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:
Speaking
April 28, 2013
Ponderings
Earlier this week I received an email from one of our readers, Dara Meunier who came across an article and quote by Luann Udell that she thought we all might enjoy …
“Take what speaks TO you; tranform it into what speaks OF you.”
I had to wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment. Whether we are cognizant of it or not, our art is a translation of the things we see and experience in this world, things we found that spoke to us in some way. Udell’s article is about this translation in the context of looking at other people’s art work. We see other artists doing something we really like and find ourselves inclined to want to either create the same work or do something quite similar. Of course, that pushes us towards the deep, dark realm of copying but not only that, it influences our own personal voice, the source of originality we could be instilling in our work.
I think looking at other polymer artists is important to expand our view of what is possible and as a means to inspire and motivate us. On the other hand, I do agree that we may let what we see influence us too greatly or more precisely, too directly. The art we find we would like to try our hand at should not be translated through just our skill set–that’s not really translating but more copying within the limitations of what we are presently capable of–rather we should filter inspiring work through who we are, our spirit and our particular view of the world. Let what you do “speak OF you”. Otherwise it is not art, as art by definition is personal expression; recreating someone else’s object of expression is just fabrication, nothing more, and certainly nothing that is uniquely you. And showing the unique you is where the true beauty of a piece will come from.
Jump over to Luann Udell’s very honest and down to earth article about these ideas.
Thanks, Dara, for sharing this with us.
Through a Stone Clearly
April 27, 2013
Inspirational Art
In this last post on translucent and polymer I thought I ought to touch upon one of the oldest ways to use translucent polymer… creating faux semi-precious stones.
I don’t know if there is any semi-precious stone we can’t emulate in polymer. There are so many options and with some of the new materials we now have–different types of inks, foils, and clays that weren’t available or known in polymer’s early days–it’s a wonder that there is not more faux stone experimenting going on. Not that there isn’t any. It may just be that I wish there was more. So you can just imagine how intrigued I was when I came across Ekaterina Gamayunova’s experiments with a number of semi-precious stones. You can see some of the wonderful results she got in this composite necklace.
The allure of semi-precious stones comes from the the variation of color, texture and the way light plays through their layers of transparency. To emulate that effect we need similar layers of transparency which we get with translucent clays and liquid polymer. But we don’t need to just copy nature. We have available the boundlessness of our imagination which gives us the ability to make “stones” that nature cannot. Why not pink or red jade? Agate with square or hexagonal ‘rings’ or purple malachite? We can do what nature cannot. It’s like a nature and artist collaboration. How cool is that?
If you want to explore (or re-explore) faux semi-precious stones, you might want start by reading Ekaterina’s post on her LiveJournal page. She includes process images of her agate technique along with explanations of how she attempted to achieve different effects for different types of stone so you too can try making some of your own. Might be just the ticket for some stress-free play time in the studio this weekend.
Outside Inspiration: Glass–The Original Translucent
April 26, 2013
Inspirational Art
Of course polymer work in translucents has been heavily inspired by glass art. Glass was the original crafted translucent art material. Glass making can be traced back as far as 3500 BC but it wasn’t recognized as an important decorative art until the 19th century. So although glass art is not nearly as young as polymer, it is actually one of the younger crafts and a kindred spirit of sorts. There are many art glass applications that we have translated in polymer and other applications that were organically developed in polymer but look similar in approach to some types of glass work.
Take a look at this stunning vase by glass artist David Patchen …
What came to mind? Don’t tell me you didn’t wonder for half a second if this artist was influenced by polymer caning. If it weren’t for that unmistakable deep, pronounced shine of glass, which polymer still can’t quite replicate, one can imagine this being made with translucent cane slices. So, okay, we can’t quite get that shine that permeates all the way through glass but on the other hand we could do similar work with much more intricate patterns. That’s the advantage of polymer.
I’m going to have to leave it at that for today–so much to do getting ready to send the Summer 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts magazine off to the printer. But if you want to immerse yourself in some gorgeous translucent colors and get some ideas for creating patterning with canes from a master artist, take some time to look through David Patchen’s portfolio especially his vases. They’re just gorgeous.
