Seth Apter's Blog, page 111

Lifecycle...

One of my most favorite ingredients to use in my artwork are found objects. In fact, sometimes I think the process of hunting for and finding discarded and forgotten items is more fun than actually using them. And once I start sharing stories about the hunt, I could go on forever. 
In the current issue of Cloth Paper Scissors I get to do all that and more!  
July/August issue
Turn to page 68 and you will find my feature The Lifecycle of a Found Object. Maybe it should have been titled All You Wanted to Know About Found Objects* But Were Afraid to Ask.
In this article you will see photos of the hunt and of some of my favorite finds, a list of my favorite haunts in NYC to hunt for the goods, my thoughts as to why found objects are so popular, and 3 artworks created primarily with found objects.  
Pacifist Sold. Thank you!
In View Available in my Etsy shop.
You will also find a list of 3 of my favorite commercial products to use to alter the surface patina of found metal objects -- with before and after photos included. Now that is my kind of reveal!

Creative Connections

Yesterday was a banner day for the art and craft community. It was announced that F+W Media acquired Interweave. You can read more about it here and here.


This is great news for our community and has a lot of personal meaning for me. I have been closely involved with both companies and have had nothing but positive experiences with each one.
Both North Light, my publisher, and artistsnetwork.tv, the main platform for my workshop DVDs, have always been under the auspices of F+W. So has the site Create Mixed Media. Interweave is the publisher of Cloth Paper Scissors and Studios Magazine and home to the Cloth Paper Scissors community, all of which have featured my work. They are also the force behind the CREATE mixed media retreats.
And both companies are involved in so many more platforms and products that we all connect with on a daily basis: books, magazines, websites, online shops, online communities, eProducts, retreats, and so many more. If you are anything like me, when you look on your bookshelves, you will see many books from both North Light and Interweave.
The ultimate changes that will result from this are not clear and have not yet been announced. We will all need to see how this unfolds. However what is clear is that two hugely popular and influential companies in our art universe have joined forces and are now one. 
If you have hung around The Altered Page at all, then you know how much I value community and the strength, creativity and support that results. In my mind, our community just got stronger!

Take Two

It is with excitement and gratitude that I share the following with you all: my proposal to North Light has been approved and I have just begun work on my second book. This will be a follow-up to The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. There is an all-new, all-star team of artists included in this book and a creative direction that I am beyond thrilled with. I will be working away behind the scenes for the next year but will surface with more info on the book as the release date nears. Consider this my holiday gift to you as the book should be ready to ship in December 2013.

It's Still Life: Chapter 9

Welcome to the 5th edition of The Pulse -- The State of the Art -- a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. The Pulse is a collaborative project that aims to introduce you to new artists, help you get to know familiar faces even more, and allow you access into the creative hearts and minds of a very talented crew of individuals. More than 130 artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented in a series of online posts which will run every Sunday.
Style File, Techniques & Tools, and Master Class were the first three projects posted and links to all these posts can be found on the sidebar of my blog. The fourth project, It's Still Life, continues now...


Participants were asked to photograph a still life that you create using an array of objects.
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Laura J. Wellner
"This is a photo of grape vine tendrils, coils, curls, spirals, laid out on a canvas with white acrylic wash monotype marks. The little curly-cues of the vines that I've been collecting from my acre of the world echo the lines in my drawings."

Tari Goerlitz

Cathie Parreco

Eileen Bellomo

Donna Louise Rodgers

Dave Dube

Traci Lyn Huskamp
"I love that no matter how I arrange flowers in a vase, nature has its own way of styling itself and in a much better way than I could have ever done."

Julie Prichard
"Still. Life."

Cory Celaya
"Sari Silk Bundles and Charm Bracelets."

Kathryn Dyche Dechairo
"Ever since I was a small child I've had a love affair with monkeys. I don't have an obvious collection but if you wander from room to room you'll find them dotted around my home."

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Next "It's Still Life" will be held on Sunday, August 5th.

8/21/12

Save the Date
[image error]

reCREATE

I had the time of my life at CREATE NJ Mixed Media Retreat last week. The experience of being with hundreds of people who just get it is very special. If you have never been to one of the big art retreats, now is the time to give it some serious thought. And if you need a reference guide, you can always check out Destination Creativity, by Rice Freeman-Zachery.

