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:
How Do You Make Pretty Worms?
February 7, 2013
Inspirational Art
I don’t know that I have ever thought of worms as pretty. Fascinating, yes. But as a subject for a pretty piece of jewelry? Well, maybe not so much.
However, Klavdija Kurent pulled it off quite nicely. I love pieces like this. As a polymer artist, I cannot help but stop and try to figure out how she created the layered effect, especially the worms.
I don’t have it quite down yet. She does a lot of image transfer on other work but it seems more dimensional than that. It does look quite a bit like the wax impression technique we featured in The Polymer Arts magazine a while back. What do you think?
Even if one can’t figure out how an artist accomplished an effect, the exercise can be good for your creative muscle. You might even come up with an idea about how to do something with polymer you hadn’t thought of or seen before. And, besides, it’s just fun to see if you figure it out.
Fun with Leftovers
February 6, 2013
Technique tutorials, Tips and Tricks
I don’t know how many pieces I’ve made resulted from looking over at my scattered scraps and suddenly seeing a new texture, form or design in the randomness. Its kind of like finding animals in the shapes of clouds … you look over and you see shape for a pendant, the texture for necklace or a form that could make an interesting bead.
So when perusing some collected online tutorials, I stopped at this very pretty bit of modified mokume which is pictured in a tutorial titled “How to make faux snake skin or honeycomb veneers” by Desiree McCrorey and really wished I could grab, not a slice from the revealed slab but rather those first holey layers off the top. Wouldn’t they look just so striking pressed onto a sheet of pearl clay, those thin little edges of purple around the circles framing the background color?
I wonder how many other people out there automatically do that as well? I know Helen Breil does … that is how she came up with the curling and frame type shapes which are the basis of her new book Shapes (which we review in the upcoming Spring 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts.) That kind of eye is hard to teach. But I would recommend that before balling up your scraps and tossing them in the scrap bin you look at what you have and see if anything jumps out at you. Just that could send you on a whole new journey and invigorate your line if you are looking for something new. You just never know and all it takes is keeping your eyes wide open.
Perusing Cozzi
February 5, 2013
Inspirational Art
Did you know that Louise Fischer Cozzi works in other forms besides jewelry with etched and colored transluscents? Of course you did or I am sure you suspected. How many of us can stick with just one approach when using polymer?
I always wonder what else people do besides the common work we see from certain artists in books and workshops announcements. Today I landed in Louise’s website and found out she has actually worked in a lot of forms. Even in jewelry she has rings and cuff links along with her well-known necklaces. She has a whole section just on objects including ornaments, boxes and bowls like this one below.
I gravitated back to her jewelry though and was rather taken by this bracelet here. The only problem is the photos on the website are so small! How I would love to see the details.
Louise also does quilts! Quite a range she has. You can go exploring yourself on her website here.
Layer, Cut, Roll, Repeat and … Wow
February 4, 2013
Inspirational Art
Repeating elements can add such energy to a piece. Especially if you push the elements just a little and add some contrast to make it pop.
Here Eva Ehmeier uses her small layered and rolled elements repeated across a donut form to create a piece that almost looks alive. I don’t think it would have quite the impact if it weren’t for the little details each element has … the subtle stripes in the purple layers, the layering you can see in the sides of the elements and that yellow boldly peeking out from within the rolls. The deep texture these elements create are contrasted with a silver band following the same form. I’m not sure the texture on the silver was needed but the contrast of materials really makes the polymer stand out and adds elegance.
If you work with repeated elements a lot (or would like to) how can you add extra interest to the elements themselves? Its something to ponder.
And if you are intrigued by the possibilities of using layered edges, make sure you get a copy of our Spring issue of The Polymer Arts due out on the 18th of this month. Susan O’Neill offers a plethora of ideas on using visual and structural aspects of layering in polymer. It’s great stuff.
Remember Why We Do What We Do
February 3, 2013
Ponderings
Publishing is a rough business. So is writing. And, as most of you know, so is being an artist! In what I do, there are so many people I work with, have to contact daily and have to count on and I do it all from a home office with virtual staff … it can make it very trying sometimes. But then I get some wonderful random email from someone saying “I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate what you are doing …” and suddenly everything is wonderful again because, first of all, someone took the time out of their busy lives to write me and secondly, I am reminded that what I do matters.
Its actually mind-blowing how often I get emails like that. What wonderful, thoughtful people there are out there in the world. I have not, I have to admit, been one of those who has done such things very often. Until the last couple years. All these kind, considerate people have gotten me to stop regularly and let others know that what they do matters. And when you work alone in the studio all day, or in solitary on your computer at home, editing photos, listing work for sale, writing a blog, it can be hard to imagine that what you do matters to much of anyone else but you. But then you get a grateful note from a customer, an enthusiastic comments on your blog, or see someone singing your praises in a forum. That makes all the difference.
Since we work online so much now and aren’t in touch with people quite the way we used to be, we’re not getting or giving that kind of feedback as often as we used to since its much more automatic and expected when we are face to face. So I would like to make a suggestion … this week, every day, write one person, one business, one friend or relative and let them know how much what they do matters to you and/or to other people. Just a few lines can be immensely impactful for the person on the receiving end and in this world, I think it tremendously important to encourage kind and truly meaningful things.
Scrap Clay Caning
February 2, 2013
Technique tutorials
I broke away from the magazine madness for a moment today to relax with some perusing through Pinterest. While everyone else gets sucked into Facebook, artists get inexorably pulled into Pinterest. It can’t be helped. It’s kicks in a kind of visual ADD. Oh, shiny … and colorful … and creative and … oh, how did they do that! Its terrible.
