Seth Apter's Blog, page 117

Every Life Joins the Hop

Image courtesy of Win/Win
Welcome to my blog hop. Everyday from April 2nd through April 12th I will link to a different blog as part of my celebration of the release of my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. There will be book reviews, personal thoughts, and giveaways. And every blogger along the way will become part of the book, as they will also post their own responses to their choice of survey questions from the book. You too can be part of The Pulse by responding to my open call for art!

And on each day of the blog hop, I will also be sharing something extra. And today is an extra you will not want to pass by!


Today our blog hop makes a stop to visit Roben-Marie Smith from Every Life Has a Story. If you have never visited, you are in for a treat. Roben-Marie's site is filled with inspiration: her journals, her videos, her tutorials, her shops. And of course her colorful and playful art, with just the right amount of grunge. She is at home with digital art. She is at home with handmade art. And you will feel right at home in her home! Go straight here to see what she has to say about The Pulse of Mixed Media.

And while you are there, leave a comment by end of day (midnight EST) and you will be entered in Roben-Marie's giveaway of a copy of my book.

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Spent some time this week talking to one of my favorite members of our community: the one and only Rice Freeman-Zachery. And of course, wouldn't you know it...she had the microphone on. Head over to Create Mixed Media or Rice's blog to listen to our conversation. We caught up on all the live events for my book release from last week, talked about the events coming up, discussed just what exactly a Twitter party is, and talked about our plans to start and co-host a call-in radio program. Any backers????
And if you haven't left a comment on this post on Rice's blog, head over and do so and you will be entered in her giveaway for a copy of my book. But do it quickly as she will be picking a winner sometime today.

ROcking & ROlling

Welcome to my blog hop. Everyday from April 2nd through April 12th I will link to a different blog as part of my celebration of the release of my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. There will be book reviews, personal thoughts, and giveaways. And every blogger along the way will become part of the book, as they will also post their own responses to their choice of survey questions from the book. You too can be part of The Pulse by responding to my open call for art!

And on each day of the blog hop, I will also be sharing something extra. And today is an extra you will not want to pass by!


The first thing you will notice on Ro Bruhn's blog is all the color (or colour if you are down under). Bright, vivid, saturated colors are everywhere. In fact, her blog banner includes the words "My Life in Colour." This was just one of the many reasons I had originally asked Ro to be a contributor to my book. She was unable to participate at that time but I am happy that she can be part of the book today through this blog hop. Head on over to this post to see how Ro answered three of the questions from The Pulse of Mixed Media.

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A number of the contributing artists have written their own blog posts about the artwork that they made for the book. Many include additional pictures and interesting background about the pieces. Head on over and spend part of today with  Lelainia Lloyd, Caterina Giglio,

The A in AE is Artist

Welcome to my blog hop. Everyday from April 2nd through April 12th I will link to a different blog as part of my celebration of the release of my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. There will be book reviews, personal thoughts, and giveaways. And every blogger along the way will become part of the book, as they will also post their own responses to their choice of survey questions from the book. You too can be part of The Pulse by responding to my open call for art!

And on each day of the blog hop, I will also be sharing something extra. And today is an extra you will not want to pass by!


I am very inclusive when it comes to the definition of the word artist. This pleases some people and rankles others. To me, a wide range of creative people fit the bill: fine artists, mixed media artists, scrapbook artists, to name a few. One of the best who falls primarily in the later category is Ali Edwards. Ali and I go way back. In fact, she was a participant in my first edition of the online version of The Pulse back in January 2008. Like me, she is a big believer in community and has created a very special world on her website and blog. Head on over and see what she has to say about The Pulse of Mixed Media.

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For my current exhibition at The Gallery Link at the Ellenville Public Library and Museum, I thought I would be fun to have a bit of an interactive element. Enter a handful of markers and the above canvas with text that reads "what makes your pulse race?"

Here is the first of what will be many shots of a work in progress:

Fully Precious Salvage

Welcome to my blog hop. Everyday from April 2nd through April 12th I will link to a different blog as part of my celebration of the release of my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. There will be book reviews, personal thoughts, and giveaways. And every blogger along the way will become part of the book, as they will also post their own responses to their choice of survey questions from the book. You too can be part of The Pulse by responding to my open call for art!

And on each day of the blog hop, I will also be sharing something extra. And today is an extra you will not want to pass by!


Day 2: Stephanie Lee, co-author with Judy Wise of Plaster Studio: Mixed-Media Techniques for Painting, Casting and Carving, takes on The Pulse of Mixed Media today. Head on over to her blog Semiprecious Salvage and see what she has to say about the book and read how she answered some of the book's survey questions such as "What do you think your preferred art medium says about your personality?" And while you are there, stay awhile and spend some time with this special person and talented artist.

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Artist Leslie Rosenberg, a contributor to the book, has come up with a unique use of Pinterest. She has created a board to highlight her favorite artworks from the sites of select artists from the book. I love the choices she has made for such contributing artists as Jo Archer, Eric Adama, Patricia Anders, and Juana Almaguer. Bookmark this page or follow her on Pinterest, as she will be adding more art to this board soon.

