The Pulse of Mixed Media- Day 8 and a SUPER ARTWORK GIVE AWAY!

I'm thrilled and honored to be a part of Seth Apter's new book, The Pulse of Mixed Media, Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed.

(The Banner  above was created and affixed to my paintings  by the incredible artist- Michelle Ward.)

It's day 8 of the book's theatrical reveal -

To tell my story of its magical, magnetic, and dynamic  appeal.
 Containing heartfelt words, deep emotions and insightful thoughts-
With gorgeous original paintings and artwork so excitedly sought.
  It’s an artistic explosion- a collaboration of fun and finesse -
It's now time to celebrate
The Pulse of Mixed Media's grand success!!

   As a contributor, I was asked to create a self portrait  Here's a 

glimpse of my work titled "Essence of My Smile"!

Below is sneak peek of  "Creating Wonder from Within",   another mixed media artwork created for the book - filled with a tapestry of hidden and subtle secret meanings.    

It may be a surprise to some, but Seth and I go back a long way. In fact, I'm tremendously excited to announce that a special art and poetry collaborative project of ours titled  "The Gift" will be published this spring in the inaugural  edition of a new quarterly Art Magazine FEATURING,  founded by the amazing Marit Barentsen.

  In celebration of  The Pulse of Mixed Media, 

 And as part of the  kick off of the book-

 I'm  having  a  big GIVE AWAY!

One lucky winner will be able to say they are the very proud owner of 

 Elemental VII-a Seth Apter original work. 

 In Seth's own words,  "It is a  'one-of-a-kind'.. created on cold press watercolor paper, handmade in Montreal at the Papeterie Saint Armand."  Measuring 10" x 7 1/2", it's one of the largest pieces sold in his Etsy shop and can be seen below! This fabulous piece was originally highlighted and on exhibition at the Virtual TART site, an art website organized by artist Dale Copeland and based in New Zealand.

        All you need to do is leave a comment on this posting- and at the end of our 31/31  March book  party, I will choose one  lucky winner at random. Please make sure that I will be able to identify who you are so I can  make contact and send you this precious gift!

Seth: Now that I'm giving away one of your stunning pieces of artwork- I hope you will answer the following question for your readers:  You've indicated that your meeting with Patricia Larsen was  the cataclysmic event that started  your  life to become the artist and author that you are today. Looking back to that time, do you think you'd have entered the field of art if you hadn't seen her work and visited her gallery?  If so, what other event or person do you think would have  taken you into the world of art?  And, if  your answer is no, do you think that there would have been another passion that you'd  be engaged in now other than art.... Can you also please tell us what triggered you to create your infamous The Altered Page  blog? And for those reading this post, I would love to  hear     what inspired you to create your website or blog.

        

In conjunction with the book's release,  Seth has scheduled events across the country.  I am so excited to be part of the New York City book release  on March 31, 2012 from 10:00AM- 12:00 Noon  at the Ink Pad   along with other contributing artists including Michelle Ward, Leslie Marsh, Karen Cole, Roxanne Evans Stout and Julie Prichard!  We will be discussing our creative processes and contributions to the book, answer audience questions, show samples of our work, and sign copies of the book.  The event is free and open to the public but you must contact the Ink Pad in advance at (212) 463-9876 as seats are limited.

 With very special thanks and tremendous appreciation to everyone who has joined this amazing book tour! 

   

The Last Arboreal Post in this Wonderful Series

This is the last in the series of Julie Prichard from Land of  Lost Luggage  and  JeriAnn's from Commuter's Journal Arboreal collaboration, a photo essay of the life of a tree over the course of several seasons.  My first post can be seen here and the second post of my special Grandma Willow tree can be seen here.  With so many trees to pick from, I decided to select my very favorite one  across the street from where I live. It's not a flowering tree or perfectly formed.  It's very old, weathered and leans to one side. But, she is the most beautiful  tree to me and here is her runway shot in all her glory!

Julie was interested to see both the changes to our selected tree and the environment in which the tree lives.

I just had to sneak in shots from October so you can see Grandma in her autumn colors.

 They really match her spirit!

And here is a branch that extends over the adjacent street, larger than most tree trunks.

And here she is in all her beauty dressed up in her winter white!

And then one night, I exited my local bus to see this.

From all of the ferocious storms that hit this winter, the town decided to cut down the huge branch that swong out over the road.  

   Grandma's branch is larger than most tree trunks!

And here is Grandma now-looking so peaceful and quiet in her early morning- before the sun spreads her glimmer. She's fresh from her shower, the hairdresser-  and now all pruned and ready for spring to flourish and grow stronger than ever before! Like people, taking off destructive layers of our past and thoughts/items/unwelcoming souls that weigh us down are better off removed- no matter how difficult it may seem at the time.  It creates an  opening for new energies and gifts of life to greet us! And from this, we can  be open to  new creativity and excitement from which we can soar!

Looking forward to a fresh new season

 in  the sweet  life of Grandma Willow.
***
You can view all of the participants 
 and their posts on the left sidebar of Julie's blog here. Enjoy!

