Mixed Media Dossier

Join me in New York City on March 31st when The Ink Pad in NYC will be holding a series of special events to celebrate the release of my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed.

WORKSHOP

From 1pm to 5pm, I will be teaching a workshop called Mixed Media Dossier. In this workshop you will create a personal dossier - a handmade, mixed media journal that you can use long after the workshop ends. Use it as a daily journal or as a place to record a specific event or experience.

During the workshop you will learn a variety of mixed media techniques for creating texture, layers and dimension that you can apply to any future project.

A simple approach to binding will allow you to literally pull the entire project together and to add pages to your dossier at anytime in the future.

In the end, you will have a one-of-a-kind and highly personal keepsake.

Seats for the workshop are limited and must be reserved in advance. Click here to find out more information about the class and contact the Ink Pad at 212-463-9876 to register. Please note that the supplies for the class have been updated and the final list can be obtained when you call to register for the workshop.

Workshop has sold out. Thank you!

ARTIST PANEL

Prior to the workshop on March 31st, from 10am to 12pm,  I will be moderating an artist panel with contributing artists Michelle Ward, Karen Cole, Jill Zaheer, Roxanne Evans Stout, Julie Prichard, and Danny Gregory.

The panel members will discuss their contributions to the book, answer audience questions, show samples of their artwork, share their personal creative process, and sign copies of the book.

The panel is free and open to the public but you must contact The Ink Pad at 212-463-9876 in advance to reserve a place as seats are limited. This will be an opportunity to have a true insider's view and is an event not to be missed.

Time Passes...............

Created as part of 'Dave's App Recipe Book' project from David Hayes at Clearer Reflections.

Apps used: Pic Grunger, Scratch Cam, and VintageScene

Your Blog, Your Way: Part 10

Tenth post in my series on Create Mixed Media.

By cultivating the artist within and sharing our developing identities in our posts, we will be one step closer to creating a blog that by all definitions is a success.

Read more here...

Master Class 6: Special K

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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dorit Elisha chose Paul Klee. "I would LOVE a lesson with Klee. I love his playful and imaginative control of color, texture and subject. I would love to live inside his paintings, which sometimes look and feel like a dream."

Mary Beth Shaw would "jump back into history to study with Paul Klee. I admire so many things about him, his color management, obviously his draftsmanship and also the symbolism in his work. I am especially interested in the fact he was a mixed media guy and didn't really follow the trends of his time, but developed his own voice, often working in isolation, using unconventional supplies, trying new techniques. There is a certain humor in some of his early work that intrigues me and I think it would be fun to take a class from him."

Chris Miser is on the same page but also adds a 'second K.' "I so admire Klee's use of color and color theory, his representation of mathematic and musical (metered) concepts in his art, and the humor he injected into his work. I've always been drawn to his work and to Kandinsky's, who was a peer of Klee, because of their work in cubism, surrealism, and other schools of abstract art, as well as Bauhaus, which I find odd but oddly compelling. Klee has the added appeal of working passionately in many different media, and incorporating wit."

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Barbara Kleinhans chose Anselm Kiefer "because his work is many things that mine is not: large, bold and dark. I admire his fearless use of elements other than paint in his work."

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Shayla Perreault Newcomb chose Gustav Klimt. "His family background was in jewelry and that gave him advanced techniques in the use of real gold in his paintings. I would love to learn his techniques, plus have the opportunity to see some of the larger than life paintings that sadly were destroyed by the Nazis."

annie! also chose Klimt "because I think he was brilliant with collage and color."

Cory Celaya chose Klimt for a different reason..."he used two of my favorite elements, the face/figure and pattern."

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Natasha White chose Emare Karaka (Emily Karaka). "I remember when I first saw a piece of her work during a visit to a gallery while I was still at high school and I did not get much further. I kept coming back to it. Her work mesmerized me, it was so bold and emotional and symbolic and colourful and I connected. That work has a hold on me even now, decades later I can still see it and remember my response to it. I am goosebumpy just thinking about it. I love her work and would take anything she could teach me with two hands and my heart in an instant."

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Kelly Kilmer (a double K herself) said "If I could go back in time, I would love to take a class with Corita Kent, aka Sister Corita. Her use of color, line, imagery and text resonate very deeply with me. I have her book (co-written with Jan Steward), Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit, and it has opened my eyes to the multitude of possibilities that exist in the world. It's all about learning to see and expressing what you see and feel."

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Next 'Master Class' will be held on Sunday, January 22nd.

Thoughts Dear Readers?

Since I started my series Your Blog, Your Way on Create Mixed Media, I have received emails from a number of people with specific questions about the process of creating and maintaining a blog. I recently received an email about an issue related to culture and language and thought that I would reach out to all of you for your opinions. If you have a moment, please read through this post and feel free to share your thoughts in a comment. I know there is one future blogger who will benefit greatly from your opinions but I imagine that there are other bloggers out there with the same set of questions.

