Your Thoughts on Lacy & A Giveaway
So, last week I was having an email conversation with the fabulous Debbie Crothers of Australia. We’re both ideas people with minds going a million miles an hour. At one point she said, “I absolutely love reading your blog. I try and do my own little analysis of the work before I read yours, and it’s always so interesting and educational reading your view on each piece.” Which was kind of funny because I’ve been trying to think of a way to encourage people to do just that–make their own decision about what is working or not in the piece before reading my thoughts. They are only my thoughts. I don’t always hit the mark, and I sometimes miss things I should have seen. But with thousands of eyes on this every day, I thought we could get a more well-rounded view of the work sometimes.
So, Debbie and I bantered back and forth about how to do that and came upon this very simple idea–I’ll present work, give you background and ask that you comment. Then we’ll publish some of the comments the next day, and I’ll add thoughts if any are needed. This way we’ll have readers chiming in like a true discussion. Sound like fun?
It also occurred to me that this is chance to work in more giveaways! I’ve started collecting items and getting some teachers and retailers on board, so we can have these interactive moments on the blog more often, spurred on by the chance to win some cool polymer related products or publications. So … are you ready to try this out? I’ll put the participation details below.
Here is a piece by Ivana Brozova I picked out last week as I looked for ‘hidden’ type designs. As it so happened, I was gathering a lot of pieces that were more about being lacy or holey, so I saved them for this week. I couldn’t wait to share Ivana’s work, though. Fantastic organic textures are everywhere in explorations that she conducted at the end of last year. You can see these both on her Flickr page and her website.
What you think about the color choices here? Do you think the lace quality of the structure helps or distracts from the design? Or do other aspects strike you first?
Put your thoughts in the comments below the blog post. That means, if you are getting this by email or RSS, or reading it on the opening page of the blog, you’ll want to click on this post’s heading to get to its dedicated page. Comments can be inserted at the bottom of that page. Be sure your correct email is in your ID information, and we’ll pull an email address at the end of the week and announce the winner on Monday. I will offer the winner a few options from my stash, so there should be something exciting for everyone. This week I’ll be offering Sculpey texture rollers, bead rollers or a set of floral texture sheets from a couple different manufacturers … or a $10 certificate toward any subscription or back issue of The Polymer Arts will always be an option. It’ll be your choice.
Comment before midnight Eastern Standard Time to have a chance to see your words on the blog site.
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I really love the lace design. it draws the eye. I notice the lace first and the color last. I think that is just me though because I am a photographer and I do a lot of black and white photography so I see things in black and white in my head instead of color. that’s just me though
Such a striking piece!
I hope Ivana won’t mind my comment but there is a part that doesn’t work quite as well for me – the stalk. Both the colour and thickness distract me, and tend to draw my eye away from the wonderful pod. If I hide it though, all is well!!
The perforations are an important part of why I love the piece and the quite dramatic length of the stamens is the perfect finishing touch.
Great work as usual, Ivana!
Well, this is exactly what I wanted to write, so I guess, no need to duplicate) Just one small addition = wish once to learn or figure out the technique for this perforation. Any classes that you know of, anyone? Thank you
Carrie my email addy so adding it here…
The more l see this piece the more l see in it!
First, this is a great idea. I never thought to first think what I saw/felt before reading your take on the piece.
I do like the piece and the light lace-y body is most of the appeal. But so is the little stamens reaching out to see if it is okay for the bud to open up. The stem seems too much, too thick for the rest but it doesn’t take that much away from the flower.
The colors and workmanship is fantastic.. I am still “learning” what I can do with polymer clay… it’s a wonderful medium to work with
I love this piece! The holes add a depth of color and interest that wouldn’t be as striking if the petals were smooth. I don’t know the size, but whether a tabletop sculpture or a brooch, it’s certain to be a conversation starter!
The really like the color choices, especially for the flower, which is my favorite. So my eye is immediately drawn to the flower, and lingers while looking at all the nooks and crannies of the texture. Then I can follow the lines and view the pop of color in the stamens. Very nice.
