The Sunday Paper

Three new survey questions are now on my sidebar. Head on over and have your say!

If you are participating in the newest edition of The Pulse, please remember that your responses are due on June 12th, one week from today. If you are interested in participating but have not yet signed on, there is still time. Email me at shap97@gmail.com for information.

The next post in my new series Your Blog, Your Way goes live this Tuesday 6/7 at Create Mixed Media. If you haven't yet seen the first post (or done your homework), you can find it here.

Sending out a thank you to kimalousartsyfinds for including Fides from my Making Waves series in her newest treasury Can't Stop Looking. Fides is available for purchase in my Etsy Shop.

I designated yesterday as a book only day. No art making, no blogging, no chores. Thanks to everybody who commented about this on my Facebook Page. I really enjoyed the books I revisited from my collection. I read them cover to cover and managed to go through seven books -- a drop in my library bucket. I found the day both mellow and exhilarating at the same time and it reminded me of what I did so much of before the days of the Internet. I recommend this 'Day of Books' to all and will definitely be scheduling another soon.

My reads...

Acrylic Revolution by Nancy Reyner: Filled with an endless number of well-explained techniques for acrylic paint and acrylic mediums but a resource for so much more as well. The two page 'essential acrylic tips' section alone is worth the price of admission.

Art Making, Collections & Obsessions by Lynne Perrella: What artist doesn't love to collect? And what could be better than page after page of collections, obsessions, studio shots, artwork, stories and quotes from 35 artists. Lynne Perrella knocked it out of the ballpark with this one.

Artists' Journals & Sketchbooks by Lynne Perrella: The perfect blend of gallery photos and how-to advice. This book is one of my favorites and has a ton of post-its marking pages to return to. There is a lot of inspiration to be found here and it is a great source of imaginative ideas.

Collaborative Art Journals and Shared Visions in Mixed Media by L.K. Ludwig: I am all about the collaboration and this book highlights an endless array of collaborations that have been done by mixed media artists. There are great visuals but also the collaborative process is broken down step by step.

Art Making & Studio Spaces by Lynne Perrella: My third book by Lynne. Her books always tap into the most fascinating themes but more than that, she is simply a very talented writer. This book invites you into the studio spaces (and the heads) of 31 artists and makes you feel right at home.

Kaleidoscope - Ideas + Projects to Spark Your Creativity by Suzanne Simanaitis: This book is filled with fascinating projects, how-tos, inspirational stories, strategies to become more confident as an artist, and much more. Over 30 artists have contributed and It is like an all you can eat buffet for art.

Journal Revolution by Linda Woods and Karen Dinino: This book is part manifesto, part how-to, and part self-help manual. Follow along not only to learn how to journal your life but also how to free yourself from the inner critic and let lose in your journaling and artistic styles.

Collaborative Completion

Anybody who has followed this blog will know that I am usually involved in many collaborative art projects, all at the same time. Well, all good things come to an end and that is about to be the case for my collaboration with artists and friends Bridgette Guerzon Mills and Jen Worden.

Back in 2009 we began this project, where the main idea was to challenge and experiment with our creative skills. I created a handbound, vintage paper book with the theme Contexture. Jen created a series of loose metal pages with the theme Shine. Bridgette created a book with plaster pages with the theme Book of Trees.

We each now have our own projects back and are in the process of finishing them up. I plan to share each of the final projects on the blog and first up is Bridgette's Book of Trees.

Photograph by Bridgette Guerzon Mills

Bridgette's gorgeous cover was an enticing start and a great inspiration for my first attempt at working on plaster pages.

Reflection - Page published in Plaster Studio

Branch

Grow

Head on over to this post on Bridgette's blog, Contemplating the Moon, to see images from every page in her book and to read about her own personal experience with the collaboration.

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I thank Bridgette and Jen for their talent, friendship, patience, and inspiration throughout these 2 1/2 years. And the icing on an already very sweet cake:  we are all very excited that all three projects will be part of an exhibition curated by Jane Michalski in July called Come Together as part of the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival in Chicago. Details to be posted soon.

Past, Present, Future

Past: Three items will retire from my Etsy shop over the course of the next 10 days. I am offering free shipping on all three pieces if bought before the retirement party. 

Steps

Moments

Reasons


Present: Thanks to everybody who has responded to the questions in my ongoing survey. You will hear about all the results, some of which are very surprising, in my upcoming 'Your Blog, Your Way' posts on Create Mixed Media. For now, three more questions have been added to my sidebar. Head on over and speak your mind!

