Billboard One

Now that I have completed Revolution, I have begun a new project: a book I am calling Billboard. It is loosely inspired by both the shape and the visuals of discarded billboards...with layers of old advertising, overlapping colors and papers, bits of text popping through, etc. Here is page one and a detail:






Ingredients: altered paper, ephemera, acrylic paint,dry transfer, pigment and dye ink, electrical tape, pen, sharpie. Please click image to enlarge.

New York City Art Tour - Part 5

Sometimes the stores in New York City rival the city's museums and galleries for artistic inspiration. One in particular, ABC Carpet & Home, is a place I visit repeatedly...not for shopping but for visual stimulation, creative ideas, and photo opportunities. Click images to enlarge and see for yourself...

New York City Art Tour - Part 4

The Museum of Modern Art has several current exhibitions cutting across multiple media, including painting, drawing, photography, film, installation art, and so much more. Here are photos from a few pieces from the collections that inspired me:

Jack Whitten
Kappa, 1
Synthetic polymer paint on canvas










Tacita Dean
Crowhurst
Gouache on gelatin silver print







Rodney Graham
Rheinmetall/Victoria 8
Still image from 35mm silent film






Marcel Duchamp
Rotary Demisphere, 1925
Painted papier mache demisphere fitted on velvet-covered disk, copper collar with plexiglass dome, motor, pulley, metal stand







Olafur Eliasson
Ventilator
Suspended in the Museum's atrium, this electric fan continuously swings above head level in ever-changing arcs

New York City Art Tour - Part 3

The Museum of Modern Art is currently featuring an exhibit called Book/Shelf which presents works that seek to expand the notion of what constitutes a book. Pieces include traditional book forms, video, prints, installations, assemblages, and other formats. Below are some works that intrigued me:







This piece by Lenore Tawney, an amazing mixed media artist, is composed of ink on cork and seeds on book pages.









Richard Long created this artist's book by staining the pages with water and mud from the River Avon.








Brian Belott created a piece made up of 66 illustrated books with collaged additions. The books were exhibited on a table and included this book, with pages overflowing and thick with altered additions.





Dieter Roth created this book with pages selected from over 6,000 collages, photographs, and drawings he made while at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art. I would have loved to flip through all the pages but it is presented under plexiglas.




John Latham took all 32 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica and transferred them first to 16mm black and white film in 1971 and later to video. He created this 6 minute 33 second silent film projecting one page per frame in a continuous loop. This still shot does not begin to capture the mesmerizing result.

New York City Art Tour - Part 2

In New York City, there is art and inspiration everywhere you look. And not just in the galleries and museums, but on the street too. You are likely to find some wonderful examples of street art around every corner in every neighborhood. Here are just a few examples I have spyed:

New York City Art Tour - Part 1

There are so many art-related experiences to be had in New York City. There are constantly changing exhibitions at the museums, shows of both new and old work of emerging and established artists at the galleries, street art everywhere you look, store window displays to rival what is in the galleries, and so much more. I thought it would be fun to take you on a tour of some select New York City art venues in a series of upcoming posts.

My first post focuses on a recent visit to Sotheby's, the auction house, and their exhibition for their upcoming contemporary art auction. These auction exhibitions are like taking an art class with the masters or walking through your own private museum. No matter the auction, the works are varied, inspired, exciting, and often exhibited publicly one time only. With so many pieces to see at this exhibition, I have chosen to post below just a few details from select artworks from some of my favorite artists:


John Chamberlain - detail












Robert Rauschenberg-detail








Christo - detail












Wang Qingsong- detail








Jean-Michel Basquiat - detail












Joseph Cornell - detail









Robert Rauschenberg-detail

And the winner is...

Congratulations go out to Kim at On Wings Like These for winning my first GIVEaway on The Altered Page. Five mixed media art books and an extra surprise will be sent her way. Thanks to the other 45 people who left comments or emailed. Keep on the look out for another GIVEaway sometime soon.

