The Party is in Full Swing. Come join us!
May 31, 2023
Polymer community news, The Polymer Arts magazine news
What party is this? The latest project from little ol’ me, Sage. The Sage Arts podcast is more than up and running… I have 25 episodes up as of this posting, ready on your favorite podcast player (New to Podcasts? Click here to find out how easy it is to enjoy them!) and a new one coming out every week.
What’s This Podcast All About?
This podcast is all about feeding and exciting your muse. By enlightening or reminding you about important and maybe unconsidered aspects of creating and living as an artist, I hope to help you find more joy and satisfaction in what you do, sharing ways to create with authenticity and fearlessness, while supporting your uniquely defined version of success.
Now what the heck does that all mean? Well, let’s look at what this is and what this is not…
It IS…
… a way to consistently feed your muse
… all about you. Myself, my guests, and my guest co-hosts speak to the issues, curiousity, and hurdles that you as a creative deal with on a regular basis.
… focused on creating a more fulfilling, joyful, and meaningful artistic journey.
… a conversation that goes both ways with lots of opportunities for you to be heard.
It is NOT…
… all about polymer clay or any one medium, as it’s important stuff for all artistic folks.
… focused on “how-to” or the latest tools and materials.
… just interviewing successful artists and talking at you. Rather it is like a coffee house chat or other friendly gather and I include you, the listener, in every way I can.
I created this podcast to supercharge your creativity, motivation, and artistic style through novelty, story, conversation, and community. Everyone has how-tos and ways to increase your sales – valiant and necessary stuff, of course! But what does your muse need? What does your work and your love of your art need to thrive? That’s where I want to help.
I aim to give artists ways to further hone their unique voice, increase their joy and productivity, and create a version of artistic success that is meaningful, satisfying, and anything but ordinary.
Come Join the Conversation
If you have something to share, would like to be a guest (for a chatty interview), or be a guest co-host (you and I banter on a particular subject) drop me an email me via my contact page on the show website: https://thesagearts.com/contact/ or send a voice mail (use the red button on that same site, bottom right corner of any page.)
And join me on social media!
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast
And don’t forget to click “FOLLOW” or that little arrow on your favorite Podcast player so you get notices of new episodes. New Episodes come out weekly on Friday evenings, barring natural disasters or other bits of interference, of course. I hope you’ll join me there, on The Sage Arts podcast!
There are new artists and creatives joining every day with tons of great things to say…
“Just what I needed!”
“I just binged-listened … and I can’t wait for more!”
“There is so much validity in your presentation…”
“Looking forward to all the thinking and creating that they prompt.”
Taste test on my RSS website: https://rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/
Or on the podcast home website: https://thesagearts.com/
Or start with this episode:
Naturally Faux
January 24, 2014
Inspirational Art
We’ve done non-polymer all week so I thought this Friday we’d switch that up with polymer work by an artist that doesn’t always work in polymer and if one didn’t know better, one would think she truly didn’t! Bettina Mertz’s faux polymer stones are amazing. She has a whole series of jewelry designs including bracelets, necklaces, pendants, and earrings using similarly realistic faux stone. This fall set is one of the best designs adding kinetic movement and a randomness that just adds to the organic feel of the piece.
Betinna is also intrigued by intricate bead embroidery. If she can’t find a particular bead that she wants, she makes it out of polymer clay, using this stone and other faux techniques. You can see more of her polymer and bead work on her blogspot, Mertz Bettina Schmuck Design and her Flickr pages.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Beauty in Transluscence
January 23, 2014
Inspirational Art
If you read our wonderful Fall 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts, you no doubt remember the cover piece by Kathrin Neumaier. That translucent glass look has been quite popular in the polymer community so when I saw these simple but elegant earrings, my first thought was that it was polymer. But no. And it’s not glass either. What’s your guess?
The artist here is Barbara Fernald. These are actually vintage Lucite beads, sometimes referred to as acrylic glass. Perfectly proportioned design transcends mediums. See more of Barbara’s elegant work on her website.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Handworked Inros
January 22, 2014
Inspirational Art
When I saw this and several other pieces by jewelry artist Robin Ragsdale, I thought I’d found some quiet polymer artist, busy creating these handcrafted pieces in some cut off region of the world. It may be rather obvious what the alternative material is but it seems like people are having quite a bit of fun this week guessing so I won’t say quite yet. Take a guess what this is but challenge yourself and try to be specific. What do you think?
Robin is a metal artist but not of the sleek contemporary kind. The presence of a set of hands working the metal versus using machines or exacting tools makes the design and texture quite rich and timeless. This piece could be downright ancient. The metal used here is actually bronze and from conversations on Flickr it looks like it’s bronze metal clay. Don’t you love the multi-colored leather strands it hangs from as well? Just a little bit of added color takes it out of the realm of ancient and into the present without feeling out of place.
Robin’s Flickr pages are full of these thoughtfully crafted, could-be-polymer-faux metal pieces. Go enjoy exploring her work!
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Faux or No?
January 21, 2014
Inspirational Art
This one is actually a mix of polymer and non-polymer elements. Before I tell you what is what, can you guess?
This piece was brought to me by Irene Corman who originally chose this as one of her favorite recent finds when I had my freelance staff pick the posts last month. We decided there really wasn’t enough polymer in it to make it represent the medium but, the thing is, it could easily be made from polymer!
