Thursday, March 31, 2011

Bon Voyage

Eos - Sold. Thank you!
Retires 4/3/11

Phoenix - Sold. Thank You!
Retires 4/11/11


Available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy.
Free shipping on theses two items retiring from my Etsy shop.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Week as Art



One of the many ongoing features of Create Mixed Media is The Week as Art. Each week, one artist creates their own 'calendar' and it is used as one of the headers for the website. This week it is my turn. Interested in having your own week? Click here fore more information.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

And the Beat Goes On


I want to thank everybody who participated in the fourth and most recent version of The Pulse, my online collaborative survey. Last Sunday was the last posting for this edition. Thank you to both the contributing artists and to all of you who have visited and commented faithfully every Sunday since November 22, 2009. This most recent edition of The Pulse has included:

Secret Sunday

Secrets of your favorite artists revealed


The Book Guild
Book reviews, author interviews, giveaways


True Colors
Personal reflections from 14 of the artists from True Colors


StudioScapes
Images of your favorite artists' studio spaces and homes


Viewer's Choice
Top blogs, websites, Etsy shops, and online stores as chosen by your favorite artists


Collectors Edition
Images and descriptions of your favorite artists' collections and obsessions

Links to each and every post in this series, as well as the links to the three previous versions of The Pulse, can be found on the sidebar of my blog.

The Pulse began in January 2008 with a group of 35 artists and has grown to include nearly 150 participants. Next year, my first book based on The Pulse will be published by North Light Books. But before that, help me make The Pulse bigger and better than ever...

The Pulse. Fifth Edition.

Open call.

Stay tuned!

Friday, March 25, 2011

The Elemental Journal


The Elemental Journal by Tammy Kushnir is a newly released book from North Light Books. I received a review copy from the publishers and have thoroughly enjoyed looking through its pages.

The Elemental Journal: Composing Artful Expressions from Items Cast Aside


This book offers a unique take on journaling in several ways. While many books of this type focus on content, The Elemental Journal focuses on structure. Tammy takes the reader through 15 different journal stuctures and presents step-by-step written instructions and step-out images so that anybody can recreate the designs. The instructions are clear and basic enough for the beginner but allow for enough creativity and variation to satisfy the more seasoned book artist. The projects are organized by material, with sections on wood, plastic, paper, fabric, and metal. And for all the lovers of found objects and believers of being green, many of the supplies she uses are repurposed and recycled. Threaded throughout the book are also several galleries of journals created by many well known artists.
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GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader can win a copy of The Elemental Journal. For a chance to win, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post by Thursday 3/31. The winner will be on announced on my Facebook page on Friday 4/1. Please be sure I have your email so I can contact the winner directly. Good luck!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

What, When, Why

This is what it's all about
What

Now is when dreams come true
When

You are why I am here
Why


Sunday, March 20, 2011

Collectors Edition: Chapter 12


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. Links to the first four projects (Secret Sunday, The Book Guild, StudioScapes, Viewer's Choice) can be found on the sidebar of my blog.



Collectors Edition is the fifth installment in which your favorite artists share their favorite collection or obsession. Today we have an open edition. Follow the links below to be taken to the blogs of the participating artists.
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Saturday, March 19, 2011

Double Dip


As an artist I of course love to make art. But I also absolutely love art from other artists as well and every so often I give in to that temptation. This year I have splurged. I took the plunge and double dipped. These two babies now belong to me!


Timanfaya #3

This beautiful piece was made by Rebecca Crowell and actually includes volcanic sand from the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa. Rebecca is an artist I have been following for several years. I have been waiting for just the right painting to purchase and it was finally born in January 2010. Be sure to stop by Rebecca's blog as she has written a fascinating post about the joy of knowing where your artwork ends up after you send it out into the world.


Jerusalem

This wonderful artwork was made by John Borrero. I had originally met John at the One of the Kind Show, which I had posted about here. John creates the most amazing mixed media sculptures but has recently opened up an Etsy shop which showcases his small paintings.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Retirement Party

Now until March 23rd...free shipping on the three items retiring from my Etsy shop.



Cepheus




Lyra - Sold. Thank you!


Themis

Sold. Thank you!

Available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Printed Pattern


I received a reviewer's copy of The Printed Pattern by Rebecca and Yvonne Drury from Interweave Press. The authors are a London-based mother and daughter team best known for their company MissPrint, which specializes in handpainted fabric. I was not sure how useful this book would be for me as my use of fabric in my art is limited to scraps. But I was happy to see that every single technique described could be applied to paper.

