Secret Sunday 5

Do you want to know a secret?


Welcome to the fourth 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.


Over 150 (!) artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented as a series of online and print projects. And the first continues right now!

Join the The Altered Page every Sunday for "Secret Sunday." Here the secrets of all your favorite artists will be revealed. It could be a technique, a product, a secret source, a little-known website, a hidden shop, an inspiration, just about anything! If you missed any, no worries. You can find links to all the secrets on the sidebar of my blog.

Today's secret.......Book Ends!
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Gwen Buchanan
Blog: DESIDERATUM

Ornament...from the Industrial Revolution to Today by Stuart Durant, Overlook Press, pub. 1986 ISBN: 0879512199, hardcover

... sourcebook of decoration and design elements... beautifully produced with an exceptional amount of illustration, color and black and white... this is my most reached for book... I believe it is out of print... worthy of a search... I have seen it in second hand online book shops...


...isn't the cover beautiful!!
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Maj Hoenborg
Blog: Second Nature

Books are my addiction and here are two sources of inspiration:

F.S.Meyer, Handbook der Ornamentik

An out of print series of books with wonderful illustrations and wood prints of animals and beasts from 1670 by Conrad Gesner (mine are reprints from 1981)
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Joanne Archer
Blog: The Crow Road

I don't think I have a technique that is new to anyone reading this. I get a lot of inspiration from literature; I have a degree in Literature and Art History and that is my first love. My house is filled with books and my guilty pleasure is rummaging through charity shops for old ones to add to my collection. Sometimes it's the content that attracts me, sometimes the cover, or the foxed pages. One of the reasons I love Judy Wilkenfeld's work so much is that she creates the most beautiful, altered books that also tell a profound story. Sorry, it's not a secret, but it'll have to do!

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Mary S Hunt
Blog: Working Projects
Etsy: Mary Hunt Studio

1. If you can't get to his camp for one on one...get his 3 books for working with warm glass...Boyce Lundstrom...the glass master!

Kiln Firing Glass: Glass Fusing Book One

Advanced Fusing Techniques

Fusing, Fusing, Fusing

2. Might be out of print...The Art of Painting on Glass by Albinas Elskus...is the ONLY source to use when mastering staining and enameling with glass.

3. Arteffects is my favorite painting techniques source book.
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Sally Turlington
Blog: Imagine This

My best secret for motivation & idea generation is my collection of Graphic Design Annuals.


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Tracie Lyn Huskamp
Blog: The Red Door Studio

I LOVE the book Beautiful Gems of Thought and Sentiment by Northrop.
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Pam McKnight
Blog: Every Little Thing
Flickr: Pam McKnight

Zen Seeing, Zen Drawing: Meditation in Action by Fredrick Franck...this is a great book to read when you are feeling "uncreative" and stuck and need a boost. I have read it 3 times and I don't usually read a book more than once.
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Judith Stadler
Blog: ARTISTICANEUM

For resources to make art: You can find really great, interesting old used books for altering or collage papers in some local libraries in Manhattan. They often cost less than $1 each.

The book in Hebrew is A Little Town in Germany, by Le Carre. The Macbeth was published in 1889 and is also notable for the title on the spine being upside down. The Fearful Passage (the book to the left of Macbeth) was published the year of my birth.
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Foundtography

Courtesy of Foundation Tichy Ocean

The first North American museum exhibition of the photography of Miroslav Tichý will be held at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in NYC beginning January 29 and running through May 9.


Courtesy of Foundation Tichy Ocean

Tichý is a Czech photographer and artist with a fascinating history. Born in 1926, Tichý is often described as mysterious and eccentric and is known as much for his cameras as for his distorted photography.


Courtesy of Foundation Tichy Ocean

Tichý studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague but left the Academy following the adoption of communism in Czechoslovakia in 1948. After that, he led a reclusive and nonconformist lifestyle.

In the years between the 1960s and the 1980s, Tichý took thousands of photographs, primarily of women. Many of his photographs were taken without his subject's knowledge. Tichý images were often distorted, blurred, ripped, and scratched. Furthermore, he often hand altered the surface of his photographs with pen or pencil.

His style was quite unique but what has fascinated me the most about his story is the fact that his cameras were all hand constructed....


Courtesy of Foundation Tichy Ocean

...out of found objects such as tin cans, shoe boxes, toilet paper rolls, clothing elastic, and cigarette boxes! His lenses were Plexiglas and polished with toothpaste, ashes, sandpaper, and the like.


Courtesy of Foundation Tichy Ocean


Courtesy of Foundation Tichy Ocean


Courtesy of Foundation Tichy Ocean

The ICP exhibit will not only feature Tichý's photographs, but will also include several of his cameras as well. Definitely a must see for me!



Courtesy of Foundation Tichy Ocean

For examples of his work and more information, please visit Tichy Ocean.

Secret Sunday 4

Do you want to know a secret?


Welcome to the fourth 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.


Over 150 (!) artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented as a series of online and print projects. And the first continues right now!

