Sunday, September 30, 2012

Playing Favorites: Chapter 7


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, Techniques & Tools, Master Class, and It's Still Life were the first four projects posted and links to all these posts can be found on the sidebar of my blog. The fifth project, Playing Favorites, continues now...


Participants were asked to: share a picture of a favorite piece of art that you have created and explain its meaning to you...
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Chris Miser
"I wanted to collage with tissue paper, but I never had before. I'd seen a woman create a huge canvas entirely out of bits of tissue, and I loved the effect. It reminded me of cubist works, mosaics, or pointillism. This is my first attempt at it, and I loved it. I learned that a woman who had just bought her first home alone loved it even more than I did, so it made me very happy to give it to her as a housewarming gift."

Arabella Grayson
"Mosaic Heart. I took what was available at the time - a red crayon, a page from the newspaper, a brown paper bag, my broken heart - and created something beautiful at a time of great uncertainty and despair. That first piece - a mosaic heart affixed to a piece of paper bag - affirmed my commitment to leading an authentic life...to being an artist."

Dina Wakley
"This art journal page is a tribute to all my art friends from all over the world. Birds of an 'art' feather flock together! I love to teach and create with like-minded artists. It's comfortable and fulfilling."

Trudi Sissons
"I love gardening and, in particular, I love irises. I used a photograph I had taken of one of the iris blossoms in my garden and created a digital illustration using images from Evelyn Ducote's stock - Vintage Paris. I love the feeling I get when I become entirely consumed by creating and seem to lose myself inside the art."

Judy Shea
"withlovefull. This piece has many textures in it from polymer clay to fabric to beeswax. It means serenity and love to me. This really shows that I am a very tactile artist. I want people to touch my art and feel the surface and the grain. I also tend to use colors that show a bit of my Middle East heritage."

Tari Goerlitz
 "Germerica is a multi-cultural portrait of my son. It's faceless because it isn't about him as an individual. It's about identity and how people keep trying to define 'what' children are when they are born to parents of different nationalities."


"This piece was done for a fellow artist in one of the many collaborative art journals I have been involved in. It was a breakthrough piece for me, as I felt I was really finding my style in mixed media. Collage, photographs, junk mail, paint, ink, rubber stamping, paper piecing all found their way into this piece, and years later, I still love it." 





"The series of journals I made for my first commission was magically free from the devils of expectation. This one is one of my favorites because it symbolizes the essence of creating...a peaceful entry through endless doorways."



"As of this moment, this is a favorite for several reasons. There are several private pilots in our family - so the plane represents that. The little boy in his toy plane represents childhood - we all wanted to fly and had the gift of playing without even thinking about it. The actual art piece is one I created after not creating a thing for over 5 months. Made me feel like I might actually get my groove back."


Dave Dube...
 ...from the following still life
"Flash Gordon and Atlas Rocket Chalk. Although this piece is on new paper, I've tried to move off of the Old Paper occasionally to put some of these vintage ideas of mine in a new light. Thew slate and Rocket Chalk were given to my wife by her mother, and they in turn came from her Aunt Florence, who was a schoolteacher in the 30s in Oregon. The cartoon is a copy of a Flash Gordon comic strip panel that I own. The Atlas fruit jar is one in my collection."
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Next "Playing Favorites" will be posted on Sunday, October 7th.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Book Bonanza


So many books, so little time. Here are just a few of the titles that I am looking forward to exploring...


This book from Julie Prichard and Chris Cozen looks like it will be a reference guide to refer back to again and again. It is hard-covered and spiral bound, so it will lay flat. We have to wait until April 2013   until it is released but it is available for pre-order now.


I love Dina Wakley's creative style. Think splatters, splotches, scribbles, scratches, spritzes, splashes, and sprays. And of course color. This books looks to be a great combination of art gallery and art lesson. It goes on sale February 2013 but can be pre-ordered now.


From Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran Wilson, the duo who brought us Surface Treatment Workshop. This book focuses on creative ways to reuse our own art and our scraps (and who doesn't have a ton of those?). Officially available in January 2013, it is currently available for pre-order.

Photo Craft: Creative Mixed Media and Digital Approaches to Transforming Your Photographs

Susan Tuttle and Christy Hydeck bring us Photo Craft, which highlights both digital and mixed media techniques to use with your photographs. There inclusion of apps and iPhoneography seems particularly useful. It releases in November 2013 but can be pre-ordered now.


