CRITIQUE OF THE WEEK #9

Elise Winters

Con Brio Necklace and Floating Wreath Necklace

polymer clay with 14K gold and mica, 24 and 32 inches long respectively, both 2004

Elise Winters employs the versatile medium of polymer clay to create highly sophisticated decorative work. Her signature works feature bold organic shapes alluding to nature.

The two contrasting pieces of jewelry shown underscore the differences between a symmetrical and an asymmetrical design.

Con Brio Necklace has a central axis composed of a vertical running from the top center through the half-moon element at bottom. The piece is balanced on either side by the inclusion of similar half-moon shapes mirroring one another. Notice that the five gold stands on either side of the necklace also mirror one another. This kind of symmetrical design is naturally balanced, stable, and harmonious. It feels comfortable and familiar because it echoes our own symmetry and aligns with the wearer's central axis.

To create visual interest, the artist intentionally disrupts the symmetry within the larger format of the piece. For instance, the central shape at the bottom is asymmetrically shaped. Also, the half-moon shapes on the left and right sides of the necklace vary somewhat in coloration as well as shape, creating a subtle but distinguishable contrast.

Next, study the spherical beads placed on the curved gold strands of the necklace. These don't mirror one another exactly, but instead create a dynamic, irregular rhythm that moves around the space in circular fashion that serves as a secondary unifying element, drawing your attention away from (and serving as complement to) the overall symmetry.

Floating Wreath Necklace features related visual elements arranged in an overall asymmetrical format. The piece is balanced without the benefit of a central axis and mirrored elements.

In this composition, three curved forms are joined to form a flowering shape that serves as the necklace's largest and most primary form. Just below is a double cluster of smaller shapes that echo the ones above them. (This “pin” is used to hold the necklace in place on the wearer.)

It would seem that the design might feel too heavy in this larger area to the right, but it is beautifully counter-balanced by the strands of the necklace. Notice that they enclose a space that is C-shaped as well, reinforcing the design's shape-motif. This C-shape is oriented to the left overall, and is broader (has more weight) at the bottom. In this elegant design, the artist has magically established a feeling of dynamic equilibrium.

Steven Aimone

author of DESIGN! A Lively Guide to Design Basics for Artists and Craftspeople (Lark Books, 2004)

CLICK HERE for information about upcoming workshops taught by Steven Aimone

The Critique of the Week written in conjunction with Katherine Duncan Aimone

author of The Fiberarts Book of Wearable Art (Lark Books, 2002)

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ABOUT THE ARTIST

Elise Winters grew up in Rochester , New York where her family's metalworking business nurtured her drive for designing and building innovative hand-tools for artists. While earning arts degrees from Syracuse , Montclair , and the New School Universities , she first encountered the mysteries of color and light and the lure of ceramic clay. As a professional potter, she loved the malleability of earthenware clay, twisting and shaping it into full organic forms. Later, as a photographer, she

was seduced by the subtle play of color and light found in reflection, translucence, and the ephemeral colors of the sky. Time spent in Japan enriched her studies of ceramics and sumi-e brush painting. The Japanese influence, in both its reverence for nature and its respect for subtlety of design, has informed her work with luminous polymer clay jewelry. Her signature pieces and sculpture feature a technique she has come to call "crazed acrylic"—a subtle combination of polymer clay with acrylic paints that results in shimmering colorful surfaces.

Elise Winters is recognized as one of the nation's leading polymer clay artists, and her work has been illustrated and written about in numerous books and periodicals. She reserves time each year to teach workshops around the country that draw both trained and aspiring professional artists.

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For more about Elise Winters and her work,

visit her website:

http://www.elisewinters.com/index.html