Give & Take

GIVE

I have decided to have a GIVEaway on The Altered Page. I have a large number of art books, some of which are duplicates, and I thought it was time to pass them on. They have all been useful to me and are all in good condition. So if you are interested, leave a comment to this post and I will have a random drawing on Friday May 9th to pick a winner. Make sure you GIVE your email address so I can contact you or just check back next Friday to see if you have won. Why don't you GIVE it a shot? There are five books and a small surprise included:

Urgent 2nd Class -- Nick Bantock
Mixed-Media Collage -- Holly Harrison
Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected -- Claudine Hellmuth
Somerset Studio's Artist's Cafe -- Premiere Issue 2007
Altered Books Workshop -- Bev Brazelton

TAKE

I have decided to TAKE a week off from Blogging. Right now I am involved in a number of collaborative projects that I am quite inspired by. I need to TAKE some time to focus on these. When I return to posting, I am sure I will have TAKEn some photo previews of a number of these projects to post. See you soon!

Tag & Roll

Today I am sending out thanks to Bridgette at Contemplating the Moon for tagging me. I have been playing tag for awhile now and you can click here if you are interested in reading 6 random art facts related to me. Anybody who wants to join the game can leave a comment with a random art fact of their own.

Just to make sure that the number of blogs you visit is even greater than the number you already have on your list, stop by Anima Designs Blog Roll. They have a list of links to art blogs that is always growing. Right now, there are more than 110 sites listed. You may already be on their list! If not, you can contact them and they will add your blog to the roll too. And while you are there, check out their shop for unique art supplies and treasures.

To everything, turn turn turn

Thanks to everybody who took the time to comment on Revolution.
In several comments and emails a number of people asked about the hardware I used to complete this project.










This is a product called the Revolving Artist Trading Card (ATC) Holder and is made by a company called 7 Gypsies.





Along with the holder, the company also sells prepunched cards and tabbed cards to be used with the Holder. They also just released a punch to allow you to attach already made ATCs. Also, they now have a larger Revolving Holder and "slipcovers" to allow you to display 4 x 6 photos and other small pieces of art without needing to punch holes in the work. Google "7 Gypsies" to find an online store to purchase these items but be prepared to wait because they are often sold out!

Handle with Care

Hmmmmm...I have been thinking about…hands. The importance of hands. The utility of hands. The beauty of hands. The meaning of hands. I use my hands to draw. I use them to paint. I use them to write. I use them to turn the lens on my camera and to press the shutter button. I am using them to type this post. Hands as nouns. Hands as verbs. Hands as adjectives. Raise you hand to ask a question. Raise your hand to answer a question. Lend a helping hand to your neighbor. That piece is handcrafted. This piece is handmade. And what beautiful handiwork they both are.


Hands up. Hands down. Hands on. Hands off. Hands across America. Clap your hands to show appreciation. Handles open and handles close. Handle with care. I can’t handle it anymore. He is handy. I've got my hands full. One hand washes the other. Employees must wash their hands. All hands on deck. The winning hand. Hand out. Hand it over. I want to hold your hand. On the other hand...hmmmmm...I have been thinking about...

angel

angel dressed in stone
marked by age everlasting
watchful in her gaze

Season's Greetings

As winter has turned into spring, my thoughts have now turned to autumn. Roxanne Stout and I have begun a collaborative project, creating decos that honor the fall. A deco is basically a small, handbound book or journal. Our plan is to trade our decos back and forth, each working on a single page at a time. When autumn arrives, our books will be complete. Here is a small preview of pages I have worked on in both books.



I have also been working on another collaborative project, my nature journal with Sarah Whitmire. Click here for previous details and see below for a peek at my newest page.



Also, a big thank you goes out to Nancy at Something Two Crow About for giving me the Arte y Pico award. Much appreciation Nancy. Check out her amazing journal pages on her blog...they are overflowing with color and are sure to make your day! As part of this award, I am suppose to pass it on to five inspiring sites. Having already done this recently, today I offer the idea of going to my blog roll and visiting 5 sites that you haven't been to yet. In my mind, every blog on this list deserves this award!

Let Nature Appear

like no other feeling, like no other sound
the rush of the wind, the pulse of the ground

elixir, intention, a spontaneous space
a sense of adventure, a majestic embrace

light and enchanting, a plumage so warm
dark and encumbered, in shadow and form

by design, it will stretch, it will soar, it will fly
the power of forests, the freedom of sky

there is rain, there is thunder, it is second to none
adrift and asunder, it cant be undone

transition will follow the edge of a breeze
and times we cannot see the woods for the trees

the call of the wild, the answer so clear
the echo of time, both rich and austere
the story is written, let nature appear

You say you want a revolution...