The piece was created by Robbin Smith and Warren Moeller of E-Bu Jewelry. They are truly mixed media artists using any medium that suits their needs. They do work heavily in natural materials and recycled forms. So here is what is in this pendant: A found bronze object, sterling silver, ebony, spiny oyster, polymer, and leather. So which part is polymer?
I have had to figure this out by deduction based on what I know of other materials but, truly, I’m guessing a bit myself. I know the top green piece in this pendant is aged bronze, the ‘stone’ in the oblong bezel is spiny oyster sitting on ebony and the bottom is a faux bone polymer piece. Would you all agree?
Check out more of Robbin and Warren’s gorgeous pieces on their Flickr photostream or on their website.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Polymer
January 20, 2014
Inspirational Art
Going for something a bit different this week. I have a collection of items that I thought originally were made from polymer, that were often listed on Pinterest boards or other sites as polymer, that were not. But they are beautiful pieces that could definitely be done in polymer. So let’s look at these and determine how we would create it in polymer.
Pictured here is a piece of Plumevine’s Faery Jewellery by Lorianne Jantti. These whimsical pieces are made from hand painted resin clay and embellished with chains, hooks, ribbon, and the like. They could easily be crafted in polymer and similarly embellished with crystals and Pearl Ex powders. If you’re into PMC or Art Clay, you could make part of the piece with metal clay and embellish with polymer accoutrements.
Take a look at some of Lorianne’s work on her Etsy site and deconstruct it to see how you could make similar objects in polymer with other mixed media.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Planning Your Colors
January 19, 2014
Tips and Tricks
So with this talk of color palettes all week, I thought I ought to stop and add that you don’t need to follow Pantone’s colors for the season. Get to know your market, as well as the colors you prefer to work with, and build your own signature palette for the season.
I know for some people, how to put together a color scheme is a bit of a mystery. But there is help out there! Several sites online have tools that allow you to make your own palettes. This one here is a new favorite of mine because of its relative simplicity and the fact that you can save your color exploration in your own account.
To create a color palette, you choose a color on the wheel in the bottom right then use the sliders on the upper right to adjust hue, tint (addition of white) and/or shade (addition of black). The boxes below the color wheel give you 5 options for types of color schemes that can be created off that first color.
Join the ColourLovers community on this site to save palettes, swatches and images in your account. I haven’t explored everything this site has to offer yet but I sure am having fun checking it all out. Try this palette maker for yourself!
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Greens for Spring
January 18, 2014
Inspirational Art
The one thing I find missing in this year’s Pantone palette is a real green. There’s a pale blue-green they are calling Hemlock but when I think of Spring I think of naturally derived greens–fresh new grass, the first leaves on a tree, and sprouting plants pushing up through the earth. So I thought I’d look for something that added that back into this palette.
This necklace by Kseniya Dolgopolova includes a few shades like Pantone’s Hemlock as well as rich natural greens.
I would have questioned putting these colors because although somewhat analaguous, the hemlock is a pastel while leaf green is muted but with more saturation. However, with this limited palette, it does work decently and the difference adds some significant contrast to a green based palette.
Take a moment or two and wander through the charming imagination of Kseniya’s work in her Etsy shop.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Outside Inspiration: Sculptural Spring
January 17, 2014
Inspirational Art
Sarah Parker-Eaton, a silver and gold precious metals artist, and Louise Hibbert, a woodworking artist, joined together to create an art form called Plankton Art. Patterns and forms in nature inspire these artists as seen here in this piece that has the feel of an ocean starfish. The bright colors used remind me of the sea life that you see when you dive into the darkest depths of the ocean. Because of the darkness, the sea creatures take on a fluorescent glow in these deep waters.
This starfish shape is part of Louise’s Radiolarian Vessel series. It has a diameter of approximately 150mm and is made from English sycamore, acrylic ink, and acrylic texture paste. These types of shapes and colors could be replicated in polymer clay. Give it a go and let the creatures of the sea inspire you to swim into new realms of creativity.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
A Bowl of Spring Beads
January 16, 2014
Inspirational Art
I kept thinking that the Pantone Spring palette seemed somewhat familiar. Then it occurred to me that Rebecca Watkins often works in similar color combinations and I went back and found this lovely bowl of beads on one of our Pinterest boards. The colors are subdued with low saturation but plenty of contrast to make them festive without being loud or garish.
If you enjoy these types of color palettes’ and the fun approach Rebecca takes with her work, be sure to jump on over to her Blogspot site and her Flickr pages for more wonderful inspiration for Spring and beyond.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
Falling Spring
January 15, 2014
Inspirational Art
Jennifer Morris has a mixed media approach to her polymer clay work. She has a signature embroidery style that uses an ever-changing mixed-media combination of polymer clay infused with gold and silver leaf, and she often incorporates recycled papers and fabric pulp into her designs. These fringed earrings look like heavy stones, but are actually light and airy when worn.
Let Jennifer’s work inspire you to push your materials into unexpected places, using them in fresh new ways. Try a little mixed media by adding different materials to your work or by embellishing your work with embroidery or crochet stitches. Check out this interview with Jennifer on Etsy.
If you like this blog, support The Polymer Arts projects with a subscription or issue of The Polymer Arts magazine as well as supporting our advertising partners.
