Seth Apter's Blog, page 114

It's Still Life: Chapter 1

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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Anne Bagby

Sharon Read
"Beautiful Bottles"

Wen Redmond

Gail Pierce
"Over the years I've never succeeded at photographing the much loved still life object, eggs. The challenge was to use one brown egg along with two marble ones. I set the eggs onto my favorite outdoor surface and was blown away when I looked into the viewfinder. When I aimed the camera at the eggs, I discovered the reflection of the palm tree."

Eric Adama

Jodi Ohl
"Pearfect"

Cathy Minerva aka MinervasMadness
"My still life is titled "Time waits for no hand for Whom the Bell Tolls." And yes, I have a wicked sense of humor."

Pam Carriker

Kim Palmer
"The small rough built box contains a variety of seeds, resin and leaves from aromatic trees including juniper, cypress and cinnamon (the aroma is just wonderful), along with some small part of my bird feather collection. The box is resting on a vintage book from the early 1870's on the natural world and sits on the old black bean timber table in my studio."

Patti Edmon

Holly Dean

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Next "It's Still Life" will be held on Sunday, June 10th

I'll Have Mine With Milk...

Con Leche, an exhibition of work from four members of the very talented Larsen/Crawford family, is currently running through June 4th at Le Marche St George in Vancouver, BC. I was also included in this show as a guest artist. Con Leche is Spanish for With Milk, a nod both to the white color palette of the exhibition as well as to Mexico, the home of artist Patricia Larsen. This show was originally suppose to open on the night of my book signing, but a scheduling conflict for the exhibition space meant that the show opened one week later, on May 10th. Although I do not have pictures from the exhibition, a beautiful post from Le Marche St George captures the opening perfectly.

The work I contributed to the exhibition was quite a departure from my usual approach and style. I created two "installations" consisting of multiple panels of artwork: The Milky Way and Udder Nonesense (sic). Each was driven more by the theme of the show rather than the execution of the actual work. In that sense, this is as close to a conceptual installation as I am likely to get.

The Milky Way




Udder Nonesense





and placed far away from all the other pieces:

Text also appeared on the edges of each panel:
Sending thanks to the crew in Vancouver for this special opportunity - the first of many I hope!

FFF

Folded Foto FolioWorkshop
Art is You....Stamford
October 7, 2012
Join me for Folded Foto Folio, a one-day workshop on October 7th as part of Art is You in Stamford, Connecticut. 
In this workshop, you will learn a variety of techniques from the worlds of mixed media, painting, book making, photography, and collage. We will start with creating highly layered and textured backgrounds using gesso, acrylics and paper. These in turn will become the pages of a one-of-a-kind accordion book, to which you will add your own handmade covers. Next comes your own photography, to be added as the focal image of each page. And finally, you will create your own personal touches throughout the book using your choice of collage and mixed media materials.

For more info, click here.

It's Still Life

Before their was The Pulse of Mixed Media the book, there were 5 editions of The Pulse online. Or 4 1/2 to be exact. At the time of the book's release, I placed the presentation of the latest edition of The Pulse, which included survey responses from over 125 artists, on hold.

A little reminder of what came before:
Style File
Technique & Tool
Master Class
And now, an announcement of what is to come next:
Every Sunday beginning June 3rd.

Inspiration Board IV

When asked the question "what inspires me?" I often answer simply walking out my door into the streets of NYC. While that is 100% true, I actually do not even need to lift my butt off the chair in my studio. That is because I have filled my studio space with enough stuff that all I need to do is look around and I am immediately inspired. When I am creating, I love to be enveloped by the things that speak to me: art, supplies, collections, doo dads, trinkets, ephemera, flotsam, jetsam... Well you get the point.

Some people crave constant change and move their things around daily. In effect, they are curating their lives into ever changing exhibits. I, on the other hand, find comfort in consistency. I would rather curate a very long running show! That being said, I also believe that change is good and in that spirit, I am in the process of updating my studio, both to make it more functional for me and more inspirational too.

Where to begin? My inspiration board - which is slowly turning into an inspiration wall. Thanks Lisa Hoffman for inspiring that! If you look closely, you will see pieces from many familiar faces. You may even spot something that you have created!

