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:
In the Midst of Leaves
November 21, 2016
Inspirational Art
So after a week of autumn color and a week of mostly translucent autumn, I am moving from Fall colors (I promise I am!) into leaves! There are tons of leaf motifs popping up out there and this beautiful bowl by the one and only Emily Squires Levine was on the top of my list for found leaf motif. (That has a ring to it!)
Emily has been branching out (pun intended … couldn’t help myself!) with some new designs this that are more of an extension of what she’s been doing than a departure. I am sure, with the In the Forest project, more trees and forest imagery will be popping up in her work and many more polymer artist’s pages as well.
I found these on Emily’s Facebook page where you can view more of her latest work. You can also stop by her website while you are off wandering through the leaves and such.
As for me, this will be a particularly busy week with the holiday, house buying paperwork (it’s like a second job!), getting the Winter issue off to the printer and, last but not least … in a non-traditional move that has more to do with logistics, health insurance, and moving residency to California before the end of the year, my beau and I will be tying the knot tomorrow, at least on paper. The official celebration is a month away but the fact that there will be no turning back after tomorrow does give one pause. Unless it’s the guy you should have married 3 decades ago. So yeah, don’t mind me this week. I may be a bit distracted.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Can we just say … get through the week, make time to relax and play, and enjoy your families. Sound good?
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Outside Inspiration: Through the Trees
November 18, 2016
Inspirational Art
I’m going to end this week with something that is translucent although maybe not the way you are thinking, a piece that shies away from the fall colors, moving into Winter, as so many of us are, at least in terms of upcoming plans if not weather.
I share this work with you upon one condition (okay, maybe it’s not a condition, but it is a very strong urging) … that you visit the links I have for you for this artist. Michelle McKinney is one of those artists whose work you need to see in its many variation to really understand the scope and beauty of her vision. She works in what she calls ” hand cut translucen
That fact that she calls her material translucent and we see it as delicate makes for a fairly dramatic contrast with our understanding that this is metal. There is further contrast between concept and material in that images are almost all organic and yet what they are made of is industrial. More impressive though, is the undeniable beauty in her subject matter, the usually simple images that are a bit torn and twisted. I think it garners empathy for the idea of something so delicate being in such a state. It’s rather hard to put one’s finger on exactly what it is that is so striking about these but it is there without question.
You need to look at her collection of work for yourself and see if the pieces speak to you in a similar fashion. Please treat yourself to the beauty of her pieces on her Facebook page which looks to hold the largest collection of images like these trees here. But also stop over at her website to see the black and white prints she is creating with these sculptural pieces, developing a collection she calls Ghost Editions. They are eerily beautiful and not to be missed.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Design or create something whose imagery is one thing but the texture, color or embellishment would say something else. Work in conceptual and visual contrast. Don’t think too hard about it or too long. Start with a few ideas and see where the muse takes you.
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Translucent Play, in 3 parts. Pt.3
November 16, 2016
Inspirational Art
Here is one more day of autumnal translucent beauties. Eva Haskova actually created these last April but they seem an appropriate homage to our quickly fading Fall season.
These bracelets are fairly simple in concept but so intriguing with their gradation of luminous colors and the short open tubes that allow a glimpse of the soft white of their translucent base. The color selection, similar to the piece by Jan Montarsi we saw last week, wisely includes a touch of cool color among all the rich warm hues to balance the intensity of the palette.
Holes and spaces seem to be dominating Eva’s explorations lately. You can see the evidence of this on her Facebook page as well as admire her other work on her Flickr photostream or her website.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Create something in either a completely cool palette or a wholly warm palette. Once you have most of the design planned or executed, try inserting colors of the other temperature. How does that change the feeling of the piece when you add just a little of the opposing color temperature? How about if you add a lot? Play with the contrast until you have something that speaks to you.
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Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
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Translucent Play, in 3 parts. Pt.2
November 14, 2016
Inspirational Art
Ok … back to our regularly scheduled program here. Here is a touch more on translucents this week since I started last Monday with a piece that was stated to be “in 3 parts” but got sidetracked the rest of the week. It’s rather hard to not complete the promised trio so here you are.
Here is a most magnificent brooch using translucents to create a visual illusion that will trip you out almost as much as the post-election mayhem. It looks absolutely three-dimensional but also, compounded by the organic placement and directional lean of the cane’s illusion, you could swear these open pod forms are alive. This piece so wonderfully illustrates the illusory possibilities of translucent clays.
The brooch comes from the genius of Melanie West who has been playing around with familiar themes and applications but with some fantastically unexpected results. I know this will get some of your imaginations just reeling but for even more fun and mind bending beauties, take a look at Melanie’s website and her latest creations posted recently on her Facebook page.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Use directional line to create a very intentional sense of movement. Create texture or line up motifs or forms to show strong direction in whatever interests you. If you like orderly, create orderly designs but try it in different orientations to see how it feels. If you want more organic or chaotic movement, be more random. If you want soothing, try flowing line.