The Printed Pattern: Techniques and Projects for Inspired Printmaking and Surface Design


The format of the book makes the process of printing very accessible and easily understood. The book is image-heavy and includes step-by-step photos as well as many well-styled pictures of printed items. Following an introduction that describes the basics of printing, The Printed Pattern reviews relief printing, stencil printing, and screen printing. Potato printing, lino printing, eraser printing, rubber-stamp printing, vintage woodblock printing, stencil printing, and multiple methods of screen printing are all covered in detail. The authors even provide seven sample patterns that you can copy and cut out for printing and pattern-making.

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GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader can win a copy of The Printed Pattern. For a chance to win, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post by Sunday 3/20. The winner will be on announced on my Facebook page on Monday 3/21. Please be sure I have your email so I can contact the winner directly. Good luck!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Visions


Every so often, an art book is released that speaks to me from cover to cover. You know the one that you constantly go back to for information and inspiration. I really only have a few on this list and one of them without doubt is Book + Art: Handcrafting Artist's Books by Dorothy Simpson Krause.
Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists' Books

This book was released in 2009 but I am posting about it today because I recently saw her current solo exhibition, Visions, at 571 Projects in NYC. Running through April 16, Visions showcases a series of new, mixed media works that have been inspired by an 18th century poem. The pieces in the show are framed and wall-hung, but an artist book based on the exhibition is in the process of being created. Dorothy Simpson Krause generously took the time to write the following to the readers of The Altered Page:

"I'm currently completing a book, Visions to accompany the exhibition at 571 Projects of images related to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan or, A Vision in a Dream, A Fragment, composed in 1797 after an opium influenced dream. Coleridge's vision is of a savage place, with holy and enchanted caverns, walls, towers and a sacred river where "The shadow of the dome of pleasure floated midway on the waves". These haunting images of submerged architectural passageways, lit from within, reflect the branches of trees and illuminate floating leaves and flowers."



"Producing a body of work for an exhibit and making a book are similar in that they use images that have a relationship and work well together. While wall-hung pieces may be variable in size, shape and material and any number can be hung in any order, books are usually designed to be hand-held and bound so the images and text are sequential. In this case the wall hanging pieces, are much larger and use varied materials including fresco and aluminum. The book pages, incorporating text from Coleridge's poem, reformats and extends the images to produce pages that are 8.5" x 5.5". The paper, printing, binding and cover are yet to be decided but will be in keeping with the spirit of the work."



Head over to NearSay to read my review of and hear more details about of Visions. If you are in NYC, you can see Visions through April 16. Dorothy Simpson Krause will be at the gallery for the final day of the exhibition and will reveal her artist book at that time.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Collectors Edition: Chapter 11


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. Links to the first four projects (Secret Sunday, The Book Guild, StudioScapes, Viewer's Choice) can be found on the sidebar of my blog.



Collectors Edition is the fifth installment in which your favorite artists share their favorite collection or obsession.
_______________



I'm obsessed sort of with altering Barbies.
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What I collect to use in my art.
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Näharbeiten

Wool and felt.
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White The Rabbit with ephemera - I'm addicted to pianting these guys!
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My travel bag for camera and art materials.
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Photoshop and html – I’m using it to bling my blog and to create collage and mixed media images for myself and Etsy.
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My obsession is catching a good flying crow picture on one of my photo shoots of the many flocks ("murders") living around my area.
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I have some major art journal obsession going on. Also can't do enough digital art including digital collages, digital alteration of simple photographs etc. Photography is my most ardent passion and I use my photographs as the basis for many of my projects.
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My current obsession is creating my own reusable graphics for collage, altered books and art journaling.
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Gail Pierce


Horses, it is said, exude strength, power, and beauty. My horse collection has changed from the plastic ones of my youth to the treasures I have found on my travels. I continue to add photographs of horses to my personal image bank to use in my work some of which can be seen on my blog.

'Horses make a landscape look beautiful' Alice Walker
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Next Collectors Edition Post - 3/20/11

Open Call


The artists from The Pulse have shown you theirs...now let's see yours!


If you would like to participate in Collectors Edition, sign up by leaving a comment to this post. Then on Sunday March 20th, share one or more of your collections/obsessions in a post on your own blog. Please email me at shap97@gmail.com when you go live so I can add a direct link to your site on my blog. That way you can visit The Altered Page to find all the participants. And to the artists who have already been posted as part of Collectors Edition - I know you have even more collections so I hope you will also join in on this open call.