May 2012
I have posted images of my slowly evolving inspiration board before and am including below the three pics that I have already shared on my blog:

June 2009
February 2008
August 2007
And predicting that many of you who comment will note my, ahem, "tendency toward symmetry", I am including the following pic of my work table to show you that when I work, I am as messy as the best of them!

Have a picture of your inspiration board? Leave a link in the comment section and let's all get even more inspired!

Mixed Media May

Artist and blogger Cindy Jones Lantier has put together a wonderful project called Mixed Media May. She is highlighting a single artist on each day of the month. Each artist has provided responses to the same series of questions and shared images of their artwork. There are 30 artists participating and Cindy has promised a special surprise for May 31st!

She has chosen a very eclectic group of artists, many of whom are new to me. It has been great fun "meeting" these new artists...and getting to know some old friends better. I am one of the featured artists and today is my day. You can see my interview here and keep track of all the postings by following MMM on Facebook.

One Artist Journal

Today's Book Guild post is one of many celebrating the release of the self published book One Artist Journal by artist and blogger Orly Avineri. 

Orly is the creator of a popular blog, also called One Artist Journal , which highlights her own journal pages and related thoughts and which has become the basis for her book. 

I am happy to say that she is also a contributing artist in my own book, The Pulse of Mixed Media, in which she wrote the following artist statement:  
"I am a gatherer. While on my tracks I find sky-kissing mountains and deep valleys, barren deserts and lush rainforests, wandering nomads and firm settlers. My tracks take me places. At times I get lost. Enchantingly, as soon as I gather my findings, lay my images and words on a physical or virtual canvas, I get found."
Orly doesn't know this (until now) but I had read her artist statement at everyone of the artist talks I hosted for my book.

I greatly admire Orly in terms of how she expresses herself in both images and words. As such, I was thrilled to be asked by Orly to contribute some words of my own to her back cover. As can be seen in the image above, I wrote:
"When I discovered Orly's blog, I found a feast for the senses. Orly's posts highlight spreads from her journals. They are always layered, complex, detailed, thought-provoking, and filled with movement and color. You get the sense that each and every aspect of the pages has deeper meaning and a personal significance. Her artwork is fascinating to look at and she has a way with words. Much like the details in her artwork, every single word seems carefully chosen and important. Her writing is eloquent, descriptive and powerful."
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You can buy One Artist Journal on Amazon or in Orly's eStore (which ends up being a better choice for Orly). You can also enter a giveaway to win a copy of the book by leaving a comment on the giveaway post on Orly's blog.
I am not the only person today to celebrate the release of Orly's book. Click on the following links to see what others are saying:
Brian Kasstle: apaperbear.wordpress.comCarla Sonheim: carlasonheim.wordpress.comCindy Woods O'Leary: artfuljourneyretreat.blogspot.comDonna Cetorelli: solegarden.comDorit Elisha: lifeasafiveringcircus.blogspot.comErin Faith Allen: callofthewildsoul.comGina Rossi Armfield: sweetsistergina.typepad.comGlenda Hoagland: pilgrimsthoughts.blogspot.comIrene Rafael: irenerafael.blogspot.comJane LaFazio: janeville.blogspot.comjill Berry: jillberrydesign.com/blogKelly Kilmer: KellyKilmer.blogspot.comLiesel Lund: liesel.typepad.comMonica Moran: thecreativebeast.blogspot.comPnina Gold: pearlandroses.wordpress.comRachel Urista: rachelurista.wordpress.comTeesha Moore: teeshascircus.blogspot.com

You Rule!

You Rule: The Art Of Taking Charge
In their utterly unique voice that is immediately recognizable from their earlier books, Linda Woods and Karen Dinino, sisters in arms, have created the ultimate rule book: one that breaks all the rules. 43 pages of in your face, fearless, funny, and 100% authentic advice. This is a guide that not only makes you laugh but truly provides a road map to taking charge, making change, and becoming the person you always wanted to be. AND they encourage you to eat cookies too!


This book is not easy to categorize and I can imagine it in many sections of a bookstore. It is ostensibly a book about journaling, as it provides prompts so that you can create your own, personal journal of life rules. But really this is a book about life itself. And about how you can help yourself to create a life that is closer to the one you really want to live. Linda and Karen present 20 of their own rules but truly encourage you to make your own.