Future: Thanks to everybody who has requested information about the newest edition of The Pulse. Over 175 of you have asked for the guidelines! There is still time to join the project. The deadline for submissions is June 12th. Shoot me an email if you are interested in participating.

To those in the US, enjoy the long weekend. To everybody else, enjoy your usual weekend!

The Great Wall

In 2009 Julie Prichard, Lynne Hoppe, and I collaborated together on a project we called Graffiti Wall. You can read all about it and see images here. This project was so unique, fun, and inspiring that we decided to collaborate again on Graffiti Wall 2010. We each created our own hand painted papers and mailed these to each other along with assorted ephemera. Using Graffiti Wall as our theme, we were then free to create whatever we wanted, in any format, using the papers. We did not share what we were creating until the pieces were complete.

I am thrilled that this project is currently being featured in the March/April issue of Somerset Studio. And I am even more excited that Julie's part of the project is the cover image.

My project is called Lost and Found and was inspired by the layers and layers of graffiti that were such a large part of NYC in the early 1980s.

(click images to enlarge)

The palette of my piece reflects the darkness that seemed to permeate the city at that time. The triptych represents the three of us in collaboration. And the Lost and Found is reflective of the journey that the graffiti, the city, and I have taken.

Thanks to Julie and Lynne for being the perfect co-collaborators. And a thank you to Christen Olivarez, Director of Publishing at Stampington & Comapny, for allowing us to share this project with so many others!

A New Chapter...

As I say goodbye to 2010...

I think about the many moments that I have known this past year...

I think about those times where I aimed for the stars and soared passed them...

I think about the everyday miracles that I tend to take for granted...

I think about the times of darkness that took the colors away...

I think about the flashes of synchronicity that seem to seek me out...

And I think about the possibilities that have yet to unfold and of what the future may hold...

Thank you all for being there with me on my journey this past year. I look forward to all the places we will go together in 2011.

A happy, healthy, and creative new year to you!

The Daily News

Thanks to everybody who signed up for a chance to win The Winds of Change, the book that Roxanne and I self-published. Your comments were all so positive and affirming.

A thank you also goes out to Patti Edmon from Altered Attic who reviewed the book in this post.

I wish I could give a copy to everybody! But today the lucky winner is ...Gillian McMurray. Congrats Gillian. I hope you love the book.

The book can be previewed and purchased here. It would make a great holiday present for any art lover, including yourself!

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If you haven't added your answers to this week's survey questions on my sidebar, head on over and speak your mind. The questions will be up until late Wednesday, at which time four new questions will be posted.

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Submissions for my book The Artist's Pulse (working title) have been streaming in. The responses to the questions have been wonderfully authentic and the art images I have received are stunning. The open call continues and all the details can be found here. A reminder to all that the deadline for Q & A responses is November 30, a week from tomorrow. The deadline for the artwork is December 31. If you reading this and debating whether to send something in...consider this a sign that you should!

Etsy-Versary

Centaurus

Ingredients: watercolor paper, acrylic paint, calligraphy ink, dye ink, washer, photograph. approximately 4 3/8" x 3 3/4". click to enlarge.

Available for purchase in The Altered Page on Etsy.

Two years ago today I started to sell my artwork in my Etsy shop. Thanks to all of you who have browsed and/or bought. To celebrate my second 'etsyversary' I will be offering free shipping on all items in my shop through the end of day on Friday November 19. International shipments too! When making a purchase via PayPal, please pay total invoice including shipping and I will refund the cost of shipping to your account.

Spree Decree

Sending out thanks to everybody who left a comment on my post announcing my three year blogging birthday. Your support and encouragement has been and will always be greatly appreciated. Over 100 of you entered my giveaway where you had to leave three words that describe the types of things you would want from a shopping spree in NYC. I was delighted and amazed by the variety of words chosen. And I thought it would be fun to post them in one place as they really are a snapshot of what we all do, create, and love.

The top thirteen picks, starting with the most popular: texture, paper, rusty, vintage, books, quirky, ephemera, old, color, unique, tactile, metal, textile.

And all the rest, sorted for your reading pleasure...


Adjectives: strange, unusual, dramatic, bumpy, funky, sparkly, layered, shiny, flat, subversive, vivid, soulful, religious, whimsical, visceral, authentic, ornate, clunky, unorthodox, one-of-a-kind, Victorian, architectonic, inspirational, sensational, kitschy, outstanding, intriguing, touching, unexpected, funny, individual, comfortable, casual, chunky, small, miniature.