This is a gorgeous piece. I find the colors to be captivating and very unique compared to other ‘pods’ that we’ve seen, which tend toward earthy tones.
The pink used in the main body is very delicate and feminine and yet eye catching, and serves to compliment the lacy attributes of the ‘petals’. While my eye is first drawn to the body of the pod/flower, the curved shape and delicacy of the stem draws my eye there, and then the ‘surprise’ of the bright yellow stamen reaching out from the pod gives it a whimsical feeling without losing any of the sophistication. Each of the parts have a lovely rippling quality which gives it a sense of movement.
Just really, really lovely, Ivana – kudos!
I love this artist work…when I saw her collection it inspires me…You asked about the color choice, I think it is eye catcher the lace quality is what brings the eye to it…
I do feel the stem leaves should be a little thinner but again I think her work is beautiful a true work of art….
I love reading your posts every day… Today’s piece is so wonderfully organic. I love her color choices, and think the lacy structure does add to the design… It adds a whole new dimension. It would be a totally different feeling without the lace… one that might be another exploration. I also love the pieces on Ivana’s Flickr page. There’s one with a beautiful shell that I’m particularly drawn to. Fascinating and beautiful work!
I so love the textural quality and the organic feel of the holes and the little stamens seem to happily pop out of the blossom. I am not as happy with the color of the stem…for my eyes, and it may just be the angle or the dark background of the photo, it is lighter than I would like it. A bit darker would keep my eye from going to it then stopping at the stem end. It may be the photo itself as the stem is the lightest element in the picture which draws the eye there. When I cover the stem with my hand the blossom is simply stunning.
First thing I see in this piece is the lacy pink pod – other colors are so harmonious that they don’t at all pull my eye from the pod. I’m not sure that the lace or the pink is more eye-catching but whichever, they work together to pull my eye to the core of the piece before my eye moves around the photo.
I think this is fun! 🙂
me<
I think the lace design is stunning, the colours help to draw me in, but I have to say I think the stamens and even possibly the stem seem to detract from the overall effect. Following your theme of the hidden within, this would be an ideal object to make you want to pick it up to peer inside. If you have the stamens that much smaller, then that sense of something waiting to be found would be heightened. I’ve commented before checking out her flickr page, but I’m looking forward to seeing more of her work. I do love your blog and for a very, very new beginner to PC, it’s given me a lot of food for thought. Thank you.
I love the shimmer of the clay and the lacey effect. Hope to learn how to do this in the coming year.
Since I consider the non-areas as valuable as the solid areas, I really like the lacy treatment of the main body on Ivana’s piece. I feel that the bright color would have been too much without the piercings in the petals. This sculpture flows well and the stamen treatment works well. Great job!
The striking colour is the first thing to attract before the shape registers. On closer examination the design starts to explode with all it’s intricases. Love the lacey design. A closer look at it would have been appreciated. How random is the pattern? The stem pales into insignificance because of it’s rather plain colour – obviously what was wanted as it is the flower that is the main part.
I love the organic texture in this piece,it gives an added interest to what is already an unusual floral shape and the bright pink is so vibrant against the paler blue of the stem I really like this work!
I LOVE this piece – it reminds me of the Japanese Lanterns that my mother used to grow. I’m not sure I like the color of the stem, though. I think I would have preferred more of a green color. IMHO only!
I think the piece may be successful for what the artist intended, and yay! I don’t care for it personally: So, the pink is a little too hot for my taste, and the proportions seem a little out of whack. I love organic forms though, and perhaps some transitional shading of the petals would create more interest. Good job to the artist, and keep on truckin’!
I love this piece. It reminds of the imaginary plant life in the Myst computer games. The lacey effect to me is what makes it look just a little bit otherworldish.