As an artist I was inspired by their original illustrations that illuminate each rule. As a psychologist I was impressed with their no-nonsense way of cutting straight to the core of taking charge of your own life. And as a very busy person, I was excited by the fact that I could easily read this book in one sitting.

Some of the rules are common sense...and quite polite, such as #6 Say thank you and #19 If you break something fix it. But most of the rules are bold, no nonsense and in your face. Consider #1 No responding to jealous bitches who do ridiculous things to get attention. Or #9 Don't expect rewards or sympathy for acting like a dumb ass.


You Rule: The Art Of Taking Chargeis currently available as an eBook from Amazon and in print from Blurb. For more info on Linda and Karen, visit their blog.

You Rule: The Art Of Taking Charge In their utterly uniqu...

You Rule: The Art Of Taking Charge
In their utterly unique voice that is immediately recognizable from their earlier books, Linda Woods and Karen Dinino, sisters in arms, have created the ultimate rule book: one that breaks all the rules. 43 pages of in your face, fearless, funny, and 100% authentic advice. This is a guide that not only makes you laugh but truly provides a road map to taking charge, making change, and becoming the person you always wanted to be. AND they encourage you to eat cookies too!


This book is not easy to categorize and I can imagine it in many sections of a bookstore. It is ostensibly a book about journaling, as it provides prompts so that you can create your own, personal journal of life rules. But really this is a book about life itself. And about how you can help yourself to create a life that is closer to the one you really want to live. Linda and Karen present 20 of their own rules but truly encourage you to make your own.

As an artist I was inspired by their original illustrations that illuminate each rule. As a psychologist I was impressed with their no-nonsense way of cutting straight to the core of taking charge of your own life. And as a very busy person, I was excited by the fact that I could easily read this book in one sitting.

Some of the rules are common sense...and quite polite, such as #6 Say thank you and #19 If you break something fix it. But most of the rules are bold, no nonsense and in your face. Consider #1 No responding to jealous bitches who do ridiculous things to get attention. Or #9 Don't expect rewards or sympathy for acting like a dumb ass.


You Rule: The Art Of Taking Chargeis currently available as an eBook from Amazon and in print from Blurb. For more info on Linda and Karen, visit their blog.

Dreaming from the Journal Page

Artist, author and fellow New Yorker Melanie Testa has recently released her second book: Dreaming From the Journal Page: Transforming the Sketchbook to Art. At my request, the folks at North Light Books provided me with a review copy. From the little bit I had seen online, I had a feeling that this was going to be a wonderful book. Now that I have read it cover to cover, I can say that my first impression was correct. Dreaming from the Journal Page is a keeper.



It states on the back page "Inside you will find all the techniques and inspiration you need to bring your dreams alive inside your art journal." While many of the projects inside the book are shown as part of Melanie's journals, just about everything you find in this book can be applied to projects outside the journal too. In fact, Melanie focuses not only on working on paper but on fabric as well.
Like many how-to books, this one starts with the requisite section on supplies. I often find this section in books to be a very basic and cursory review. However, I found myself fascinated by all the details and tips that Melanie provided. She included genuinely useful and instructive information that I think would benefit both beginner and advanced artists. And I have to say that section one set the tone for the whole book in terms of being rich in content and filled with those extra tidbits that make a book special.
Eighteen pages are spent on color theory and in this section Melanie also provides useful info about color mixing, creating your own color wheel, and more. The bulk of the book presents a series of exercises that go beyond the common techniques that are found in many books. As examples, Melanie introduces exercises focused on exploring watercolor, dyeing fabrics, creating resists using liquid frisket, acrylic mediums and soy wax, making transfers using tracing paper and Saral paper, hand carving stamps, and hand making stencils using both plastic and frisket paper.
There is a separate section presenting simple tips and exercises to help you learn the basics of drawing. And all the instructional sections are followed by throw down challenges where multiple techniques from the book are combined. The artwork from the book is all from Melanie and is rich in color, depth, and complexity. 
The book is even more impressive to me given that it was written while Melanie was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, a fact that is given the briefest of mentions in her Acknowledgments. For me, this just adds to the inspiration I felt when reading this book. My sense is that this will become a reference that I will revisit many times in the future.
You can learn more about Melanie by visiting her website and blog.