Welcome to the fourth edition of The Pulse -- The State of the Art -- a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. The Pulse is a collaborative project that aims to introduce you to new artists, help you get to know familiar faces even more, and allow you access into the creative hearts and minds of a very talented crew of individuals.
Over 150 (!) artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented as a series of online and print projects. And the first continues right now!
Join the The Altered Page every Sunday for "Secret Sunday." Here the secrets of all your favorite artists will be revealed. It could be a technique, a product, a secret source, a little-known website, a hidden shop, an inspiration, just about anything! If you missed any, no worries. You can find links to all the secrets on the sidebar of my blog.
Today's secret.......Lost & Found!
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Lisa Jurist
Blog: Mudhound Studio
Blog: Pulp Redux
Etsy: Mudhound Studio
Look around! I find a lot of the objects I use in my art on the ground or for free. Recently, I created an altered book cover from the dismantled parts of a disposed cuckoo clock, a broken printer’s tray and rusty metal pieces from a stash I found on the street.
I also reuse exhausted paper dryer sheets in my art. I drench the sheets in a pot of coffee and then let them dry to give them a nice aged effect. They smell good too…if you like coffee!
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Carmen Nessman
Blog: Writing from Life
Upcycled EVERYTHING!!!! Reduce, reuse, recycle
Ro Bruhn
Blog: Ro Bruhn
Etsy: Ro Bruhn
I visit car spare parts shops for lots of my 'found objects' for jewellery. I also work close to an airport and there are stores that sell fabulous washers for aircraft that get incorporated into my work.
Andrea Dixon
Etsy: Studio 6 or 7
Blog: Studio 6 or 7
Twitter: Studio 6 or 7
I'm a very messy person, though I try too hard not to be! However, this works to my advantage when I'm painting because I really like to make visual textures in the backgrounds of my paintings and I always forget to prepare tools ahead of time to do this. So I usually end up grabbing whatever is laying closest to me. I have turned out some really neat textures with this 'method', if you want to call it that.
I've used string to paint stems, the edge of an antique book to create stripes, the knobby head of a miniature Buddha statue to create raindrops. The only downside is that not every object can be recovered after using it to paint with but I'm not usually paying attention to this when I'm in the moment....
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Carol@Swallowcliffs
Blog: Swallowcliff's Art
I find that if I see something that catches my interest I should take it home because eventually, I find a place for it in my art. I have people ask me, “how do you come up with your ideas?” Most of the time it is because I have this “something” stored away that would work perfectly just here, in a piece I am creating. It’s not so much getting something specifically for the art as it is knowing that you have something that will fit the art.
Judy Wise
Blog: Judy Wise
mmm, art secret. Pulling local event notices off telephone poles provides lots of fun and collage materials. Just make sure the event has passed.
Lynn Cohen
Blog: Lynn - Getting my Feet Wet
Repurposed dryer sheets. I dye them in acrylic paints and water, soak over night, dry, then use in my art work. Examples include as backgrounds in a journal page, on art pieces mixed with dyed paper towels then sewn to canvas, and rolled up as dreadlocks in the 3D "Simply Dreadful" art quilt wall hanging.
LaWendula
Blog: Woven Letters
When I started working with blank books and paper (I was still living in Berlin at this time), I did something I call Culture Recycling. I was looking for all kinds of flyers, event cards, free zines in Berlin and I filled my books with collages of this material.
Quite clumsy, when I look on it now, but it was great fun to do that. There was only one rule: It has to be free, found somewhere in the city.
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Elizabeth
Blog: Altered Book Lover
I like to walk along the old, no longer used, railroad tracks in our town for really great metal that has aged to perfection.
Nancy Baumiller
New Blog: CROWABOUT
Old Blog: The Fortune Teller
Etsy: Crowabout
No secret here! Let me just say that there is an over abundance of paper, cardboard or what not that comes through each of our homes....that we can reuse and recycle and make something really wonderful from it all!!
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23 comments:
I stayed up to check this new secret Sunday blogspot...even after a very blessed but busy day and now I get to be first to reply. Thank You for introducing most of these wonderful artists to my heart's path. Being part of this quiet movement on a computer puts us all on a stronger path to living in making art and creating our own success. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
Very interesting topic! and again wonderful inspirations and pictures! Thank you!
