The Party is in Full Swing. Come join us!

 

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:

Giving Yourself to the World

December 9, 2012

So, who here is making polymer gifts for family and/or friends? Ok … uh … maybe I should ask who isn’t …

I don’t have a lot of time this season, but the one thing I do always put time aside for is making gifts for as many people on my list as might appreciate them. I could just buy all my gifts, which would be tons easier and would take less time, but once you give of yourself, all other gifts just pale. The thing is, what you make is something that would never have existed if you were not on this earth. It is a reminder of who you are as well as being a little part of you that you are giving. How much more precious could a gift be?

Now, not everyone is able to create a little something of their own as gifts. If you have a gift giver who is having a hard time figuring out what to get their favorite creative polymer obsessed person, there is always the gift of inspiration in the form of a magazine. You can send a hint by forwarding this blog post, or send a link such as http://www.thepolymerarts.com/Subscribe.html. Issues and subscriptions also make great gifts for your own polymer friends. *grin* If you need anything special in the way of when to send gifted issues or would like a note included, just write me at sbray@thepolymerarts.com. I’m all for helping spread the holiday cheer in any way I can.

 

Gift Label Keepsakes

December 8, 2012

I am a bit of a tree hugger. I have a strong aversion to things, especially those that have personal significance, that are disposable … those things purchased or made to show someone you care but, having no purpose beyond that, are often thrown away. Gift tags are like that. I have a box of holiday gift tags that I designate the to’s and from’s of gifts with. It’s not a lot of paper stock, but my little personal messages on them aren’t usually kept. Similarly, I always feel so guilty about throwing away the ones I get. I wish I made them more than just a gift marker.

Of course, working in polymer, there is a way. I was searching for ideas online when I found Marjorie Dalgarn’s Flickr page of cute little ornaments. I love the details. Check out the tiny dump trucks and the babies’ adorable little feet and toes! And how nice to honor a couple with an ornament for the both of them.

In an appropriate size for the gift being given, little decorative pieces like these would work as both gift tags and ornaments that can be hung on the tree year after year with the memory of the giver and the personal touch being remembered each time. No additional trash, either!

 

Outside Inspiration: Surface Design in Glass

December 7, 2012

The big struggle with any medium is working reasonably within the limitations of the material as it applies to the end product you are creating. Polymer has such freedom and ease, that it seems nearly limitless. We don’t tend to ask “if” something we see can be replicated with polymer but only “how”.

In other mediums, the limitations are extreme. Glass is one of those mediums with many restricting factors that play into what is possible as well as increasing the necessary skill set to begin to push the limitations at all. Work like that of Cynthia Saari, a glass lampwork artist, plays with the limitations and control over the surface design of glass. Her work on the glass beads below is controlled and quite intentional. With texture and lines that build beautiful landscape-like compositions, she sets aside the serendipitous opportunities that can be the fun and wonder of working on this kind of lampwork in order to assert her intentions and vision.

How does this translate for polymer artists? Well, first of all, we also have a lot of techniques whose end results are allowed to emerge from random or fairly uncontrolled applications of materials and tools. Even though it’s common in mokume gane or alcohol ink applications to allow the visual design to emerge from a random process, you might try your hand at asserting control. For instance you can control the application of inks using brushes, stencils, and resists such as wax or tape. Instead of randomly punching and puncturing an mg stack, why not lay out the alteration of the clay in a precise, predetermined pattern?

Obviously, there is nothing wrong with randomness. It’s endlessly delightful to see what appears from an uncontrolled approach, but sometimes putting limitations or structure in your process can also produce wonderful results you hadn’t imagined before.

 

Eyes as Big as Saucers

December 6, 2012

Having a cutesy moment today. There’s just something about the big-eyed innocent look that seems to go along with the holiday season. So I thought I’d let you all get that soft and fuzzy feeling admiring the very talented Ana Salvador. Born in Portugal but now living in The Netherlands she has a degree in Communication Design but these days dedicates her creativity primarily to sculpture and primarily in polymer clay.

Although cutesy is usually relegated to not-so-serious work, there is something about this work that is both adorable and austere. The bulldog and doll seem so utterly sad but the girl’s sadness seems resigned and angelic … with the most subtle hint of a smile in her eyes, almost Mona Lisa like. I get the feeling she could break out in a teeny tiny grin if given the chance.  Makes the piece heart warming and heart breaking at the same time.

See more of Ana’s work on her website here.

 

Air-filled beads

December 5, 2012

I’ve made a few donut beads in my day. I have molds and use up scrap clay to fill the form. But I really like this air-filled technique as posted by Page McNall of Palo Alto, California. A little patience and a light touch seem to be the main ingredients needed to create the nice pillowy curves  using this technique.

