blog hop, book review and a give-away: wabi sabi art workshop by serena barton

i am thrilled to share that i am part of serena barton’s blog hop for her new FANTASTIC book, Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop: Mixed Media Techniques for Embracing Imperfections and Celebrating Happy Accidents.  first, here is a list to the other participants in the blog hop with links to their blogs where you can read additional reviews and interviews (since i’m towards the end of the hop, you get to do yourself a bit of time-traveling to read the other posts, if you haven’t done so already):

6/1: Sara Naumann
6/3: Jill Berry
6/4: Carol Sloan
6/5: Liz Kettle
6/6: Joanne Sharpe
6/8: Seth Apter
6/9: Alicia Caudle —> (that’s me) you are here now
6/10: Pam Carriker

i received my copy of wabi-sabi art workshop a few weeks ago and immediately i did what i always do: i flipped through each of the pages, one by one, to absorb all of the gorgeous imagery.  then, unlike usual, i went through and looked at all of the art and imagery a second and third time.  this book is gorgeous and definitely among my top small handful of favorites!  on my fourth pass, i read it through from cover to cover.  i definitely highly recommend this book and highly suggest you pick up a copy for yourself.  i know you will love it too!

one of my favorite things about this book, aside from serena’s beautiful art, is the fact that i really enjoy her encouragement to her readers to allow our inventiveness to take lead when creating artwork.  i also really like that each of the pieces presented in this book have a list of products and techniques used.

each section of wabi-sabi art workshop is laid out beautifully and eloquently, some of them being: looking for wabi-sabi, creating effects, creating layers of texture, working with the unexpected (this is one of my favorite chapters), and additional sections on wax and 3d objects.  i will admit that i am not the type of person to read an art book and try an exercise in it (i’ve actually never done that previously) but right now i feel extremely inspired to try some of the wonderful techniques laid out in this book.  today, i’m doing a wabi-sabi style piece because it feels like something i would immensely enjoy.  i also love that most of the products used in this book are things i already have on-hand, so it will make for such a fun day to use these familiar art ingredients in a new way.

another one of my favorite things about this book is that serena shares many mediums and techniques for creating wab-sabi style art (such as using acrylics, encaustics, cold wax, 3d objects, collage, ink, etc.) rather than just a single technique to achieve the effects.

serena’s blog for the book can be found here
and the book can be purchased from amazon here
or you can purchase a signed copy directly from serena here
companion chapters to her book, once you’ve purchased it, can be found here: http://www.createmixedmedia.com/wabi-sabi

and here is a secret: serena is the featured artist in the next issue of the altered bits art zine, which i am extremely/grossly behind in publishing — i love serena and have for a great many years!  she is a fellow portlander too so i’ve had the immense pleasure of meeting her and spending a lovely sunday afternoon at the flea market with her.  after reading her book, i really want to get together for an art date!  (hint, hint, serena!)

and now for the give-away!

leave a comment on serena’s wabi-sabi blog HERE and tell her what you’re working on now for a chance to win an original piece of her stunning art.  PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A NEW LINK TO A NEW GIVE-AWAY so if you entered before, enter again.  🙂

have a happy and creative day!

please note: all three art pieces in this post are copyrighted pieces by serena barton.

working away on the zine — for real this time

gotta love those weeks of high energy and little sleep!  i’ve worked my ever-lovin’ arse off on the altered bits mixed media art zine and have managed to design 49 pages in the past week.  all i have left is fill a couple of blank spots (you may be able to help here — see below), finish the absolutely amazing artist interview (have all the info, just have to lay it out), add artist bios in the back, then complete an article that you will LOVE and ADORE (it’s not by me — but one of the pages appear to have been lost during my computer crap-out last february when i lost all the pages i’d already designed, blah, blah.  i will fix this or contact the amazing artist who submitted it… but i’m not telling you who it’s by ’cause surprises are good).