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Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
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Time to get Excited! Here’s the Winter 2016 Cover: On theSurface
November 12, 2016
Inspirational Art, The Polymer Arts magazine news
This next issue gets down to a subject most every polymer clayer can get behind. Or on top of really. That being surface design. The subject is a pretty broad one so it was tough deciding just what to put in the issue but we ended up with a very exciting mix of articles. Here is just part of the list:
- The Well Designed Surface
- Raised Surface Coloration
- Unique Surface Variety
- Ink Resist Polymer Painting
- Creating Custom Texture Sheets
- Wall Stories: The Art of Alev Gozonar
- Color Spotlight with Donna Kato
- The Backside of Brooches
- Giving Away the Shop: Pros & Cons of Freebies & Giveaways
- … and much more.
If you need to renew or purchase a subscription, or would like to pre-order your Winter issue, you can go to our website here.
There is much to do so I am off to get this issue together and polished for you. We’ll get back to our regularly scheduled eye candy on Monday!
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Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
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Positivity, Beauty and Love
November 9, 2016
Inspirational Art, Ponderings
Before I talk about this gorgeous mural, I want to ask those of you reading this to bear with me on what has been a bit of hard morning here in the US as I have a small request. But don’t worry, I am not going to get political. I simply want to send out, from my little tiny corner of the world, a message of positivity. It’s a message I think we as artists are particularly capable of sending out in a myriad of effectual ways. I believe this is the only thing worth focusing on right now in what is sure to be an unforgettable time. What about it will be so unforgettable is what I hope you and I can influence.
Last night, Americans saw a shift in our belief in and an understanding of our country and what it stands for. There are a lot of angry, depressed and confused people, not just here in the States but all over the world. Everything I’ve watched and read indicates that the unexpected US presidential election results was primarily a vote against something rather than for something but it has left us in a precarious place. For those of you despairing of the outcome, there are a few things to keep in mind.
The president is not the American people. He is just one person and we are millions. The president is not a dictator and does not have the kind of power to do many of the things Trump has said he would do. So let’s not panic or the panic itself will become part of the problem. Let’s take control of and influence what each of us has access to. And what we have access to, primarily, is our talent and each other.
As artists, writers and creatives in general, we have, collectively, a tremendous amount of influence. The creatives in our world monitor and voice our emotions. They color the atmosphere of our world. And right now, all of you, whether you are an active artist or simply a supportive admirer, can make a difference in how the US moves forward and how the world is effected.
No, we will not be able to shore up stock markets or end bigotry in any kind of immediate and dramatic way but that is not how change actually happens. Change happens in a series of infinitesimally small steps. Like an earthquake, tiny small shifts and pressures build up until the plates cannot stand it any longer and releases the pressure all at once. This is what happened yesterday. We now have the opportunity to create the right kind of change by applying the right kind of pressure in this atmosphere where people are looking for answers. We can be the pressure for positive changes.
So I want to ask everyone reading this to do a very simple thing, something that we all have the power to do and can collectively use to make truly positive changes in what has been, for a while now, a very divided and emotional time, all across the world. I want to encourage you to put out nothing but beauty, compassion, love and positive messages right now. Set aside anger, disappointment, depression and even your fears for the time being in order to do and say kind and positive things.
It is extremely important that negativity not rule the day. So use your network, your influence, your exposure and your creativity to help bolster the atmosphere of our global community. Don’t desert or admonish family or friends for supporting the other candidate or for sitting out the election. Instead support what you believe in with charitable donations, volunteering, vocal support, and your art. Create beautiful things so the world is just that much more lovely a place.
I’ll do my part now by sharing a bit of beauty. This beautiful Starling mural by artists Collin van der Sluijs and Super A is on an apartment building in Berlin. The collaborative work was created for the “One Wall Mural Project”, a project that aims to highlight the diversity of the many neighborhoods of Berlin by enabling artists to create these huge murals, thereby spreading a message of cohesion and beauty throughout the city. Take a look at this post on Colossal to see it in more detail. It is amazing.
It’s too bad we can’t all create 137 foot tall murals to be seen by thousands of people daily, sharing beauty and inspiring others along the way. But we can do our small part to contribute to a positive solution rooted in love for everyone. Will you join me?
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Select a piece of your artwork and give it to someone who could use a little more beauty today. Do this for them and for yourself. Being kind and charitable will enrich your day as well as the day of the person you gift the art too and, hopefully, that has a rippling effect through many, many people.
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Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
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Translucent Play, in 3 parts. Pt.1
November 7, 2016
Inspirational Art
After finding the beautiful textured glass for Friday’s post, I noticed that my folder of art work to consider for blogs was full of translucent pieces, and almost all of them in the same basic color palette and all of them are fairly recent shares on Facebook. It could be because of the season but I don’t know how relevant that becomes when you set them side by side. So I thought I’d basically do that, presenting three pieces that are similar in color and using translucent clay but we’ll look at how it is used to create different moods.