It's such a balance between putting away objects to use later in a piece and keeping on top of the stash! No wonder we all need studio storage ideas, LOL! Love hearing about items others recycle and how! Thanks Seth!
Awesome collection Seth..
XOXOrly
I'm delighted to know that I'm not alone in recycling nearly everything I use. I really appreciate this week, because recycling is so important to altered artists and any tips we can get are always helpful and appreciated.
Thanks for all these wonderful tips, Seth.
Another great Sunday of secrets...big job for you Seth, but lots of fun and interest for us.
Jacky xox
Love your blog, Seth!
Hey, thought I'd share a few favorite things I recycle into my art.
1.) foam sheet packing material is great "batting" in fiber art work.
2.) old bamboo skewer place mats or hot pads are great for parts. The beads take alcohol ink beautifully and can be incorporated into many things.
3.) I collect all of my used, stained tea bags, empty the tea, and use the bags in my artwork. I recently discovered a tea that stains a beautiful green/gold and fuchsia so I'm drinking lots of it!
Tea bags are one of my favorite collage materials.
4.) Sheer vintage scarves find their way in my fiber work because of their transparency. They are often an element I use to encase onion skins and bits of other elements.
5.) Anything from old clothing or bed linens is game. The fabric itself, buttons, decorative trims, etc.. Stained pieces are great backgrounds for other elements.
Ok, there are 5 of my favorites...
More great ideas...love the idea of finding old junk along the railroad tracks. Thanks much Seth!
Judy W. - that was one of the arttrix I used way back when we were working on Alphabetica...it's a good one...bet in a big city one could just have a field day...
Well, I think your secret sunday post is no longer a secret anywhere in the world. So many great ideas. I usually take pictures of the old signs I see up-never thought of taking the actual sign. Only in New York City would I probably get arrested for taking down a sign that was illegal to put up in the first place! :) Thanks for another great post and to those who "gave away" their super secrets!.
Thanks seth for collecting and sharing all the secrets - I look forward to Sundays
I collect everything and anything. My house is becoming an absolute mess. I have bags full of found materials. I will collect anything that has interesting texture whether it is on paper or fabric. I have no idea what I'll use them for but I know they'll come in handy at some point. I even collect the hardened PVA glue from the bottles in the classroom, and incorporate it somehow into my paintings. My mum and dad are even collecting stuff for me now.
It's so great to see what everyone else uses. Thank you x
Just goes to show that anything and everything can be used in art - one just has to be open to the possibilities and to look in the most unlikely places. One way that we can 'give' back to the planet.
Goodness me! Even the comments are a wealth of inspiration this time. Don't have a dryer (ecological family here in the country) but do drink lots of tea... and love picking bits up off the road and railway tracks... fabbo ideas again. Ta very much to all those wonderfully creative artists out there sharing their tips.
Great ideas and suggestions. I look forward to reading your blog in the future. Lot's to learn from these great artists. Thank you for your blog.......best to you.
I am so happy and honored to be published and featured here in yor blog with such a wonderful group of talente artists and wonderful persons!
Oh my!
Thank YOU so much Seth!
i feel like a "one million dollar baby"!
thank you so much FOREVER!!!
yay for this beginning of 2010!
for more, yes!
cheers!
OHHH!!! OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!! OOOHHH, so that's how, but me too, and I've done, but but but.... AARGH!! Why does work get in the way?!
Half the fun is in the searching isn't it .... and then when you find something really special like a rusty bucket full of bicycle gears it feels like you've hit the jackpot.
with so many of us with our eyes to the ground (and more) it's amazing there is any "stuff" lying around :)
street treasure and recycling are near and dear to my heart too!
again very inspiring and a visual treat as well!
many thanks for another rockin Secret Sunday!!!
oxo
Another rich grouping of favorites and new (to me) inspiring artists to explore and learn from - thanks Seth!!
Now that I've "discovered" your blog I find that I'm looking forward to Sundays to see what kind of secrets are out there.
I felt like I won an award finding my art on this page. I forgot I sent this to you. Love all the ideas of all the artists. Thanks for sharing them with us. ;-)
my favorite in this batch is the idea to walk along railroad tracks... c a r e f u l l y *smile*
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