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 is the 1st of 6 projects from The Pulse. Participants were asked: How would you describe your artistic style?
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Rebeca Trevino
My style is definitely ec*lec*tic. I like lots of 'stuff.' And I like to have my stuff all around me. Not in a 'cluttered' way, and not messy, but I like to be able to see it and touch it. Around my house you will see jars of dice and games pieces, and a favorite one of marbles. I have bowls of sea glass, a bowl of vintage doorknobs, and another one of hand painted eggs. So when I started making the 'embellished fish' series, I felt that I had found my style (similar to the 'memory jars' of old). And the best part is that others really seem to love them too.
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Deb Eck
Bookish! I love old books, text, type...probably a throwback from all those years as a typesetter. If you can do it with a book, I love it! And most of my work is inspired by words, by something I have read or by the words on a page that I am working with. Books are both magical and mundane and I never tire of their presence! (Sarah Beth/Corset)
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Lani Gerity
My artistic style might be slightly Steampunk meets Pollyanna, slightly dark but with an undertone of sweetness and hope as well. Hmmm. Kind of mixed up I guess. Here are two altered dolls that I love, and they are definitely a bit dark and a bit sweet.
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Alicia Caudle
I would describe my art as a balanced (or imbalanced?) mix of light and dark. I tend to lean toward the "morbid" side of things in my fascination with death and dying but also love pretty things such as flowers and lace. My art often has the juxtaposition of both, such as anatomical illustrations and rose buds, as in this piece, or animal bones and delicate lace.
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Victoria Crowder Payne
Mixed media embroidery. I knew I manifested my artistic mojo when the 'Roots at Dusk' (3.5 x 4.5 ft) came into existence. At 110,000 stitches over 14 months, she encompasses ALL that I am capable of: under painting and graphite sketching; stenciling and hand stamping in spray paint, watercolor and soft bodied acrylics; collage and applique in fabric, text, tissue and parchment; and traditional and dimensional embroidery in floss, metallics, wire and deconstructed fiber.
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Luthien Thye
Hmmmm....that's a good question...can "messed up be a style? Well I guess "otherwordly", "fantastical" (as in fantasy-like) and definitely "tainted with age". (See of Maia)
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Cory Celaya
My style is unique. The Moxified Bangle.
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Cyn Richardson
Eclectic - I like to use a lot of different mediums. These images are four of my Artist Trading Cards , two paintings, a collage, a ceramic head, two photos and two digital pieces, one an altered mirror image, and the other a digital painting.
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Sharon Read
Transferable through various media is how I would describe my style. This is a photograph of a smoke fired ceramic spiral. Although the ceramic piece itself is part of a group of spirals, the image stands alone as a piece in its own right.
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Art by Canace
I think it's obvious in most of my work that I have a deep connection with vintage items, whether it's an old tool of some sort or a beautiful set of brass gears, it all resonates with me. I have a tendency either consciously or not to convey a certain degree of information clearly, but holding back just enough to allow the viewer his own interpretation, letting it become personal to him or her. "Dispense as Needed" is an example of this as it obviously shows many negative emotions in the background and clearly a bottle of poison and sharp tacks in the foreground, the rest is open to interpretation.
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Next 'Style File' will be posted Sunday, August 14th.
by Jill K. Berry
by Jennifer New
by Alexandra Onderwater and Paul Barbera
by Barbara Delaney
by Rice Freeman-Zachery 
by Lisa Cyr
by Cate Coulacos Prato