This book is hot off the presses, having just been released on September 19th. It looks to take art journaling off the traditional page and to provide a series of unique and non-traditional formats for journaling, including boxes, scrolls and cards.


This new book from Jenny Doh, due in December 2013, looks fantastic. It highlights the journal work of 19 artists, some very well known and some completely new to me. There are step-by-step journal projects, examples of journal pages, and tips. The range of styles is inspired. Pre-order now.


The newest from Danny Gregory. This book shares the journal pages he created in the wake of his wife's death and may just be his most personal and intimate book to date. It is being released in November 2012 but is currently available for preorder.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Pulse Points


In 2010 a series of survey questions were posted on my blog as a means of ‘taking the pulse’ of the online art community. More than 40 questions were posed and the results of the survey was presented as sidebars in my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed. The survey tapped into a range of issues, both practical and psychological, related to being an artist today.


In Pulse Points, my new series beginning today on Create Mixed Media, select survey questions from the book were presented to several different groups of artists working in mixed media and beyond. 

Today's rockstar panel includes: Traci Bautista, Jane Davies, Linda Cain, Roben-Marie Smith, and Lynn Whipple.

Today's questions and original survey results from The Pulse of Mixed Media:

What would boost your creativity the most...
More time…51%
More space…37%
More supplies…12%

Do you find yourself influenced by current trends...
Absolutely, I love the newest trends…6%
Yes, sometimes they have an impact on me…62%
No, they do not effect the direction of my art…32%

And a taste of what our panel members had to say:

Traci Bautista: "I love to do what I call trending+inspiration trips to help inspire ideas for colors, materials, textures and design. These trips include visiting my favorite stores, fashion designers, traveling to different cites, scouring vintage, antique and home stores."

Jane Davies: "I think a studio elf who comes in and cleans and organizes every night would help me focus more on my work. I don't want things extremely neat and organized - but if I could just have a clear space to work in, I think it would help."

Linda Cain: "I have enough stuff to play with way beyond the time I will probably be on this earth. BUT...I want them all. I've said many times 'it's a lot easier to collect supplies than to actually use them.'"  

Roben-Marie Smith: "I have been spending too much time on activities that keep me from being in the studio. It is hard to create on demand and scheduling a few hours a week in the studio is just not working for me."

Lynn Whipple: "It's funny how certain themes will show up in lots of people's work seemingly at the same time, say...birds, for instance. I always thought it might have something to do with the collective unconsciousness."


Head on over to Create Mixed Media to hear much more of what the panel has to say about these issues. And if you would like, please share your own thoughts in the comment sections here or at CMM.

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Want to be part of the artist survey that will be included in my next book? I am currently posting 4 new questions weekly on the sidebar of my blog. Head on over now, cast your vote anonymously, and make your voice known. 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Playing Favorites: Chapter 6


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, Techniques & Tools, Master Class, and It's Still Life were the first four projects posted and links to all these posts can be found on the sidebar of my blog. The fifth project, Playing Favorites, continues now...


Participants were asked to: share a picture of a favorite piece of art that you have created and explain its meaning to you...
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Shayla Perreault Newcomb
"This painting is called Dare to Rise and it looks similar to the landscape around Woodstock, N.B. I had lived there for 4 years in an unhealthy marriage and the area is full of unhappy memories for me. After revisiting the area,  I came back and painted this. The painting revealed itself as being about my first marriage. It stands for that first moment when you decide to make a change and the courage it takes to."

Annie Kerr
"In Snowdonia, North Wales, Y Lliwedd and Llyn Llydaw before the weather closed in. It brings back fond memories of hiking in the mountains and of the awesome power of such places."

judy sidonie tillinger
"This painting represents a place I am constantly drawn to - the southwest. This was done at Ghost Ranch in Abiqui, New Mexico with pastels."

Laura A. Pace
"This is Bottle House. It is a delightful house in New Zealand. I loved the way the lights hit it. The house has those wonderful round windows and the bottle shaped addition, all overlooking the water."

Cyn Richardson
"This is one of a series of small paintings, all 8" square, that are of 'Peeks' into my corner of Connecticut. They are all partial images of Victorian age mills, lamp posts on a bridge in Putnam, little images that you might catch just glancing around. This one is the Brooklyn Town Hall, using a reference photo I took. I love the way the flag is folded, looking like it will whip out in the wind in any second. It pleases me so much to be actually able to translate my photographs into paintings."

Marcia Beckett
"This work of art was created about 11 years ago. It is a view of the apartment complex I lived in during a year in college. The oil painting has nostalgic memories because I think of my life during that time. This was also one of my first forays into using color for a more expressive purpose."

