Seth Apter's Blog, page 83

It is Crystal Clear

Artist Crystal Neubauer has recently started a series of guest artist projects on her blog Other People's Flowers that focus on different aspects of being an artist today.


Every Monday for 10 weeks, Crystal is sharing the Redemption Stories from a series of 10 different artists: Jan Avellana, Grace Carol Bomer, Beth Morey, Amanda Jolley, Bridgette Guerzon Mills, Kelly Williams, Trish Baldwin, Sue Simpson, Robin Norgren, and Tessa Emie (Moore).


Over the course of 10 Wednesdays, Crystal is highlighting the Studio Spaces of the following 10 artists: Tonia Jenny, Sue Stover, Michel Fletcher, Jason Twiggy Lott, Patrica Oblack, Laura Lein Svencner, Tye Johnson, Anca Bonner, Leslie Avon Miller, and Kristina Honn-Trudell.


On Fridays for 10 weeks, Crystal is shining the light on Found Object collections. Today is my day to be featured. The other 9 artists sharing their finds are K Wayne Thornley, Rick Farrell, Mary Beth Shaw, Kariann Blank, Wen Redmond, Shary Bartlett, Deryn Mentock, Donna Zarbin-Byrne, and Barbara Buckles.

I for one love these types of posts that open a window into the workings of an artist. Thanks for all the work you did to put this together Crystal and thank you for including me.

The Journey is the Inspiration: Call for Contributors

THE STORY
Some stories need to be told and retold. Such is the case with Dan Eldon. Born in London in 1970, he moved to Kenya with his family at age seven, where he remained through high school. He embraced his new life fully and quickly became an explorer of the world. Dan began taking photographs of his adventures while accompanying his mother on her travels as a journalist. These pictures became the basis of his visual journals, in which he documented his life, beginning at age 15. Extremely charitable and concerned about the world around him, Dan traveled extensively and returned to Africa repeatedly. In 1993, having become the youngest photojournalist employed by Reuters, he and three other journalists were stoned to death as they covered the famine and escalating violence in Somalia. He was 22 years old.

His life has had a profound impact on a countless number of people and though nearly 21 years have passed since his death, his legacy of inspiration continues to gain momentum. His mother Kathy and sister Amy have since co-founded Creative Visions Foundation. CVF fosters positive change through its support of creative activists - people who use the arts to raise awareness of social, environmental, and humanitarian issues. His family has also shared his journals and their message through the publication of a series of book, beginning in 1997 with The Journey is the Destination .

Dan was a pioneer and a visionary in so many ways: as an activist, an adventurer and an artist. His journals were created long before the current trend in visual journaling began. And yet his approach - raw, real and very personal - presaged the style of many journalers today.


THE CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
People who know of Dan Eldon always describe being deeply impacted by his life. That is the basis for this call for creative contributions. We want to hear how you have been inspired by Dan's story and your story will be shared on the blog at DanEldon.org. In this way, a new visual journal can be created and Dan's legacy can be brought to more and more people.
In words and/or images, please tell us what Dan and his experiences have meant to you. Share your own personal memory of reading the books that document his life, of seeing his journals in print for the first time, and/or realizing how much this remarkable man accomplished in his short life. Perhaps you are a journaler and have created pages, directly or indirectly influenced by his approach. Or perhaps you will now as part of this call. Either way, we want to see what Dan's legacy has created in you and what you have created as a result. And much like with visual journaling itself, there are no rules here about what to include or not to include. We want real, raw and very personal.

THE FINE PRINT
You do not have to be a journaler, an artist or a writer to participate. You just have to be willing to share. Please send your submissions and any inquiries to Seth Apter at shap97@gmail.com. For entries, please include your text as an email attachment in a Word Doc and your images in the form of jpegs as attachments as well. The deadline for the first round of submissions is May 1 and further rounds will be announced at that time. More detailed information about the postings will be sent to those who submit and will be posted online for those of you interested in viewing the entries.

Book Reviews

It is always exciting -- and surreal as well -- for me to come across one of my books on the shelves in a bookstore. It never gets old and reminds me of just how fortunate I am.
On the shelves in Barnes & Noble in Manhattan Beach, California
It is equally exciting when I see reference to my book on the pages of a magazine. 

I am honored that my newest book The Mixed-Media Artist is among the first to be included in Book Club, a new section within the current March/April 2014 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors Magazine. For each of the books included, sample pages and artwork are shown and thoughts from the author are provided. In addition to my book, No Excuses Art Journaling by Gina Rossi Armfield and Delight in the Art of Collage by Lisa M. Pace are also included.

