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:

Hope for Translucents

I’ve been keeping an eye on the experiments people have making with the Pardo translucent clay. At this point, I think it’s pretty obvious that it is the clearest translucent on the market. It also seems to be the most elusive which is probably because it’s becoming quite popular. Just look at what can be done with it.

Here we have a Lindly Haunani inspired pinch petal necklace by Nora Pero of San Diego, California. The petals look to be made from sheets that, judging by the other photos she has on her Flickr site, are probably 2 cards thicks and yet the dark background comes through with no visible yellowing. How cool is that?

When I was in Atlanta last month, I got to see and handle some pieces made by Ellen Prophater with this clay. So clear with no yellowing, I was amazed. They sold it there but since I was traveling by car in the south, there was no point in packing some up as it’d likely be baked in my Subaru-style oven. What the heck, I’d seen it at a local hobby store. I’ll get it when I get back home.

But alas, there has been no translucent, and very little Pardo to be found all along the Colorado front range. Some intensive research on the internet brought up only two sources — Amazon, where someone who has realized the value of the rare material was selling it at twice its retail price and our friends at Poly Clay Play.

I have, however, written my contact at Viva Decor to get the scoop on the translucent clay supply. I will update you as I get information!

Progress & Possibilities 2012

October 19, 2012

We interrupt this week’s Outside Influence installment with an important announcement … If you have not already seen the announcement, the IPCA opened registration for entry into the Progress and Possibilities juried online exhibition. It’s one of the biggest events of its kind in our community so well worth looking into. There are categories for every level of polymer artists too.

If you are unfamiliar with this annual event, you can check out last year’s exhibition art here: http://theipca.org/gallery/index.php/Progress-Possibilities-2011 Below is the winning piece for the professional category in sculpting. Fox and Grapes is a piece by Doreen Kassel (an artist who was also featured in The Polymer Art’s Fall 2012 Mentor Artist’s Gallery)

Here is the official announcement information:

“Progress & Possibilities 2012,” an online juried exhibition of polymer clay art is open to IPCA members only. The purpose of Progress & Possibilities is to encourage and acknowledge promise, innovation, and individuality in the work of individual polymer clay artists, at all stages of professional development, and to advance public awareness of and appreciation for the fine craft of polymer clay. This official online exhibition of the International Polymer Clay Association will showcase the finest work completed this year by our members throughout the world.

Go to the IPCA’s website for more info and get your work ready!

Color Erased

A few days ago I had an artist featured from a not-so-well-known country, Belsarus. Well, there must be something about polymer and that country right now because I came across Elena Fadeeva also of Minsk, Belarus this week  as well and her beautiful erased polymer tubes. What is it about this Eastern European country and polymer?

Well…. while I ponder that, you can take in these lovely beads. The translation would seem to indicate that she used alcohol inks originally across the whole bead but then ‘erased’ the color. I suspect this was done by sanding as I have tried get a drop or two off a sheet of clay that, laid carelessly on the work table nearby got splashed by my enthusiastic dribblings. Here, as part of the design rather than the erasure of a mistake, the thin delicate colors fill in the stampings with an almost antique or worn tribal look. There are more beatutiful examples on her Flickr page.

I have been working to perfect another method of erasing — but with mica powders. I have been able to completely erase mica from the flat or raised surface of raw clay both in order to remove errant powder and to use as a negative stencil or a kind of enameling technique.

I’ll unveil my finds in this mica-erasure approach in the next issue of The Polymer Arts magazine. Be sure you have your subscription up-to-date. You won’t want to miss this next amazing and all–too-fun issue.

 

Echoes of Another’s Vision

October 17, 2012

This lovely image showed up in a Facebook group this past weekend and just stuck with me. Ariane Freisleben, Munich-born but a resident of Tuscany, has taken classes from all the greats. Her commitment to the medium — and how much she has learned from spending so much time with quality instructors — is quite evident in this translation of Jeffery Lloyd Dever’s backfill and construction techniques.

The design here is just fantastic. The stylized flowers make not only an interesting floral abstraction but they echo the form and surface treatment of the ‘vase.’ She has dots on the small sphere buds visually relating to the dots within dots backfill technique and the teardrop-shaped blooms are the completed form that the vase starts building toward but halts in order to open and hold the bouquet. I might have hoped for more saturated color in some of the lighter translucent teardrop blooms  but it’s a minor consideration as the joyful nature of the piece still comes across so nicely.

So lots of echoing here. A bit of Dever, a bit of dots and bit of drops. And, a great piece from it all.

