Seth Apter's Blog, page 44

The Week Links: 95

Join me every Sunday when I share some of my favorite links I discovered in the previous week. Earlier posts in the series can be found here.

And here is Week 95...


1. The final volume in the Griffin & Sabine story from Nick Bantock - The Pharos Gate - has just been published.



2. Tools of the trade for bookbinding from Michael Greer.

3.  Flower Power - a freeform crochet and knit artwork traveling through Australia.


4. I love the whimsey and personality in Lynn Muir's wooden sculptures.

5. So very excited for Jen Crossley and Lorri Scott who both have a project in a beautiful new book - The Gilded Journey: Nurturing the Artist Within by Anna Freund and Cynthia Shaffer.

6. Mexico through the creative eyes of Judy Wise.

7. Check out the industrially inspired ceramics from Andrew Massey.

Taos Retreat: The Venue

Today I am sharing a post that continues to highlight my experiences in Taos, New Mexico at A Case of Curiosities, my week-long retreat that I cohosted with Roxanne Evans Stout. You can see my first post, highlighting images from Taos, here.
The venue that one chooses for their retreat can make or break the experience. Roxanne and I chose to hold ours at Mabel Dodge Luhan House. 

The word perfect is certainly overused...but there is no better way to describe this place. It was as big a part of the retreat as were the students!
MDLH is actually made up of a number of buildings, built at different times. There is an extraordinary amount of history connected with MDLH and a cast of characters who have stayed here that make this venue extremely fascinating. There is even a ghost -- and we had an experience to prove it.




From the moment we arrived, the magic began.


These incredible dove houses, built in the 1920s, mesmerized me. The one on the right reminded me on a NYC condominium -- and may actually have more space than a typical NYC one bedroom.


Dennis Hopper used to ride his motorcycle on this roof.

And those bathroom windows were painted by DH Lawrence so that nobody could watch Mabel herself take a bath.


Their newest building for retreats, so new that it hadn't been used yet, has a meditation room that was the definition of spiritual sanctuary.

I stayed in the Solarium, a room at the top of ladder steps with 4 walls of floor-to-ceiling windows...

...and the perfect views to wake up to.

In between the hours of workshop time, we tried to spend some time by the fire in the main building.

The food was spectacular and somehow the chefs were able to accommodate all the different dietary restrictions that this group came with. And everyday, I awoke to the smell wafting up to my room.

There were the most incredible vignettes everywhere...

...and wonderful niches...

and fascinating drawings on random walls...




The retreat would not have been the same if held elsewhere and I'd like to thank Mabel and the entire staff at MDLH for an experience that I will never forget.

7 Ways to Own Your Own Voice

We all know artists that have signature styles. When we see their work, we can immediately identify it as theirs and theirs alone. This is true for the great Masters, many well-known contemporary artists, and a host of people in our mixed media community as well. But this is not the case for everyone.

I've heard many artists say that they've had difficulty finding their own distinctive style or identifying a label that accurately describes the work they create. More and more people simply don't want to imitate the look of others. They're no longer satisfied with making cookie-cutter projects or are tired of struggling to identify their niche as artists. They want their own voice.

If these scenarios sound familiar, take a moment to recognize that this is a good problem to have. It means you are stepping out of the shadows and into your own light. It means that you have enough confidence in your abilities to begin to rely on your talent and instincts. Rather than approach the issue with frustration, think of it as an exciting, creative opportunity.

Many times an artist's style emerges organically over time. As such, sometimes the best way to find your voice is to simply create. And create again. And then create even more, Play. Experiment. Do the work. Regardless of the media you are working in, you might observe certain characteristics that are common in much of what you create. These might be color, texture, subject, composition, or a variety of other elements. Use them as clues to recognize your artistic voice.

However, developing your own signature style can be challenging, even for artists who have been working for years. It just doesn't seem to happen. But don't give up. The following seven suggestions may help.

Play: Give yourself permission to play, without any preconceived plan. Clear the area, spread out the supplies and just go for it. Grab whatever catches your eye. Mike materials that you usually don't combine. Choose a supply that you've never opened. Work with no sense of where you are going. When recess is over, see what you've created. Ask yourself, where did I end up? Sometimes our voices are clearest when we just let ourselves go.

