Seth Apter's Blog, page 84

Out West: Post II

After my first stop in San Diego, teaching for San Diego Book Arts, I headed up the coast to the LA area to teach three workshops. 
Requisite LA beach shot
Two of the workshops were co-taught with Orly Avineri. 
Orly on our hunt for found objects 
Those who know Orly will understand that this was as special for me as it was for the students. Our collaborative workshop was called If Walls Could Talk and it was two-days of book-making, art-journaling, comfort zone-pushing, and memory-building.
Evidence 
The first of our two workshops was held in Long Beach at the home of Brian Kasstle, who could not have been a more generous host. 
Seth, Orly and Brian
Paint was splattered, books were bound, and -yes - tears were shed. 
Can't do this in NYC!
One of my pages in progress
Sweet success
We repeated the workshop later the same week in Redondo Beach at Orly's home. It was fascinating for me to complete the workshop so close in time with two different groups. The dynamics were totally different but the outcome was as equally as powerful.
The "before" shot

The "during" shot
Red hot
A village of journals
Next stop/next post: Fullerton

Design-abilities: Mixed Media Medallion IV

Welcome to the Spellbinders Design-abilities Blog Hop. The Blog Team at Spellbinders has decided to hold this online event on the 16th of every other month. This is our way of doing something fresh, fun, and creative to bring our team together. The Hop is not officially sponsored by Spellbinders, just something that we were all inspired to do. We all have different creative strengths and the posts you will see may focus on mixed media, die cutting, paper arts, DIY projects, jewelry, or home decor. There is no theme -- we all get to do whatever we choose.
Today's post is presenting the fourth in a series I am creating using the new releases from Spellbinders. Among my favorite are the items from their collection  A Gilded Life . Created in conjunction with Debbie Murray and Shea Fragoso, the line consists of bezels, pendants, dies, texture plates, and relics. Filled with European flair, these items seem at first glance to be ready-made for jewelry projects and home decor. For me though, they scream mixed media.
I am preparing for an exhibition in NYC in April and have decided to create what I am calling Mixed Media Medallions to use as components of my artwork. But as you will see, if you attach a chain to these pieces they would actually make some pretty cool jewelry -- which would be a first for me.
I wanted to create a very detailed and dimensional look for this medallion and started with the antique gold Crowned Angel pendant. I removed the loop at the top with snips as I would not be attaching a chain to the medallion.

I am in love with the design of the Iron Cross bezel and decided to use a large one in bronze as a base for the Crowned Angel.

Wanting to add a cool touch of whimsey, I used the new Bird Stand die to cut and emboss a piece of hand painted paper - to which I added some dye ink to better match the paper with the bezels. I thought having these tree branches and bird shooting from the angel's head would add a humorous touch.

I started building the base to this piece by cutting a piece of gold foil using die #5 from the Standard Circles Large die set.

Feeling the need for a bit of steampunk edge, I cut some decorative paper using one of the dies from  the Sprightly Sprockets set.

Wanted this medallion to be quite detailed and dimensional led me to cut one more piece of gold foil using a die from the Snowflake Pendant set. Perhaps the fact that it was snowy and freezing in NYC when I made this contributed to my choice.

Had to add an element of grit and I chose two pieces of found metal hardware to fit the bill.

Now that I had all the elements prepared, I started to stack and glue all the components to create this...







I look forward to showing you in a few months how I will use this in a mixed media artwork for the exhibition.
Supply List
Spellbinders Paper Art Supplies:
MMM-001 SpellbindersTM Artisan X-plorer GL2-004 SpellbindersTM A Gilded Life Crowned Angel Pendant Antique Gold GLLB-005 SpellbindersTM A Gilded Life Iron Cross Bezel Bronze - Large IN-016 SpellbindersTM Shapeabilities® Die D-LitesTM Bird Stand S4-114 SpellbindersTM Nestabilities® Standard Circles LargeS5-048 SpellbindersTM Shapeabilities® Sprightly SprocketsS5-185 SpellbindersTM Shapeabilities® 2013 Snowflake Pendant F-012 SpellbindersTM Premium Craft Foils Precious Metals
Preferred Promotional Partners: Tsukineko® Memento Dew Drop Dye Ink Peanut Brittle, Imagine Crafts® Inkblushers Sponge
Other: found objects, hand painted paper, decorative paper, adhesive, tinner snips
-----------------------------
Head on over to the blogs of the other Blog Team members. Not every person will participate in every Blog Hop but you can check out their blogs anyhow. You are sure to find inspiration along the way!
Becca FeekenDarsie BrunoDebbie OlsonHeidi BlankenshipLinda DukeMichelle WoernerSeth Apter (you are here)Sherry Cheever

Mixed Media Medallion III

I have been spending a lot of studio time exploring the new releases from Spellbinders. Among my favorite are the items from their collection  A Gilded Life . Created in conjunction with Debbie Murray and Shea Fragoso, the line consists of bezels, pendants, dies, texture plates, and relics. Filled with European flair, these items seem at first glance to be ready-made for jewelry projects and home decor. For me though, they scream mixed media.
I am preparing for an exhibition in NYC in April and have decided to create what I am calling Mixed Media Medallions to use as components of my artwork. But as you will see, if you attach a chain to these pieces they would actually make some pretty cool jewelry -- which would be a first for me.
This is the third in the series...
This piece began with the beautiful gold Rose Medallion from the pendant collection from A Gilded Life. I removed the loop at the top of the crown with snips since I would not be using it as a connector.