Ivana’s work is so lovely. I was drawn in right away with the lace work but then my eye was drawn to the blue stem. Being more of practical person with a mechanical mind I found myself asking “why is this flower stem blue” Why not green or brown or even black? I love lace work in any kind of artistic medium and pink is one of my favorite colors, but I couldn’t let myself be drawn away from the blue. So I went to Ivana’s website and it shows the same flower in a very pale greenish blueish colorway which I thought was gorgeous and completely appropriate with the flower. I can only guess it must be my computer screen or I am hopelessly color-blind.
What strikes me first is that it looks like ceramic. The color makes it look alive, but the holes make it appear as if it’s the skeletal remains of a dried flower. Thanks for the reminder to have a look at Ivana’s work. She has such a wonderful way with organic forms.
i love the piece. i don’t tend to like pink, and i do like the colors as they appear better on her flicker site. it reminds me of physalis pods that were left out all winter. i think it’d be striking in faded colors, but i also think it’s an interesting juxtaposition to have something that looks old or damaged in clearly ‘new’ colors. like there’s a nice vibration going between the old and new…
I love the colors in Ivana’s work. I think the piece wouldn’t be as striking if it didn’t have the lacy openings in it. I’ve never seen a flower like this and I don’t know if it exists in nature. To me, it looks as if it came from another world. That we might find it in a place like Pandora of the Avatar movie.
I love the lacy. What struck me first what the way in which the stamens reach out. Nice movement. I wonder if the yellowy pinky part of the stamens could have been repeated in the flower itself. More of a blend.
I think her choice of colors are fine. I might have chosen another green. Really like the holes that make it seem more realistic. Her work is exquisite.
Marilyn
I love the way the colors move from the icy blue of the stem to the warmer fuchsia of the flower and then sunny yellow of the stamens. It’s almost like the flower is moving and reaching toward the sun.
What I first noticed was the wonderful texture created by the lacy holes. I also noted that I really liked the color combination. I’m usually not a fan of color schemes using just the primaries, but I really like the softer versions of turquoise, magenta & yellow.
It was only after I read your comment that I realized something could be hidden inside those lacy spaces, so they provide not only texture, but some mystery.
I also love the flow of the shapes, the curves of the stamens and of the stem.
What struck me first was the shape of the pod…then the COLOR…such a great hot pink…then ooooooooh! it’s lacy!
oh yay great piece Sage. When I first looked at this one it reminded me of gooseberries my nanna used to grow. They have a very similar shape and when they dry out have quite a skeletal look also. The lace makes the piece more intriguing but I can’t quite see through it – perhaps that was the plan. I want to peel those petals apart to see the berry inside, it’s like they’r waiting for me to do just that. The pink is quite subtle and I think works beautifully with the pale yellow on the stamens. I love that this is an art object and not a jewellery piece – it works well this way.
Hello! and Thank You for such a treat! I personally love the lace effect I Think it gives the flower more movement and depth . I enjoy giving my flowers more realistic quality’s . I don’t want them to look 2 dimensional. As for her color choices I wish I had the courage to explore color’s more fearlessly! I love that magenta pink ! Thank’s again for the chance to win. I love your blog !!
Love the organic delicate look of the piece. Quite detailed but almost abstracted. Feel the stem could have been a little more detailed, seems as though a different person created the stem. Altogether a very striking piece.
I really like the lace quality, even though it sometimes is reminiscent of dying (dried out) plants and the stamens look very perky, by contrast. The colors are good, but I guess I would have liked more gold in the blue. But altogether is is a lovely piece.
Judy
It’s a lovely piece. It actually reminds me of features found within a game i play where the world is quite surreal and often have flowers and other flora similar in nature to that. I think that is one of my appreciations is the beauty in that fantasy world so i find it very interesting when people can bring those elements out into a physical realm. Clay is the best medium for it!
I love holes. They have eye appeal especially on this flower where she used the pink over the white. In spots where you see more pink instead of the little flash of white it makes the holes blend in and appear almost irrelevant. Had the stem been more towards the green shade instead of the blue I feel it would have represented a feeling of a real flower. Having the dips and valleys with the petals also draws my interest again (I don’t know why) to the holes. I would have put the stamens just a bit closer to the petals just to keep the colors closer together for balance. Anyway you look at it, I love the flower. I’ve never taken an art class so all I have is my impression and the feeling I get from looking at this very pretty flower.