Jill Zaheer
"My favorite painting titled Venice in Style was the first work I created since starting to art again. It was made by putting together a collage of photos I had taken in venice, drawing an outline of the painting I wanted to create with a black sharpie on my canvas, and then starting to paint away. The completion of this painting gave me the confidence to feel that I could really paint."
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Next "Playing Favorites" will be posted on Sunday, September 30th.

Friday, September 21, 2012

What's Your Point?

Coming soon to The Altered Page and to Create Mixed Media...

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Four new artist survey questions have been added to the sidebar of my blog. Share your thoughts and speak your mind anonymously. The polls are now open...

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Playing Favorites: Chapter 5


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, Techniques & Tools, Master Class, and It's Still Life were the first four projects posted and links to all these posts can be found on the sidebar of my blog. The fifth project, Playing Favorites, continues now...


Participants were asked to: share a picture of a favorite piece of art that you have created and explain its meaning to you...
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Svetlana Spasojevic
"Tragic events in my home country in the late 90s have resulted not only in the disappearance of a country from the world maps but more importantly have left many generations of people with wounded memories. This altered book Retrieved from Ashes is dedicated to my mother's sporting career."

theresa mARTin
 "Julie's Dream is made up of components that remind me of people and different times of my life. The wooden house part is from an elaborate birdhouse constructed by my late uncle. The horse and its china wing were given to me by a friend names Julie. There is a tintype from my antique photo collection beneath the magnifying glass. The chain is like the chain of swings from years ago. It's made with objects that evoke happy moments from the past."

Darlene AkAHugGeR Wilkinson
"I can't say this is a fave because I don't have faves but this is one of my pieces."

Luthien Thye
"This must be the most meaningful piece of art I have ever made. Wee is inspired and especially created in tribute to my little 29-weeker baby, Maia Fae. It represents the struggle she had to face upon her arrival in this world...her fight to survive, her strength, her tenacity and her spirit. The stamp numbers are the identification number on Maia's NICU tag. The littlest washer of course represents her...small (she was 1.3kg at birth) and unique but has as much right to be amongst us as her larger counterparts. My wee one, my fighter, my miracle..."

Kim Palmer
"I created this piece as part of the Pulp Redux collaboration for Debrina's book and it is for me representational of my own ability to overcome obstacles. It required so many problem solving techniques to complete the ideas that I had formed in my head, and I wanted to work with metal in ways I hadn't previously. The finished piece also had to perform within the book structure. As I said, lots of problem solving but I was really happy with how I overcame the construction obstacles and was able to produce the piece as I had envisioned it."

Leslie Marsh
"This is my 365 Grateful project and the book I made to house my daily photos. One of my favorite pieces - this week. It's not that large - about 6" by 9"- but it's 3 inches thick, with two days' photos on a page! I like the feel of this book in my hands, the image of the girl stopping to smell the flowers and the combination of an old book cover, metal elements and waxed linen thread. I like knowing that this book will hold a year's worth of gratitude, and my heart will hold the fresh perspective that the exercise brings."

Pam McKnight
"This was created with found objects but has a much deeper meaning as each tag honors a person that died in a horrendous fire at the Pioneer Hotel represented by the hanger."

Art by Canace
"Eleventh Hour is a very powerful assemblage for me. Many religions, prognosticators and ancient civilizations dictate some sort of Armageddon or apocalypse in our near future. These predictions in my  opinion are totally unfounded, however they have for centuries manipulated peoples' thoughts and judgements about their future causing them to experience untold anxieties, pain and fears."

Jeanie Thorn
"This is Patch which is composed of the basic elements of lines, planes and shapes. In addition to the engineering challenge of fabrication and assembly, it contains many of the elements of design I find so important: balance (in this case asymmetrical balance), harmony, rhythm, texture, emphasis and focus, contrast and variety, proportion and scale."

Debbie Price-Ewen
"This piece is called Driftwood Girl, in honour of myself, because I loved walking among the driftwood and combing the beach (Foxton Beach, New Zealand) for 'finds'. Some of my best, creatively inspired moments have come to me whilst scouring the beach. As well as being an endless source of inspiration, it has a rich history.  In colonial times it was a 'highway' of sorts because there were no roads, and so I constantly think about my ancestors doing the hard miles along this is the connecting coastal beaches."
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Next "Playing Favorites" will be posted on Sunday, September 23rd.