Sunday, January 31, 2010

Secret Sunday 11

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 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.......Open House!

Today is YOUR day. I hope everybody reading this will add their very own secret to the comment section of this post. And remember to come back often to read all the secrets as they are added. Now...it is time to spill!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

House Party


Remember to come by Sunday for my open house to share and hear secrets. Tomorrow's edition of Secret Sunday will be written by YOU! Stop by and leave a comment sharing your most coveted art secret and stick around to read all the others. You can enter through any of the doors or windows in this post, photographed on my travels through Mexico, Spain, Greece, and the United States.









Thursday, January 28, 2010

Collepilogue Part 1

Collepilogue: The final chapter of a collaboration



Question:

How does one go from this...



to this...



and this...



Answer:

Round up 6 artists...



and spend 1 year in an altered book collaboration...



One year ago I joined 5 other artists on an altered book adventure called Inner Works. This collaboration included Jill, Veronica, Rita, Roxanne, and our host Supria. We each chose our own book and our own theme. All 6 of us had the opportunity to work in each book once as we (the books, not the artists) rotated by mail. Our adventure has come to a close and over the next few weeks, each of us will be posting the results of the collaboration on our own blogs and on our group blog - Inner Works. My own experience with this project will unfold in a series of upcoming posts.



I chose Distressed Elements as my theme for this altered book project. I find that I gravitate toward art and art supplies that have their own history...that have a natural, weathered patina...that have the nicks of life that make them more interesting. Like people who have lived and taken risks and gone on their own personal journeys and adventures.



I am mesmerized by a distressed surface - marks, scratches, dents, chips, rust, frayed edges, layers and the like speak to me. For this project, though, I also wanted to explore the layers beneath the surface. The layers within. And maybe to use this project to tap into the awareness and expression of some deeper feelings. The book I altered lends itself quite well to this theme.

I chose to alter Oracle Night by Paul Auster. The book was the perfect size (8 1/2" x 6" + 3/4" thick) and its relatively new, crisp pages made a sturdy base for altering. More importantly, Paul Auster is a favorite author. Like me, he lives in NYC and the city plays a big role in his novels. His writing style is very distinct and there is a magical component to his work, which often focuses on coincidence and synchronicity. There is one section in this book that even describes the quest for a book, coincidentally much like my own search for the right book to alter.

When my book was returned to me after nearly a year, it was bursting at the seams --- just as every altered book should look.



The pages were not just filled. They were filled with extraordinary, unique, and meaningful art. Each artist interpreted the Distressed Elements theme very personally and very differently. I thank each and every one of them for the thought, care, and time they clearly put into my book and this project.

Join me in the coming days as I post images from both my own book as well as from the pages I completed in every other book. And follow along on our group blog, Inner Works, for additional images from both myself and the other artists. You can go there now for some page previews!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Open House


10 Sundays and nearly 100 secrets. And so many more to share. A big thank you to everybody who has been a part of Secret Sunday on my blog, whether as a participating artist or as an interested reader. And the Secret Sunday posts are just the first of more than 10 segments of The Pulse - The State of the Art - that will be posted and/or printed in the upcoming months.

This coming Sunday, January 31st, there will be a special edition of Secret Sunday. An open house of sorts. But I need your help to make it happen. I am asking everybody to prepare and share their own secret and leave it as a comment on the 1/31/10 post. Your secret could be a technique, a product, a secret source, a little-known website, a hidden shop, an inspiration, just about anything! And I hope those bloggers who have already shared a secret as part of The Pulse will feel free to leave another as a comment.

So brew the coffee, fill your mug, and stop by this coming Sunday for an earful. And don't forget to share you own secret too!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Secret Sunday 10

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.......Road Trip!
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Deryn Mentock
Blog: Something Sublime
Etsy: Something Sublime
Blog: Objects and Elements
Flickr: Deryn Mentock

A 6000 square foot warehouse, in Dallas, full of vintage beads, findings, stampings, buttons, clasps....you name it! If you don't live in Texas, Katy Schor has a website: Beads by Sandy

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Marie Otero
Website: Marie Otero
Blog: Lost Aussie...on the Loose

The little Amish man's secondhand shop in Intercourse, PA - great for found object 'treasures' and ephemera of all kinds.

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Nina Bagley
Blog: Ornamental

A source for mica:

Tar Heel Mica Company
4736 S Us Highway 19 E
Plumtree, NC 28664
828-765-4535

They don't seem to have a website, but do sell mica by the pound. Alllll sorts of mica. In times past, I was told to "ask for jude" when calling. He is the man.

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Cory Celaya
Website: Art with Moxie
Blog: Art with Moxie
Etsy: Moxie Gallery

A little boutique called The Purple Lizard in Phoenix, Arizona and Timeless Creations in Fort Collins, Colorado (art classes and other fun stuff).

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Lyle Baxter
Blog: Just a Note
Etsy: Almost Heaven
Website: Almost Heaven

First City and Country Antiques, a shop for photos and such in Absecon, New Jersey.
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Nancy Neva Gagliano
Blog: Openings Connecting

My secret: I am so fortunate when I am able to spark the creative fires and to recapture the art spirit by entering into another place, away. Going to my most beloved Taos, New Mexico over the last 40 years always draws this spirit from me. In that light, by those mountains, surrounded by that air and sage and hearts that beat strong, I thrive.

BUT, when I've been a part of Sas Colby's Studio in the Sky week-long workshops at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, I am transformed.


