Tuesday, January 11, 2011

New Work: A Surprise on Christmas Morning...

I'm a tactile kinesthetic learner, a doer. I work with my hands everyday either in sign language interpreting or in art. I experiment with different media to find the right one to express the concept I have in mind. Glass beadmaking is done by hand but you don't actually touch the media (hot glass) when you're sculpting it. Sometimes, I just want to get my hands on the media and lately, it's been polymer clay.

Christmas morning, I was surprised by a creative burst that felt new but was really an evolution. I started this polymer journey with the faux carved wood hearts.

I kept along that path exploring the texture, poking dots into the clay to make it look like aged wood. Where would it go next? I was following the texture and then I made this...

...a folk style bird. I made several of the birds and really liked how together with the hearts, it was a logical series.

Then, on Christmas morning, it evolved yet again and in an unexpected direction. I got up and knew I had to make lotus pods...



...why lotus pods? I'm not sure. I love the lotus as a symbol and incorporate it into my personal jewelry. According to the website, Exotic India Art, the red lotus signifies:


I made the red lotus pods with a passion that morning, furiously handcrafting a dozen before anyone else woke up. A special gift that's particularly appropriate to today's auspicious date of 1/11/11!

12 comments:

Davinia said...

Oh I love these, especially the little birds. Wish I could get my clay to look like that. I'd keep practicing but it's just too hot to put the oven at the moment.

Cindy Gimbrone said...

Thank, Davinia! I love them too!

Lynn said...

Oh Cindy, these are fabulous. You are so talented! It is remarkable how they resemble wood.

Alice said...

I love the hearts and the little folk art bird, but that lotus pod is just amazing! Of course I've always loved lotus pods--such interesting little works of nature.

Courtney Breul said...

Beautiful! The little bird is great.

Cindy Gimbrone said...

Thank you, Lynn! Funny, I didn't plan them to look like wood they just did! I'm very happy with how they turned out.

Cindy Gimbrone said...

Thank you, Alice! I bought some real dried lotus pods thinking I would use them for texture stamps (which I still will do) and then I was like a woman possessed on Christmas morning, I had to make these. Funny how it hits you and if you have the opportunity to go right to it, what lovely things you can make!

Cindy Gimbrone said...

Thank you Courtney!

EB Bead and Metal Works, LLC said...

I am in love with your lotus pods - they are great! I also love the wood heart and the little bird.

mairedodd said...

cindy, these are just stunning and i am so moved by the lotus pods - both aesthetically and symbolically... beautiful...

Cindy Gimbrone said...

Thanks, EB - glad you like them (as I sit at the computer wearing the necklace with the lotus I bought from you! :-)

Cindy Gimbrone said...

Thanks, Mary Jane. I feel they're special - they came to me out of the blue. I made them with no drawing or hesitation about what they should look like. What goddess what it that sprung from the head of Zeus? It felt like that.