It's a Secret

Coming Sunday November 22 to The Altered Page!

My Backyard

The always amazing Julie Prichard from The Land of Lost Luggage and the equally amazing JeriAnn from Commuter's Journal have been hosting an online collaboration called Getting Arboreal: A Nature Collection. The brief in brief: chose a tree and follow it through the seasons. You can follow the links to all the participants by clicking through the list on the sidebar of Julie's blog. And you can read more about my choice in this previous post on my blog.

I chose a grove of trees to follow in my backyard...well, in Central Park that is.

Here are my trees captured from Bethesda Terrace in late August...



Here they are in mid October...



And here they are today...

On the Other Hand

Handbook: journey on...


A glimpse of me, sheathed in armor
Lock or key, take your choice.
An offer made is now rescinded
Break the silence, hear my voice.


Fragments of a dream you once had
Lost my bearings, such is life.
A deep regret comes to the surface
A shattered conscience pierced by strife.


In an instant, endings happen
No guarantee, you understand.
What's left is right, there's nothing to it
You find yourself on the other hand.

Second Hand

Hands down, this is one of my most favorite book projects to date...


With each page completed, I have become more and more intrigued with adding objects to book pages. Call it assemblook, perhaps...


With every new object, more and more depth is added...


And with every new page, I am learning new ways to work with and combine wood, metal, fabric and paper...


Handbook. The story continues...

Mountain Views

Mountain Crossing...
On top of the world
An unending future
A promise unfurled.

Mountain Crossing...
A ladder of clouds
A dream for the taking
Erase all the shrouds.

Mountain Crossing...
Catch that which you seek
Anointed, appointed
You've now reached the peak.

Mountain Crossing. Available for purchase in my Etsy shop until listing expires on November 3.

Calling all Artists

It is once again time to take your pulse! The Pulse is an online and print project that has been part of The Altered Page since January 2008. Its purpose is to "tap into the pulse" of the online, mixed-media arts community. With so many talented and creative artists to follow, I thought it would be fun, informative, and inspiring to bring them together through a series of ongoing projects. The aim: to introduce you to new artists, help you get to know familiar faces even more, and to provide a window into the creative hearts and minds of a talented group of individuals.

Prior editions of The Pulse can be accessed online by clicking the links on the sidebar of my blog. The 3rd edition, an artist survey, is also available in a print zine and can be ordered here.

At this time I am working on the next edition of The Pulse. Over 150 artists have already signed on to participate, making this the largest project to date. But why stop there? I would like to put out an open call to all mixed-media artists with a blog and/or website who would like to participate. Please email me and I will forward all the information you need to join in. Go ahead. Email. You know you want to!!

Hand Made

I continue to work away on Handbook...



adding some rusty found objects...



to give it a little depth...



to tell the story of the page...



to add layers to the book...



to fill the binding...



and to spread the idea...made by hand!

Recycled

Recently I have been spending some time "recycling" some of my own artwork, especially pieces that ultimately I feel were not fully satisfying to me. In some cases, the original piece has been painted over, making it virtually unrecognizable. The first artwork has become just one of many layers in a new artwork.

In other cases, I have cut larger work into smaller pieces and then added additional elements. That approach can be seen in the following piece which, along with another new piece made from the same original artwork, is available for purchase in Etsy.

And I am curious how many other people recycle their own art. Feel free to leave a comment sharing your recycling stories.

Earth Works





Ingredients: watercolor paper, book board, acrylic paint, wax pastels, dry transfer, gel marker. approximately 6 1/4" x 6 1/4". click to enlarge.

Available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy.

Sold. Thank You!

Contained Continued

I am continuing to collaborate with Viv and Steph on our project Self Contained. And I have to say, working with these two creative individuals has me very, very inspired. We promise there will one day be a big reveal but until then, here are some glimpses of the recent work I have completed on my own part of the project. Click each image to enlarge for detail - it makes a difference!






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Opening Day

The opening of Below the Surface was held this past Saturday. The show was co-sponsored by The Book Arts Round Table and The Printmaking Council of New Jersey and was held at PCNJ.


I was happy to be there to experience an exhibition from the other side. Thirty seven books created by twenty three artists were on display and so many different styles of book arts were represented. There were books made from paper, metal, felt, wood, mica, and other materials. And every type of binding seemed to be on display.



The opening was well attended and I was lucky to have met many, very welcoming books artists.





I am happy to be able to share with you the fact that my book Undergound sold.


Billboard remains available and is for sale at the price of $210. If anybody out there is interested in purchasing this book, please send me an email. Sold. Thank you!


The exhibition runs through December 5. Stop by if you are in the neighborhood. You can find directions in PCNJ's website.