I taught three workshops on two back-to-back days. 
1. A Box of Dreams
Happy people
A work in progress
Some of the crew and their finished boxes
2. Mixed Media Dossier
Yeah...this is fun
Hurry up and dry
It is all about the texture
Deb's amazing 50s-themed dossier
Job well done
3. Text Tiles
Background complete
Love that color combination
Now that is a lot of layers
Starting on panel number 2
Something we all need
The definition of art!

I participated in the Artist's Faire vendor night but happily I was too busy (and exhausted) to take many pictures
My table before the rush
My favorite part of the retreat was catching up with online friends that I had already met, meeting some special online friends for the first time, and being introduced to so many amazing and talented artists who were taking my classes or attending the retreat. Already I cannot wait until next year!
Sending out thanks to Jenn Mason and Cate Prato, along with Maggie, Bev, Beth and Rebecca, for organizing such a fun, well-run and seamless retreat. 
Lousy picture of Maggie and Jenn at the Artist's Faire raffle[image error]

Memory Box

This is not your grandmother's photo album!
Join me on Saturday August 18th when The Ink Pad in NYC hosts my newest workshop: Memory Box.


Think outside the box by going INSIDE the box and creating a unique, personalized time capsule for your memories. Everybody will start with the same, unadorned box and cover. You will be introduced to a series of mixed media, painting and collaging techniques to turn your box into a one-of-a-kind treasure.


Combining techniques from the worlds of mixed media, bookmaking, altered photography and scrapbooking you will then create a series of double-sided memory cards which will be stored inside your finished box.


Whether you chose to memorialize an event or an experience, design a showcase for your own photography or artwork, or create a personalized journal, you will leave with both a completely new way to document your memories and a series of techniques that can be applied to many different future projects of any kind.



Seats for the workshop are limited and must be reserved in advance. Click here to find out more information about the class and contact the Ink Pad at 212-463-9876 to register.

It's Still Life: Chapter 8

Welcome to the 5th edition of The Pulse -- The State of the Art -- a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. The Pulse is a collaborative project that aims to introduce you to new artists, help you get to know familiar faces even more, and allow you access into the creative hearts and minds of a very talented crew of individuals. More than 130 artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented in a series of online posts which will run every Sunday.
Style File, Techniques & Tools, and Master Class were the first three projects posted and links to all these posts can be found on the sidebar of my blog. The fourth project, It's Still Life, continues now...


Participants were asked to photograph a still life that you create using an array of objects.
------------------------------------------
Julie Schackson

Lelainia Lloyd

Susan Madden

Natasha White

theresa mARTin

Gillian McMurray

Sarah Fishburn

AnTonia Griva

JoAnnA Pierotti

Marianne Konvalinka
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Next "It's Still Life" will be held on Sunday, July 29th.

CREATE with me!

I will be headed out soon to spend the week at CREATE NJ, the mixed media retreat sponsored by Interweave and Cloth Paper Scissors magazine. This event has been in the planning for quite some time and I am excited now that it is finally here. It will be a full week for me. I will be teaching 3 workshops, hosting a book signing for The Pulse of Mixed Media , and participating in the Artists' Faire, where I will be selling my artwork and some special, one-of-a-kind art supplies. Registration is still open for the workshops and information about all the events can be found here.

I am eager to spend the week with my people and look forward to seeing old friends and meeting many of my online friends for the first time. I wish you all could be there too. But for those who cannot, I plan to share my experiences as they unfold on my Facebook page and on Twitter. Once I get back (and who knows...maybe while I am there), look for a long blog post with many pictures!

It's Still Life: Chapter 7

Welcome to the 5th edition of The Pulse -- The State of the Art -- a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. The Pulse is a collaborative project that aims to introduce you to new artists, help you get to know familiar faces even more, and allow you access into the creative hearts and minds of a very talented crew of individuals. More than 130 artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented in a series of online posts which will run every Sunday.
Style File, Techniques & Tools, and Master Class were the first three projects posted and links to all these posts can be found on the sidebar of my blog. The fourth project, It's Still Life, continues now...


Participants were asked to photograph a still life that you create using an array of objects.
------------------------------------------
Theresa Plas

Anne M. Huskey-Lockard

Art by Canace

Jeanie Thorn

Evie Zaccardelli

Bonnie Clark

Jane Royal

William J. Charlebois

Paula Art

Sally Turlington
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Next "It's Still Life" will be held on Sunday, July 22nd.