The (paraphrased) brief:

"My mother tongue is French. I am torn between joining the Anglophone community of bloggers (very large) or the Francophone community (small). There is little done in French in the mixed media realm, so it would also be a matter of building the community. Or I thought I could blog in both languages. This could possibly provide me with a balance of joining an existing group and starting one of my own. However I wonder if the objective of writing one post in French and one in English is a good thing when it comes to continuity. At the moment I am not able to commit to more time wise, yet hesitate to let go of either language."

Thoughts dear readers?

Go to the Gym

I am all about the collaboration. But for the first time since 2008, I am collaboration-free. Toward the end of last year I completed my last ongoing collaborative project and decided to take time off so that I could focus on my book. My hiatus will be far from permanent however, as I plan to begin several new collaborations later in 2012 - including one that I have been thinking about for many years.

In the mean time, my older collaborations continue to be the gifts that keep on giving. This past September my project with Bridgette Guerzon Mills and Jen Worden was exhibited at the Logan Square Art Center in Chicago. My collaboration with Sarah Whitmire is being featured in the current issue of Somerset Studio. A collaborative project that I completed with Jill Zaheer, and which has never been posted, will also soon be published. More details on that later this year.

And it thrills me to be able to announce that two of my collaborative projects will be featured in Collaborations, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Artists Gym opening on January 28. That show will feature:

Winds of Change, my project with Roxanne Evans Stout...

and Self Contained, my collaboration with Vivian Bonder and Stephanie McAtee.... 

An opening reception for the show will be held on Saturday, January 28 from 6-9pm. The exhibition runs through February 6. Brooklyn Artists Gym is located on 168 7th Avenue, 3rd Floor in Brooklyn NY. Call 718-858-9069 for more information. Hope to see you locals there!

The Ink Pad

This arrived in my inbox this morning:

The Ink Pad is in New York City and I hope those of you who are near will be able to attend this day of creative exploration. Stay tuned for more details on my blog soon.

Master Class 4: Leonardo da Vinci

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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Chapter 4: Leonardo da Vinci

Jill Zaheer aptly describes the breadth and depth of da Vinci's reach. "I would love to take a class from Leonardo da Vinci. He integrates the technical aspects of mathematics with the physics in his paintings while still expressing emotion and depth within all that he drew, painted and created. Da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, geologist, anatomist, cartographer, botanist, writer and philosopher. To be able to interact and be a student of such a talented artist would be a life long gift."

Pam Carriker says "I would take a sketching class from Leonardo da Vinci. His techniques looks so simple but it's so detailed at the same time. I love the simple beauty of his sketches and could spend for hours on end practicing. It's something you would never be 'done' with, it would just go and on as you play with light, shading, and various drawing instruments."

David Hayes concurs. "It would have to be Leonardo da Vinci. Why? Why isn't that obvious! The man was a genius...to spend time with him discussing anything he wanted to would just be an amazing time. Even still, given my choice of topics I would want him to focus on his "process"...how he came up with his concepts...how he viewed life and translated this to his art. So much to learn from just this!"

Donna Joy feels that "it would be interesting to hear his thought process while he is creating something."

Stacey Merrill says "not only did he have an incredible eye, but he was a master of looking at things from a whole new perspective...and then coming up with a creative solution. His interests were so varied, you could be learning anything from figure drawing to mechanical engineering (+ everything in between) in his classroom."

For Lelainia N. Lloyd, "hands down, without a second of thought, I would have to say Leonardo da Vinci. Not only was the man a brilliant painter and sculptor, but he was also an architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, philosopher, humanist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer (Can you say "Polymath"boys and girls?). He was a true visionary and one of the most brilliant minds of all time. Who wouldn't want the opportunity to tap into his genius?"

Nelda Ream sums this all up very well. "The man was a genius. I would probably be so awestruck I couldn't say a word."
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Next "Master Class" will be held on Sunday, January 8th. 

There is Magic...

As 2011 turns into 2012 it feels to me as though time is speeding up. Because of that, I am doing my very best to make the most out of every precious minute that has been given to me. And I have been spending many of these moments lately reflecting on this past year and looking forward to the coming year. As always, life has brought both ups & downs, smiles & tears, and light & shadow. Throughout it all, my anchor has been art. And for that I feel lucky.

In this moment of transition, I want to thank you all for being there and joining me on this great adventure. Your support of my creative life never ceases to amaze me and I never take it for granted. I "feel the love" everyday and I cannot thank you enough for that.

There is magic to be found in the lives we are all living and I look forward to sharing many more magical moments with you in 2012.

Why?

When they ask why...

...I say why not?