Color Islands

In the latest issue of The Polymer Arts, we spent some time with Eva Haskova through an interview by Lindly Haunani. It’s a lovely article full of thought-provoking statements on Eva’s use of color. Lindly also shares an approach for tinting translucents with opaque polymer clays in the “Color Expiration” section that always follows this “Color Spotlight” article.

We couldn’t fit this lovely tile by Eva into the layout but I wanted to share with it you for a couple of reasons. First of all, if you read the posts last week about the use of squiggles, then you are certain to already recognize the way her folded polymer creates a vibrant energy and liveliness. The flow of these neutral colored folds around the islands of saturated color really make those spots pop. Those circles of color also give the eye a place to rest amid the rush and flow that makes up the majority of the surface texture. It’s a mass squiggle approach to texture reined in with bright color and simple forms.

I also thought I would take the opportunity to talk about forms that allow us to work on concept and exploration of technique without having to worry about things like construction and wearability. Although tiles are not always an easy sell because the functionality of a single tile is not as apparent as a piece of jewelry—not many people are out looking for a single tile to decorate their home with, although they may be inspired by a title such as this. But as an artist, this little canvas is perfect for letting yourself work on a technique, composition, or juxtaposition of elements without the other concerns that a functional object such as a necklace or vase would require.

This tile could also be a lovely brooch, don’t you think? The work done on a tile can, usually, be scaled down into a brooch or pendant. These jewelry forms can also work as exploratory canvases for your ideas and they result in an easily recognizable piece of functional adornment that should be easy to sell.

So do take a good look at Eva’s article and if you want to look at more of her work, go to her website or her Flickr photostream.