Seth Apter's Blog, page 46

Photo Op

I had the pleasure of teaching my Photo Op workshop last night at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria, Virginia. This class is old school - all about taking our photos out of our phones and altering them by hand rather than with apps.

The room was overflowing with creativity and it spilled all over every single altered photo. Each picture did speak a thousand words, as can be seen in these details...

Reviving the Pulse

If you have been a long time follower of my blog, you might remember The Pulse. If you are a relative newcomer...keep on reading.
Between 2008 and 2013, I hosted an online collaboration called The Pulse where I posed questions to creatives and posted their answers on my blog. At its peak, there were more than 150 participants. There were 5 online versions and the project was the basis for my two books.
Like everything else on the Internet, things live forever. All the responses are still posted and links can be found on my blog -- scroll down towards the bottom of the sidebar and plan to stay awhile.
With the decline of long form blogging in recent years, I have thought long and hard about ways to bring traditional blogs back to life. The most basic answer in my mind is to provide must-see content. With that in mind, it feels like the right time to bring back The Pulse to life.
With very limited time on my hands though, I am going to start small with one question:

What is the one technique or tool that you cannot live without?
If you would like to be a participant, please email me (shap97@gmail.com) the following:
1. Your response (which I might need to edit to keep all answers relatively consistent in length)2. ONE photo that somehow relates to your answer3. A link to ONE of your online sites
In the post, I may also be adding a link of my own choosing - could be to a video, a tutorial, a product, a piece of art, another post, or something unexpected. The participant will not know what the link is until my post goes live.
If you want to play, please email me the requested info by March 1. If there is a big enough response, there will be rolling submissions until the well runs dry.
Please help to spread the word and let's get this party started!

The Week Links: 89

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 89...

1. Cyanotypes: making a comeback.


2. A tour through the Farrow & Ball factory via Decor8.


3. Very excited to see Warhol by the Book , an exhibition at the Morgan Library in NYC that highlights Andy Warhol's career as a book artist.


4. I love type. I love ceramics. I love that combination in the work of Laura C. Hewitt, first seen in in this post on Colossal.

5. In advance of his exhibition opening May 6 at Matthew Marks Gallery in NYC, Jasper Johns shares the process behind his monotypes.

6. The history of photography in five minutes.


7. What it really costs to run an art gallery - from the New York Observer.

Scrap n' Art Giveaway

I am so very pleased to have my line of rubber stamps from Impression Obsession featured in the February issue of Scrap n' Art Magazine. This online publication focuses on paper crafting, traditional and digital scrapbooking, and card making.

Different stamps from my collection at Impression Obsession were provided to their design team and the results, along with full supply lists and creative tips, are being presented in the current issue of the magazine. 
Here are just a few of the projects...
 Terre Fry
 Teresa Horner
 Lynda Lindley
 Kathy Adams
Normally there is a charge to access the monthly magazines. But Scrap n' Art has provided a code so that I can giveaway to all my readers a complimentary one year subscription. Head over to the site to subscribe and enter the code snarocks. 
While you are there, check out the entire feature, read more about Impression Obsession, and click on the interview that I had with the Scrap n' Art crew. 
AND head to this Facebook post to enter their giveaway for a piece of my original art that features my Impression Obsession stamps.

Workshop Update

I am adding new workshops to my 2016 schedule and will very soon be posting my classes for the second half of the year as well.
I am also planning some pop-up classes for the first half of the year and the first ones I am announcing will be held at The Occasional Artist on March 5th and 6th in Glendale, Arizona. Registration will open soon.
I have already been busy booking classes for 2017 and am excited to be heading to multiple international destinations and many US locations that will be new to me.
If you are unable to join me for these workshops, you can be a part virtually, as I will from now on be Periscoping from every class. Follow @alteredpage at the Periscope app.
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Details and registration info for all can be found on my workshop page.
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February 19-21: Artistic Artifacts - Arlington, Virginia
February 28: Pratt Institute - NYC
March 5-6: The Occasional Artist - Glendale, Arizona
March 13-18: A Case of Curiosities Retreat with Roxanne Evans Stout - Taos, New Mexico - Retreat Full
April 1-3: Everything Scrapbook - Lake Worth, Florida
April 10-11: A Work of Heart - San Jose, California
April 13-15: Art is You Retreat - Santa Rosa, California
April 24: Pratt Institute - NYC
April 30: Pratt Institute - NYC
May 20-22: Ephemera Paducah - Paducah, Kentucky
June 6-10: West Carlton Arts Society - Woodlawn, Ontario Canada - Workshops Full
June 18: The Ink Pad - NYC
June 25-26: Kept Creations - Whitman, Massachusetts 
July 13-31: Art is Mixed Down Under Mixed Media Roadshow - Perth, Sydney, Noosa Australia

The Week Links: 88

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 88...


1. Instagram love: check out Judy Jacobs Art and her abstracts -- filled with dreamy colors and rich textures.



2. Kind of obsessed with the photos by Eberhardt Smith in this article on wood artisan Joshua Vogel.


3. Anastasia Savinova creates the most fascinating and unique photo collages capturing the spirit of cities, first seen in this post at City Lab.

