneezey from all the cleaning and raising of dust. And yes, I am being good and cleaning away with my left hand to spare the bad right one. Well, mostly. I do forget sometimes, mostly because the pain has diminished a ton from not being on the computer all day. So, the break is working thus far, at least for my arm! The pre-diabetes has been tougher to crack but I am determined!  Having a full kitchen back and a real bed to sleep in should contribute greatly to all that. Yay!

So, until next week, I hope you have fun with the display ideas!

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Radiating Variety

August 11, 2019
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Would you say you creatively lean toward symmetry or asymmetry? Although humans are innately attracted to symmetry, we all lean towards one or the other when it comes to our aesthetic preferences. However, symmetry, which represents order, is generally found to be more pleasing to the brain than asymmetry but, interestingly enough, symmetry alone cannot make something beautiful. That’s because that orderliness can get rather boring.

This is not to say that symmetry is automatically boring, because it certainly is not. It’s all a matter of how much energy the other characteristics of that symmetrical design add to it. However, there is a kind of artistic prejudice against symmetry out there sometimes. It’s this kind of default line of thought that symmetry is not only boring but a kind of cop-out in design, that it is something primarily employed by the inexperienced and unskilled aspiring artist. That always struck me as really ridiculous. Did they think that Mother Nature should rearrange the flowers, the growth of crystals, and the patterns of butterfly wings? Because they are all symmetrical and yet, these are some of the most beautiful natural things in our world.

So, make note that it’s not symmetry that makes a design boring, it’s a lack of energy in the design. Making exciting, energized, and intriguing symmetrical work can actually be challenging so when someone does it well, it can be quite impressive. Asymmetry has an innate sense of energy simply because it is off-balance and our brain, the way it is, always thinks things are moving towards balance and thus sees asymmetrical design as something in flux. So really, asymmetry might be considered a kind of a shortcut to an energized design although, in truth, both symmetry and asymmetry have plenty of challenges to contend with when designing.

There is one type of symmetrical design, however, that does have both balance and energy almost automatically included. This is the beautiful radial symmetry seen in nature in everything from starfish to flowers to snowflakes. Its energy comes from lines or a progression of shapes moving out from a central axis. The movement in this kind of symmetry is strong and directional but it can still verge on the boring if the radiating lines do not have variation.

Let’s look at some examples of beautifully done radial symmetry.

 

Going Around the Axis

We see radial symmetry in polymer all the time, particularly in kaleidoscope canes. The process of slicing and reassembling the canes with the same point in the pattern arranged at the center creates radial symmetry. There aren’t necessarily radiating lines in these canes, but the mirrored shapes tend to create points or a kind of visual growth outward.

Here’s a beautiful five-sided kaleidoscope cane – yes, symmetry can have an and odd number of sides because the design is still consistent around a central axis – whose parts have a sense of growth moving outward. This is by the very adept cane artist Lana Fominicheva of LaFom on Etsy.

 

A more direct production of radial symmetry can be created by building with a collection of elements such as in this quilled cane design by Meg Newberg of Polymer Clay Workshop.

Cool canes, right? You can get Meg’s Quilled Cane Tutorial in her Esty shop and get to making your own as soon as you download it!

 

Radial symmetry that is neither straight nor separate lines or progressive shapes can still create energy and interest while still staying symmetrical and beautifully balanced as seen here in this locket by Ola of PinkLaLou on Etsy. The crossing over of the lines in the central image are highly energetic and flow out more than burst out from the central axis but flowing lines are still energized only in a calmer, perhaps more elegant, way.

This is a locket created with filigree and cold enamel, not polymer. At first, I thought maybe the design in the middle was cold enamel, but I think it may be an image under resin. Cold enamel is a pigmented semi-translucent resin created to look like traditional glass enamel. If you love the look of enamel but have neither the equipment nor the patience to learn that amazing craft, cold enamel might fill the bill for you. But in the meantime, you could start a radial symmetry design with the right graphic using a liquid polymer image transfer.

 

Okay, so now that you’ve seen a few examples, would you say this next piece below is radial symmetry? Scroll down before reading on and just take a quick peek. Its looks like it is, right?

