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:
Thinking Not Required
February 17, 2013
Ponderings
Watch a child creating. They do not stop and ponder. They do not re-do it. They rarely stop once the material is in their hand. Its not that we don’t need to stop and look at our work with a critical eye or that sometimes we do need to do something over in order to perfect our process. But, I think when we start out creating artwork, we need to be children. We need not to think; we need to just create. The thinking can come later when it will do the most good.
Gold Dots on Scrap
February 16, 2013
Inspirational Art
A note on how to make a scrap clay piece go from ‘okay’ to awesome … drop in some dots and a dash of shiny!
Rita Dumais Sim took a simple scrap snake rolled into a bangle and using nothing more than impressed dots back filled with gold acrylic paints, adds a layer of complexity to what could have been a pretty basic piece.
It doesn’t always take much to add that extra “oomph” to a piece. Try simple texturing, a little extra color, an bit of accent before pushing for what could end up being overkill. Sometimes simple solutions are best.
Outside Inspiration: Ceramic Pods for Polymer
February 15, 2013
Inspirational Art
We have a bit of a penchant for pods in polymer. I think it’s actually a clay thing, be it polymer, pmc or ceramics. Alice Ballard, a ceramicist from Greenville, North Carolina has explored pods every which way and a bit beyond. Here is a sample of pods forms and treatments that would be wonderful to see in polymer as well.
Alice says her fascination comes out of the metamorphosis we see in nature’s forms as it changes from season to season. She sees it as “a universal world in which differing life forms share similar qualities.” Which makes sense as you look at her body of work. Here are other forms of hers I could see being beautifully translated into polymer.
Pods in the studio this weekend anyone?
I found Alice Ballard and these collage images on the Art Propelled blog written by South Africa’s Robyn Gordon.
Doll to Your Heart
February 14, 2013
Inspirational Art
I know Valentine’s is really supposed to be about your sweetheart–and I do hope all of you have the chance to spend the day with the one you love the most–but I like to think of this day as a time to consider what love means and all the ways we have it in our lives. It does take many forms … there is what we feel for that one other person who knows us best, the passion we have for life and our art, the affection we have for family and friends, the devotion we have to our pets, etc. And then there is the love we get from complete strangers or we can feel for someone we don’t even know simply because of caring and empathy. We have people in our community that could use a little extra love, that are dealing with family tragedies and personal struggles among other hardships.
How about just sending out a little love & wishes today for someone who could use a little extra? Here is a touching story from Keri Joy Colestock who created this heart adorned Wall Dancer while struggling with her own pain and hurdles.
I began the “Wall Dancers” in February 2003. After 15 years of a being Senior Designer, I lost my “passion” for my art. I said, “No Mas!” Just when I thought I knew where my life was going, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in February 2002 and that kept me literally bed-bound. It’s been a 7-year battle. The first dolls were actually made in bed with me in my jammies! I was told by all of my doctors that “these were impossible to do” so I make them dolls every year for Xmas! ~smiling~
My wish is that they will make you feel happy, positive and sometimes even encouraged.That they will always put a smile on your face!
I know it does mine!
Both Sides Considered
February 13, 2013
Inspirational Art, Ponderings
In the next issue of The Polymer Arts (coming February 18th!) we spend some time contemplating how and why to finish off the back sides of your work. The why is pretty straight forward … it’s simply more professional if you do. It is interesting to learn how the various artists featured came to this conclusion though. But one of the interesting things that arose in the collection of conversations from the 7 artists in the article is the issue of reversible pieces. Some like it, others feel that it reduces the importance of any one side. I’m quite the proponent of variety myself–so having more choices about how to wear something seems like a good thing–but there might be something said for developing one side more than the other.
I really wanted to bring up this subject so I could post these equally considered sides of a pendant by DDee Wilder. I really like this piece. Same base clay, both with a highly textured Sutton slice style treatment but one high contrast, one low. I think both sides look gorgeous.
A piece like this is an argument for reversible, don’t you think? I wouldn’t see either side taking from the other. What do you think?
Read more about finishing the “Other Side of Polymer” in our Spring Issue. Buy your copy online or from one of our retailers.
Revealing the Stone
February 12, 2013
Inspirational Art
There is something just so enticing about cracks and crevices, about what they reveal when they open up. So it’s no wonder this composition of amethyst and faux rock created by Russia’s Evgeny Alexandrov is so alluring.
The amethyst peeks out from the split in the polymer textured ‘rock’ making it look like the semi-precious stones might have been buried there and only recently broke through to reveal their collective beauty. There is also the contrast of the dull, matte gray of the polymer to the shine of the amethyst to make the vein of stones seem even more precious.
Evgeny works in organic forms and with natural inspirations in a number of well-finished approaches. You can find more of her work on her store page.
Hearts and Love For Others
February 11, 2013
Polymer community news
You may have already seen the post on Polymer Clay Daily about this but its a wonderful project and I think as a community, this kind of thing is exactly what we have and can do that other crafts may not be able to manage because we have such an inexpensive and accessible art form. I think we should really push to grow this kind of charitable and hope-filled work.
The project being talked about is the Sammunat Nepal project. It helps the women in Nepal who are in in dangerous and traumatic situations of abuse and violence through support, both short and long term but primarily through the development of skills that allow them to reestablish themselves in a new community. The creation of handcrafted items is a huge part of this. Polymer is a huge part of this. How wonderful is that?
This project is in need of a building to work out of. They have been moving around but without the stability of a permanent location, some efforts are diluted and I’m sure there are some things that simply can’t be done without it. Ron Lehocky, the maker of these wonderful hearts you see here (you may have seen his article on his Heart Project heart pins made from donated scrap clay in our Summer issue of The Polymer Arts) is really boosting the fundraising efforts for this location by offering to match donations up to $2000. Are you up for helping? It wouldn’t take much. Just click here to help (scroll down; there is a donate button on the left side down a bit.)
To read more about the Sammunat Nepal project, go to http://acolourfuljourney.com/blog/
And if you can’t help in this fashion, do consider giving a little love to others who need it in any way you can this Valentine’s Week. A gift of your artwork to a friend or even near stranger (which would make it really special!) who is having a hard time right now would be a particularly wonderful way to spread the love.
The Fear of Being Wrong
February 10, 2013
Ponderings
We are lucky, working in polymer. We have little reason to fear being wrong while creating. We can redo or. worse case, throw out a piece without having lost any significant amount of money in doing so. For us, the harder thing may be just putting our work out there, thinking others will like it enough to give us positive feedback or buy it. We will be wrong sometimes. But that’s alright. It’s how we learn, isn’t it?
Chances are … we are right more often when we just don’t worry about being wrong.
Intricacy is in the Details
February 9, 2013
Inspirational Art
They say it’s all in the details. And in the case of these pieces by Olga Zhukova that couldn’t be more true.
She has a detailed tutorial onher detailed work on her blog. This work would require some patience but even if this approach were used to accent a piece that has a different focal interest, it could be just the right touch of details.
Outside Inspiration: Doubling up the Talent
February 8, 2013
Inspirational Art
So … have you ever given a set of beads or random pieces of your work to someone else and let them create from it? I’ve only done this once with artwork but wish I did it more often. It can be truly eye-opening to see what others envision with your work.
Here is one example using ceramics beads from bead artist “BeadFreaky” on Etsy and the bead artistry of Keirsten Giles
There is something about having the vision and aesthetics of another person applied to your own work. They way they treat it, contrast or highlights it’s aspect and the forms they include it in can be quite exciting.
Do you know any artists who work in a different medium (or work in polymer but in a very different way) that might be up for mixing their work with yours?
