Password: new stamps & a sale

PASSWORD

Thrilled to announce the release of my newest stamps from Impression Obsession.

These six new stamps are perfect for mixed media art, art journaling, the coloring craze, card making and scrapbooking. The stamps are designed by hand, produced in the USA, and made from deeply etched red rubber. They are available in 3 sets of 2 stamps or sold individually as either cling or wood mounted. 

The stamps sets are available now in my my online store. You can find them now in both sets and individually at the Impression Obsession online shop . They will be available soon in stores and other online shops as well.

Password I

Password II

Password III

---------------

SALE

To celebrate the release of my newest stamps and as a way to say thank, all individual wood-mounted stamps in my online shop are available through May 5 at 30% off. 

The Pulse 2016: Week 1

 

Welcome to the 6th edition of The Pulse - 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, further your own artistic expression, and allow you access into the creative hearts and minds of a very talented crew of individuals. Stay tuned for a new post every Wednesday.

-------------------

What is the one technique or tool that you cannot live without?

Amy Duncan

My diluted Elmers glue solution applied with my simple chip brush. I like using Elmers diluted with just a little bit of water when I am working on my collage pieces. It stays wet for awhile so you have a little flexibility in moving bits around. You don't get any bubbles/creases/burps. And I love the fact that it is so affordable.

Deborah Guthrie

My wooden honey dipper. I love line work in my art and I also love a loose approach to the desired line work and my work in general. When dipped in paint and used as a drawing tool, the honey dipper will give me uncontrolled results which are so often exactly what I am looking for.

Rachel Stewart 

My dental tool set I bought from Harbor Freight for less than a dollar! I use them in every line of work I do. I pull bubbles out of resin with them. I ream beads with them. I use them to create textures in polymer clay. They are great for positioning and moving around tiny collage parts. And I use them for making marks in wet paint as well. 

Gwen Lafleur

Stencils. For years they have been my go-to-tool for adding pattern, texture, depth, dimension, and more to my work. I've used them for everything from creating simple patterned paper to to making the base for an armature for a sculpture. They can hide in the background and layers of my work so you don't even know they're there, or create a fantastic foreground or focal point. I love that you can stencil with all or part of them, use them with nearly any medium, or completely change the look by m,modifying the application method.

Kim Henkel

My stamp carving tool. I carve  - usually from erasers - quite rustic, simplistic designs that I often use in combination with other bits and pieces in my creative work. I love being able to use my hand carved stamps rather than always using stamps I have purchased as it puts more of "me" into the final piece. A package of erasers, a carving tool, and a bit of time is all that is needed to get started.

Cindy Chinn

My X-acto knife. I have about 20 of them, one in every studio, room, car, a couple on my counter where I set the things from the day that I forgot to put away, right next to my collections of small tape measures that were left in my pocket. I use an X-acto knife in every medium I work in. To carve pencil, to weed vinyl, to trim a paper pattern, to open that box of art supplies that just arrived, it is endless! I have many different blade styles but I prefer the #16 for most things. 

-------------------

If you would like to be a participant in The Pulse, please email me (shap97@gmail.com) the following:

1. Your response (which I might need to edit to keep all answers relatively consistent in length)

2. ONE photo that somehow relates to your answer

3. A link to ONE of your online sites

If you would like more Pulse, check out my books from North Light Media: The Pulse of Mixed Media and The Mixed Media Artist.

A Boy who Blogs

When I have ideas about topics that I would like to blog about, I set up a post in draft mode. Well, what I really mean is that I write a title. The title of this post - A Boy who Blogs - was written a long time ago. Probably back in about 2013. For many years, I have wondered why the online art blogging community - both bloggers and viewers - is primarily made up of women. And when I say primarily, what I really mean is nearly completely.

It always seemed strange to me that while the art world has historically (and with tremendous bias I might add) focused on men, our community, whether online or at workshops and retreats, consists of women and only a handful of men.

I am moved to finally write this post thanks to Danny Gregory - another guy in the neighborhood. As is so often the case, he has touched on the most current of topics and recently wrote a post entitled Why Men Don't Take Art Classes. His post - and the lively discussion that has occurred in the comment section - has inspired mine.