This will be my fifth! summer for this exceptional experience where I rest and I work, am alone and in the comfort of an incredible community of 14 or 15 seekers/speakers/makers of the soul, of art. We are in the care of a master teacher, and the best chefs!! alone and together, we each find our voice, our own secret. We're fed luscious meals, yes, but also poetry and varied instructions and invitations to actualize expression with whatever medium we chose.

The studio is open all night...I can work alone, or with others when ideas and materials are shared, friendships created and the flow goes forth. . . returning home with me.
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Kecia Deveney
Blog: Lemoncholy's Flight of Fancy

My art secret is going to flea markets. I like to work with vintage or discarded items. I consider it recycling; paying very little for this stuff (and sometimes it is free!). I find it a challenge to go home and turn it into something a little more modern and fresh. I've moved from making mixed media to jewelry with my vintage found objects.
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Jen Crossley
Blog: A Mark in Time

I love the search for Junk. It is so cool when you find that piece that gives you a buzz or the wow factor. Swap meets are the best places or a small antique shop, Smythesdale Antiques, near where I live. She has cool stuff and is cheap.


There is always something to be found. I never come out of there without buying something.
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Robert Stockton
Artist Portfolio: Robert Stockton

The people who run a place called Fun Junk at 3644 Mud Bay Road, Olympia, Washington (they also occasionally bring some of their fun junk to sell in Seattle, making it more accessible to those of us who don’t make it to Olympia that often!). Fun Junk, as mentioned above, in Olympia, is open 10 AM to 6 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, only. They sell a multitude of interesting ephemera, including, a variety of paper products.


They have a website on which they sell SOME of their cool stuff: Fun Junk Online. They may also be contacted at redun@comcast.net or called at (360) 259 1796. You can also follow the Fun Junk blog called Nancy's Fun Junk. Great stuff!
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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Shine On

I continue to be creatively challenged in my collaboration with Bridgette Guerzon Mills and Jen Worden. We each have created our own structure that is being passed between us multiple times. My own work in my own contribution, Contexture, can be seen here and here.

My most recent work on Shine, Jen's metal sheets: front, back and details:



Clear Moon - Cool Breeze




Star Shine - Heart Beat



Materials used on this piece include found metal objects, repurposed metal, slate, metal tags, beads, linen thread, rub on letters, acrylic paint.

Earlier work I completed on Jen's metal sheets:






You can see all six metal pages that have been completed so far by going to this post on Jen's blog.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Secret Sunday 9

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.......Lost & Found!
_______________

Lisa Jurist
Blog: Mudhound Studio
Blog: Pulp Redux
Etsy: Mudhound Studio

Look around! I find a lot of the objects I use in my art on the ground or for free. Recently, I created an altered book cover from the dismantled parts of a disposed cuckoo clock, a broken printer’s tray and rusty metal pieces from a stash I found on the street.



I also reuse exhausted paper dryer sheets in my art. I drench the sheets in a pot of coffee and then let them dry to give them a nice aged effect. They smell good too…if you like coffee!
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Carmen Nessman
Blog: Writing from Life

Upcycled EVERYTHING!!!! Reduce, reuse, recycle


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Ro Bruhn
Blog: Ro Bruhn
Etsy: Ro Bruhn

I visit car spare parts shops for lots of my 'found objects' for jewellery. I also work close to an airport and there are stores that sell fabulous washers for aircraft that get incorporated into my work.


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Andrea Dixon
Etsy: Studio 6 or 7
Blog: Studio 6 or 7
Twitter: Studio 6 or 7

I'm a very messy person, though I try too hard not to be! However, this works to my advantage when I'm painting because I really like to make visual textures in the backgrounds of my paintings and I always forget to prepare tools ahead of time to do this. So I usually end up grabbing whatever is laying closest to me. I have turned out some really neat textures with this 'method', if you want to call it that.



I've used string to paint stems, the edge of an antique book to create stripes, the knobby head of a miniature Buddha statue to create raindrops. The only downside is that not every object can be recovered after using it to paint with but I'm not usually paying attention to this when I'm in the moment....
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Carol@Swallowcliffs
Blog: Swallowcliff's Art

I find that if I see something that catches my interest I should take it home because eventually, I find a place for it in my art. I have people ask me, “how do you come up with your ideas?” Most of the time it is because I have this “something” stored away that would work perfectly just here, in a piece I am creating. It’s not so much getting something specifically for the art as it is knowing that you have something that will fit the art.


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Judy Wise
Blog: Judy Wise

mmm, art secret. Pulling local event notices off telephone poles provides lots of fun and collage materials. Just make sure the event has passed.


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Lynn Cohen
Blog: Lynn - Getting my Feet Wet

Repurposed dryer sheets. I dye them in acrylic paints and water, soak over night, dry, then use in my art work. Examples include as backgrounds in a journal page, on art pieces mixed with dyed paper towels then sewn to canvas, and rolled up as dreadlocks in the 3D "Simply Dreadful" art quilt wall hanging.


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LaWendula
Blog: Woven Letters

When I started working with blank books and paper (I was still living in Berlin at this time), I did something I call Culture Recycling. I was looking for all kinds of flyers, event cards, free zines in Berlin and I filled my books with collages of this material.



Quite clumsy, when I look on it now, but it was great fun to do that. There was only one rule: It has to be free, found somewhere in the city.
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Elizabeth
Blog: Altered Book Lover

I like to walk along the old, no longer used, railroad tracks in our town for really great metal that has aged to perfection.


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Nancy Baumiller
New Blog: CROWABOUT
Old Blog: The Fortune Teller
Etsy: Crowabout

No secret here! Let me just say that there is an over abundance of paper, cardboard or what not that comes through each of our homes....that we can reuse and recycle and make something really wonderful from it all!!
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