Secret Sunday 16

Do you want to know a secret?


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.......Lesson Plan!
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Regien Dwarkasing
Blog: Mostly Turquoise

Whenever I visit a Starbucks, I take pictures of the art & wallpaper, that is always there. I like to use these pictures and combine them with my own ones for digital collages.
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Debbie Mihalick
Blog: Senses Engaged

This tip comes from Keith Lo Bue, a fabulous artist who works with found objects. Although the tip came from a class he taught on building jewelry, I feel it applies just as well to any composition and material: choose one thing you love as your starting point and look at everything else in relation to this piece. Consider hiding part of it for an added element of mystery and to invite the viewer to look closer. I used these principles with a simple pendant.

The bit of ivory was a recent purchase and I was dying for a way to use it. It seemed to fit really well over the vintage photo and I liked the tones of both pieces together. Even though my metalwork needs a lot of improvement, I was very happy with the way it turned out.
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Rainey J. Gibney
Website: The Josie Baggley Company

When I'm painting a face I sometimes turn the canvas upside down whilst I paint. I've gotten some surprising results by doing this as the mind's eye is working here and shapes rather than an exact image is being built. It is a free and expressive way to paint.

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Robert Stockton
Artist Portfolio: Robert Stockton

The concept of “bricolage,” which is defined as: a construction made from whatever materials are at hand; something created from a variety of available things. I like this idea, and use it frequently in my work. I look around my studio, and simply choose, at random, whatever it is that falls into my line of sight as a way of selecting materials to use on a given project. Certain combinations of materials often suggest using certain techniques, and so it goes!

Bricolage is simply letting serendipity and intuition have the upper hand. Once you begin using it, the process becomes virtually subconscious and, I think, puts you more directly in touch with your creative self. It frequently leads my artwork in interesting and unexpected directions!
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Laura Pace
Blog: Found Memories Art
Facebook: Laura A. Pace

I think something that has helped me immensely lately is a folding tabletop easel. As mixed media artists, we tend to work flat on the table. We are usually gluing something in place on the paper or canvas or whatever background we have chosen. We do all our painting/coloring flat also. What we might forget is that when its done, the piece of art will be viewed upright, against a wall usually. This gives it a whole different perspective.

With the work on an easel, I can step back and see how the balance and composition is as it will look on the wall at a distance. By working on a folding tabletop easel, I can lower it down to do the glueing, then raise it back up to do whatever painting or coloring work that needs to be done.
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Leslie Marsh
Blog: Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
Blog: Daily Focus

I have found the best way (thanks Isabel) to remove a wine label, which has introduced an entirely new and entertaining dimension to shopping for wine. It’s simple: pour boiling water INSIDE of the empty bottle and let it sit until the label peels off, adhesive and all!

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KC Willis
Website: Lipstick Ranch
Blog: KC Willis
Ning: KC Willis Collage Camp

Almost all of my pieces start with unprimed artist canvas, torn, washed and coffee stained. When I wash the canvas, the edges fray off and what started out as a mess in my washing machine turned out to be an important part of my work. These clumps of thread that have tangled themselves up in the canvas are cut apart and coffee stained then hung outside to drip dry. They then are a part of almost every collage I create for my bigger pieces.

They add wonderful texture and become the "seat" for most of my embellishments. Sometimes whether I need more canvas pieces or not I will wash canvas just for the "clumpie" harvest. I have been known to get down-right ecstatic when my washing machine produces a bumper crop.
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