There is also a review of the book in the Cover to Cover section of the current Spring 2014 issue of Scrapbooking & Beyond. It begins with "You'll want this book by the bed or your easy chair - it won't go on the shelf any time soon." I love the fact that the book is being introduced to the scrapbooking community as I like to bring mixed media to as many different creative people as possible.

A review of The Mixed-Media Artist can also be found in issue #7 of the online Mixed Media Art Magazine. If you are not yet familiar with this magazine, check out the link. And stay tuned for an upcoming post sharing more from this great publication.
Thank you to the people behind these publications who have helped get the word out about my book. And thanks to all those who have sent me such positive feedback about what they have found on its pages.

Cover to Cover

Cover to Cover











I am teaching this new mixed media workshop twice in 2014 - first at The Ink Pad in NYC on March 23 and then at The Queen's Ink in Savage, Maryland on May 17.

Stitched Tribeca

I am very happy to now be able to tell locals and visitors to New York City that my artwork is on display at a very cool place called Stitched Tribeca. This new venue in Tribeca -- Triangle below Canal for the foreigners out there -- is part workshop, part retail space, and part gallery. 

I met the owner, Val Chan, when I was vending late last year at Bust Craftacular and she generously invited me to be a part of her new space.

Stitched Tribeca teaches classes to adults and children in sewing, knitting, crocheting and more. 

The store also carries basic and unique craft supplies and has a rotating gallery of art from local makers. 

Much of the art on display is connected with upcycling. All 10 pieces that I currently have on display include found objects....


There is such an exciting vibe to Stitched Tribeca. It has an indie DIY feel with just a sprinkling of urban thrown in for good measure. 

You can read a bit more about my work at ST on this post that Val put on her blog.

I hope that those of you living in or visiting NYC get a chance to stop by and take a look or take a class. Tell Val that Seth sent ya!

Inner Hero: Giveaway

Quinn McDonald - artist, creativity coach and author of  Raw Art Journaling  - has just released her newest book The Inner Hero Creative Art Journal: Mixed Media Messages to Silence Your Inner Critic  published by North Light Books.

In this book, Quinn offers the perfect combination of her talents in both art making and coaching.
Inner Hero shows you step-by-step how to create your own unique journal, made from a series of loose-leaf cards, that will help you to overcome negative self talk, illuminate your best self, and spotlight your own inner hero. Journal prompts, personal exercises, side bar tips, and worksheets are included to help you combat your critic and find your hero.

Quinn guides the reader through a series of unique mixed-media techniques and approaches to writing that each lead to a different card within your journal. Step-out instructions and photographs are provided so the reader can create their own personal pages. Techniques include abstract ink art, photo mosaics, fabric collage, paper sewing, eggshell writing, soy silk paper art, and more. Quinn also describes a number of different ways to use and store the journal cards.

Quinn invited a group of 10 artists to contribute their own journal cards based on the techniques from the book. I am so happy to be a part of that group and to have been able to create Discover Within, a two-sided journal card shown below.



-----------------------------GIVEAWAY 

Quinn provided me with a signed copy of her book to offer as a giveaway on my blog. One lucky reader will soon have this book in their hands. To be eligible for the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post. Comments will close end of day on Monday 3/3 and the winner will be contacted by email -- so be sure to leave your email address. Good luck!

Mexico

After all my stops in California (see my previous posts), I spent the last week of my workshop travels out west in Mexico. My destination was a small village in South Baja called Pescadero. This oasis in the desert is nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra de la Laguna mountains. With a population hovering around 2,500, I think more people live in my building in NYC than in Pescadero.

Pescadero is not a typical tourist location. It is a world away from the luxury resorts at Cabo. And that was perfect for me. I was surrounded by cactus, hummingbirds, basil fields, dirt roads, bodegas, and temperatures in the 80s. My kind of winter.


I stayed mostly on the desert side.
But there were beautiful beaches...
and killer sunsets over the ocean (unretouched pic).
An outdoor cafe visited on my first day.
Outdoor farm to table restaurant we ate at on the night of the full moon.
I was there to teach a two-day book-making workshop El Libro Abierto. The workshop was hosted by my good friend Patricia Larsen. You have probably heard the story already but without Patricia, I would not be involved in the arts at all.