Join the The Altered Page every Sunday for "Secret Sunday." Here the secrets of all your favorite artists will be revealed. It could be a technique, a product, a secret source, a little-known website, a hidden shop, an inspiration, just about anything! If you missed any, no worries. You can find links to all the secrets on the sidebar of my blog.

Today's secret.......From the Inside!
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&rew Borloz
Blog: &rew's Wanderlusts & Explorations
Blog: &rew's Creative Life
Blog: &rew's Urban Paper Arts

Do the opposite of what others would "normally" do or think. Go in the opposite direction of where others would go. Always carry a camera with you wherever you go as you might unexpectedly find something interesting.


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Barbara Kleinhans
Website: Barbara Kleinhans
Flickr: Barbara Kleinhans

I enjoy being an artist much more after I let go of it being my primary income source. Instead of concentrating on how many sales I needed to make or what to paint that would sell, I feel gratitude at the connection others have with my artwork, relish the process of painting (even when it doesn't turn out quite right), and am happy when a painting goes off to a new home.


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Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
Blog: Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

My art secret is not exactly a technique or process but more of an attitude. I live with a chronic debilitating progress disease and have tried to seek a harmonious balance in my spiritual and physical worlds. Daily I strive to find calm quiet movements, quiet calm moments and recognize my body is my temple. Given a correct balance I am privileged to be able to keep making my sacred marks. The medium seems to be evolving and that is a gift in so many ways. On days when I am out of remission I allow my body to listen with my heart and try a new avenue for sharing my stories and legacy. I do not dwell on the financial rewards even though when this is available I feel a sense of relief to be able to give back to my family, my community and my global world. Being an artist is a privilege that comes with the responsibility to make the world a better more equal community where diversity is not only allowed but totally desired.
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Brian Kasstle
Blog: A Man Who Crafts

Keep learning, take classes, seminars, stretch your boundaries and comfort zone. You never know where it will take you.


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Cyn Richardson
Blog: Two Blue Crows

My only secret to share is the ability to "let go" to "play" and let the art come from the inner source found in everyone if they can just let it out.


"Sunrise Through the Storm" Acrylics, 5" x 7"
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grrl & dog
Blog: grrl & dog

There will be a thread to your work. It could be a persistent thought or line that surfaces again and again, it may manifest in a color or a certain fabric or way of doing something that for you is so natural, so completely unconscious, you don’t even know you’re doing it.

That is your style...that is what will grow up to be your style if you allow it to rise and say hello to you. It won’t be a major thing, it will be just a little something; others will spot it before you do. When they do, you will be slightly puzzled, and say “oh..that...”.

But that is your style. Once you get to know each other, to trust each other, wonderful things will happen.
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Fran Meneley
Blog: Fran Meneley

Ok, here’s my big secret – PAY ATTENTION. No, really. It’s the biggest addition to your mixed media arsenal. How much goes by us unnoticed? The smallest thing can make the biggest difference. Paying attention involves slowing down and tuning in. Breathe. Look around. Really look and see. All kinds of things come into focus; there is so much inspiration around us. I think as artists we are always looking, always on the lookout. But there’s no big secret, it’s just about paying attention. What we notice and what comes to us and how we interpret the world is what makes each of us unique – and it’s what makes our art interesting and engaging and compelling.

This was brought home to me in a very big way, in a way that I somehow finally got "it", in Oaxaca, Mexico a couple of years ago. I was sitting in the courtyard of a potter’s studio. We’d seen a wonderful demonstration, it was toward the end of the day. My day had been filled with so many wondrous things, I was kind of on overload. A couple of us sat on a bench in front of a table. It had a group of “random” fruits and vegetables and flowers – at first glance.


But one of the women said, “oh look what a beautiful still life.” And when I took the time to really look, to tune in, what I beheld was indeed a beautiful still life.


This idea of tuning in and Paying Attention, really crystallized for me in that moment. So my big art secret is PAY ATTENTION – it’s all there, all the time, it’s all happening, just pay attention.

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Julie Prichard
Blog & Website: The Land of Lost Luggage

I have learned to let go and be myself; to ignore my inner critic.


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Michelle Smith
Blog: My Green Gravity
Mixed media challenge blog: Reality Scraps

I have found art mistakes are some of the best ways to achieve a delightful and surprising end result.
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Patricia Anders
Blog: Patricia Anders
Website: Art Propensity
Etsy: Triciajoy
Flickr: Tricia Anders

I look for opportunities to surprise people with small artworks or prints by leaving things on the street for free. Like easter eggs with mini art inside or treasure boxes or small prints.


Here is an image of "thought bubbles" that are like mini pinatas with a message or thought inside and a mini piece of art, they can be opened by pulling the string. I will randomly drop this here and there for passer bys to find.
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Final Exam

A review of the recent exhibition "Below the Surface" which included two of my artist books (Billboard and Underground) just appeared online on examiner.com and can be found here. The review also includes a brief slide show highlighting some of the books that were exhibited.