Well, technically no, it isn’t, but it has all the initial markers with a central axis from which elements radiate outward in a similar pattern. However, nothing is actually symmetrical from one side to the other. Our brain perceives balance because the progression from the center feels consistent, going from radiating lines of inlaid polymer to an even boundary of solid silver to a filigree of swirls and set gems that fill the outside perimeter. But all the elements have an irregular placement, especially in the stones and swirls outside of the focal center but also in the thickness, pattern, and coloring of the inlaid polymer. So, this pendant echoes radial symmetry without being symmetrical thus giving it a tremendous amount of energy without feeling chaotic. Pretty cool!

This necklace, of course, is a Liz Hall creation. Liz has been one of my polymer heroes since nearly the beginning of my exploration into the material. She combines precious metal clay with polymer inlays, adding in stones, glass, and other shiny bits here and there as well. Her openness to other materials allows for this broad range of exploration in design and yet she has a very distinctive style. If you look closely at her work, you’ll see every regular pattern and design is just a touch off, including the pendant that opens this blog post. That’s part of her signature style. Simple but effective.

 

Of course, the most quintessential of radial symmetry design is the mandala. Much of the radial symmetry we see could be considered mandalas of sorts, if we are just speaking of the geometry of it. Mandalas are, however, traditionally a reference to a kind of spiritual map, one that was originally meant to be a model for the organizational structure of life, in both the physical and metaphysical sense, and consisted of a square with a circle and four T-shaped gates, one facing each side of the square. But, as you might have noticed, that definition and the base design has been broadly extended. As long as the design has a regular structure organized around a unifying center, it seems to be generally accepted that it can be called a mandala.

We see these mandala structures in polymer pieces created with cane slices a lot but it is also readily achieved with layered polymer elements like these layered ornaments Kay Miller used to make. She’s off focused on dimensional greeting cards now but we can still enjoy the images of her perfectly designed and finished ornaments.

 

Mandalas are certainly not relegated to polymer when it comes to artwork. And it’s not just about those dot painted rocks that are all the rage now either. Take a gander at this gorgeous mandala brooch created by Jima and Carlie Abbott of Mixed Metal Jewels.

So… do you use radial symmetry in your work? If you don’t or haven’t done much of it or simply haven’t thought much about it, maybe it’s time to try it out. It can be very meditative. See for yourself!

 

Best Laid Plans

Well, this week I was going to start casually working on plans for future publications and new projects between physical therapy and catching up on sleep, but chaos reigned here at the house. Again. There was light at the end of the tunnel when we suddenly went from being a couple of days from finishing the house renovations to a couple of weeks.

The appliances were in and the final painting had commenced but then we discovered that the floor had a problem along with more damage than was anticipated so instead of simply repairing our flooring around the construction areas, we had to tear out nearly half the flooring in our house! Talk about frustrating! And depressing. And nerve-racking. Blah.

But, long story short, we worked it and persisted until we found something we could afford and miraculously ended up with this gorgeous acacia wood flooring and a crew that rushed in and got it all taken care of pretty much in one day! It was nuts. There were so many guys here, it was like ants in the house. But it was by far the best work done on this whole project. Here is my husband Brett, just super excited about his new floors, in our nearly done kitchen.

 

I’m pretty sure his expression will change when we sit down to pay the bill though. But at least we can drown our sorrows over a glass of wine in a gorgeous new kitchen.

Or a glass of seltzer in my case. My metabolic issues are dampening my potential to celebrate or drown my sorrows in my family’s traditional Irish way. No sugars including alcohol for me for a while, not until my metabolic issues are under control and it’ll be minimal even then. It’s sad but it’s really nothing compared to what some of my other friends are going through right now. All you wonderful people … take good care of yourselves! I don’t want any more troubling health news. Ok?

On the positive side, my arm is much better even after this one week with minimal computer time. It is starting to hurt now though, but only because I keep forgetting to not type! Three decades of writing for a living and it’s hard not to use the keyboard when pain is not there to readily remind me not to. I’ll learn!

So, the word now is that we should have our house back in a week. Then I can start cooking properly and really button-down on the new diet regimen I have. So, keep your fingers and toes crossed for us as I will keep good, positive energy and prayers flowing out to all of you with challenges going on right now.

Have a beautiful, creative, and inspiring week!