Let The Light Shine Through
April 25, 2013
Inspirational Art
Although many of us may be mesmerized by the jewelry possibilities of translucent clays, we should not forget just how wonderful they can be on decor, especially pieces for which light is integral such as lamps, candle holders and night lights.
Below we have a beautifully detailed example of just what translucents offer when covering lighted decor. This is a lamp by Diane Dunville … created in 1998. (Yeah … we didn’t need no Pardo back then!)
The thing about lighted decor is that it needs to be designed for two different types of existence–lit and unlit. Obviously it’s gorgeous when lit from within but since it won’t always be on (one would think) it should be a beautiful object when unlit as well. Which is done here. Diane’s bold colors and a considerable consideration for the layout of the patterning should make this nearly as impressive a piece of decor in its unlit state as it is when illuminated from inside.
This is not just a covered object either. Here is the description of Diane’s work from the Polymer Art Archive post (written by Rachel Carren) in which I found this lovely piece:
“Fascinated by glass art, Dunville created a series of lamps during the late 1990’s. After building a foundation of mesh, Dunville added layers of translucent polymer which were then textured and carved. The results are a graphic and playful blend of color and pattern which make for bold, decorative surfaces when unlit and cast a colorful glow when lit.”
Agreed!
While Waiting for your Pardo Translucent Clay …
April 24, 2013
Inspirational Art
It’s funny how many comments and emails I got on Monday when I mentioned that I had untouched blocks of Pardo translucent clay in my studio. There is such a demand and yet so little available. I have had email conversations with a contact at Viva Decor but I never got a straight answer as to why its in such short supply or when we might expect to see it more readily available. So what’s a frustrated artist to do? As far as actually getting your hands on some, your best bet in the US seems to be getting on PolyClayPlay.com’s waiting list. (Is it any easier getting it in Europe by chance?)
In the meantime, I say go play with our other options. Pardo may be the clearest (so we’ve heard) but only in the clays themselves. The absolute clearest polymer you can work with is Fimo Decorating Gel. Although it can also be tough to locate in some places, it’s not impossible to get a hold of. (See our post last year regarding Fimo Gel and a false rumor; I listed places to find it.) You may not consider Fimo Gel to be a primary polymer to create forms with but with a little outside-the-box thinking, you’ll find you certainly can work with it as something other than an addition to the surface of clay.
Kathrin Neumaier has been playing extensively with both Pardo Translucent Art Clay and Fimo Gel, sometimes interchangeably. Here is a piece in Pardo Tranlucent clay (and what a fun piece!):
And here are basically the same forms but created in Fimo Gel:
So, yes, you can form pieces from liquid polymer and get a translucene as good if not better than with the elusive Pardo. And just think … there’s no conditioning!
The easiest way I found to work with liquid polymer as a form is to start out making sheets of cured lpc. You simply drizzle then lightly brush out the liquid polymer on a clean and very smooth, flat surface and bake it like that. A piece of tempered glass or polished sheet metal is an ideal surface. If you don’t have either, you can use a sheet of window glass (you can buy small panes at hardware stores or take the glass out of a picture frame) but you should put untempered glass into a cold oven and wait until it’s completely cooled before taking it out–rapid temperature changes can cause the glass to crack. (And tape up the raw glass edges with masking tape–let’s not cut ourselves!)
If the liquid polymer comes out of the oven still a little milky in spots wave a heat gun over it, keeping the heat a couple inches (50mm) away until it goes clear. (If you baked it on untempered glass, take it off the glass first.) Then you can cut whatever forms you want from that sheet. You can even add more liquid polymer to build it up or add color.
I would say about half the work I did in the first couple years I worked with polymer was created with lpc forms made this way and not just with Fimo Gel. After practicing for a bit, I could get any lpc to got completely clear. It just takes a little patience but its wonderful fun.
Kathrin has made all kinds of forms from liquid polymer including hollow beads and one piece collar necklaces. If you have the translucent bug, you need to take some time to browse through her Flickr pages for some inspiring ideas on what you might try while waiting for your Pardo.
Clearly Accidental Composition
April 23, 2013
Inspirational Art
Translucent layering is a wonderful way to add depth to a bead or, in the case of this piece below, a little polymer painting.
