If you’re new to polymer clay and would like a good overview of the medium and its commonest techniques, check out this Squidoo lens by artist Noadi. If you’re an old hand at polymer clay, but you have an annoying friend who thinks you want to teach her all about it, send her to the above link, while you take a look at Noadi’s cool tantacular jewelry.
Every so often, I come across an artist who just takes my breath away. Amy Gross is the latest culprit, and not only does her work speak to me on a very emotional level, it turns out she’s a pretty friendly person, too. Today I’m going to feature some pictures of her work and talk about why I love it so much, and next week I’ll share some of her own words about her process and her inspiration.
I was bitten by the gardening bug a year or two after I moved to Missouri from South Texas. I think it was a survival reflex — I often felt like studying flowers and plants was the only way I could survive January. But the style of garden I love is the kind where different types of plants tumble over each other in a riot of contrasting colors and shapes. Amy Gross’ biotopes are like the dreamland version of this garden, where nothing you see is what it appears to be at first glance.
When I first saw the biotopes, I was sure they were made of cleverly-arranged silk flower stems and leaves, or possibly some kind of cast media like latex or fiberglass. I was stunned to find that her materials list includes things like thread, yarn, paper, fabric. No found objects or silk leaves. (And by the way, thank you very much, Amy, for including a materials list instead of just saying, “mixed media.”) Upon closer examination, I realized that the grass and mosses in each little biotope are made of embroidery stitches. The mushrooms are paper or fabric with trompe l’oil textures printed on them, and underneath it all are more layers, including little lizards and birds and tendrils that might be reptiles or might be tree roots. I could stare at all that detail for hours.
Amy writes that the biotopes evolved from similar pieces which were encased in glass. I love that she decided to set them free. I saw an anime once about a world made of tiny bits of land that hovered around each other in the air, like islands in a three-dimensional archipelago. That’s what her biotopes remind me of. They’re powerful, almost dangerous expressions of untamed life. I often discuss my garden in terms of aggression (I have this militant groundcover that has imperialistic plans involving an invasion of the front lawn, if it could only get across the sidewalk…), and that’s how I see these pieces, as savage bits of beautiful wilderness that might try to take over their surroundings.
Next week, I’ll share some of Amy’s thoughts on her own work and where she’s coming from. Until then, have a great weekend.
Via Daily Art Muse.
Today’s artist appears to be Spanish in origin, but her simple, graceful, minimalistic figures make me think of some northern European tradition. They remind me of the simplicity of corn husk dolls, though these are made of fabric and have a tendency toward international subject matter.
Visit her on Flickr or her web site.
Modern, simple, reserved. Except the monkeys.
(warning: some of today’s links are probably not safe for work)
Mask II by Ron Mueck
You’ve probably seen some of these amazingly lifelike sculptures before; they’re so mind-blowing that I think some of them are making the e-mail rounds. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around them. My feelings are a mixed bag: awe at the artists’ skill in reproducing every tiny detail; faint disgust at something that looks alive but isn’t; and puzzlement that people make stuff that can only be displayed in museums. I mean, seriously, would you want a realistic sculpture of a chubby janitor lady in your house? Or a 20-foot woman in bed? I think her bed is larger than my living room. But then, I’m a miniaturist at heart, so I guess other people might be more impressed by monumental art.
No One – In Particular: RGB by Evan Penny
It shouldn’t surprise you that most of these artists come from a background of movie effects, where they learned how to make sculptures that are indistinguishable from the real thing, at least as far as the camera is concerned. I have enough art training to know how to read the artist’s intent, but some of these sculptures leave me wondering about the borders of art. There’s a difference between the kind of photo they take in those little studios at Sears or Walmart, and the kind of photo that you would call “art”, right? One is simply meant to provide a realistic representation of its subject, while the other is meant to express something more. So, at what point do these sculptures that represent imperfect humans in photorealistic detail become art? Is it enough for them to represent an imperfect human who is expressing an emotion? Does monumental size or shockingly realistic nudity make it art?
Fragment #2 (l); Desolation (r) by Jamie Salmon
I don’t mean to disparage any of these works; as I said at the beginning, I can appreciate the sculptors’ immense talent and skill. But I just don’t think they’re for me. I’d love to hear what you think.
Woman with Child in a Stroller by Duane Hanson
For a much better roundup of these artists, visit Web Designer Depot.
The Hanging Man by Sam Jinks
Salley Mavor is coming out with a new book. I just can’t get enough of her beautiful high-relief stumpwork embroidery. Don’t you want to try some of this in polymer clay?
An active and friendly artist on Deviantart shares her process for sculpting fairies. Notice how many bakes she does. Wow.
Check out Haute Nature’s guide to making fairy houses and furniture from twigs, moss, and other bits found around the garden with your kids. Google on “twig furniture” for inspiring photos of real-life stuff.
Geez, it’s only December and I’m already longing for spring. I hate winter.
Steampunk meets Tim Burton in the work of Stephane Heureux. I don’t exactly read French, but the artist’s website seems to be pretty slim on identifying details. Nevertheless, his (or her? Like I said, slim on details) dolls, machines, suits, and everything else are a completely different flavor of adorable-creepy and something I’d like to see more of.
via CraftGossip
Everyone has a shirt or a jacket or an old school uniform that they just can’t part with. Mine is a shirt my Mom made for my late father when they were first married. Jon Coffelt takes these garments and makes little shirts from them, so you can honor your emotional attachment by displaying the shirts. Not a bad idea. Besides, his tailoring is impeccable. I’m not sure how small these are, but I know how hard it is to get miniature buttons, so I’m thinking they’re probably pretty large, in doll scale.
Dolls and puppets aren’t that different, right? So for your continuing education, today I present a link with a bunch of pages about building stop-motion animation puppets. You might find a new kind of armature you’ve never thought of before, and there are several links to discussions of materials that are rarely used for dolls, like latex and silicon. Take a look around Stopmotionanimation.com and see if you don’t get some new inspiration for your dollmaking.
Link via Shelley Noble at Notes from Halfland.
