Friday, April 30, 2010

It's True...


True Colors. The Event. Beginning May 9 on The Altered Page. Stay tuned...

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Bundle Up


As part of my current article on the DisCo project in the May/June issue of Cloth Paper Scissors, the magazine is sponsoring a readers challenge on their website. If you did not participate in the Disintegration Collaboration the first time around (or even if you did), now is your chance. Create your own art bundle, place it in nature, and repurpose the materials to create a new artwork.


CPS has created a dedicated webpage on their site so that you can upload photos of your bundle for all three steps of the project. You can go to their homepage and click on the "DisCo Project" link. Or click here to go directly to the DisCo page. While you are there, you can already see many of the bundles and repurposed art pieces created by the original participants in the project. In order to add your own pictures, you have to register to be a member of their web community.


The images in this post are all taken from the sample bundle that I created for the article. In the magazine, you can find step-by-step instructions to recreate this bundle. Or you can simply use the instructions as a loose guide and create your own bundle in any shape or form you like. You will also find a list of helpful "bundle tips" in the magazine.


I made two identical bundles (approximately 30 1/2" x 7 1/2") for CPS and am offering both to readers of my blog through a giveaway. To have a chance to win, please just leave a comment on this post by the end of Tuesday May 4th. I will randomly select and post the names of the two winners on Wednesday May 5th. Good luck!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Book Guild - Chapter 5




Welcome to the fourth edition of The Pulse -- The State of the Art -- a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. Nearly 150 artists have answered a list of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented as a series of online and print projects. Secret Sunday was the first project and the links to all the secrets can be found on the sidebar of my blog. The Book Guild is the second project and Chapter 5 starts right now!


All artists participating in The Pulse were asked to name their favorite art books. The Book Guild will present this list, along with links, book reviews, giveaways, and interviews with many of your favorite authors. And as members of The Guild, I am hoping YOU will participate by leaving comments related to the books in each post - for example thoughts, book reviews, personal experiences, or a link back to your own blog posts that include artwork based on a project in the listed book.
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Chapter 5: Transformation

Secrets of Rusty Things: Transforming Found Objects into Art

Secrets of Rusty Things: Transforming Found Objects into Art by Michael de Meng is a favorite of both Pam McKnight and Rebeca Trevino.


The Altered Object: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration

Joanne Archer selected The Altered Object: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration by Terry Taylor as one of her favorites.


Found Object Art (Schiffer Art Book)

Found Object Art by Dorothy Spencer was chosen as a favorite by Leighanna Light.


Found Object Art II

Leighanna chose the second in the series, Found Object Art II by Tina Skinner, as a favorite as well.

The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery : Mixed-Media Techniques for Collage, Altered Books, Artist Journals, and More

The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery : Mixed-Media Techniques for Collage, Altered Books, Artist Journals, and More by Karen Michel was a favorite of both Becky New and Elizabeth.

Collage, Assemblage, and Altered Art: Creating Unique Images and Objects

The book Collage, Assemblage, and Altered Art: Creating Unique Images and Objects by Diane Maurer-Mathison was a favorite of Sharmon Davidson.

Transforming Fabric: Thirty Creative Ways to Paint, Dye and Pattern Cloth

One favorite of Judith Stadler was Carolyn A. Dahl's Transforming Fabric: Thirty Creative Ways to Paint, Dye, and Pattern Cloth.

Manufractured: The Conspicuous Transformation of Everyday Objects

One of &rew's choices for favorite is Manufractured: The Conspicuous Transformation of Everyday Objects by Steven Skov Holt and Mara Holt Skov.

Altered Curiosities: Assemblage Techniques and Projects

Altered Curiosities: Assemblage Techniques and Products by Jane Ann Wynn is a favorite of Debrina.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Order of the Golden Owl

Early in 2010 two brothers, Doug and Barry Beeglecomb, discovered a locked chest hidden behind the boiler in their basement. Keeping their discovery a secret, they snuck it up to their shared room and placed it deep within the recesses of their closet, under piles of dirty clothes. Curious as they were, they waited one whole week until they were finally alone in their home one night. Using a mallet to break open the already loose lock, they were amazed to find a pile of yellowed papers, underneath which laid a velvet-wrapped book. With eyes wide open and mouths agape, this was the night that they learned of OGO.


The Year: 1891
The Place: Hibou, Delaware
The Secret: The Order of the Golden Owl
The Book...












Artist Book. 2010. Created as the third and final step in the Disintegration Collaboration. Featured in Cloth Paper Scissors May/June 2010.

Available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy, where you can find more details about the book.

Sold. Thank you!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

reDISCOvery

One of the projects I dedicated most of 2009 to was the Disintegration Collaboration - or DisCo for short! The idea was simple. I invited people to create an artistic bundle made from materials of their own choosing and “hang, bury, submerge, or just place” the bundle in the elements. This collaboration was to be with the ultimate partner…Mother Nature herself!


I have always been fascinated with the impact of time on both nature and man-made objects. For me, there is intrinsic beauty in evolution, in change, and even in decay. In my mind this relates to our own aging, to the value of recycling and repurposing, and to the recognition of the beauty of weathered and distressed objects – be they a rusty fence, a wall with peeling paint, or ourselves!


123 people placed bundles in nature. Four months later, 96 participants revealed the results on their blog. But there was more. As a means of symbolically reflecting the re-creation that often follows dis-integration in nature, more than 70 of the original participants created a new artwork using some or all of the disintegrated materials from their bundles. You can read about the project, see photos of select bundles, and click through the list of participants in this blog post.


So why am I talking about this project now? Because DisCo has been reDISCOvered! I am thrilled to be able to tell you that this project is currently featured in a 7-page spread in the May/June issue of Cloth Paper Scissors.


The article includes the full story behind DisCo, photos of many of the participating artists' bundles at all stages of the project, the reveal of the final artwork I made from my bundle (yep - I had never posted that on my blog), and step-by-step instructions for this project so you to can try this at home!

Stay tuned for several upcoming posts highlighting a readers' challenge that you can join as well as my own DisCo creation...


And thank you to all the amazing artists who have been part of this project and to Jenn Mason at CPS who has been in my corner since the beginning of DisCo.