4. Once a month, Gayle Montgomery shares a comprehensive listing of gallery shows, workshops, art events, and other creative must-sees in her series Living Art on the Edge .

5. Mesmerizing video of markers being tested.

6. I am utterly fascinated by this process of using molten metal to create from Barry Smith and Fiona Dempster.

7. Creative Carte Blanche is a new site for creatives who want to join an online community which will "inspire you to approach your art with a sense of freedom and spirit of exploration." There will be monthly creative adventures to join and they kicked off their site with a video that includes the responses of 14 artists, designers and crafters to the question what advice would you offer to help somebody develop their own unique style?

It's a Wrap...

I have spent the last 4 days at the F+W Studios just outside Cincinnati, Ohio recording videos. 

F+W Studios is the parent company of both Interweave, the company that brings us the magazine Cloth Paper Scissors, and North Light Media, which published my 2 books among many others.

I completed 4 mixed media workshops that will be available in June as streaming video, downloads, and DVDs.
The studio is the real deal, with multiple lights, cameras, and monitors.



They created a set that had the vibe of a corner in a NYC loft.

It was even decorated with my own work.

I worked with Amy Jones, who played multiple rolls including producer, director and on-camera student for 2 of my videos. We had a ton of fun and I so wanted to take the clapperboard home. But I left it there cause I want to be invited back even more.

Cherie Haas, whose name you might recognize as the person behind most of the postings on the Cloth Paper Scissors blog, was my on-camera student for the other 2 videos.

Erin is definitely one of the 2 best camera operators in the business. 
And Justin is the other.

No team is complete without a mascot and the studio has Ellie. And that is Ellie's dad, also known as Al and the best photographer who shot all the stills for my videos.

Wish I could bring you these videos immediately but June will be here in the blink of an eye!

The Week Links: 87

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 87...


1. What's on your desk? 6 artists share their desk space with you.

2. And speaking of work spaces...how about 100 famous artist studios.
Francis Bacon
Alexander Calder
3. Totally in love with this artwork from Mary Beth Shaw. And you will never believe how she made it.

4. Really excited to head to the Grolier Club in NYC to see Blooks -- an exhibition of things that look like books but aren't books.

5. I am always mesmerized by whatever Elena Nuez posts.

6. Instagram love: Amy Duncan from Four Corners Design. Love the simplicity of her vignettes.

7. Juts in case you missed it: my top ten trends in mixed media for winter 2016.

Outside the Zone

My column The Creative Pulse in the January/February issue of Cloth Paper Scissors is all about the benefits of stepping outside your comfort zone.
The following ideas are just a few that I have included in the article:
-Crack open a supply that you've never used.
-Take a class in a technique that's outside your wheelhouse.
-Work on a collaborative project with other artists.
-Add another layer to a piece you are satisfied with but know could be better.
-Usually use a paintbrush? Use your hands instead.

Top Ten Trends In Mixed Media

Twice a year, the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) publishes a report for their members that covers the trends in the industry. Relevant to manufacturers, retailers, designers, bloggers, crafters and artists, this document presents a snap shot of both the current and the upcoming trends in the world of craft and art.
For Winter 2016, the report was expanded and includes the following categories: Altered Pages, Art & Illustration, Canadian Craft Trends, Colors & Motifs, Children's Crafts, European Craft Trends, General Craft Trends, Home Decor Handcrafted, Jewelry Art, Mixed Media, Needle & Sewing Arts, Paper Arts & Craft, Renegade Crafts Stateside, Renegade Crafts Global, Surface Design, Tools & Techniques, and Wearable Art.


As a member of the Trends Committee of the Designer Section of CHA, I am responsible for writing the section on mixed media. I wanted to share some of latest trends from the report with you.
Top 10 Trends in Mixed Media
1. Art Journaling: more focus on art rather than text, with a continued emphasis on authenticity and the addition of hand-drawn details and visually complex imagery; Bible journaling continues to gain popularity as well

2. Mark Makers: markers, pens and pencils continue to be popular and used in conjunction with many of the other 2016 trends (see #1, 5, 10)

3. Collage: an art mainstay seeing a resurgence, with paper, metal, fabric and hand/machine stitching increasingly popular

4. Texture: the addition of increasingly varied texture mediums on the market is fueling an increased interest in all-things textural and dimensional

5. Text and Lettering: this trend, strong in the past few years, continues with no end in site

6. Stencils: popularity continues with trends evident in abstract patterns, nature-themes, background texture, and text

7. Color Palette: increased use of subtle color tones and metallics can be seen, along with a decrease in bright, bold colors

8. Design Elements: circular, organic and natural shapes are replacing the hard, geometric shapes popular in recent years

9. Portraiture: an increased interest in adding faces to art continues, especially with the help of stencils, masks, and collage

10. Coloring: coloring books for adults are booming and fueling increased interest in pencils, crayons, sketching, and stamping

Seeing your own trends? Add your thoughts to this post in the comments section.