Roberta Warshaw isn’t too happy with this polymer painting but I think she has accidentally ended up with a better design than she might have if she had been able to fully control the process.
Her process here includes marker ‘painting’ on the clay, layers of translucent polymer lamella (a technique using very thin translucent layers embedded with metal leaf as developed by Kathleen Dustin) and a little carving of the clay. She professes to have laid a layer of lamella the wrong direction thus losing the “golden glow”. She doesn’t say where this mistake is and I can’t see it or maybe the photograph doesn’t show it. Regardless, any misdirected layer is not affecting the end result in any negative way. And what is wrong with a glow-less layer? A little contrast between glow and no-glow could add dimension … an expanse of matte color among the glittering lamella sea. Sounds a bit dramatic but, hey, it’s true–uninterrupted shine will often have less impact than shine interrupted and contrasted with a little dull or subdued mixed in.
Her other disappointment was stated to be in her carving skills. The leaf stem on the left is wider than she intended. However, stop and imagine if the stem was as slim as the rest (see the photoshop version below). Do you see how it changes the balance and the movement in the piece? In the one above, the heavier leaf on the left pulls the balance towards the outside and the stems going from a barely there slimness on the right to a heavy, robust leaf on the left suggests growth (which is often what we sense in a graduated scale of size … from small like a sapling to large like a full grown tree.) Between the pull to the side and the sense of growth, there is a feeling of movement, something more dynamic than the pretty but comparatively static feel of what I think she was after.
I can’t disagree with her on wanting more control with her carving. Even though I like the composition better the way it ended up, you can kind of tell the larger leaf was not intended, that the carving of it may have been worked over a couple times or was done with a heavy hand unlike the other two. Often, a large part of the beauty we perceive in a piece of art is the sense that the work done was wholly intentional and under the artist’s control. You can have good composition, excellent color choices and an intriguing form but if it is created without skill, it is very difficult to enjoy the other aspects. Do you agree?
Mapping Translucents
April 22, 2013
Inspirational Art
This week I thought I’d focus on translucent clay. Why? Well, maybe because I was in my studio looking at the as yet unopened bars of Pardo translucent I ordered a while ago that I still haven’t had a chance to play with. I do love writing about polymer art but, sheesh, it’s keeping me out of the studio far too much lately!
So since it will be a couple more weeks before I can play with the translucent ideas in my own head, let’s talk about it. What is it about translucent clay that make it so special? Well, I would say it’s probably because unlike all our opaque clays, translucents are about playing with light. Whether it has been sculpted, colored or layered, translucent clay allows light to pass through it (in varying degrees) which can give forms interior shadows and dimension, make colors glow, and give a layered surface depth and added detail–all unique and beautiful effects.
Here is a pair of earrings by Agnès (aka Primatoide on Flickr) where the use of the translucent clay allows light to filter through the image transfers of a tiny map colored by oil paints. The images absolutely glow, making the earring look like small lamps.
Although the image of the earrings here is quite beautiful, there is one issue. Would these be able to catch the light when worn? If the wearer had short hair or hair pulled back it might. It’s hard to say. Light needs space to play through and around. Without the play of light what do these look like? My guess would be that there would still be a patterning of white and blue and the clever, stylish wire work the polymer hangs from make for an interesting overall form. But when working with translucents, it helps to consider whether light will be available to show off your design if its very much dependent on the viewer seeing the transparency.
We’ll touch on more ways to use translucents throughout the week as I work madly on getting the next issue of The Polymer Arts magazine together. I suppose I should warn you that I might be a little tired and my blogging might get a little silly but bear with me. I promise we’ll have lots of beautiful work to ogle so we don’t need to depend on my ramblings for entertainment.
Awesomely Simple Creativity
April 20, 2013
Ponderings
The quote below came to mind when I got, for the third time in as many weeks, a kind note from a reader telling me how much they enjoy the blog even though they don’t always agree with what I say. I so enjoy these comments. It means people are stopping to think.