Time for Some Voodoo

Welcome to my blog hop. Everyday from April 2nd through April 12th I will link to a different blog as part of my celebration of the release of my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. There will be book reviews, personal thoughts, and giveaways. And every blogger along the way will become part of the book, as they will also post their own responses to their choice of survey questions from the book. You too can be part of The Pulse by responding to my open call for art!

And on each day of the blog hop, I will also be sharing something extra. And today is an extra you will not want to pass by!


Day 1: Head on over to the Voodoo Cafe. Grab the popcorn and get comfortable while you watch this video from Rice Freeman-Zachery. I really value what Rice has to say about my book as she is the author of some of my favorite books of all time, including Living the Creative Life: Ideas and Inspiration from Working Artists, Creative Time and Space: Making Room for Making Art, and her latest, Destination Creativity: The Life-Altering Journey of the Art Retreat.

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Susan Tuttle, photographer, artist, and author of both Exhibition 36: Mixed Media Demonstrations + Explorations and Digital Expressions: Creating Digital Art with Adobe Photoshop Elements is having a giveaway. Susan is also a contributing artist in my book. If you visit this post on her blog and leave a comment before April 9th, you will be eligible to win a copy of my book in her giveaway. Thanks 

When 31 Becomes 11

Today is April 1st, which means the 31 days of March are now part of history. And this means that my series 31 Artists/31 Days has come to an end. Thank you all for the positive feedback you have given me about this project. It has been a pleasure introducing you all to artists that are new to you...and re-introducing you to some of your old friends as well. Of course even though these postings have ended, there is still so much to discover about each of these artists, and many more, on the pages of my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed.


If you ever want to visit these posts again, a link can be found on the sidebar of my blog, toward to bottom, where you will also find links to all my other online and live collaborative projects.

As you know, all of you who left comments on my 31/31 posts and/or the 31/31 posts of each spotlighted artist became eligible for my giveaway of 3 signed copies of the book. There were nearly 3,000 comments left in total and the winners have been randomly selected:

Grand prize of a copy of The Pulse of Mixed Media, signed by as many of the contributing artists as I see during my book tour travels, and there will be many, goes to Jo Murray from Jo Murray - Art. Congrats Jo!

Congrats also go out to Tammie Lee from Beauty Flows and Terrie from Creative Explorer, each of whom won a signed copy of the book.

They say "when one door closes, another opens", so now that 31/31 has ended a new series begins. Starting tomorrow and running for 11 consecutive days, I will be sponsoring a traditional blog hop. Eleven bloggers, not connected with the book, will be posting their thoughts and reactions to the book. And, even better, each of them will be answering their choice of survey questions from the book. I will link to each blogger on their assigned day. But here is a preview of the wonderful group you are about to hang out with:

April 2   Rice Freeman-Zachery
April 3   Stephanie Lee
April 4   Ali Edwards
April 5   Ro Bruhn
April 6   Roben Marie-Smith
April 7   Nancy Lefko
April 8   Kelly Kilmer
April 9   Trudi Sissons
April 10 Melody Nunez
April 11 Dina Wakley
April 12 Stephanie Hilvitz

And during this time, I will also be posting about the recent and upcoming events surrounding my book.

31/31: Linda Woods

31 artists...31 days. Spend every day of March with me at The Altered Page to meet the 31 spotlight artists in my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed . See their beautiful faces, read their 'quirky' bios written in their own words, see some of their art that led me to invite them to be a part of my book, and hear my story of what they each mean to me. Then click on over to their sites and see what they have to say about The Pulse of Mixed Media.
------------------------------------Linda Woods


I am an artist, author, and a rule breaker. I eat cookies for breakfast.




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I know Linda Woods from many different places. I think I discovered her books first. Along with her sister Karen Dinino, she has written several books, among them Journal Revolution, that come with a manifesto that all artists should heed. I know her from her blog, where she always tells it like it is in a very engaging and refreshing style. I know her through her participation in the online version of The Pulse. And I know her through eBay, where I bought a piece of her art long before I knew that she was THE Linda Woods.

She has been a good friend to me, supporting my goals as an artist and author from the beginning of my life as an art blogger to today. She is real, funny, soooo talented, and a true pioneer. I am thrilled that she is part of my book because the landscape of the mixed media community would look very different without Linda, her point of view, and her creativity. She seemed to me to be the perfect bookend with which to complete the 31/31 series. Thanks Linda!
------------------------------------ GIVEAWAY
For every comment you leave in March on a 31/31 post on my blog and/or on the blog of the spotlighted artist, you will have that many chances to win one of three prizes in my giveaway. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have (but only 1 per post please). First prize is a copy of The Pulse of Mixed Media signed by many (and I mean many) of the 133 artists that have contributed to the book. Second and third prizes are one copy each of the book signed by yours truly.