This was my first outdoor workshop and it could not have been better. 
With a view like this, how could it not be an incredible time?
One stash of papers that we used for the projects.
This talented crew created the most amazing books.
Patricia was kind enough to allow me to use her home and studio as the location of the workshop. Her home, which she designed and built herself, has been featured in many magazines including Elle Decor. It was a pleasure and a treasure to stay there, exploring the surroundings, and shooting too many inspirational photos to count.
Her home is literally an oasis in the desert.
Outdoor living at its best.
Even the "hallways" were a work of art.
One of my roomates.
Many of the materials were local finds, including this door.
The area where we held the workshop.
What I woke up to everyday.
The inside was even better then the outside.
Inside looking outside.
One of Patricia's rotating collections.
A simple vignette inspires.
A Pablo Neruda poem painted on the wall.
My kind of pile.
Patricia and I share a love of rusty found objects.
I leave you with one more sunset - symbolic of the end of my trip out west and my last post about these travels. 

Thanks for coming along with me.  I am already looking forward to my next international expedition to Australia in August as part of Art is You. Maybe you should consider joining me there in real life?

Caught in the Act

When I was recently out in California, I had the pleasure to meet Kathy Eldon at Creative Visions Foundation (CVF) in Malibu, California.


Kathy is a remarkable women and an inspiration to me...and so many other people. She has recently published her auto-biography In the Heart of Life: A Memoirand I can guarantee that you will be captivated by her story and moved and inspired by her life.



Creative Visions Foundation was founded by Kathy and her daughter Amy in 1998.


The organization was inspired by the life of Dan Eldon, who at age 22 was killed in Somolia while reporting on the conflict there as a photojournalist for Reuters. He was an artist, an activist and an adventurer and is well known for his art journals -- created long before the current art journaling movement. You can read more of Dan's story here and see a post on my blog from 2008 that highlights my visit to a traveling exhibition of his journals.


I included a tribute to Dan in my newest book The Mixed-Media Artist and was thrilled to be able to give a copy to Kathy in person. I was bowled over by her energy, enthusiasm, and sincerity. And you will be too...

Caught in the Act: Kathy Eldon and Seth Apter
I will be collaborating with Kathy and CVF on a new project and look forward to sharing the details with you soon. Stay tuned for more information on how you can be a part of this too!

Out West: Post III

After my workshop in San Diego and in between my two collaborative workshops with Orly Avineri, I taught a evening workshop in Fullerton, CA. Background Check was sponsored by a wonderful store called Gilding the Lily and held at the beautiful home of Nancy Jamar, the store's owner.
When I first arrived in Fullerton I had the opportunity to meet up with two bloggers who have have known online for at least 5 years: Chris Miser and Erin Perry. I laughed the entire time!

There was a meet and greet at the shop and I couldn't stop taking pictures. There were so many corners of the store that inspired me. Here are just a few...




At the workshop, we spread out into two adjacent rooms at two tables.


But in the end, we came together for the much-loved class picture.

Next stop/next post: Mexico

The Jewelry Maker's Design Book: Giveaway

I recently was provided with a review copy of The Jewelry Maker's Design Book: An Alchemy of Objects by Deryn Mentock.


Although the focus of this book - jewelry - is not my ....., I found this book informative, fascinating and applicable to my mixed media work. The book itself is well-designed, beautifully photographed (by Deryn herself), and easy to follow. Deryn approach is one of generosity and this book is filled cover to cover with a tremendous amount of information.

Chapter 1 reviews the elements and principles of design for jewelry makers. It also includes sections on developing a personal style, finding inspiration, shopping tips, common mistakes, and more.

Chapter 2 is tremendously useful and covers techniques and tools. Deryn includes pictures and descriptions of commonly-used tools as well as detailed, step-out instructions for basic techniques such as wrapping, crimping, cutting, filing, stringing, riveting, etc. She covers safety issues with working with metal as well.

Chapters 3 through 6 present specific jewelry projects and include detailed instructions and images so that you can create these yourself. Throughout these chapters are many sidebars of both Design Tips and Journal Notes, both of which are filled with helpful and personal ideas.

My sense is that this book would be a useful resource for both beginner and advanced jewelry artists. However, this could also be a source of ideas of techniques for the more general mixed media artist, like myself, who uses a lot of dimensional objects in their work.

-----------------------------GIVEAWAY
Deryn was kind enough to provide me with an additional copy for a giveaway.  If you would like to have a chance to win a copy of this book, please leave a comment on this post to be entered into the pool. Comments will close end of day on Sunday 2/23. The winner will be posted and contacted by email -- so be sure to leave your email address. Good luck!