Luckily, the spell is broken and I manage to escape when I see something too cool not to run over and share here on the blog. Today it was yet another way to take scraps and make something amazing with it. This cane component and the intermediate steps to a scrap clay cane below were created by Ronit Golan. And no, this is not scrap canes as in Alice Stroppel’s approach, although the first half of the process isn’t too far off from hers, but just scrap bits and pieces of clay.
The big difference between this and the Stroppel cane is that you can use this approach to create a kaleidoscope cane. Isn’t that cool?
Check out the full tutorial and examples on Ronit’s blog here. Thanks goes out to Karin Ashdown for pinning this from Ronit’s blog for us to discover.
Outside Inspiration: Obsessive Ceramics
February 1, 2013
Inspirational Art
Ricky Maldonado has to be at least a little bit obsessive. I saw his ceramic work as an image on Pinterest first and thought for certain I was looking at a polymer cane covered form. But no, the designs he applies are completely hand done, every dot, every dash drawn out on the piece before he carefully fills in the pattern with glazes.
He creates teapots, plates, gift boxes and other vessels as well as balance focused sculptures like this one he titled Alien Mardi Gras.
Ricky’s work is just another reminder that with polymer, we really do have it easy. We can develop patterns of intense intricacy with a handful of skillful steps and end up with yards of it from that one process. We can cover any kind of form with an infinite array of color, marks and texture and rather rapidly.
But sometimes, an extensive, hand applied process just can’t be beat. We have a couple artists in the next issue that apply detail carefully and fastidiously to achieve a complexity that draws you in not just in wonder at the visual impact but also in wonder at the patience and vision that created them. When the Spring issue of The Polymer Arts comes out (due to be mailed in digital and print out by the 18th) look for the work of artists such as Aniko Kolesnikova, Gera Scott Chandler, Marisol Ross, Sandra McCaw and Susan Dyer … all artist who obviously spend a great deal of time working out and developing the details in their pieces.
Quick and simple can be great for producing a large number of items that can be sold at a reasonable cost but as an artist, there is nothing to compare to a piece you spend hours and days, maybe even weeks or months with, a piece that gets every last consideration and fully expresses your intent and vision. These kinds of pieces take time, are harder to sell for a price worthy of your efforts (we also have an article on pricing your art work in this next issue) and can be much harder to part, especially if you don’t do this kind of thing often. But then, if you find you love it and do have a hard time parting with such pieces, doesn’t that just tell you that you probably need to take this approach more often?
Something to ponder this weekend. Me, I will be pondering the last of the seemingly never-ending details that accompany a periodical being readied for the printer. At least this is the kind of project is something I not only have no problem parting with, I am thrilled to send it out to all of you so you can get as excited about the inspiring ideas, words and art of the artists who so generously share their stories and work with us this issue. I very much look forward to hearing what you think.
The Pro Look of Bold and Brilliant
January 31, 2013
Inspirational Art
It must be the mid-winter blues that keeps drawing me to the dramatically colored this week. I know whenever I am in need of an injection of bright and colorful and I can always count on Silvia Ortiz de la Torre. She is never shy and always experimenting with color, form and texture and how they work together.
Here is her latest post on her Flickr page. It’s a piece that almost shocks you into looking closer. The colors are so vibrant and the textures used make the whole piece seem alive.
You have to stop and wonder how something so colorful, created with fun little balls of wound polymer string and puffy pillows beads still comes across as being more sophisticated than silly. There is something in the boldness that exudes that professional level intent. I could see this on runway models or rich movie stars wandering Rodeo Drive. It’s kind of crazy. So crazy you have to envy Silvia’s talent. And maybe even aspire to be that bold and confident someday yourself.
Are you looking to increase the professional impact of your work? We’ve an article in the upcoming Spring Issue of The Polymer Arts magazine on just that subject. Don’t miss out on the issue. Pre-order it or get your subscription here today: www.thepolymerarts.com/Subscribe.html
Bead Frames for Polymer
January 30, 2013
Technique tutorials
It’s hard to find a polymer artist who doesn’t also have a love of beads. Many found their way to polymer through collecting and wanting to expand their bead options. So, it only makes sense that we combine them.
Stringing a necklace is one common way to combine our love of varied bead materials. Embedding beads into the surface of the clay is another. And below, we have yet another method outlined by Anne Poncet on her blog using seed beads to create a frame.
The process involves seed beads and wire, which is embedded in a backing of clay. She has two versions of the tutorial on her blog; one simple, quick and with lots of photos, then below there are detailed explanations for each step. Something fun to try out next time you are pondering what kind of finish you want for the edge of a piece.
Exploring Mandalas
January 29, 2013
Inspirational Art, Tips and Tricks
Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning “circle.” These visually engaging patterns have spiritual and ritual significance for some eastern religions and western communities and have been growing in popularity as an art form.
Susan Buhrman is one of the most prolific mandala artists that I know of in our community. She uses cane slices, cut sheets of clay, beads and other objects to create the patterns for these wall pieces.
Mandalas aren’t just a beautiful art form; the creation of them can be quite a therapeutic activity. Take a number of scrap canes, sheet clay or what not and simply start placing them in a balanced and repetitive pattern on a board or other stiff, movable surface. Don’t think too much about it. Let your inner artist just play. This should get you into a very relaxing zone, and at the end of your time creating this, you may find yourself surprised by what you end up with. Just something fun and relaxing to try when you need it.