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Crosswise Crafts

August 4, 2019
Posted in ,

Heather Campbell – “Keep Circling”

If you read this blog because polymer is your primary art material, do you consider yourself a polymer artist or a mixed-media artist? This question has arisen in a few conversations recently – how to identify oneself as an artist – and also in regard to the content of these blogs posts because a lot of people that are writing me of late have turned out not to be primarily polymer artists, or at least identify themselves as mixed-media rather than polymer artists. I think that’s really cool and I don’t find it terribly surprising that people who work in other art materials are interested in polymer because polymer has so much crossover and such a wide range of possible applications.

I mean, is polymer clay the only material in your art studio? Aside from maybe dedicated caners, I think the majority of us who identify as polymer artists also have drawers and bins and boxes of other things like beads, fabric, paints, paper, resin, and so much more. So, is your polymer art really a type of mixed-media art? And what is mixed-media art really anyways?

And most of all… do the labels really matter?

Labels are important for the purpose of organizing all the information we are inundated with daily, but unfortunately, it also puts people and concepts in restrictive boxes and that can become problematic. When someone is labeled (or calls themselves) a polymer artist, it doesn’t mean that they work only with polymer or even primarily with polymer. They may simply have an affinity for the material more than any other single material.

Not only do we use a lot of other materials in polymer work, but we can also so readily draw inspiration from looking at artwork in materials. I, myself, find fiber art to be an immense resource for ideas in my polymer work, especially modern quilting, so I thought I’d bring you along to explore some of the ways today’s quilt art and polymer creatively crossover.

Crosswise Crafts

Quilt art is a form of fiber art which pushes beyond functional bedcovers and quilted clothing of the past. Fiber Art itself is a relatively recent term, first used shortly after World War II to categorize fine art using natural or synthetic fiber as the material. This speaks to how relatively new the focus has been on fiber as an art form. Luckily, the term quickly worked its way out of the relatively elite world of curators and art historians into a more generalized use encompassing all fiber-based artistic applications, from weaving and quilting to intensely detailed embroidery and monumental outdoor installations.

There has been a tremendous amount of experimentation going on in fiber arts since the latter decades of the twentieth century, something as polymer artists we understand and applaud but, unlike polymer the many forms of fiber art draw from some of mankind’s oldest crafts so experimentation tends to rally not around techniques but around form, nontraditional materials, unusual use and placement of materials, and conceptual approaches, especially those involving cultural issues and activism. This makes it a rich source of inspiration that can really light the way for new possibilities in polymer.

As I’m sure you know, not only do we emulate fiber in polymer, we also have methods of construction and layout with veneers and inlays which use basically the same approach as quilting, less the sewing. Both art forms also technically work in three-dimensions but are commonly composed in two-dimensions which is why I think it’s such a great arena to look to for a creative shot in the arm.

Here is a very direct example of the crossover between quilting and polymer. Lindly Haunani draws the patterns for her polymer quilts directly from classic quilt patterns, like this one based on a half square quilt design.

She uses these wall pieces to examine and teach color. She also applies the concepts to brooches like these lovely pieces.

By the way, Lindly has a series of workshops teaching color through the creation of veneers and polymer quilts coming up in late August/early September at Creative Journey Studios. You can check those out here.

 

Although classic quilt patterns pop up in polymer quite often, contemporary quilts are nothing like these. Here is an example of traditional quilting techniques but without the traditional patterns by Lisa Jenni. Do the colors or composition poke at your creative brain but with polymer on the mind? It could be an arrangement with alcohol ink dyed polymer, striped canes, and stamped clay medallions, right?

 

That quilt reminds me a little bit of Gera Scott Chandler’s work. The colors and the emphasis on oblong circles are probably the connections but you see how one could possibly inspire the other, yes?

 

And how have we not seen something like this piece below done in polymer? This is embroidered quilting by Susan Lenz It’s less than 3’ x 2’ so such a piece in polymer would not be a monumental task. This has given me an idea … I think I know what I’m going to do with all the inchies collected over the years. Let’s all make wall pieces from our collections!

Be sure to look at Susan’s Lancet window series too. They have a similarly open layout but in kind of stained-glass patterns.

 

Contemporary quilts, like polymer, are not restricted to a two-dimensional canvas or flat layers. There are a lot of things being added into and onto quilts today. Just look at this riot of wonder by Molly Jean Hobbit.

Does this piece bring to mind any polymer artists who also use lots of pieces and materials in their work? Maybe Laurie Mika, Heather Campbell (as seen in the opening image), or even Christi Friesen with her mixed-media mosaics? If you have always liked what these ladies are doing, just imagine the fresh batch of ideas you could get from contemporary quilts.

