Seth Apter's Blog, page 9

Wanna Play?

Let's Make Art
APRIL  
The Ink PadNew York, New York April 13 - Mixed Media Revolution - workshop full
Pratt InstituteNew York, New York April 28 - Creating an Artist Folio - registration open
MAY 
EncaustiCastle Lexington, Kentucky May 9-12 - Library of Memories - registration open
Everything Scrapbook & StampsLake Worth, Florida May 19 - Get Baked! - registration openMay 20 - Abstraction Reaction - registration open
Quilt & Surface Design Symposium Columbus, Ohio May 28-June 1 - Table of Contents - registration open
JUNE 
Quilt & Surface Design Symposium Columbus, Ohio June 2-3 - For Your Eyes Only - registration open
Idyllwild Arts Idyllwild, California June 15 - 52 Card Pickup - registration openJune 16-17 - A Book of Moments - registration open 
Visions of AustraliaHornsby, New South Wales Australia June 30-July 1 - A Book of Moments email me at shap97@gmail.com for inforegistration open
JULY 
Fibre Arts AustraliaBallarat, Victoria Australia July 5-9 - Table of Contents - workshop full
Fibre Arts AustraliaLismore, New South Wales Australia July 12-16 - Table of Contents - registration open
AUGUST 
PaperCraft ClubhouseWestbrook, Connecticut August 11 - save the dateAugust 12 - save the date
Clipper Street Scrapbook CompanyLangley, British Columbia Canada August 17 - save the dateAugust 18 - save the dateAugust 19 - save the date
SEPTEMBER 
Burritt's Rapids Community HallBurritt's Rapids, Ontario Canada The Exquisite CorpseA 5-day retreat with Holly DeanSeptember 3-7 - registration open
email me at shap97@gmail.com for info
Shake Rag AlleyMineral Point, Wisconsin Table of ContentsSeptember 21-23 - registration open
OCTOBER 
The Art is You Movement
Art RetreatStamford, Connecticut October 3-4 - save the dateRegistration Opens May
A Work of HeartSan Jose, California October  7 - save the dateOctober  8 - save the date
The Art is You Movement
Masterclass SeriesOgden, Utah A 5-day retreat with Sharon Payne BoltonOctober 10-14 - save the dateRegistration Opens May 30
Artistic ArtifactsAlexandria, Virginia November  16 - save the dateNovember  17 - save the dateNovember  18 - save the date

Friday Fifty on Tuesday

This past Friday I posted my first Friday Five, a new weekly series. What better way to start than with 5 thoughts on how to live a better life?
1. Follow your gut. Always.2. If it seems too good to be true, it is.3. Put in the work.4. It is okay to say no.5. Always be authentic. Always
All you wonderful people added your own thoughts to the list in the blog comments and on Facebook. Totally printable and absolutely helpful on one of "those" days, here is my updated list of the Friday Fifty, including your additions.
1. Follow your gut. Always.2. If it seems too good to be true, it is.3. Put in the work.4. It is okay to say no.5. Always be authentic. Always.6. Follow your dreams.7. Stay true to yourself.8. Be grateful for what you have.9. Never feel guilty for experiencing love or joy.10. Success in everything - even in getting the right opportunities - takes drive and effort.11. Know the rules so that you can break them.12. You create the life you lead.13. Be yourself, be kind, be brave, grateful, be happy.14. Your work and thoughts are unique.15. Do something creative every single day.16. It's never too late to become an artist.17. Always take the road less traveled.18. Believe there is good in the world.19. Be the change you want to see in the world.20. Be kind, say please and thank you, and never take love for granted.21. Do what is in your heart.22. Do what you are driven to do.23. Live life to the full as there may not be a tomorrow.24. Be a timely, effective communicator.25. Courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day that says "I will try again tomorrow."26. Being creative is not a hobby, it's a way of life.27. Be mindful and grateful.28. Perfection is the enemy of progress.29. Manners matter. 30. Work hard. 31. Follow your passion.32. Try something new.33. Spend your time on what you love.34. Immerse yourself in music.35. Share your blessings through your actions, words, and art.36. Don't compare yourself to others.37. Always be kind.38. Communicate appropriately and in a timely fashion.39. Always be encouraging.40. Remember, no one is perfect.41. Don't be afraid to ask.42. Give it a go...you never know what might happen.43. Always act with integrity.44. Always be you.45. Be true to yourself.46. Never give in or give up...even when it looks like a hot mess.47. Choose the simple way. Always.48. There is always something to be grateful for.49. Never try to eat anything bigger than your head.50. It is never okay to say no to an online shopping cart.

