Sunday, December 9, 2012

5x5: Chapter 6


I may be the author of The Pulse of Mixed Media but the true, creative force behind my book is the group of artists who generously shared their secrets and passions and, of course, their art. It was important to me that this book be representative of our entire artistic community, but the total number of contributors I could include was limited by the number of pages in the book. Not wanting to be contained by page numbers, I decided that the Internet was the perfect vehicle to extend the book and be able to include more of the community. With this in mind, the 5x5 Pulse Project was born.


The Pulse of Mixed Media presented the results of a survey in which contributing artists were asked questions that they had to answer with words or provided with prompts that they had to respond to by creating art. These ideas were combined in the 5x5 Pulse Project. I put out an open call for artists to submit artwork created in response to one or more of the following questions that were part of the original book:

1. If your artwork could talk, what would it say?

2. Who has had the most impact on your creative life?

3. What is one thing you have never shared with the creative community?

Submitting artists could chose 1, 2, or all 3 of the questions and respond to each by creating artwork in any medium in the form of a 5" x 5" square. They were asked to include words as a part of their artwork as well. There was a tremendous response to this call and I will be posting each submission every Sunday throughout the months of November and December. 


The 5x5 project is also being featured in a ten-page spread in the November/December 2012 issue of Somerset Studio, now available in stores and online here.

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If your artwork could talk, what would it say?

 "Go ahead and jump down the rabbit hole"

Wanda Hickman
 "It's all in the details"

Sarah Fishburn
 "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all" E.D.

Raylee Syrch
"You see me. Do you feel me?"

Bleubeard and Elizabeth
 "Get me out of the studio and into the real world"

Kathryn Dyche Dechairo
 "Touch me"

Terrie Purkey
 "I am worthy"


"Come close and let your eyes wander"


Jane Royal
 "Capture the essence of the subject and move on. Don't get caught up in the details. In the case of portraits, my most common subject, I focus on the expression and personality of the subject more than the exact likeness. I do strive for recognizable but I don't get too upset if a feature is slightly 'off.' It would be safe to say that I'm not a perfectionist."

Arabella Grayson
 "My art work, my heart work, is beauty - love - peace from my heartspace"

Deborah Guthrie
 "The child in you lives on. Childhood is cherished now as a memory. It was lonely but cherished and the loneliness gave you permission to play and entertain yourself. The stage awaits every day. The lines to say, the costume to plan, make and wear. The delight of the day. Oh the drama of the day. The chances to do it again and again and again."

Loryn Spangler-Jones
 "If perchance he feels himself falling in love, come inside"

Beth Bynum
 "My artwork quotes American author, Joseph Chilton Pearce, To live a creative life, we must lose our fears of being wrong."
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The next edition of 5x5 will be posted on Sunday, December 16th.

18 comments:

Darlene K Campbell said...

Well Seth, I'm glad I jumped down the rabbit hole and found you and all these encouraging and inspiring artist friends. It was such a hoot to open your post and find my zebra. I laughed because I'd kind of forgotten what I sent you. This 5x5 series has been intersting and great fun.

sf said...

Love the cool piece by Deborah Guthrie - what a fun print that would make...

amy of studio four corners said...

another great inspiring collection...love the zebra!

froebelsternchen said...

fabulous pieces ! GREAT!

Arabella said...

thanks for another fun and inspiring 5 x 5 chapter! i'm off to create. . .

Parabolic Muse said...

What a great showing! And the thoughts expressed here are really helpful and inspiring. Things to keep close.

jgr said...

Wonderful and unique pieces! I'm so thrilled to be included, thank you Seth and thanks to all for the inspiration.

Terrie said...

Thanks for continuing to share such a wealth of creativity - it continues to be inspiring to meet such talented folks!

Jackie said...

Darlene! I love that feisty Zebra~ I think i will jump!

Jackie said...

Seth, what a great project~ wonderfully talented artists~ thank you all for sharing

rivergardenstudio said...

This whole project has been wonderful Seth, as is this group of 5 by 5 art that you have shared here!

roxanne

Brian Kasstle said...

These are so wonderful Seth! I keep kicking myself for not participating in this wonderful series.

Bill said...

Okay. I'm jumping down the rabbit hole!

arlsmom aka Lynda said...

Wow...awesome collection of projects. Loved reading the response to the question from each artist...

queenb2u said...

Thanks, Seth, for posting my 5 x 5. It has been thrilling and so inspiring to be with a community of artists who are so creative. Can't wait for your next adventure in art. I am blessed. xoxo

GalleryJuana said...

I've really enjoyed seeing what everyone added to this project. Thank you for posting these!

cHim-prints said...

This was a great group too! I especially liked the piece by Deborah Guthrie. (Frustrating that there is no way to tell her.
Thanks Seth, for making this all possible.

Unknown said...

LS-J Your soft frame is so great!!! All of these pieces have a layering touch that I sure like. I'm still learning how to do this and it inspires me to view there. Awesome bunch of art here. Norma, x