I certainly can’t claim that what I say is “right” or gospel in any manner. We are talking about art here–a subjective matter with many right answers. The fun part is actually being deemed “wrong” and having people stop to say so. It means that whatever was said, whatever was done, was interesting enough to make someone stop and consider. And at the end of the day, that is truly the purpose of art, even when (or especially when) the observer thinks it should have been done differently.
The Art of Occam’s Razor
April 20, 2013
Inspirational Art
If you aren’t familiar with the concept, Occam’s Razor is, at its essence the idea that, all other things being equal, the simplest solution is the better option. It’s a hard concept to wrap around the creation of art but I have found the idea to be a life saver … or an art saver. I have these words taped above my studio table: When you can’t decide … Occam’s Razor! It’s a reminder for those times I get really wound up over a design and can’t figure out how to fix it. The inclination is often to add more or overwork what I’ve done but it usually works out much better when I can step back, look at the basics of what I am doing and pare down the work to its simple essence.
After talking about pushing the construction of your work this week, I did wonder if some readers might think complexity would be the way to break out from any standard forms they had been adhering to, but complexity is not what it’s about. So here is a great example of pushing a standard necklace design in the most simple and yet highly impactful manner. This piece was created by Kaytie Johnson, a curator of contemporary art who professes to be obsessed with design. I can see that … this is all about the design not about the polymer at all.
She’s taken a dangling bead necklace design and pushed it by repeating the chains of beads but with a carefully measured change in color from one to the next. The beads themselves are very basic but done well, with a good eye for color so that the piece looks anything but basic. It’s simply simple design executed well.
So if you have been inspired by the construction and form ideas this week, just keep in mind you don’t have to go crazy. And only push the design when it makes sense for the effect and use of the piece you are creating. Sometimes it’s better to not deviate from the standards. They became standards for a good reason. Occam’s Razor … sometimes the simple solution–using a proven form–is the best answer. Just keep in mind, that it’s not always going to be the case.
Outside Inspiration: Getting Buggy with Artistic Construction
April 19, 2013
Inspirational Art
I have been holding onto these little gems (pun intended) for a while now. I was fascinated but I wasn’t sure what you all would think of these tiny creative creatures, or even the artist that got these little creepy crawlies to collaborate with him. But nature’s unstoppable creativity is so well high-lighted by these very unusual pieces that I couldn’t help but hope there would be an appropriate occasion to share this. But here’s a warning … if you get buggy about bugs, you may want to avert your eyes. If, on the other hand, you are as fascinated by what Mother Nature’s creatures create as I am, I think you’ll find this utterly intriguing.
These golden cocoons below were not some bizarre concept created by a mad jewelry artist and imposed upon some unsuspecting insects. These cocoons were actually created by the creatures crawling out of them. The caddis fly larvae, an insect closely related to the butterfly constructed these casings from available material. Talk about a different way of constructing art jewelry!
The caddis fly collaboration was conducted by and with an artist by the name of Hubert Duprat. My first sighting of these amazing pieces were in a back issue of Cabinet magazine, the publication of an arts and culture organization out of Brooklyn, New York. According to their website “Cabinet aims to foster curiosity about the world we have made and inhabit.” Yep, they got me curious. How did Hubert get these creatures to build their cocoons out of gold and gems?
Well, apparently these little guys spin cocoons out of silk but incorporate other materials from their environment. Since they are river dwelling bugs, sand, bits of shell, fish bones, and plant matter are common inclusions in their casings. Since gold and stones are common river material, Hubert thought he would see if the larvae would include precious natural materials in their cocoons if their more mundane alternatives were not present. And they did. But isn’t it amazing how they designed their casings? Striations of stone and aligned rods of gold wire decorating only the top and center portions of the sheaths. The casings are beautiful and well balanced. It seems almost impossible that these creatures would create something that wasn’t just a total mish-mash of materials until you stop and think … nature is the ultimate designer. Our own sense of design comes from what we have been seeing in the natural world around us for eons. These creatures may not be aware of their inherent design sense but they too would have assimilated the balance of the world around them into what they do.
Bottom line here … when looking for new ways to develop and construct your artwork, don’t forget to look to the work of the master and original architect you can find all around you.
There are videos on YouTube showing the caddis fly building these with Hubert explaining the process if you just can’t get enough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jID1_GwxiE0