The Sunday Papers: 23

Welcome to the Sunday Papers. Grab a cuppa, get comfy and turn the virtual pages. Did you miss any along the way? See every edition here.
LAYER LOVE
Sophie Klerk
PAPER PERFECT

Joyce Bantock
DYNAMIC CERAMIC
Janaki Larsen
TABLESCAPES
Roxanne Evans Stout
SCRATCH THE SURFACE
Regina B. Quinn
COLOR FIELDS

Domenick Naccarato
DETAILS, DETAILS

Christine Shannon AaronSaveSaveSaveSave

Sunday Papers: 23

Welcome to the Sunday Papers. Grab a cuppa, get comfy and turn the virtual pages. Did you miss any along the way? See every edition here.
LAYER LOVE
Sophie Klerk
PAPER PERFECT

Joyce Bantock
DYNAMIC CERAMIC
Janaki Larsen
TABLESCAPES
Roxanne Evans Stout
SCRATCH THE SURFACE
Regina B. Quinn
COLOR FIELDS

Domenick Naccarato
DETAILS, DETAILS

Christine Shannon AaronSaveSaveSaveSave

The Affordable Art Fair

One of the many advantages of living in NYC is the all-access pass to art that you get 24/7/365. It could be the museums, the galleries, the auction houses, the graffiti on the walls, or the myriad of art fairs that seem to be held every weekend from September through May.

This weekend, the Affordable Art Fair has come to town. To be clear, affordable is artwork priced $10,000 or less. Happily, I have to say that some of the best work I saw was in the lower half of that price range.


For you locals, the fair runs through Sunday and is most definitely worth a visit. For those of you who cannot come to NYC and do not have access to these types of events, consider this your (very biased) private showing of some of my favorites.

Lee Kwan WooLilac Gallery
Lee Kwan Woo hand carves every stamp that is used to create the undulating surface of his unique works. They are mesmerizing in person.

Russell FramptonWill's Art Warehouse

The closer I got to these pieces from Russell Frampton, the more I was entranced. It is the smallest of detail, mark and line that makes a large impact in these vessel-like structures he creates.


Michele MikesellDecorazon

I have seen Michele Mikesell's work at the AAF for many years and I am always drawn to the figures that she paints that seem to have their own personality, emotions and just the right amount of quirk.


Russell WestWoolff Gallery

I have seen Russell West's work before both in NYC and in London. These pieces are quite compelling and fascinating. His piece below was so new that it still carried the scent of the oil paint.



Noelle HamlynLustre Art

Noelle Hamlyn layers these bobbins (and other objects) with salt-encrusted hand spun paper. They are gorgeous and completely unlike any other surface treatment I have seen before.

Michael Phillipp SchnitzerGalerie Juliane Hundertmark
I loved the surfaces created by Michael Philipp Schnitzer, who was one of the few artists actually at the show and who graciously took the time to explain how he created this effect layer after layer.

Daniel SueirasGalerie Juliane Hundertmark
This salon-style wall of art from Daniel Sueiras captivated me, as did his portraiture of animals, complete with the perfect choice of frames. Front and center was this wonderful piece.

And speaking of, artwork featuring animals of all sorts and in all forms was a huge trend at this show.   While there was of course the requisite dogs and cats, it looks like rhinos and elephants - often juxtaposed in unexpected backgrounds - are trending.
Gabriele BurattiPalma Arte (detail)
Nathalie BoissonnaultArteria Gallery (detail)
Edouard BuzonGalerie Envie d'art (detail)
Sebastien LevigneThe Linda Blackstone Gallery (detail)
Also trending at the show were portraits with flowers.
Minas HalajRetrospect Gallery

The work from Minas Halaj was hands down my favorite in this category, with his florals collaged with appliqués, fabric, buttons, and painted paper. 


The Affordable Art Fair runs through Sunday March 25 at The Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea.

Emerald Creek: Recap

It has been a great week, highlighting projects from 5 artists using my Emerald Creek Baked Texture embossing powders. It is always a thrill for me to see how other people use my products in their own unique ways. This group served it up and I wanted to share the links once again in case you missed any the first time around. You can see and order all 7 flavors of Baked Texture here.
The bakery is open!
GUEST ARTISTS
Mary Beth Shaw: Mary Beth, the creative mastermind behind StencilGirl Products, has created  a video that shares 8 techniques to use embossing powders with stencils. Yes...I said 8!