Want to really delve into the quilt world now? You go down a rabbit hole by simply putting “quilt art” into Pinterest, or you could start on the Contemporary Quilt Art associations gallery pages. Click on each image to get a whole slew of additional quilts by various artists. It’s quite the fabulous (and possibly time gobbling) rabbit hole to go down.

Want to do a little polymer quilting of your own today? Well, you could sit down to this video by Jan Montarsi, demonstrating how to make striped polymer quilt squares. Mind you, he uses his new Create Template, but you could do it without the template if you want to get right to it. If you have the latest edition of The Polymer Studio, Issue #3, go to Jan’s article on multicolor blends first to make some really bright and saturated blended sheets to work with. If you didn’t subscribe or purchase your copy yet, you can get an immediate digital download or order a print edition on the website here. And you can get Jan’s templates here.

 

Where Two Crafts Collide – working with the Craft Industry Alliance

So, my curiosity about this mixed media labeling question pushed me to do some research early last month and, in the process, I found the Craft Industry Alliance. This is a fairly new organization – it was created in 2015 – but it is growing quite quickly as an information and supportive advocacy trade association for all working craft artists – this includes you!

I really liked that this organization recognizes craft art as a broader community that is not segregated by material or form. Since the founders are primarily fiber artist, however, it started out heavy in that arena, but they are actively growing into other communities. I know this because the president of CIA (gosh, their acronym sounds so covert!) contacted me after I joined their organization online with an earnest request to get to know the polymer community better. After a lovely chat and a few emails, we are now working on polymer based content for the Alliance. How cool is that?

So, what is this organization and what might it do for you? Well, here is the skinny, straight from President, Abby Glassenberg:

Craft Industry Alliance is a community of craft professionals. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections within a supportive trade association. Artists who are interested in becoming teachers of their craft, writing books, and showing their work in galleries need to think about setting up a solid business foundation from which to grow. Marketing and branding, legal, accounting and tax issues, social media and blogging … these are all issues creative business owners need to think through. Don’t do it alone! Come together with 1,300+ fellow members in a supportive community where you can find solid answers to your questions, make connections with the right people, and find the resources you need. Check it out at https://www.craftindustryalliance.org  

As you can see, the organization is focused on active artists who show and sell their work or promote themselves as teachers or writers. It doesn’t really matter how small or how big your creative operation is, you’ll always benefit from a little help and I think it’s a fantastic idea to have a community of people from all areas of craft supporting each other. I’ve always been a little worried that the polymer community has remained a bit insular since we have issues that few other material arenas have, being such a very young material, working with a plastic in an environmentally sensitive world, and battling the “kids art material” image. But growth in this community will come from the outside, not from within so the more we reach out and network with other craft artists and the larger craft community, the more energized and innovative we will be as a whole and that will keep the community growing and vital.

The Sage Sabbatical

So, as most of you probably know by now, August starts my little sabbatical from production work on print publications so I can attend to some health issues. I have to admit, it’s made me a little depressed. It’s just rather sudden and I’m such a workaholic and so used to having a deadline hanging over me all the time so it’s a little unnerving. Luckily, it actually started out busy since we wrapped up the release of The Polymer Studio Issue #3. It turned out just beautiful and we’ve already received so many great comments on it with particular excitement around articles like the fascinating story of Brazil’s polymer master, Beatriz Cominatto, Debbie Crothers’ acrylic and polymer exploration, and Jan’s multi-color skinner blend techniques.

If you’re waiting on your copy, the digital edition went out on the 31st – check spam/junk mail folders if you’re due one and didn’t see it in your inbox. Print editions went to the post office this past Wednesday, so they are on the way too. I have my batch of stock here if you need to order it. Just go to the website.

We also added a Special 3 issue Package of all three of The Polymer Studio issues if you need to do some catching up.

If you’re unfamiliar with my silly little situation that forced me into taking time off, you can find the more-or-less full story in our most recent newsletter here.

If you don’t get our twice a month newsletter, signing up for the newsletter is one of the best ways to stay informed on our publications and new projects, of which there will be something before the year ends even if I can’t do print! But yes, I promise I will not overextend myself and do with the doctor orders!

Speaking of which … I should go now. I hope you are excited by the peek at quilts and the connection to polymer. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend and an inspired week!

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