Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Contexture Concludes


This is the third and last update on my collaboration with Bridgette Guerzon Mills and Jen Wordon. We have been working together on an art project since early 2009 and have recently completed our pieces. You can see my contributions to Bridgette's plaster pages here and Jen's metal pages here. And below you will find a complete set of images from Contexture, my book of brittle, vintage paper pages. Please enlarge the photos for a detailed view.

Front Cover



Back Cover


Sign in page

Bridgette

Jen

Seth

Bridgette

Jen

Seth

Bridgette

Seth

Seth

Seth

Seth

Seth

And again a thank you to Bridgette and Jen for joining me on this collaborative journey. Those of you in the Chicago area can see all three projects in September at the inaugural exhibit at the Logan Square Art Center. Specifics will be posted on my blog and Facebook page soon.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Your Blog, Your Way: Part 5


'The ideas for blog posts are as endless as your own creative imagination. And as artists, we are nothing if not creative.' Part 5 of my series Your Blog, Your Way is now posted at Create Mixed Media. Today's topic: the 'what' and 'how' of blog Content.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Style File: Chapter 11


Welcome to the 5th 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. More than 130 artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented in a series of online posts which will run every Sunday.



Style File is the 1st of 6 projects from The Pulse. Participants were asked: How would you describe your artistic style?
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Terry Garrett




I would describe my work as narrative collage. I use my own altered photographic imagery and various kinds of ephemera to create works that can tell a story. (Flickers of Memory)
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Cathie Parreco


I am an amateur and, as such, haven't really developed a style but I lean toward surrealistic-type depictions and like to play with placing images out of context. The relationships I create aren't done to shock or amuse; I mostly do it because I think they look good together. (Church Ladies)
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Eileen Bellomo



Layers, layers, and more layers.
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Shirley Ende-Saxe




I hope it's evocative. I want the work to sidle up to nostalgia without getting on that (rather sticky) horse and riding away. It should speak about the inevitable evanescence of time. One can hope at least.
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Lottie Anderson




Expressionist or responsive.
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Paula Bogdan




I am very much a visual journalist...the words are as important to me as the art. I have a great need to tell my story as it were. My pages jump with color and texture and there are layers upon layers. Paint covers up paper, and then I add more paper, and then more paint. Bits and pieces peek through, but even if they're covered up, each bit lends an energy that would have be lost if I'd only put down a single coat or two. I love the end product, but I love the process even more.
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Robert Stockton




I am not sure that the artwork which I produce can be categorized as being directly connected to a particular artistic style. Most of my artwork falls into one of two distinct types: mixed media pieces on paper or museum board and wooden shadow boxes (which I call "scrapboxes"). I enjoy materials and processes that create an unusual juxtaposition of textures, patterns, colors and ideas, which sometimes lead to surprising visual connections. I like to think of my artwork as brief glimpses into the everyday details of a reality that may exist in another time or place. (Fall into Place).
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Trudi Sissons



What I focus on when I am creating for myself is the 'inspiration' and emotion I experience as I study a certain color, image, or texture. The inspiration provides a starting point. Each day brings with it a blank canvas and an opportunity to explore. Right now, I would say I couldn't imagine not continuing to explore my love affair with colors. So, more often than not, my style normally is colourful! 
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It's eclectic: I like to use everything that seems to fit a theme, may it be collage, paint or stamping, and I also include digital elements and words. This image is a journal page I've made for a tip-in project. The theme here was "An Italian-Affair". This is the right page incorporating my own photo taken in Florence that I've altered (soaked, scratched and painted) and mixed with papers and stamps. The result is am impression that doesn't try to be realistic at all but evokes memories of some happy days in Italy. (A Corner of Heaven)
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I love to incorporate my photos in my art. When I painted, it was landscapes from my photos. My mixed media features my photography. I also love color and graphic elements. I would describe my style as influenced by my observations of the natural world, using colors and imagery that resonate and reflect the mystery of nature. (Sunset)
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Next 'Style File' will be posted on Sunday, September 4th.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Under Cover

My first book, The Pulse of Mixed Media, is being released by North Light Books in March 2012. Working on this project has been nothing short of phenomenal. With just over six months to go, there is still a lot of work to do. Right now I am in the midst of my first round of manuscript editing and, believe it or not, I am loving every minute of it.

In between all the hard work it takes to birth a book are many peak moments. For me, one of these was seeing the cover for the first time. And another peak moment is occurring right now in real time: sharing the cover with you. I think I feel much like a new father who sees his child as the most beautiful thing in the world. 


More details about the book will be shared as it gets closer to the publication date. Be sure to join my mailing list to receive upcoming eNewsletters that will include updates about the book and related events. 

Monday, August 22, 2011

Happy Hands

Eric Adama, a talented artist from the Netherlands, highlighted a topic that is close to my heart on this post on his blog Cerulean: hands. Hands down my favorite picture from his post is the first image of Louise Bourgeois. And what a quote: "I am not what I am, I am what I do with my hands." Also included among the selection of images was a mosaic that Eric put together of my Making Waves series. Thanks for the shout out Eric.


The newest addition to the Making Waves family is Tyche, the Greek Goddess of Luck, Destiny, and Fortune.


Available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.

Sold. Thank you!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Style File: Chapter 10


Welcome to the 5th 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. More than 130 artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented in a series of online posts which will run every Sunday.