To continue with the vintage feel, For an old world look, a patina solution was used to alter the surface of a piece of copper sheeting which was then cut to size using a die from the Sprightly Sprocket set. The edges of this die cit will add a sense of steampunk.

Finally, a vintage watch face, a watch gear, and several pieces of rusty found metal (along with a single brad) were gathered to add some grit to this piece. 

For more of an aged look, the surface of the select metal pieces was rubbed with patina gilders paste. Putting this all together, a mixed media medallion was born. 





I look forward to showing you in a few months how I will incorporate this into a mixed media artwork for the exhibition.
Supply List
Spellbinders Paper Art Supplies:
MMM-001 SpellbindersTM Artisan X-plorer GL2-005 SpellbindersTM A Gilded Life Rose Medallion Gold S5-048 SpellbindersTM Shapeabilities® Sprightly Sprockets
Other: found objects, vintage watch parts, copper sheeting, patina solution, gilders paste, adhesive, tinner snips, brad

Out West: Post 1

For the last week, I have been out west teaching art workshops and meeting up with bloggers, artists, and friends. My first stop has been southern California, where the locals keep saying it is cold. 

Given the weather that has been hitting NYC this past week, I guess everything is relative!
My first stop was in San Diego.

I taught a 2-day book-making workshop sponsored by San Diego Book Arts at McCoy House Museum in Old Town.

The setting, the hosts and the students made for a wonderful combination. This creative and talented group worked hard and had fun on both days.


At the end of the workshop, we all shared our books...

told the stories of our pages...

and posed for the obligatory group shot.

Next stop/next post: Los Angeles

Mixed Media Medallion II

I have been spending a lot of studio time exploring the new releases from Spellbinders. Among my favorite are the items from their collection  A Gilded Life . Created in conjunction with Debbie Murray and Shea Fragoso, the line consists of bezels, pendants, dies, texture plates, and relics. Filled with European flair, these items seem at first glance to be ready-made for jewelry projects and home decor. For me though, they scream mixed media.
I am preparing for an exhibition in NYC in April and have decided to create what I am calling Mixed Media Medallions to use as components of my artwork. But as you will see, if you attach a chain to these pieces they would actually make some pretty cool jewelry -- which would be a first for me.
This is the second in the series...
I was inspired by the Royal Medallion pendant in antique gold and knew that I wanted to build a piece around it. Knowing that I would not be attaching a chain to this piece, I snipped off the loop at the top of the crown with snips for a finished look.

I sorted through my stash and found this aged, vintage pocket watch case and thought it would make the perfect base.

I added some found hardware to add height, detail, and just the right amount of grit.

Finally, I thought a bit of whimsey would be perfect and I die cut and embossed some hand painted paper into the shape of wings using the Mix'd Media Elements dies. (While this die has now been discontinued, you can probably still find it in some retails shops or online). I added a bit of extra dimension by stenciling the wings with ink. 

Playing around with these elements, I glued the pieces and created my mixed media medallion. 






I look forward to showing you in a few months how I will use this in a mixed media artwork for the exhibition.
Supply List
Spellbinders Paper Art Supplies:
MMM-001 SpellbindersTM Artisan X-plorer GL2-008 SpellbindersTM A Gilded Life Royal Medallion Pendant Antique GoldS5-085 SpellbindersTM Shapeabilities® Mix'd Media Elements
Preferred Promotional Partners: Tsukineko®  VersaMagic Dew Drop Chalk Ink Pad Niagra Mist, Tsukineko®  VersaMagic Dew Drop Brilliance Pigment  Ink Pad Lightening Black,  Imagine Crafts® Inkblushers Sponge
Other: vintage pocket watch case, found objects, hand painted paper, adhesive, tinner snips

Road Trip

Road trip! I will be spending the next 2+ weeks teaching throughout southern California and Mexico. And with the "real feel" temperature in NYC a balmy 8 degrees, this trip couldn't have come at a better time. I am excited to be seeing some old friends once again and finally being able to meet some of my long time Internet peeps for the first time as well.

My travels start in San Diego where San Diego Book Arts is hosting my two-day workshop Mixed Media Memoire. If you are in the neighborhood, they are also hosting a Meet and Greet book signing  at McCoy House in Old Town State Park on Sunday 2/2 from 4:30 to 6:00.

