Sunday, December 23, 2012

5x5: Chapter 8

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?

Kim Henkel
"I have brought joy, peace and comfort
I have brought silence, beauty. strength
to the very heart of my creator.
I have let in the light."

Cat Storey
"grow"

Robert Stockton
"I exist as a fragment of the everyday details of a life lived in another place or time."

Olivia King
"She often does not know the way. She stands alone in front of me waiting, sifting through memories looking for the still point of a fragment, a whisper, a color. Then she begins with her brush. because she must show you what lies beneath her soul."

Karen Isaacson
"What will she do next?"

Lindi Stevenson
"Art...in real life. Where have you been?"

Carrie Siems

"My artwork did have something to say... until I took the words right out of its mouth. Seriously, have you looked inside?"

Sandy Babb


"I extol the warmth of I the shimmering summer sun.... I express the purity of the atmosphere on full moonlit star studded nights... I express the verdure of the forests that cover the hills and hollows of her home both through color and symbol... I express the intricacy and detail with which she likes to create... I express creative freedom and artistic adventure where the inception of new ideas are formed and begin being worked out... I express the emerging artist who is slowly working her way out of  her insulated cocoon and testing her new found wings..."

Who has had the most impact on your creative life? 

Carol Henley
"Find A Project was the standard cure for almost everything... So... I learned to be very creative! Thanks Mom!"


"shadowlady"
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The next and last edition of 5x5 will be posted on Sunday, December 30th.

11 comments:

layers said...

Thanks for sharing all these artists- their work and words. happy holidays!

Vee said...

So intriguing and just like the layers of texture and medium used in the art itself is the idea expressed. I very much enjoyed seeing these works and reading their words.

Sandy said...

Seth,

Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your project. I have truly been enjoying visiting these gallery posts each week.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Lynn Cohen said...

What a gift to see all these wonderful pieces of art this morning. Thank you!
And I am wishing you a happy holiday season Seth. Thank you for all our interactions this year...your blog posts, your book, our letters, emails, sharing, your part in my book, I appreciate you so much! Happy New Year!!!

bohemiannie! art said...

Merry, Happy, Blessed Christmas!

Anonymous said...

I've really enjoyed seeing everyone's artwork. Thanks again for the opportunity to be a part of the 5x5 project--and happy holidays to you!

Robert said...

What great fun it has been, Seth, to be a part of your 5 x 5 project, the online extension of The Pulse of Mixed Media: the brilliance of expanding the confines of a published book, by asking for responses to three of your questions to an even larger community of artists! It has been a pleasure to, both, create visual responses to these questions, and to view the responses of other artists every week on your blog. Thank you for all of this! May your holiday be filled with peace and joy!

Darlene K Campbell said...

Lovely compositions. The expressions by these artists are personal refelections that have come alive through color, technique and creative design. I have enjoyed every Sunday.
Happy holidays Seth.

Kim Henkel Creations said...

Seth, I have so enjoyed seeing all the amazing 5X5 work. Thank you for the opportunity for all of us to join in this venture. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season.

ArtPropelled said...

This is one of my favourite 5 x 5 posts. Best wishes to you Seth!

Carrie said...

Seth,

Thanks for being so inclusive! You've created an intimate community through a medium traditionally conducive to isolation.