(above is a tiny little peek at one of my pieces in the zine… category: artful retelling of history)

so, here’s the deal.  due to many things, such as my inability to properly count, someone silly submitting a piece to two different categories and me trying to add it to both before realizing the error, and my OCD-like need to have all new category sections starting on the right side of the page, there is still a bit of room.  not a lot, but a bit.  if you would like to submit super late for consideration of the zine, please do so by wednesday 10/24 at 9 PM (USA — PST).  i will need: high res photo(s) of you piece(s), your bio, your URL to site or blog, your location and an optional write-up on the piece(s).  and title of piece.  you can submit up to 3 pieces per person however space is HUGELY limited.  email to hi (at) altered bits (dot) com.

this is what’s left:

one half page (portrait orientation) in cabinet of curiosities
one full or two half pages in artful retelling of history
one half page (landscape orientation) in handmade/altered books and book pages (journal pages allowed as well)
tattered and torn is full unless i get two pieces i die over and must include — it would be a pain in my arse, but potentially worth it

i am also working on the tallest handmade book in the world project but i’m too ADD to talk about it right now — very focused on the zine.  i have not forgotten about it and now that school’s back in, art groups are back on.  super exciting news to share, etc.  but soon… this is zine time!  🙂

if all goes all planned, this zine WILL be ready for the holidays to but as gifts, etc.  also, i’ll be giving away at least one to one of the contributors and probably another to a non-contributor.  we’ll see once we get there (gotta save my pennies for little man’s holiday gifts first, hah).

UPDATE (about an hour later):

there is now only half a page in handmade/altered books and pages/journal pages
and half a page in cabinet of curiosities

25/31: the pulse of mixed media

first and foremost, i want to congratulate seth apter on his AMAZING, wonderful, absolutely stunning new book.  at the time of typing this post, i have not yet held it in my hands, but i run to my mailbox several times daily with the great anticipation of its arrival.  soon it will be here and i cannot wait!

thinking back to when seth initially invited me to be a part of his now-released book “the pulse of mixed media: secrets and passions of 100 artists revealed” i was awe stricken, dumfounded, proud, humbled and blissfully elated all in one.  i couldn’t for the life of me understand why he would invite “little ol’ me,” the weird girl in mis-matched striped knee highs and uneven pigtails who still, in her adulthood, played with doll parts and was fascinated with bones and other such things but i was so honored that he did.  i was so excited!!  (and still am!)

before i get into that though, i have asked seth a couple of questions that i was quite sure people would be interested in knowing the answers to.  after all, he did ask us many fantastic thought-provoking things of the participating artists so i felt it only fair… not that these are thought-provoking or deep, but i was curious.  🙂

dyad, copyright seth apter

alicia: when you initially started “the pulse” 4 years ago, did you ever imagine it would grow into something so large with such a huge following?  at what point did you envision taking it to the next level and publishing a book?

seth: The size and impact of The Pulse has really taken me by surprise. I remember very clearly that I had 35 artists sign up for the first edition of The Pulse back in January 2008, just 5 months after I started my blog. At that point, my expectations were already exceeded but I had a sense that I had tapped into something special. The 5th edition of The Pulse is now running, with 150 artists participating. That number boggles my mind. I had turned the 3rd online edition into a print zine and had often thought that this project had the bones to become a book. But it wasn’t until I was approached by Tonia Davenport, my editor from North Light Books, that I realized I could make this dream a reality. That was 2 years ago, almost to the day of the book’s release, and I couldn’t be more happy with how it has turned out.

alicia: based upon the gorgeous amazon preview i’ve looked it, it appears that you have a vast array of different styles of beautiful art.  what inspired you to invite the artists you’ve featured in your book?   

seth: There are 2 groups of artists included in the book: 31 spotlight artists that I personally invited to contribute and 102 additional artists that responded to an open call. All of the contributors moved me with their art and their words. I selected the spotlight artists in particular based on a number of different criteria. They were all artists I respected, with a body of artwork that spoke to me. In all cases, at one time or another, their creations had taken my breath away. Although I was already in contact with many of the artists, there were a number of contributors I asked having never connected with them before the book project began. I sought out a very eclectic group of international artists so that many distinct art mediums would be represented and the entire range of the mixed media community would be included.

billboard, copyright seth apter

when i think of seth, i think of an amazing artist, a grand collaborator, a pioneer, and a friend i have yet to meet (soon though!).  he is a thought provoker, someone who makes you really think.  i spent a huge amount of self reflection time when reading through the many questions he’d asked for the book.  several of these were not easy questions by any means, and i think just the process of answering them made me feel like i understood a tiny bit more why i am the way i am and why i create the things i do.  that may sound weird, but it’s true.  so thank you for that, seth!

i have been a huge admirer of seth’s artwork since the moment i laid eyes on it and [so far] am the proud owner of one of his pieces (not shown here).

