The Cube, The Tube, and The Sleeve

As many of you know, I have been working on a number of art collaborations over the past few years. Several of them have come to a close in 2010. One of these projects was with Vivian Bonder and Stephanie McAtee. Called Self Contained, this was an out-of-the-box collaboration that focused on feelings that we tend to hide from others and that we could no longer contain. I am happy to say that not only is our project in the January/February 2011 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors but it is featured on the cover.

We each created our own, individual pieces bound by absolutely no rules. The artwork traveled back and forth from the United States to Australia and we each worked on all the pieces at least twice. There was a lot of creative synergy and we often added to each other's work. In the end, we were rewarded with the Cube, the Tube, and the Sleeve.

My piece is the Sleeve: 6 wrapped, mixed media booklets, feelings contained within. Click each picture to enlarge for detail..

Here is Viv's incredible Tube and some of the insides that I completed...

And here is Steph's amazing Cube. You may have seen my 'Unfinished' side on the right before. Both Viv and I completed 'Self'' on the left.

A big thank you to Jenn Mason and Barbara Delaney at CPS for all your support! I love the new direction you are taking the magazine.

Sundays with The Pulse

Two weeks from today the next installment of The Pulse will begin. I have missed my Sunday postings these last few weeks and thought I would share with you a preview of what is to come.

Collectors Edition

In which your favorite artists share their favorite collection or obsession.

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Sally Turlington

I am obsessive and compulsive when it comes to collecting. For your sake, I'll share only one for now.
I can't resist little boxes! There are about 90 boxes stored here and many more throughout the house and studio. I've vowed to stop acquiring them. Yeah, right.

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Rachel Whetzel

 I can't get enough of vintage metal picture frames...

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Kecia Deveney

My current obsession and collection is of  tiny, very old, little bisque dolls. I find a lot of them at the flea market or antique stores. But I don't like to pay too much for them - just a few dollars each. I always think I'll make them into jewelry pieces, but have a hard time parting with them!

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Maj Carita Hoenborg

Text! I love text in almost any form. I collect old types. And letters from old signs, and alphabet stamps. And I often use text in my collages. And, of course, in my art journals.

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Dina Wakley 

 Meet my monster collection.
       

Face It

From Sotheby's: African, Oceanic, and Pre-Columbian Art

From the studio: Forehead

Available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy

Sold. Thank you!

Otnes Hotness

There have been a large number of impressive art exhibits in NYC so far this season. Anselm Kiefer was a favorite and you can read brief reviews of many more on my page at NearSay. A recent retrospective of work by collage artist Fred Otnes at Kouros Gallery also was a highlight.

Otnes names his inspirations as Pablo Picasso, Kurt Schwitters, Robert Motherwell, and Joseph Cornell. In turn, he has himself become an inspiration for countless mixed media artists.

The beauty of his work is in the compositions and, as the close-up shots below reveal, the small details.

I'll Tumble for Ya

I'm hooked. The more time I spend on the Tumblr blogs, the harder it is to pull myself away. I like their speed, ease, and visual nature.

Today I decided to start a Tumblr blog as an image portfolio to showcase my photographs and artwork. Although Tumblr allows you to post links, text, quotes, audio, and video, my site there is all about pictures. And no matter how many images I load, if you click on the 'see more' tab and press 'archive', every single blog image will appear on one scrolling page. How amazing is that?

You can visit my Tumblr blog at http://sethapter.tumblr.com/. Here is a little preview of what you will find:

And if you want to see my 'Museum of All Thing I Covet and Admire', a Tumblr blog I use to keep track of art that inspires me, you can find that at http://thealteredpage.tumblr.com/.

Try it. You will get hooked too!

The Power of Art

We all have the great opportunity to see endless amounts of art 24/7 online. I am tremendously lucky to also be able to see a wealth of art in person, in the museums, galleries, and auction houses in NYC. I never take this for granted.

But in truth, I am often underwhelmed. I see many works that do not move me. But every so often, an artist, an exhibit, or a single artwork knocks me over and reminds me of the true power of art. And this just happened when I visited Anselm Kiefer's exhibition 'Next Year in Jerusalem' at the Gagosian Gallery.

Like a cabinet of curiosities, this show is literally filled floor to ceiling with fascinating, emotionally powerful, and jaw dropping objects. The exhibit knocked me over like a hurricane. This is not 'pretty' art. But it does what art does best: it made me think, it made me feel, it made me rememeber, and it made me once again love the power of art.

You can read my more detailed review of the exhibition which will give you a better idea of the context of this haunting show in this post at NearSay. And because photography was actually allowed, you can join me on a walk through this amazing event.