Old: decayed, grunge, worn, patina, tattered, antique, old world, aged, detritus, pre-owned, crusty, dusty, primitive, weathered, dingy, decrepit, history.

Organic: earthy, wood, seedpod, sticks, stones, avian, organic, nest, rock.

Color: bright, sepia, vintage white, red, bold.

Textile: fabric, silk, lace, wallpaper.

Objects: spoons, beads, keys, photos, silverware, costume jewelry bits, stencil, gadget, playing card, ticket stubs, rubber stamp, charm, prism, watch parts, book covers.

NY, NY: Central-Parkish, something New Yorker, Broadway, old tattered NY ephemera.

Write On: alphabets, words, ink, handwritten, postcard, text, typography, letters, pages, script.

Travel: Mexican, Japanese, vintage Czech Republic, Americana, foreign text.

Mystery: labyrinth, talisman, mystical, mysterious, fantastical, creepy cats, creepy, curiosities.

All the Rest (aka ran out of time to categorize these): full of-story, filigree, serenity, surprise, art deco, tin, two for one, stripes, glitter, numerical, lost, memories, art store, thrift store, thought-provoking, time, found, creative romance, love, story- telling, attar, spatial, poetry, graphic design, and chocolate.

And now the winner of the NYC shopping spree giveaway. Drum roll please...........Pat from Lost and Found. I will be shopping for typography, decrepit and chocolate. But not decrepit chocolate! I look forward to the hunt. Once Pat gets her goods, I will post photos of my shopping adventure and her winnings.

Now I am Three!

Three years ago this week I made a choice that I can say changed the direction of my life. Three years ago The Altered Page was born. I truly believe that without my blog, my passion for and dedication to making art would have been a flickering flame rather than a roaring fire. I would definitely not be the artist I am today. And I would never have "met" all of you.

Much has happened in the course of my life in those three years...the highest highs and the lowest lows. In that time my art, my blog, my collaborations, and my connection to this community have always been rock solid. This has been my through line.

I want to take this moment in time to say thanks to each and every one of you. Thank you for your visits, your comments, your emails, your purchases, your gifts, and the creative energy that you have provided. I put a tremendous amount of time into The Altered Page and the response I have received makes every single minute of work worth it.

The very first lines of my very first post read as follows:

"Welcome to The Altered Page. I see this blog as one more element of my mixed media artwork. Much like the paper, gesso, acrylics, and other components of each piece, I believe the conversation that I am hopeful that this blog will generate will become an integral ingredient to the creative mix." Thank you all for helping me to exceed my expectations!

And what better way to say thank you than a giveaway. The Altered Page will only turn three once, so there has to be a unique and special prize to win. And I would say that a shopping spree in New York City fits the bill.

For a chance to win, please leave a comment on this post and include three words that describe the type of art-related treasures you would want to buy if you were let loose in NYC for a day. Choose words that accurately describe the types of objects/supplies/doo dads/etc. that you really love, for example rusty-quirky-handmade. Using those three words as a guide, I will scout out all the flea markets, funky shops, art stores, and secret sources in NYC and pick out a selection of treasures for the winner.

Please comment by the end of day on Thursday August 19th. The winner will be announced on my blog on Friday August 20th. Please be sure that I have a way of contacting you in case you are the lucky winner.

And again...a million thanks to each and every one of you.

Binding Memories

This past weekend I attended a workshop taught by Leslie Marsh entitled "Binding Memories in Black and White." It was held at Lemoncholy's Studio, Kecia Deveney's wonder of a place on the Jersey shore. As you can see from the following images, Kecia's studio is an inspiration in and of itself.

Leslie Marsh is my bookmaking hero and she was kind enough to bring a sampling of her incredible handmade books to the class. While she is a stellar photographer and her books look quite amazing on her blog, they are even more spectacular in person.

The workshop focused on a bleaching technique to alter black paper using materials from nature - leaves, flowers, and the like.

Our fearless leader...

Our sensational host...

Bleaching in action..

Racking it up...

But that was just the beginning. After we made our pages, Leslie taught the long stitch technique so we were all able to bind our pages into our own books.

Pleasures of Hope, the book I created...

A sampling of my pages...

Thank you Leslie and Kecia and the whole gang. It was a great day!