A riot of summer colors

This big summer polymer painting is from Deb Groover (Debortina) who’s at the Art Fair on the Square in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend.

Basic polymer shapes are applied to a large raw wood panel. Then flat polymer flowers and patterns in riotous summer colors are added. She paints in the background after the figures have settled themselves in. There’s such good energy in her paintings that Deb and Tina have attracted a large and loyal following.

To appreciate the size of her art, look at photos on Instagram and Facebook.

Saturday’s StudioMojo will hit the high spots and give you the rest of the summertime polymer story. Join us by signing up at StudioMojo.org.

DNA in polymer

Joan Israel tests her own DNA on PolymerClayDaily.com

New York’s Joan Israel envisions her DNA like this large painting. That’s the effect that polymer has on many of us.

It seeps into the bloodstream and invades the brain until every molecule of us is pulsing with color and jumping with patterns.

If you visit her Instagram you’ll see how she sketches out her designs for bottles and paintings and then executes her vision with cane slices.

Picasso polymer

Cecelia Leonini unleashes Picasso on polymer

Italy’s Cecilia Leonini (ImpasteArte) prolongs the bright colors of summer with this pendant inspired by Picasso’s Two Girls Reading.

On a 2.75 x 2.5″ area, Cecilia makes a collage of colors and sketches in the characters then colors the scene.

By using lots of colors and shapes piled on each other in a small space, Cecilia creates the illusion of a much bigger canvas. See more on Instagram, Facebook, and Etsy,

Painting brightly at night

Yitzhaki paints brightly at night on PolymerClayDaily.com

My nightly meander led me to another polymer painting, this one from Israel’s Yehudit Yitzhaki.

She has 10 grandchildren and was an arts teacher as you might have guessed from her playful and exuberant style. Layers of patterns are topped with slices of canes that form outsized flowers and butterflies in a bustling hilly village.

Busy with her family and cooking during the day, Yehudit spends nights with her art. Sample more of it on Flickr.

Petal power

Carman's painting on PolymerClayDaily.com

It takes quite a stash of small colorful petal canes to create a bouquet like this polymer-on-wood painting by Forida’s Pamela Carman.

She’s textured the background on a 12″ x 12″ panel. The wallpaper and the red tablecloth plus the retro vase give the composition a feeling of depth and cohesion. See more of her petal power on Flickr, Facebook and Instagram.

Does Pamela’s piece make you want to create your own polymer painting? Sometimes jealousy is a good motivator.

Picasso to polymer

Prais-Hintz collaged beads on PolymerClayDaily.com

A group challenge pushed Wisconsin’s Erin Prais-Hintz out of her comfort zone and into these collaged beads and surface treatments.

Picasso’s Bowl of Fruit painting was the starting point. Erin decided not to stress over not being able to see any fruit and instead focused on the colors and bits of paper and writing that resonated with her.

She took the opportunity to apply some of the Debbie Crothers surface tricks to create raw and rusty veneers. Erin did it her way and yet the resulting beads have a Picasso feel. She nailed it! Read her story on Facebook.

What a great way to stretch and try something new. Do you have a favorite painting that you’d like to try in polymer?

Polymer on a string

What may look like a modern painting with layers of wire over watercolor is Alev Gozonar’s latest exploration into using polymer extrusions.

This Istanbul artist’s long flat strings of black polymer curl across the surface, ending as faces in silhouette. On the paper Alev has drawn circles of watercolors that overlap, creating a shadowy background.

If you look back through Alev’s Instagram shots you’ll see how she played with these forms and arrived at this latest iteration which combines polymer and watercolor and takes both in a new direction.

What crazy idea is stuck in your head that need to be played with and explored?

Turning colors

Joan Israel gives us a reminder to look around for surprise color in the leaves at this time of year. She mounts her own variety of polymer leaves onto a black canvas background for a dramatic effect.

When we slow down and take the time to look, we discover Joan’s vision of jewel-tone foliage all around us. See more on Instagram, Flickr and her site.

When ideas crystalize

Stephanie Kilgast didn’t intially reveal where she was headed with her collection of polymer crystals. She offered a great little YouTube video of how she made these other-worldly minerals. She usually creates incredibly realistic miniature foods. Crystals pointed to change.

Her clusters of cave growths reappeared mounted to a dimensional canvas trailing a blue wash of color. Stephanie explains her sculptural painting and talks about her burst of creativity on her site. She hints at more changes to come.

See what other big steps Stephanie is taking on Patreon and Instagram. They’re brave and inspirational steps!

Clay day at the beach

Since I’m going to the beach next week, I found myself gravitating to all things sunny and warm. Rather than fight the urge, I headed to Deb Groover’s (Debortina) Florida site where I knew I’d find what I was looking for.

Deb and Tina’s big clay paintings are filled with bright slabs of polymer. Here the umbrellas, surf boards, beach chairs and bathing suits (plus a few dogs, balls and towels) are flat pieces of pre-baked polymer affixed to a wood background and painted around. (She explains how on this StudioMojo video.)

Deb and Tina hop-scotch between art shows in the south, next week in Tallahassee. On Facebook you can see how their clients love to integrate the paintings into their homes.

This is also my way of letting you know that I’ll try to write some posts but delivery may be sporadic.

‹ 1 2 3 4 ›