Cane Scenes

Earrings. You make two identical little pretty pieces, right? Not necessarily. Why do they need to match exactly?

The unmatched but obvious pairing of this earring set made by Serbia’s Biljana Teodorović was just one of the things that caught my eye. The imagery looks very illustrative but it is all done with canes laid out in a floral composition that is then cut up. The earrings then become two parts of the same scene.

When you look at the process here on her blog, it is pretty straight-forward. Yet it is rather fascinating to see how the process starts and what she ends up with. She also smartly makes them reversible. Or, as I like to think of it, she has the ‘backs’ well-considered.

 

Component Sculpting

You might look at the sculptural work  below and think “How complex! That must be a lot of work.” It is a beautifully complex piece but it’s not that hard.

If you make a series of forms and repeat them, changing their orientation, size, color, etc., you can create what appears to be very complex pieces from easily formed components. These shapes you see below are what artist Anna Anpilogova of Minsk, Belarus used to create her bracelet. Just some clay balls, clay teardrops and tapered ropes. Quick and easy sculpting with great end results when you put them all together.

When Criticism is Not Constructive

October 14, 2012

I am a big proponent of constructive criticism. Unfortunately, there are many people in this world who don’t understand what that means. There are also many people who, unhappy with their own situations, project how they feel onto others. I am always hoping that everyone can find their happiness — and bliss — in the things they do, but until then, don’t listen to the negativity. Keep on doing what you do and love so much.

Pre-Order Christi’s Flourish

October 13, 2012

Last night local Denver guild member Laura Schiller and I had the chance to have dinner with Christi Friesen who is in town teaching a class for the Mile High Polymer Clay Guild. The subject matter was wide-ranging … from health to the mystery of men to, of course, polymer art. We also talked about the publishing projects Christi and I both have in the works or on the drawing board. Christi’s latest endeavor is her book Flourish, Book 1: Flora  which is due out in December of this year.

Christi talked about how she is emphasizing technique and creative exploration in this book alongside the presentations of step by step projects. That lead to a rather  passionate discussion about the need to teach not just the skill involved in claying but the ability to be creative and expand upon what a clayer learns from books, periodicals and classes. Of course, if you read The Polymer Arts magazine you know that I am a big proponent of this approach and so I get quite excited to see this focus in other publications. Of course I’m a tad excited about this book anyways since Christi is using one of my techniques and art pieces to explain the creative deduction process that can lead to new discoveries in the studio. I’m so honored.

Consider pre-ordering a copy of the book so you get it shipped to you first thing when it rolls off the presses. In the meantime, look forward to a fantastic article on Icy Bling by Christi in the Winter 2012 issue of The Polymer Arts coming out next month.

Outside Inspiration: Air-Dry Clay Doll Faces

October 12, 2012

The sculpting process is not terribly different from one medium to the next although the finish and considerations are. Still, you don’t want to miss out on great sculpting ideas because it’s a different medium. And taking a break from polymer can be great for increasing skills and giving yourself a new challenge.

How adorable are these doll faces?

Art doll creator Marlaine Verheist designs these whimsical, expressive and award-winning dolls heads.  Air-dried clay with Marlaine’s techniques create a porcelain-like look without a kiln or oven. The techniques she uses with air-dry clay can easily be transferred to polymer as well. For more inspiration, you can visit her website or better yet, if  you’d like to learn a new material that can be combined with polymer as well as create cuties like these yourself, Craft Cast has a class with Marlaine this weekend you can take.

A Little Sparkle Goes a Long Way

October 11, 2012

We started the week talking about glitz and how to use it well. With the holidays approaching, and a little sparkle being a big seller, I thought I’d share one more piece by an artist known for her caning and laser cuts, not so much for sparkle. But combine some great canes, an inventive design and a few crystals then you have yourself quite the holiday neck piece.

Jana Roberts Benzon is a master of color and patterning. Her designs are complex and involved and keep you entranced whether its a small pin or a intricate necklace. Jana will be featured in an upcoming 2013 issue of The Polymer Arts so keep up your subscription. You won’t want to miss the upcoming Shimmer & Shine Winter issue or any of the things we have in store for you in 2013.

To subscribe or buy any single issues, go to our website at www.thepolymerarts.com. If you are overseas and want to support your local retailers, you can buy print copies through these retailers in the UK and Austrailia.

UK:
EJR Beads
PolymerClay.co.UK

Austrailia:
The Whimsical Bead
Over the Rainbow

 

 

 

 

 

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