Seth Apter's Blog, page 58

We Asked the Artists

Somerset Place, the blog from Stampington & Company, have been posting an ongoing series called We Asked the Artists. They interviewed a group of artists, asking a series of questions that touch upon issues important to all of us. I am happy to be among the group who have provided responses. Reading the thoughts of so many different individuals about these topics is fascinating.


Their post in May tackled the question: What motivates you? When you find yourself in an artistic rut, what inspires you to get going again?


In June they asked: What is your ideal work environment? Do you listen to music, or do you prefer silence? Do you like to work alone, or share studio space with others?

I am already looking forward to July!

Treasure Time

7th annual Buried Treasure - A Call for Collaborative Participants!
So many blogs...so little time. With so many wonderful art blogs to follow, it is difficult to always find the time to keep up with every new post -- let alone have the time to visit the posts that were put up before you discovered each blog.
So...six years ago I started an annual treasure hunt. Buried Treasure is about digging deep to uncover some hidden gems. The premise is simple. On Thursday, July 23rd all participating bloggers will re-post one (or more) of their favorite posts that ever appeared on their blog. As you might already know, I don't like too many rules when it comes to art. So anything goes.
Please leave a comment on this post if you would like to participate. On the 23rd, when the project goes live, I will post a list of all participating artists on my blog so that you can be sure to find all the Buried Treasure. Feel free to let your own readers know about this project by spotlighting it in a post prior to or on reveal day. Please (and this is important) email me your link when your post goes up. It will be the only way I will know to add you to the posted list on my blog.
And if you cannot wait until reveal day, you can click here and here to be taken to the links from 2009, here for the posts from 2010, here for the links to the posts from 2011, here for those from 2012, here for the links from 2013, and here for 2014. These are also always available on my sidebar.
Happy hunting!

Stories to Tell

Stories to Tell
I have an ongoing column in Cloth Paper Scissors magazine called The Creative Pulse. The theme of my column in Cloth Paper Scissors July/August 2015 is all about taking on - or avoiding - the label of artist. "It seems that the word itself has taken on magical connotations and mythical proportions... What it it about this title that seems to strike fear in the hearts and minds of so many?" Read my thoughts on pages 32-34.

The Week Links: 57

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

And here is Week 57...


Objects from nature intensely crocheted by Susanna Bauer to create fragile, stunning artworks.

Money is the medium in the cut collage works from Mark Wagner.

Love this gorgeous scrapbook page from Beck Beattie.

Collagraph rocks from London-based printmaker Tessa Horrocks.

Snapshots of 20th century art giants in their everyday lives.

Giulia Bernardelli creates paintings using spilled food.

Eye popping works of street art by BUFF DISS made entirely from masking tape.

It's a Stencil Giveaway

I am very excited to announce that I will be releasing new stencils with StencilGirl Products later this month. I cannot show you those designs just yet...but I can start the celebration early with a giveaway of the full set of 6 stencils from my last release: The Urban Collection. Scroll to the bottom for details.

These stencils were designed with layering and flexibility in mind. The most exciting thing for me about these stencils is that they are interactive -- they were designed to be used in pairings.

Start with the  9" x 12" Outsiders stencil.


Choose any or all of the 5 Insiders stencils





Layer Away...








To recap...
You got your Outsiders.
You got your Insiders.
You got a perfect fit.

To be eligible for the giveaway, simply leave a comment to this post. Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact the winner. The giveaway closes end of day on Monday 7/6. The winner will be randomly selected and contacted on Tuesday 7/7.
If you are undergoing a stencil emergency and need some stencils stat, you can purchase these designs and all my earlier stencils directly from my online shop or from StencilGirl Products.

Magnificentissimo

Magnificentissimo
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Madeline Faiella about mixed media, artistic process, authenticity, influences, and more. You can read the highlights of our conversation here on the Mixed Media Art blog.

Some excerpts...

"There is a story and a sense of history that can be found in the layers of materials that make up a mixed media piece."

"Ultimately I am creating both from and for myself. What I do has to be an expression of me or it is not worth doing."

"I am still and will forever be developing my voice as a mixed media artist."

It's All in the Details

Recent Work - detail shots

Create Your Memories

Library of Memories
An experience that you will never forget
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Art is You 2015 - Stamford, Connecticut
Join me for a very special, three-day adventure making art and creating memories. This retreat within a retreat will include a road trip to New York City to source out supplies and inspiration. Once we return to our studio space, we will be creating a one-of-a-kind embellished container to hold a handmade book. The workshop will cover techniques related to painting, mixed media. assemblage, collage, book making and fun having.

Day 1 of this workshop begins like no other. We will begin with creative fireworks as we head out on a road trip to my hometown: New York City. I will be your insider guide as I take you to my secret sources for amazing art supplies, one-of-a-kind art objects, and creative treasures. In NYC we will be searching for supplies for our workshop project, taking photos for inspiration, and having the time of our lives. Not only will this be an exciting shopping spree but also an experience that you will never forget.

After many hours of shopping in NYC, we return to Stamford and immediately the same day begin the hands-on part of our workshop. The work then continues on Days 2 and 3 as you build your Library of Memories. You will be creating a hinged container, painted and embellished with materials and objects. 

The container will be used to store a handmade book that you will also create in class. We will cover constructing the container, painting in layers, designing assemblage, attaching objects, book making, and much more. You will leave with a host of new techniques, a very special art object, and your own Library of Memories.

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Registration is now open for Art is You Stamford. Whether or not you have attended Art is You before, this year will be different. Art is You is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year with a retreat experience that will be bigger, badder, and better than ever before. The retreat runs from 10/7-10/12/15 and my workshop runs from 10/7-10/9. It is the only 2015 workshop I am teaching at Art is You and in Connecticut. There are limited seats left for this workshop. Hope to see you there!

Fresco Finish

My go-to paint for journaling is the line of Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics from PaperArtsy. This paint dries fast and has a highly matte surface, making it perfect to write over in a journal. The range of colors is gorgeous and the names are too cool for school -- London Bus, Space Cadet, Pumpkin Soup and Guacamole to name a few. I love the fact that they label each bottle as Opaque, Semi-Opaque or Transparent, a truly helpful guide.


Today I am a guest poster on the PaperArtsy blog and am featuring a journal page I made using several stencils from my line at StencilGirl Products. Head over to this post to see more pictures and to read about the specific steps I took and the particular products I used to make the page.

The Week Links: 56

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

And here is Week 56...


12 artists share what they do when they get stuck creatively on the Cloth Paper Scissors blog.
Typology like you have never seen before.
Studio must-see: Kiki Slaughter. And see her work at her website.

Kecia Deveney shares pictures from her trip to Luna Parc in NJ. You have got to see this.

Check out this pic of Peter Beard and his journals found on Austin Kleon's Tumblr page. And take my advice, you are gonna wanna spend a lot of time on Austin's website too.

In Lisbon, graffiti knows no age limits.

And speaking of graffiti...read the story (and of course see the pictures) behind the half graffiti hotel room in France.