Master Class 7: A Material World

Welcome to the 5th 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. More than 130 artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented in a series of online posts which will run every Sunday.

Style File and Techniques & Tools were the first two projects posted and links to all 23 posts can be found on the sidebar of my blog. The third project, Master Class, continues now...

Participants were asked : 'If you could take a class from one artist from anytime in history, including the present, who would it be and why?'

(Images and links have been added by The Altered Page)
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A number of the selections included artists whose best-known work was driven by materials, whether paper, metal, clay, or wood.

Anne Bagby said "If I could have one artist come to my studio and bring his "stuff", it would be Fred Otnes. His work is unique, exciting, layered and complex. I would love to see him collage and talk about it. Or maybe go to his studio and see all his "stuff". Texture, neutrals, nuance. He is the best!"

Sally Turlington believes "that Fred Otnes is an old master of collage painting. His work embodies many of the aspects I aspire to with my work - arranging unrelated objects and oddments in happy, lucky juxtaposition of control and chance resulting in confident designs layered in mystery and fun. His are the ultimate."

Susan Madden shares a quote by Otnes: 'I could live with raw umber and black for the rest of my life. It has infinite possibilities, gradations, subtleties -- it has tonal variations that are very beautiful.' Susan adds "This resonates with me and keeps me at peace with some of my favorite color choices. Make a note of this: People who like dark colors are not necessarily dark and depressed."


The book: Fred Otnes Collage Paintings

See my previous blog post about the work of Fred Otnes here.
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Jane Royal chose Gerald Brommer. "He has such an amazing way of combining paint and collage elements.

His work is both realistic and otherwordly; full of imagination and unique style."

The book: Collage Techniques: A Guide for Artists and Illustrators
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Paula Art selected John Chamberlain "because he is my hero. He managed to what he wanted and have a stockade of supplies and do it his way and he made it!"

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Sharon Read would "take a lesson from Sebastian Blackie. I would love to learn how to process hand dug clay, know more about the stains he uses, build a kiln from newspaper...

 and see up close and personal his relationship with the environment."

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Deb Eck picked Lee Bontecou "because I am just fascinated by her work and by her courage and ability to keep working long after she rejected the praise and definition of her work by the art establishment.

I would hope some of that spirit and certainty that I feel in her work would be magically transmitted to me! Just to see the inside of her studio would be a miracle."

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Jeanie Thorn selected Louise Nevelson. She was an amazing artist who was way ahead of her time.

Eileen Bellomo "enjoys assemblages and found art, so learning from Louise Nevelson would have been a dream."

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Next 'Master Class' will be held on Sunday, January 29th.