Step Out: Choose a favorite mixed-media art how-to book or head to an online site with tutorials. Pick a project or technique that appeals to you. Instead of following step-by-step, challenge yourself to change it up. Add a new step. Bring in a new material to technique. Do this a few times over the course of several months. In the end, identify your influences and see what you've brought to the table. It may be a key to your personal style.

Play Favorites: We all have artwork that we've made that has special meaning -- the pieces that we really love. The ones we pick to show other people. Gather and study them. What is it about those particular pieces that resonates with you? Make a list of the characteristic that you love. See if a theme emerges across all your favorite work.

Obsess Less: As artists, we often hoard special objects or supplies, but can' t seem to use them in our work. Grab a bunch of these items and look at them as a group. Chose and use several of these treasured items to make a number of different creations. Because these materials speak to you so loudly, these new pieces of art just might provide a hint to your artistic voice.
Keep a Style File: We've all had the experience of seeing something that really grabs us. Keep a file of images that call your name. Don't limit yourself to artwork. Clip a magazine ad that has just the right color or cool font. Don't use these images in your art. Instead, as your file grows, try to see what themes are repeated. People are often attracted to styles that are very different from theirs, and for some this may be a clue to discovering your own voice.

Journal It: A visual journal is the perfect spot to find your style. Write down artful thoughts, words, and events. Doodle, draw, or paint anything that inspires you. Keep track of the results of these exercises in your journal. Do this without any concern about how good it is, and create with the idea that it's for your eyes only. As you journal fills up, look for any recurring patterns among the entries.

Four Score: Choose four pieces of your art that you have made that either best represent you or are simply your personal favorites. Show all four  pieces to four different people whose judgment you trust. Ask each person to write down four words that in their minds best describe your work. See what themes are repeated. Often we already have our own style but find it hard to see. It may actually be very clear to others.

Go about the search for your voice with hope, excitement, and enthusiasm. Keep on creating and try some or all of these exercises. You might just find your voice, echoing loud and clear.
GIVEAWAY
This article was originally published in Cloth Paper Scissors in my column The Creative Pulse. To celebrate the release of the 2015 Cloth Paper Scissors Annual CD, the peeps at CPS are giving away a stash of mixed-media art supplies. To be eligible for the giveaway, click here and leave a comment on their post telling them which of these seven exercises speaks to you the most. A random winner will be chosen on March 28. 
Feel free to leave a comment on this post in my blog, but be aware that this doesn't automatically enter you into the giveaway. 

Images of Taos

I have just had the privilege to spend five days with 15 creative artists who attended A Case of Curiosities -- a retreat I hosted with Roxanne Evans Stout in Taos, New Mexico. This was a week filled with creativity, exploration, laughter and joy. As the days unfolded it became so much more that an art class. It was truly an experience to remember.

As a way to bring this experience to you, I will be sharing a series of posts that hopefully capture the uniqueness of the retreat, the beauty of the location, and the creativity of all those involved. Today  I bring you...

Images of Taos
Shadows
Moonlight
Lines
Symmetry 
Branches
Patina
Vignettes
Mountain Views
Wagon Wheels
Plants
Adobe
Elevation
The Light
Colors
Clouds
Stairways
The Land
Texture
Open Arms

April Events

April is a busy month for me, talking me from north to south and from coast to coast.
Join me in Lake Worth, Florida for 3 workshops from 4/1 to 4/3 at Everything Scrapbook. This is the first time I am teaching in Florida.
Join me in San Jose, California for 3 workshops from 4/10 to 4/11 at A Work of Heart. I am thrilled to return to this venue after a wonderful experience last year.
Join me in Santa Rosa, California where I am teaching a very special, 3-day workshop as part of the Art is You retreat from 4/13 to 4/15. This is the first time the retreat is being held at this location.
I will be selling original artwork and all my products -- including my new collection from Spellbinders -- at a very special 3-day Art Trunk from 4/15 to 4/17 at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel & Spa as part of Art is You. You do not need to attend the retreat to attend the Art Trunk. 
I end the month in NYC, where I am teaching 1-day workshops at Pratt Institute in Manhattan on both 4/24 and 4/30. You do not need to be part of the Pratt community to attend.
Head to my workshop page for details and registration information for all these classes and additional workshops through July 2016. I will be posting my schedule for the second half of 2016 very soon.