From there I head to Long Beach where Orly Avineri and I will be co-teaching If Walls Could Talk - a two-day, texture-making, art-journaling, book-binding experience. I will then be teaching Background Check at Gilding the Lily in Fullerton. Following this, Orly and I get to repeat our collaborative experience If Walls Could Talk again a few days later in Redondo Beach.

I next head to Pescadero on the southern tip of Baja in Mexico where I will be teaching a two-day workshop called El Libro Abierto - The Open Book. This will be held at the amazing home and studio of Patricia Larsen.

You can join me on my trip via my frequent updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And stay tuned for  a recap on my blog when I return home.

If you are interested in taking a workshop with me, you can see my 2014 schedule here. Registration is now open for workshops in NYC, Connecticut, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Australia. Registration will soon begin for classes to be held in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

2013 Trends in Mixed Media

Becoming a member of the Craft & Hobby Association - better known as CHA - has been a fascinating and exciting experience for me. Membership comes with a lot of opportunities...not the least of which is the ability to attend their annual trade show. But more than that, they provide support, education, networking, and a host of other services.


If you have been wondering what CHA is all about or are interested in finding out what membership entails, click here.

Soon after I joined as a Designer Member, I volunteered to be part of the Trends Team. Among other activities, the team puts together an annual report that reviews the trends of the prior year and predicts those to come. Not surprisingly, my focus was mixed media. The report also includes general crafts, paper crafts, home decor, beading/jewelry making, sewing/wearable arts, and fiber arts/needlework.

While the report in its entirety is available only to CHA members (yet another reason to join),  I wanted to at least share with you a summary of my findings regarding mixed media.

(special thanks to the folks at Art is You for creating this mosaic)
2013 has seen increased popularity in:Upcycling and recycling of nontraditional materialsUse of stencils in innovative waysThe manufacturing and use of stamps (rubber, cling mount, etc.)Zentangling, mark making, and doodling Integration of hand-done and digital approachesThe use of the Gelli Plate in expanded directionsAdding faces to artwork via drawing, stencils, and stamps Encaustic and faux-encaustic approachesArt journalingOnline workshopsLive workshops taught collaboratively by multiple artistsAny trends I missed? Add your thoughts by leaving a comment to this post...

Mixed Media Medallion I

I have been spending a lot of studio time exploring the new releases from Spellbinders. Among my favorite are the items from their collection A Gilded Life . Created in conjunction with Debbie Murray and Shea Fragoso, the line consists of bezels, pendants, dies, texture plates, and relics. Filled with European flair, these items seem at first glance to be ready-made for jewelry projects and home decor. For me though, they scream mixed media.

I am preparing for an exhibition in NYC in April and have decided to create what I am calling Mixed Media Medallions to use as components of my artwork. But as you will see, if you attach a chain to these pieces they would actually make some pretty cool jewelry -- which would be a first for me.

This is the first in the series...
There are so many stunning bezels to choose from in this collection and for this piece I started with the bronze, small Crown Bezel. I snipped off the loop at the tip of the crown as I would not be using it as a connector.

For an old world look, I used a patina solution to alter the surface of a small piece of copper sheeting. I cut this to size using die #1 from the matching Crown Circle Dies to create the background inset for the bezel.

Wanting to add a bit of edginess to the piece, I cut a piece of decorative paper into a jagged gear using a die from the Sprightly Sprocket die set.

For me, combining the elegant bezel with a grouping of found metal objects is the perfect mix.

Once I had all the components prepared, it was time to stack and glue. In the end, a mixed media medallion was born. 







I look forward to showing you in a few months how I will use this in a mixed media artwork for the exhibition.

Supply List
Spellbinders Paper Art Supplies:
MMM-001 SpellbindersTM Artisan X-plorer GLSB-003 SpellbindersTM A Gilded Life Crown Bezel Bronze - SmallGLD-003 SpellbindersTM A Gilded Life Crown Circle DieS5-048 SpellbindersTM Shapeabilities® Sprightly Sprockets
Other: found objects, decorative paper, copper sheeting, patina solution, adhesive, tinner snips

Surface

Work in progress...

Blurred Lines Giveaway

If you are familiar with my blog, you know that I think creativity belongs to everybody. I am a big believer in blurring the lines between creative categories and having everybody play nice together.


To this end, I was invited by Allie Gower to share my thoughts and artwork in her article Blurred Lines on the Scrap n'Art online magazine.


It begins "I am all about blurred lines when it comes to bridging the gap between different creatives..." The remainder of the article can be seen in the current January 2014 issue. It is available to subscribers only but Allie was extra generous and has provided 10 one-year subscriptions for me to give away.

To be eligible to be one of the ten lucky winners, please leave a comment to this post by end of day Friday 1/24.  I will email the winners on 1/25 but be sure I have your email address so I can contact you if you have won. Good luck. And keep those lines blurred!