Post # 2 of A Tree for All Seasons: Arboreal Unreal

Julie Prichard over at Land of Lost Luggage and JeriAnn have been hosting a great collaborative project on the life of a tree over the course of the seasons, titled Arboreal which you can learn more about here. We select a tree and photograph it three times- over the course of several seasons. Julie is interested to see both the changes to the selected trees and the environment that the trees live in. The first photographs of the tree I selected ( seen below) were taken during the week of August 23, 2009. It's one of my favorite trees in my neighborhood that I call Grandma Willow.

And, below are pictures of Grandma Willow now. It's the autumn of her birthday cycle and she loves this time of year. She glistens in the sun with her bright yellow leaves showing off her sunny disposition. Grandma Willow has so many stories to share but sits quietly, in all her spender, just waiting for you to ask- then look and listen to what she has to say!

She shines above all the other trees, making sure that she takes command of the neighborhood, watching out for and blessing all that pass her by.

Even as the other trees lose their leaves, Grandma Willow holds her own - in all her glory waiting for the silence of winter to materialize.

And now, we will wait for one last season to visit, watch, and observe our special trees!

A Tree for All Seasons- A Surreal Arboreal Experience: An Insider's Glimpse of A Matriarch Tree's Life

Julie Prichard over at Land of Lost Luggage and JeriAnn are hosting a wonderful collaborative project on the life of a tree over the course of the seasons, titled Arboreal which you can learn more about here. We select a tree and photograph it three times- over the course of several seasons. Julie is interested to see both the changes to the selected trees and the environment that the trees live in. The approximate photographing dates are:

Week of August 23, 2009

Week of November 8, 2009 Week of April 4, 2010

With so many trees to pick from, I decided on one of my very favorites which is across the street from where I live. It's not a flowering tree or perfectly formed, it's not standing upright and true to form. But rather, it's very old, weathered and bent all the way over. Here's her run way shot.

And moving a little closer to her.

Her branches are so far outstretched that when I look at the picture, it almost seem as if it is the trunk and needs to be rotated upright.

The tree has the most wonderful layered, textured, multi toned bark, has injury sites, worn out limbs, and has seen the neighborhood change over what must be the most amazing lifespan.

Since the first time I saw this tree, I've called her "Grandma Willow". Although she's not a willow tree, my first glance of her reminded me of the tree in the story of Pocahontas- wise, all knowing, and one to be revered and honored throughout its life.

Even when you look up to her, you never quite see her crown!

It's roots must be far underground since they are nowhere to be seen. It's as if she just magically sprout up from the earth.

This tree bends over backwards to hold her own, and makes no joke that she is the matriarch of the neighborhood. This beautiful tree is not moving for anyone or anything. Although the one way and yield sign are standing strong, this tree is not obliging or moving aside. As a result, you might be able to see that the sign has actually now found it's way into the tree's branch.

Cobwebs have settled into her crevices- finding comfort, security and shelter within her.

She has joints where ever you look.

When the autumn comes and she must shed her clothes, I'll show you the strength and backbone that she truly carries! Right now, she dons a beautiful rich green ivy which encircles her body-reaching up across her spine.

She bears her own beautiful leaves- large strong and shining for all to see. They carry a single point, almost to make a point.

Here, Grandma Willow has put on her party clothes, ready for her last hurrah of the season. She promises to be back in the Fall!

The Big Reveal: Disco Discovery from Seth Apter's Disintegration Collaboration

The big day is here!

What started out as a DISINTEGRATION PROJECT of Seth's from The Altered Page turned out to be a huge international collaboration of over 100 bloggers who have participated in what may seem like a very unconventional three part project. Part one - was to prepare a bundle of whatever you wanted and leave it out in the elements to weather over time. Here was my bundle from February 2, 2009.

Part two - was the reveal of what the bundle looked like after a few months outside - You can see my original post here and a picture of what my bundle looked like on May 1, 2009. Part three- is actually the big revelation- to show what you've made from your bundle. It's the process of building something new from items that have gone through a disintegration process by weathering and time. Seth has posted many of the most amazing projects and works of art in his blog. He's also continuing to have a rolling posting of new participating artists which you can see here.

You can see the mixed media painting I created from my original bundle below.

I've used the original materials from the bundle including the pages from the National Geographic Book, the leather butterfly, the metal link chain and star, and material from the book cover. Additional materials include the cloth lettering from the book, rocks, small frame, Terra cotta clay from a sign being dismantled from a restaurant in NYC, labels, dye cut butterflies, found metals and a found replica eagle in Maine, wood from Hawaii, a feather, metal hearts, old keys and assorted other ephemera. Just as exciting as the materials used is my base canvas which you can see below. It's the first "background" piece I made in Julie Prichard's Layer Love On-line class .

The process of putting this mixed media piece together was such a joy- filled with fun, challenging thought and wonderment on what we can do with materials around us and what I would actually end up creating. Here are some additional close up shots.

What a great gift it is to be part of this amazing collaborative project, inspired and created by Seth Apter. It's been a treasure trove of meeting other artists' stunning, soulful and creative works, finding shared experiences, and reading about and seeing picture filled wondrous heartfelt stories to savor, reflect upon and learn from.