Brick by Brick

Way back in February I had begun a collaboration with Julie Prichard and Lynne Hoppe. Called Graffiti Wall, we each created hand painted papers which we mailed to each other in two rounds. Then we got to do something that at first didn't come easy but quickly became fun and freeing: tear all the papers into pieces! After that, we each began our own project interpreting the theme Graffiti Wall. You can read about and see pictures from the start of the project in this post.

I chose to create a literal brick wall, on a 3 foot by 3 foot canvas. The canvas was covered with torn vintage book pages, slathered with a light coating of gesso, and inked with multiple colors. This would form the mortar between the bricks. Each brick, over 90 in total, was then collaged from the torn art papers.

As often happens however, life got in the way. Long after Julie and Lynne completed their projects (click the links to be taken to their final postings), mine remained a work in progress. And it still is. But...I am making headway. Here is my Wall as it stands today...


And some details of the brick work...






The face of the wall is complete. I will next "brick" the sides and, following that, will add my own graffiti to the surface of the wall. Stay tuned...

Secret Sunday 3

Do you want to know a secret?


Welcome to the fourth 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.


Over 150 (!) artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented as a series of online and print projects. And the first continues right now!

Join the The Altered Page every Sunday for "Secret Sunday." Here the secrets of all your favorite artists will be revealed. It could be a technique, a product, a secret source, a little-known website, a hidden shop, an inspiration, just about anything! If you missed any, no worries. You can find links to all the secrets on the sidebar of my blog.

Today's secret.......On the Net!
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jaihn
Blog: truly spacious
Website: spaciouscraft

Father's photography on Made By Jack




2nd Grade Visual Journals gallery on Dispatch from LA

jaihn's 'Muse-yum' gallery


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Elizabeth
Blog: Altered Book Lover
Yahoo Group: ABC - Altered Book Club

Not sure how much of a secret this blog is, but I often go there for inspiration. Although Randal Plowman’s blog is designed specifically to sell his collages, they can be very inspiring: A Collage A Day
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Inge Bekaert
Website/Blog: pinkepinke
Etsy: pinkepinke: handmade treasures

It's hard to find good art workshops in the neighborhood, but my secret for my huge evolution the past four years are the online workshops. They are mostly very affordable, you get direct information from the artists, they "teach" with videos and answer questions... These workshops are perfect to learn new things right at home and open a world you hardly could have imagined and get you connected with artists and fellow-students from all over the world.
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Rachel Whetzel
Website: Rachel Whetzel

JOIN. Join in with other artists!! The very FIRST thing I ever joined here on line, was Emily Falconbridge's Deck of ME art journal prompts. Most recently, I participated in Stephanie Hilvitz' Dia De Bloglandia on Nov. 1st and Rebecca Brooks' benefit auction. Taking part in these types of events has brought me into contact with some AMAZING artists!!


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Dave Dube
Blog: Old Paper Art

Paper & Ink Arts When I want to buy one of everything...
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Azirca
Blog: Speak Without my Voice

I adore Mike Rivamonte's work. He cleverly assembles whimsical robot type sculptures by recycling old scientific instruments, mechanical devices and discarded vintage objects. Each piece that he constructs has it's own uniqueness and charm.
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Robyn Gordon
Blog: Art Propelled
Flickr Photostream: Art Propelled

Up until this moment, the coaching I have received from life coach Leslie Miller has been a secret but now the cat is out of the bag! It really has been one of the most positive and rewarding experiences of my life.

Create Your Best Life Coaching


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Veronica Funk
Blog: Simple Pleasures

My art secret is not so much a secret as it is a wonderful resource ~ Robert Genn's online newsletter at The Painter's Keys is a twice-weekly newsletter that is inspiring and encouraging for any artist in any medium, with thousands of subscribers around the world...I definitely recommend signing up.
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Sally Turlington
Blog: Imagine This

One secret is the website I go to first to locate a particular book - in or out of print - to get the best deal: Book Finder


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What Lies Within

Ingredients: cardstock, acrylic paint, calligraphy ink, marker, dry transfer, rubon letters, vintage keyhole, brads. approximately 4" x 3 3/4". click to enlarge.

Available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy.

Sold. Thank you!

I Have Been Thinking About...

From a post dated April 27, 2008:

I have been thinking about…hands. The importance of hands. The utility of hands. The beauty of hands. The meaning of hands. I use my hands to draw. I use them to paint. I use them to write. I use them to turn the lens on my camera and to press the shutter button. I am using them to type this post. Hands as nouns. Hands as verbs. Hands as adjectives. Raise you hand to ask a question. Raise your hand to answer a question. Lend a helping hand to your neighbor. That piece is handcrafted. This piece is handmade. And what beautiful handiwork they both are.

Hands up. Hands down. Hands on. Hands off. Hands across America. Clap your hands to show appreciation. Handles open and handles close. Handle with care. I can’t handle it anymore. He is handy. I've got my hands full. One hand washes the other. Employees must wash their hands. All hands on deck. The winning hand. Hand out. Hand it over. I want to hold your hand. On the other hand...