 

Page actually shows several approaches to making these on her Flickr page. Here is her technique summary, though:

Leave the large air-filled bead inside the metal cutter and select the location you want to cut the small circle. Slowly depress the cutter until you have sliced through all the layers of clay and remove the small cutter. Clean up the edges using an X-acto knife and a rounded smooth tool like a large knitting needle to smooth any rough edges. Carefully remove the air-filled bead and doctor up and outside edges. Now you are ready to bake your masterpiece. Again, thanks to Cate van Alphen for your ideas to improve on this technique.

 

Whimsy in One Color

December 4, 2012

Its been so nice and mild this Fall, even as we first entered December. Then yesterday, the cool settled in and I started rummaging through my sweaters. I have a couple sweaters with big buttons that reminded me of the sweatered fish I got to see in person when sitting down for a drink with Rebecca Watkins who was here in Denver with Alice Stroppel this past Summer. I never would have thought to wrap a fish up with a sweater but for some reason, it looks quite right!

I imagine it is simply the whimsical nature of Rebecca’s style that makes sweaters work on her aquatic creatures. Whimsy does allow for all kinds of hitherto unimagined combinations. As long as there is some commonality that brings it all together, there are few things you can’t make work. Rebecca’s common thread is color–ochre browns. Simple. Effective. And rather fun.

 

Warm and Enchanting

December 3, 2012

Just a little bit o’ pretty this Monday. These earrings by France’s Gadouille are have such a warm and vibrant color scheme not to mention an enchanting form. I always think of bell shapes as tipped over bowls, giving you the creator of the form the opportunity to spill and dangle from it any number of fun and eye catching items. Here Gadouille chooses to echo the colors in the petal cane slices with a limited variety of beads.

I’ve tried a few translator’s to see what she said about the earrings on her blog. Online translators are quite entertaining, I have to say. Here is the best I came up with:

You can find these earrings as of small martagon Lily, (finally small… it is quickly told) history to remember your holidays in Vanoise!

The Martagon lily is a flower native to Eastern France across through Asia with a very dramatic upturn of the petals and Vanoise is a French National Park. Makes me want to take a trip out to France come Spring. Okay … I’d head to France any time if the opportunity came up!

 

Inspire for the Holidays

December 2, 2012

It is such a wonderful thing that in the work I do with The Polymer Arts magazine and this blog I have a chance to inspire others. It is such a fantastic feeling to get emails and talk to people who have been inspired by what we’ve put in print. This holiday season, I highly recommend passing on the inspiration … whether it’s introducing someone to polymer or just encouraging creative play, you will get so much out of sharing your own joy in being creative!

 

 

Micro beads and Pods

December 1, 2012

Shiny things … that’s the focus of the latest issue of The Polymer Arts magazine. Having that theme on my mind, I kept my eye out for all kinds of things we might add to or use to treat polymer clay. Due to having seen Claire Maunsell’s pods, shown below, I actually sought out the micro beads that I talk about in the Winter issue.

The judicious use of just a small gathering of the micro beads looks like strangely developed seeds and draws our eye as the focus of the beads (see the article on Focal Points in the latest issue as well). The carved and colored surface is so involved that one could spend long minutes taking it all in as well as return to them again and again to look and touch the delightful little pod, seeing something new or from a new angle each time.

By the way … if you don’t have the latest issue or don’t have a subscription to The Polymer Arts yet, suggesting it as a gift to your significant other, the kids, or your friends this holiday season would be a very good way to acquire your copy and an easy shopping ‘trip’ for the gift giver ;). We have back issue specials, including all of 2012’s issues or all back issues plus a 1 year subscription, for a significant discount. Just forward this blog link and … hint, hint, hint … you might find lots o’ polymer inspiration under the tree this year!

 

Outside Inspiration: Oxidized Silver Rainbows

November 30, 2012

One of the primary attractions to polymer is the range of beautiful colors available. This gives polymer a huge advantage over many other jewelry mediums, primarily metals. Not that there aren’t ways to add color to metal but it takes some serious skill and time to control it. Elisenda de Haro is one jewelry artist that seems to have color in metal well under her control. She also creates these incredible forms and textures that are almost primal and quite enticing.

If one wanted to replicate this highly textured color, I am thinking you’d search out rough textures like concrete and rock. Then use mica powders or scraped pastels and the judicious touch of a small brush. Colored pencils would also allow you to recreate that rough and random layering of color. Or you could just take away the idea of cutting away at the form to create interesting lines and organic edges. Or you can just admire this … and the rest of her beautiful jewelry on her website here.

If you love these posts ...