Style File is the 1st of 6 projects from The Pulse. Participants were asked: How would you describe your artistic style?
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Shayla Perreault Newcomb




My artistic style is 'meditative.' The rhythm of the three shapes prompts us to pause. I found out afterwards that this was also used by the ancient Greeks in a similar way to express what they call 'Kairos' or unmeasured time. When in 'Kairos' time, we're free of the daily rush and time stands still. (Sun Stood Still)
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Annie Kerr




How would I describe my artistic style? As I don't call myself and artist and have no art training except just getting on and doing it, this is a difficult question. I'm a musician and writer and spend most of my time with those. The time I get to spend on artwork is very precious and has to make the most of every moment available. So, it tends to be spontaneous and gestural, usually done in one sitting with the weather dictating if a piece gets finished there or not. I think this piece, inspired by a landscape near Wastwater in the Lake District, might show some of that.
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Laura J. Wellner




It is mine, I have no name for it, it's intuitive and natural, random - at times whimsical - it can go from complex to minimalistic from one piece to the next. I have hit a sweetspot creatively these last twelve years or so, these have been happy times. (If Not, Winter)
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Darlene AkA HugGeR Wilkinson




Altered or something where many mediums are used.
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Ordered chaos. As a graphic designer I strive for order but as a mixed-media artist I lean toward 'more is better.' (donde su alma vida)
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judy sidonie tillinger




This is tough - I'm kind of a dabbler and jump from medium to medium with photography being the through line. The photo represents one theme in my work - going close, finding the overlooked, the torn - an appreciation of the imperfect. I'm drawn to the Japanese aesthetic of wabi sabi, defined concisely on Wikipedia as 'a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent and incomplete".
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Sharmon Davidson




My style is an eclectic mix of several, though I suppose it could be described as treading the fine line between realism and abstraction. My work is largely representational, in that real things are depicted, but aside from the fact that the images are layered onto the same substrate, the relationships between them don't usually occur that way inside the confines of physical reality. Content-wise, it probably fits best into the symbolist/surrealist genre.
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Tari Goerlitz




My style is busy and colorful with lots of black lines that confuse the order in which the layers were made. I have a weird compulsion to inter-connect everything inside my artwork. And I'm definitely going through a 'German' Phase!
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Billie's Craft Room




I vary between elegant, clean and minimal designs and grunge. I adore making something new look years old and well used.
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annie!




My artistic style is bohemian - free, loose, fearless and easy. An artist that I greatly admire saw my work on Flickr and commented that she loves my sloppy style...so I guess it's sloppy...but in a good way. An image that shows this off would be a page from my newest book...The Boat Book.
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Next 'Style File' will be posted on Sunday, August 28th.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Sanuye

Sanuye
Red Clouds at Sundown

A new addition to my series Facets.

Available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Strength & Endurance


Strenua...the Roman Goddess of...


strength and endurance.

The newest member of my Making Waves series.

Now available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Sold. Thank you!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Style File: Chapter 9


Welcome to the 5th 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. More than 130 artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented in a series of online posts which will run every Sunday.



Style File is the 1st of 6 projects from The Pulse. Participants were asked: How would you describe your artistic style?
----------------------------------------------
Adrienne 'Dree' Berry



Inspirational and thought-provoking. For years I have tried to paint faces and it is such a struggle for me. I tried my hand at painting with no faces and love the results. This causes the viewer to put herself (or himself) in the painting and interpret what it means to them.
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Jude




This is a tough question, one I have struggled with over the years. I sometimes describe my style as visionary expressionism. Expressionism because my work comes from my inner experience, and visionary because I am drawn to the transcendent. But if you google 'visionary expressionism', you won't find much and what you do find won't look like something I'd do. Hopefully this image (A Soul Takes Flight) says it better than the proverbial 1,000 words.
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Marsha Jorgensen




'Somewhat awkward digital collage' sums up my opinion of my work at the moment and that's okay. Freak Pride symbolizes my feelings of awkwardness both as an artist an as a person.
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Pat McNally




I don't think I have a particular 'style' and if I do I have no idea what to call it!! I can't describe it really - except 'Jill of all trades, master of NONE'! I like to try everything, and have not narrowed down to any one medium or style. (watercolor of Miss Lilly)
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Natasha White




I would describe my style as painterly intuitive with a love of faces and people. I do use other mediums sometimes but I keep defaulting back to my paint , it is my natural home. This painting titled 'Reflective Resolutions' is a piece about taking the time to reflect on our place in the world, listening to our inner guidance system and following the pathway our intuition shows us.
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Stacey Merrill




Eclectic realism, maybe? I like playing with materials and styles, light and patterns - but most of my pieces include a figure somewhere.
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Gillian McMurray




My primary style is realism, as seen in my graphite pencil work but I also paint stylized pieces of Medieval style birds for fun. My image is of a Eurasian badger in coloured pencil and is called 'Peek-a-boo'.
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Rhomany




My style changes a lot and even looking at things I made this time last year, I see a lot of differences in style and execution. Nut my background is in illustration and I think an illustrative style is the one thing that is common to all my pieces. I like things to be outlined in black with bold colours and not a massive amount of layers. I like the clean look of most illustration work and the use of fine details without being photorealistic.
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Kesha Bruce




My work combines drawing, painting, and collage to explore the connections between memory, personal mythology, and magical-spiritual belief. I work in loose, stream of consciousness, circular narratives that never truly reveal themselves., which leaves room for the viewer to fill in the blanks with their own ideas and stories. I think of every work as a collaboration. (That They Might be Lovely)
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Cathy Minerva aka Minervas Madness




My style of art leans towards the abstract realm with some realism and surrealism involved plus a lot of texture. I like to 'feel' my work with my eyes. I am fascinated and intrigued with faces and in particular, eyes. (Shade of a Glance)
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Liz Hampton-Derivan




This is a new piece which I think is a good example of my often soft, ethereal style, that takes on a dreamlike quality. It is also very feminine. The desert angels are three dancer friends who agreed to model for me. (Desert Angels III)
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Next 'Style File' will be posted on Sunday, August 21st.