This first one is a set of earrings by Jan Montarsi. The autumnal palette is there but the primarily vertical composition of the set, both in the direction of the swathes of color and the stacked squares lean towards a strong, organized atmosphere. Until you get to the visual and tactile texture. That reminds me of an energetic kid in a sandbox digging hole after hole. The circular shapes are jauntily wonky with colors blurring into each other, all with a very natural and organic feel. It says “I keep on the path but like to dance a bit on the way.” Well, that’s my read.
Jan created these in a class taught by Marie Segal at the annual Kentucky/Tennessee guild retreat this last month. He used his own ‘organic’ extruded cane technique as well. I guess he expected the colors to come out more muted because in the comments he made this observation:
“The amazing thing is the colors of these translucent clays were diluted by at least half with regular translucent clay and then placed on a translucent background and the color is still vibrant.” It’s good to know just how rich those packaged translucent colors can be.
Jan is our Americas Regional President for the International Polymer Clay Association as well as being an active clayer and contributor to a variety of information and educational outlets including The Polymer Arts magazine. His work can be found on Facebook and on Flickr.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Pick a set of colors and then pick forms that seem quite disparate from the color palette you picked. Light and bright colors combined with severely geometric shapes or dark, rich colors with light hearted squiggles. What does the contrast in shape do to the mood of the colors and vice versa? What can you add in terms of texture, line, or motifs that will further illustrate the mood you see within that juxtaposition of disparate elements?
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Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
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Fall Glass
November 4, 2016
Inspirational Art
Here is a little more autumn color for the week. I think this is a brooch although it doesn’t say. I did have something else in mind from the ever-exploring Sabine Spiesser but then I alighted upon this little experiment while enjoying her Flickr photos and a couple of things about it caught my eye.
I find this interesting not only because it’s a faux textured glass technique and yummy colors but also because of a comment Sabine made in regards to it:
“Unfortunately I noticed that alcohol inks fade in bright light in Pardo clay. I left an old piece in a bright spot where it gets some sunshine and after about 4 months all colours except for red were gone. That was quite a shock. I have to rethink what I am doing.”
It makes me wonder if this is just a problem with Pardo, or all translucents or alcohol inks in general. I’m going to do some research and then my own tests. I’ll post my results in our newsletter, where all such tips usually land in my world. If you aren’t on our twice monthly newsletter list, you’re missing out on tips, community news, first sales announcements, and some of our magazine news. You can sign up on the left hand side of our website’s home page. In the meantime, enjoy a view of Sabine’s work on her Flickr pages and website.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Try something different with a faux technique you like to do. If it’s faux stone, create forms you don’t usually see them in or texture them in a way that would be near impossible in a real stone. If it’s metal, create something organic-looking, like a silver flower or a copper pod. Just because we can mimic nature’s material doesn’t mean we need to recreate it only in the forms that nature presents it. Let go and try something different.
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Blocks of Fall
November 2, 2016
Inspirational Art
Although fall colors in the changing trees is nearly over, I wanted to take a bow to my favorite color season with a couple beautiful pieces this week.
This necklace inspired several ideas for themes for the blog but in the end, I knew it was the color that is the real draw. I do love how the overlapping rough edges are mirrored in the cord strands but the rich colors of autumn are what pushes it beyond a clever bit of line repetition into a very elegant piece.
Craft artist Tatiana Saveliev is fond of using the rough edged look, stacked up or wound in circular patterns and almost always in a simple geometric form such as squares and circles. The uneven edges soften the feel of the symmetrical geometry while the lines impart energy. Her colors go from light and bright to deep and rich but this palette is my personal favorite.
You can see the various directions Tatiana takes this look by jumping over to her LiveMaster shop.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Try some seasonal color. What are you seeing outside today? Red, rusts, and yellow? Just blue sky and bare gray branches? Maybe green ocean and the pale buff color of sand? Create a palette from what you see, not trying to be too exact. Just let the colors of the day inspire you and create in these colors.
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Like this blog? Lend your support with a purchase of The Polymer Arts magazine and visit our partners.
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Halloween Calls for Fun
October 31, 2016
Inspirational Art
I love Halloween. So much of it is about imagination and creativity in how we celebrate it. I also like that there is a day we recognize what scares us and face the darker things in life because the shadows in our world are what makes us see the bright times for the blessings that they are. And Halloween is just so darn fun!
So is this guy: Rich Webber. I need to thank Anke Humpert for bringing his work to my attention. I am not sure most or any of his work is created in polymer clay but it really doesn’t matter. It’s the artist’s imagination and humor that makes the colorful clay come alive. Enjoy this collection of his playful and sometimes morbid creatures but do jump over to his Instagram page or watch some Shaun the Sheep TV shows or the movies to see his directorial work or DC’s Worlds Funnest episodes for which he was the creator.
Inspirational Challenge of the Day: Go enjoy the holiday. Do something fun and silly and enjoy your child side!
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