Becca Feeken: Hands down, Becca creates the most elegant artwork I have ever seen and her product collections allow you to do the same. She is sharing 3 finished projects and shares her technique for creating "cracked glass" with embossing powders. Hint: it involves a freezer!


Tammy Tutterow: Tammy takes Baked Texture to a place I hadn't even imagined. She uses the "heat, dip, heat, dip, heat" technique to create the most amazing beads to use as flower centers on her handmade flowers. I can see applying this same technique on my found objects for to my mixed pieces.


Debi Adams: Using all 7 flavors of Baked Texture, Debi has created the coolest, mixed media wall hanging ever made. A huge array of techniques were used but my favorite has to be her combination of Chunky Rust and gel medium - half baked!


Gwen Lafleur: Gwen is a master of all-things-embossing and she has created a texture-lovers delight using all 7 Baked Texture flavors. In the process, she used a ton of techniques - my favorite of which is definitely the High Solid Gel Medium. She even included a video of the process.

SaveSaveSaveSave

It's An Embossing Powder Party

This past January, Baked Texture - my new line of embossing powders for artists - was released by Emerald Creek. Since then, we are doing our very best to get these powders into you creative hands. And it is looking like March will be the month when we are able to get most, if not all, of the outstanding shipments delivered. Thanks to all of you for your passion, enthusiasm, and (especially) patience for this product.


I have begun to see a huge variety of projects online using Baked Texture and have been loving what you have been baking. I have learned many new techniques and uses for the powders thanks to you.

I have invited 5 artists to share projects they have made using Baked Texture. Anything goes with these posts and there will be videos, tutorials, finished artwork and more. Check back here all week for the updated links to the posts that will be appearing daily from today through Friday, March 23rd.

GUEST ARTISTS
Mary Beth Shaw: Mary Beth, the creative mastermind behind StencilGirl Products, has created  a video that shares 8 techniques to use embossing powders with stencils. Yes...I said 8! 
Becca Feeken: Post goes live Tuesday, March 20.
Tammy Tutterow: Post goes live Wednesday, March 21.
Debi Adams: Post goes live Thursday, March 22.
Gwen Lafleur: Post goes live Friday, March 23.
You can see and order all 7 flavors of Baked Texture here.

Art Auction for Cancer

AUCTION DETAILS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST

This past January I was invited by the incomparable Dyan Reaveley to participate in the 2018 Ranger Challenge. Every year, one of the signature designers with Ranger Ink sends a selection of their products to a handful of artists to create a project that will be displayed in the Ranger booth at Creativation, the annual trade show for AFCI. How could I say no to DY?


Opening the box was exciting and daunting, as was seeing the contents. The main component for the project was a cardboard, kraft-colored top hat. And lots of Dyan's signature bright paints, washi tapes, embellishments, and the like.

My mission: use her products in my style. My technique: layers and more layers.






So why am I sharing this now? The project was recently returned to me and I had the idea that maybe some of you would consider bidding on it in an auction for charity. Together we can benefit an important cause and you will have a one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-made-again, original piece of art.

AUCTION DETAILS
So how will this work? Simply contact me via email at shap97@gmail.com with your bid and I will update the bidding total on this post as bids come in (as quickly as I can). The bidding will start at $25.00 but I am hoping to raise substantially more money for a good cause. Bids will be counted in the order in which they are received. Bidding ends on 11:59pm EST Sunday March 25th. The winning bidder can either make their donation directly to the charity via credit card or through me via check or Paypal. You are more than welcome to leave a comment to this post but bids will only be accepted via email.

100% of the proceeds will benefit Cancer Research Institute and their efforts to develop a breakthrough cure to all forms of cancer with immunotherapy. The cause was selected in honor of a friend currently battling the illness.

CURRENT BID$25.00
$30.00
$50.00
$150.00
$225.00

Art Deck 6

After a long break focused on other work, I have had a chance to work on my Art Deck - 52 small artworks, all under 6 x 6 inches and available at accessible prices ranging from $35-$55. These pieces, numbers 40 to 45, are now in my online shop. You can see all the other work from the Art Deck here.

TIMELESS
TUESDAY MORNING
SIMPLICITY
BULLSEYE
COLORBLIND
CROSSHATCH =

The Friday Five

1. Follow your gut. Always.2. If it seems too good to be true, it is.3. Put in the work.4. It is okay to say no.5. Always be authentic. Always