31/31: Robert Maloney

31 artists...31 days. Spend every day of March with me at The Altered Page to meet the 31 spotlight artists in my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed . See their beautiful faces, read their 'quirky' bios written in their own words, see some of their art that led me to invite them to be a part of my book, and hear my story of what they each mean to me. Then click on over to their sites and see what they have to say about The Pulse of Mixed Media.
------------------------------------Robert Maloney


My work focuses on the elements of modern life that often go unnoticed. That hand painted sign on the side of an old building; the pipes that poke in and out of just about every structure we see; the boarded up windows of an abandoned factory; the billboard that advertises a discontinued product; the scaffolding grid-work of an old bridge.



 What history do these structures hold? What lies inside of these vessels? These are the things that go through my mind in a normal day.


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I had no connection to Bob prior to inviting him to be a part of the book. Rather, his art spoke for itself. I had seen his work featured in the May/June 2010 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors and in Lisa Cyr's Art Revolution: Alternative Approaches for Fine Artists and Illustrators. The article in CPS included the line "Robert Maloney's evocative collages take his audience on a visual voyage through gritty and ephemeral layers of image, text, and texture." They had me at 'gritty.'

I really responded to his artwork and was thrilled that he responded quickly and positively to my invitation. I was very pleased to be able to have another mixed media 'guy' for the book. The artwork that he provided for the book is everything that I hoped it would be and I look forward to the day when I can see it in person.

Excited to also announce that his work from the book will be featured in an exhibition opening today at 13FOREST Gallery in  Alrlington, MA. Good luck Bob. Wish I could be there.


------------------------------------ GIVEAWAY
For every comment you leave in March on a 31/31 post on my blog and/or on the blog of the spotlighted artist, you will have that many chances to win one of three prizes in my giveaway. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have (but only 1 per post please). First prize is a copy of The Pulse of Mixed Media signed by many (and I mean many) of the 133 artists that have contributed to the book. Second and third prizes are one copy each of the book signed by yours truly.

31/31: Angela Cartwright

31 artists...31 days. Spend every day of March with me at The Altered Page to meet the 31 spotlight artists in my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed . See their beautiful faces, read their 'quirky' bios written in their own words, see some of their art that led me to invite them to be a part of my book, and hear my story of what they each mean to me. Then click on over to their sites and see what they have to say about The Pulse of Mixed Media.
------------------------------------Angela Cartwright


I am an unruly artist.


 I feel naked without a camera in my hand. When you are a photographer I think it trains you to see life differently.


I can't imagine a world without art.



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Angela Cartwright is a creative inspiration. As I am sure most, if not all of you know, she is Angela Cartwright the actress, of The Sound of Music and Lost in Space fame. And she is Angela Cartwright the artist, working in mixed media, photography and shadows, as can be seen on her blog and website. And she is Angela Cartwright the author of several art books and, along with Sarah Fishburn, the creator of the spectacular zine Pasticcio Quartz. And she is Angela Cartwright the designer of artful clothes and home decor.

She is also a wonderful, supportive, down-to-earth friend. She was a participant in my first online edition of The Pulse, way back in early 2008, and has been part of the later editions as well. She has generously spotlighted by art and my blog in her zine and on her own blog. I have appreciated the inspiration she has provided and look at her as a model of somebody who sets her sites on a goal and a dream...and works to successfully achieve that goal and make her dream come true. Thanks for being a muse to many Angela!
------------------------------------ GIVEAWAY
For every comment you leave in March on a 31/31 post on my blog and/or on the blog of the spotlighted artist, you will have that many chances to win one of three prizes in my giveaway. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have (but only 1 per post please). First prize is a copy of The Pulse of Mixed Media signed by many (and I mean many) of the 133 artists that have contributed to the book. Second and third prizes are one copy each of the book signed by yours truly.

New News

I have officially added two new live events to my promotional tour for The Pulse of Mixed Media.


On April 14th, I will be holding a book signing at Barnes & Noble, Rittenhouse Square, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Also attending the event will be contributing artists Leslie Marsh and Karen Cole. The signing begins at 11am.

On May 5th, I will be celebrating the release of the book with an event at Bellevue Art & Frame, in Bellevue, Washington, just outside of Seattle. Contributing artists Leslie Avon Miller and Donna Watson will also be participating. There will be an artist discussion, art demos, and a book signing. The event runs from 12-2pm.

I hope to add more events in the Northeast to my schedule but will not be able to add additional events in any other regions. Sorry Portland. I will miss you!


And please join me today when I co-host the Creative Mojo podcast with Mark Lipinksi. We will be spending two hours, from 3-5pm EST, talking about The Pulse of Mixed Media. Joining us will be 5 amazing, contributing artists to the book: Angela Cartwright, Pam Carriker, Julie Prichard, Michelle Ward, and Lisa Hoffman. This week just keeps getting better and better!

For up to date info on both my live and online events, you can always visit the links on the sidebar of my blog.