I love the design as I believe that nature shows us how to design well I would however liked a bit more light and shade in the colour of the pod say a dark purple blending into the bright pink to make it more 3d and bring it alive, as in nature where the colours bleed from base of petals to outside and as in leaves but I love the creation x
What strike me at first was the hels. I am thinking and consider about perforatin my PC things several months. This peace is very nice fot me, I like the shape, the stamen and whole piece. For my own I´ll chose more light shade of colour. (Sory for my poor English)
what a beautiful piece, my first thoughts when i looked at it was that it was some kind of fly trap and the stamen were the antennae of some poor unsuspecting critter that had wandered in and been trapped. I love the movement of the stem and the look of the lace – I really do want to see what’s inside – after all it could be a very cool critter.
Holes always make me want to peer through them, to see whats hidden beneath. I agree with
Cindy, loved the way the stamens are placed in
the flower. Drawing your eye to the inside of this wonderful sculpture.
Quite an intriguing work of art. The emerging stamens got my attention, the lace petals definitely drew my interest. They pull me in and make me want to peek at what hides inside. The stem though seems to be out of place in color. It distracts from the richness of the other parts, in my humble opinion. It still is a fanciful piece of work!
I think the piece is perfect! I would love to know what it feels like …is it fragile?
I love the lacy effect in the pod. The stem looks blue to me on my screen, so I agree that I might have selected a different color green – but it could just be my screen. I also like the way the stem curves.
I agree that the laciness makes it look like the skeleton of a flower or seedpod, while the colors give it the look of being vibrantly alive, which for me creates a bit of tension in the piece.
I really like this piece. The choice of colors reminds me of the movie Avatar (one of my favorites for the flora and fauna depicted). It looks otherworldly, because of the texture incorporated into the petals. Overall, it’s a very attractive piece.
Daring and brave. Beautiful, realistic stem and stamens and then, bam!a rose bud shot full of holes! Love it. I’d take this home with me in minute!
I love the pod – like appeal…and the lacy texture gives it a nature feel. Color is great…I love those shades.
The holes and the ‘pod’ feel of this piece charms me. Those raised edges where the petals meet. And the joyful explosion of the stamens with their bright tips make me want to look within to see what other interesting things are in there. And the color shading differences in the pod and the stem add to it’s interest.
I have to agree with others that it looks like the skeleton of a flower. I think the lacy holes add to the intrigue of the piece and make you want to look closer.
[…] get to all the comments later today, but you can read all the great observations by returning to Monday’s post and reading the comments below […]
I just love the organic and a little bit weird texture! Something that really speaks to me 🙂
I rather like this project. It immediately made me think “Feed me, Seymour”(from Little Shop of Horrors, doncha know?). Due to my brain following that particular warped path, I did not find the stem offensive (as some others have). I DID re-visit the picture after perusing the comments, and I understand them, but still don’t necessarily think there is anything wrong with the project. Viva la difference, and all of that.
Anita Buckowing
There is a lovely feel to this well balanced piece. I am first drawn to the bright pink of the flower bud which becomes a more subtle tone by the additions of hints of white and a deeper reddish pink which direct the eye to the perforations in the petals. The details of the sepals against the petal takes us next to the well proportioned stem, which twists delicately, but seems slightly bluer in colour than the expected green, which is mildly distracting. Lastly my eye falls on the graceful stamens with their bright yellow tips.
I think it is very delicate I love the colors and like the stamens. The folds draw your eye in and up so you take in the whole flower. Beautiful
I like the color combination. I think a darker flower would have also shown off the lacy work. The lacy work is a very nice addition to the flower.
I like the color combination. I think a darker flower would have also shown off the lacy work. The lacy work is a very nice addition to the flower.
I love the colors. I think the lacy combines well with the flower.