I have had many random thoughts over the years about why this is the case. My first thought is always that our blogging community is just that - a community. It is not only about art but it is about connecting through art. Sometimes it is even more about connecting than about art. Call me sexist, but I have always thought that women are so much more willing and able to express, connect, share and communicate. These are things that happen almost by definition in a community. For me, this issue explains a good deal of the gender disparity. But can it be that simple?

Theories about why men don't take classes don't always apply to why there are not more men in our blogging community. The whole men-don't-read-maps-so-as-not-to-appear-ignorant theory seems to me to be irrelevant to online blogging -- not to mention that we now have GPS, which I do believe men actually take advantage of.

So this boy is curious as to what you readers think on this issue. Commenting on blogs seems to be at an all time low (hmmmm....another title for a future post) but I am hoping that you all can shed some light on this. The floor is yours.....

The Week Links: 99

Join me every Sunday when I share some of my favorite links I discovered in the previous week. Earlier posts in the series can be found here.

And here is Week 99...

1. In love with this cool vintage printers tray filled with treasures by Tammy Tutterow.

2. Stampington visits the 5 top trends in mixed media art on their blog Somerset Place.

3. Cannot wait to see Cornelia Parker's rooftop installation on the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. It is a 30 foot high replica of the Bates Motel.

 

Fun fact: notice the tall, thin skyscraper to the left in the picture and in the video. That is 432 Park Avenue, the tallest residential building in the western hemisphere at 88 stories. Here is one of the views:

4. And speaking of building in NYC, Anton Repponen shows us what 10 iconic NYC buildings would look like in open spaces.

5. Digging the assemblage work of Jon Andrew from greyjey studios.

6. 15 creative Instagram accounts to follow via Design Sponge.

@wrightkitchen

@stellamariabaer

7. Around the World with 80 Artists: sign up now to get a free eBook on May 25 of what looks to be a very cool publication.

Time to Retreat

Hosting my first retreat recently in Taos, New Mexico with Roxanne Evans Stout, I realized the transformative effect of such an experience. In catching up with blogs following my return home, I came across many posts that highlighted the experience of several people at retreats they either hosted or attended. This time when reading through, I focused on the power of the retreat rather than just on the pretty pictures.

Mae Chevrette shared her experience teaching in Belize.

Lynn Whipple and Carla Sonheim lead a crew in Oaxaca.

And through a synchronistic twist, Judy Wise was having her own retreat in Mexico and crossed paths with Lynn and Carla.

Roxanne Evans Stout shares her take on our retreat in Taos.

And Tina Walker shares her experience as a participant in our retreat in this beautiful post.

Have you hosted or attended an artist retreat? Share you experience and/or link in the comments.

The Week Links: 98

Join me every Sunday when I share some of my favorite links I discovered in the previous week. Earlier posts in the series can be found here.

And here is Week 98...

1. Metal book sculptures from David Kracov.

2. Conversations with my Mother: a concertina book in progress from Caterina Giglio.

3. Geoffrey Gorman's newest mixed media piece is beyond creative.

4. Looking forward to seeing Robert Motherwell: The Art of Collage at the Paul Kasmin Gallery in NYC.

5. Cherry blossoms in Japan photography.

6. Another stunning book from Luthien Thye of Altered Alchemy. 

7. Sending a big congratulations to the new members of the StencilGirl Creative Team. Meet them all here.

Book. Kit.

One of my recent releases from Spellbinders is a multi-piece book kit that is perfect for creating your own artist book, journal, daily planner, organizer, photo album, and more.

Watch the video to see the book kit in action and continue in this post to learn more about each component.

Start with a sturdy, kraft-color, 3-ring binder measuring 7.25 x 9.25 inches. It's waiting to be painted, collaged or decorated in your own personal style. 

Add to that a package of inserts, complete with pages measuring 6 x 8.5 inches with and without tabs.

Make yours truly customizable with a contour, steel-rule die set that allows you to cut your own pages from paper, craft metal, corrugated cardboard, chip board, felt, fabric, cork, and more. This magnetic set includes dies that allow you to cut both a window in any part of the page and a single page tab.

Tab lovers can get an extra steel-rule die set that enables you to cut three additional tabs.

You can find these products in the Spellbinders and other online shops, in stores, and on the shelves of my online shop. Would love to see what you create with these components.