The Week Links: 94

Join me every Sunday when I share some of my favorite links I discovered in the previous week. Earlier posts in the series can be found here.

And here is Week 94...


1. Incredible that this cathedral...

...is actually a scale model from Ryan McAmis.

2. Everything you have ever wanted to know about hand-carved, wooden printing blocks from Judy Gula. 


3. Why creative people are different from everyone else.

4. Absolutely in love with the surfaces created by Trine Birgitte Bond. 

5. Loving the layers and colors in Amethyst Field, Broken Hill - this piece from Margaret Hage.

6. Things Organized Neatly - a new book from Austin Radcliffe. First seen here.

7. The newest online edition of The Pulse returns to my blog in April. Creatives will be answering the question What is the one technique or tool that you cannot live without? If you would like to join in, read this for all the details on how you can submit your answer.

The Week Links: 93

Join me every Sunday when I share some of my favorite links I discovered in the previous week. Earlier posts in the series can be found here.

And here is Week 93...


1. How cool is the work of Luke O'Sullivan - cities made from a combination of sculpture and drawing? First seen here.


2. The new issue of The Woven Tale Press is now available online to read.

3. Loving the colors, textures, and layers in this piece from Finnabair. 

4. Mr. and Mrs. Charlie launch a shop. One of my Instagram crushes mrandmrscharlie has started an Instagram shop. Blink and you will lose out on every sale. Read more about the fascinating couple here.

5. In Anxious Anticipation. Photographer Aaron Tilley and set designer Kyle Bean capture the moments right before for Kinfolk Magazine. First seen here. 

6. Looking forward to seeing the work of Susana Bauer and Leigh Anne Lester at the Natural Order exhibition at Muriel Guepin in NYC.

7. How cool is this needlepoint graffiti from Jacquelyn Royal?

50 Ways to Leave Your Layer

My newest workshop, 50 Ways to Leave Your Layer, debuts at The Ink Pad in NYC on Saturday, June 18th. Registration is now open.

Okay. Maybe not 50. But a lot. In this workshop, you will be putting your paint playlist on repeat as we go through a series of paint layering techniques that you can apply to all your creative projects. Everybody will be provided with a journal to work in that we will fill up, page after page, with layered backgrounds.

Additive and subtractive painting techniques, properties of acrylic paint, mark making, application strategies, and much more will be included. In the end, you will leave with a new journal that you can keep as a technique reference manual or continue to work in to complete your journal pages in your own personal style.

Sweet Retreat

Thinking about attending an art retreat? How about spending your days with the Art is You crew this April in Santa Rosa, California? You can find details and registration information here. I will be teaching there with an all-star crew that includes Tracy Verdugo, Finnabair, Andrea Matus deMeng, Michael deMeng, Jen Crossley, Sharon Payne Bolton, Mindy Lacefield, John Creighton Peterson, Richard Salley, and just about a million (give or take) more amazing people. Scott Stabile is a very special guest.

For just the second time, I will be teaching Library of Memories. 
This 3-day workshop covers aspects of mixed media, collage, assemblage, painting, book making, and fun having.
There is also a very special, two-day vending event that I will be participating in as well.
You can check out all the details here -- and at the same time see information about Art is You Australia in July and Art is You Stamford in October. I am happily teaching at both!

The Benefits of Art Journaling

My column in the current March/April issue of Cloth Paper Scissors addresses the benefits of art journaling, of which there are many.

This issue, btw, is the first in a new redesign throughout the magazine.
A brief excerpt:
A journal is a place where we create only for ourselves. There's no pressure to show our work to others and, without the weight of outside criticism, journaling can free us to release our creativity and enhance our artistic skills. This for-your-eyes-only journaling, coupled with the focus on right-brain activity during the act of art journaling, allows you to be less critical and rely more on intuition. You take more risks, and that helps build self-confidence and personal satisfaction.