Revolution -- The act of revolving or turning round on an axis...a far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behavior...a cycle of events in time...the motion of an object round a fixed point or line. This revolution is complete. I have enjoyed the challenge of working on such small canvases (3 1/2" x 2 1/2") and in a way that is new for me -- quickly and with limited evaluation along the way. Art imitates life. Some of the pieces focused on very specific ideas, emotions, or issues. Some were not preplanned but rather were driven by the materials used and evolved in the making. All represent a personal revolution in my thinking about art in general and my own personal process of creating in particular. Each is a piece of me.







"You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right"

Revolution XVII

ingredients: altered paper, acrylic paint, dry transfer, pigment inks, rubber stamp, eyelets, wire. click images to enlarge.

Revolution XVI

ingredients: altered paper, acrylic paint, dry transfer, pigment & dye inks, found object, colored pencil, Uniball gel metallics, ColorSharp metallics. click images to enlarge.

Synchronicity in Thought

One of my blog readers emailed a poem she wrote after reading my poem, After the Storm, from my last post. She is a wonderful artist, a creative person, a generous spirit, and, by request, remaining anonymous.

It took me on a journey
Which I read to be my own
Visually traveling to another place, another time
Yet in my own home.

The picture was a visual visceral rendering
Of the traveling of my soul.
It was mesmerizing, calming, captivating,
Transporting me, transforming me,
Making me whole.

Within that magical moment described,
After the Storm imparts a miraculous, new ability to see,
After the Storm ...........
Is now a special part of me.

After the Storm

When the thunder ends and the rain stops falling
When the sea is calm and the birds start calling
The clouds will part like a curtain drawing
Promise of an open door

When the air is clear and the wind stops blowing
The sun reappears and the earth starts glowing
A light so strong as if all knowing
Sense of wonder to explore

In that window, in that time
A clearing of a cluttered mind
A ray of hope, it all takes form
In that moment, after the storm

Appreciations

This past Friday the counter on my blog passed 20,000 hits. I am amazed by this number and thank everyone who has visited The Altered Page. I began this blog in August 2007 not knowing what to expect. I remember being thrilled when I received my first comment less than 2 weeks later (thanks Esmeralda wherever you are), as I imagined all other bloggers would be too. And now, more than 150 posts and 20,000 visitors later, I am still thrilled and feel inspired by all of you. Thank you!


Thanks also go out to both Kristy at Kristy's Musings and Valerie at Val's Altered HeART Journey for giving me the Arte y Pico award. The following 5 rules are attached to this award:

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and that also contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.
2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his/her blog to be visited by everyone.
3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her/him the award itself.
4. The Award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte Y Pico" blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5. To show these rules.

Having already given the "Excellent Blog Award" and the "You Make My Day Award" to a total of 20 blogs, I have chosen five additional blogs that inspire me:

What If I...
Desideratum
Ragtags Studio Central
River Garden Studio
Into the Blystic Elis Cooke

Playing Favorites: wrap-up

My aim in Playing Favorites was simple: to showcase favorite pieces of artwork as selected by the artists themselves from their own body of work and to have them include reasons for their selections in their own words. I had hoped to create a virtual museum, room by room, to exhibit a sampling of the talent of our community. I want to thank the artists who contributed pieces of themselves through their art and their stories. Thanks to everyone who visited my blog during this round of The Pulse. And extra special thanks to those who shared their thoughts via comments and emails.

I am constantly amazed at the level of talent, creativity, and generosity of the art and blogging community. 52 artists shared 138 favorites that spanned all mediums. As varied as their work is, they all clearly share a passion and commitment that was evident in both image and word. I feel that each artist opened a window to themselves through their selection and accompanying text. The intimate stories shared by many artists were captivating and the descriptions behind the creation of the pieces were fascinating. I feel as though I just had a private tour with each of them.

Once more, thank you all for playing. I hope to see you at The Altered Page again and again. Links to each post from both Playing Favorites and the recent Artist Survey will remain on the sidebar. And stay tuned for the next episode of The Pulse -- coming soon!