………………………………………………………………..

the thing that intimidated me most, initially, when being invited to be in the book was that all featured artists were supposed to create a self portrait.  it was actually the only thing that intimidated me.  this was pre-alicia-attempts-to-paint people days.  i tried to paint myself.  i tried to collage myself.  and then i emailed seth and said “wait, can my self-portrait be an assemblage??”  his answer was the best ever: “i wouldn’t expect anything else from you, alicia” (or something to that effect).  at that point i felt totally free and confident, and created my “self portrait” with both passion and ease.  the following is a peek of my piece entitled “exhibition of self”. (you’ll have to get the book to see the piece in its entirety, or wait until i share more about it at a later date).

the second piece that i created for the book was in response to a question seth asked me: “how do you express anger in your artwork?”  this too was a difficult question for me but after sitting on it awhile and getting good and pissed off (for a non-related reason), i created “feigning death”.  again, this is only a peek:

since creating these two pieces, i’ve started two series of similar works but have been keeping them under wraps.  check back as i’ll be posting about nine of them over the next several weeks as time permits.

thank you so very much, seth!  i feel so honored to be a part of your first book.  you are the best, sir!

if you didn’t start on seth’s blog today, please head over there now.  he’s featuring each of the 31 spotlight artists during this 31 day month and today is my day.  the altered page >>  also, for every comment you leave on his blog or the others in the tour, you’ll be entered to win signed copies of the book.  check out the details on seth’s blog.  exciting stuff indeed!!

31 artists, 31 days

starting tomorrow, march 1st, seth apter of the altered page will be kicking off a blog tour called 31 artists, 31 days to promote his new book, “the pulse of mixed media: secrets and passions of 100 artists revealed” and several of the artists featured in it.  he will be posting every day, as will the participating artists.  this amazing book can be ordered on amazon.com here.  despite what it says on amazon, the book’s official release date is 3/2 and from what i understand (per seth), copies should be shipped and on shelves by mid-month.  i personally have three copies coming my way and cannot wait!  i’ve looked at the preview at least 20 times in anticipation of the book’s release and it’s finally almost here!

be sure to visit all artists featured in the book (i bet seth will have a list on his blog) and mark your calendar for march 25th as that is my day to participate.  at that time i will share the pieces i have in seth’s book, some secrets and a passion or two.  i think i will also have a celebratory give-away because that’s just the kind of girl i am.

there will be heaps of additional events schedule around seth’s book promotion so make sure to check out his blog so you’re in the loop and don’t miss out.

re-announcing the altered bits print zine

re-announcing, the altered bits print zine! 

i’ve gotten lots of emails stating that i haven’t posted info about the zine on my blog other than the themes so yeps, i’m a huge jackass.  apparently i’ve just spewed off a bunch of empty promises to post about it… so now i’m officially pulling my head out and posting the info for those who are new to my zine or wish to get additional information.

after going through the suggestion and voting process, we came up with four themes for issue two of the altered bits zine.  the themes are as follows:

cabinet of curiosities ( i’m actually working on a piece for this category today.)
tattered and torn (i’ve gotten the most submissions for this category so far.)
an artful retelling of history (this was my choice, so of course i’m quite excited — love the merging of art and history!)
handmade & altered books and pages (this is a super fun one too!)

feel free to interpret each of these categories as you please and use your imagination.  EACH ARTIST CAN SUBMIT UP TO THREE PIECES.

here is a peek at some of the submissions so far.  i’ve muted the color a bit so i don’t give everything away.  i promise you’ll still want to see the zine in the real.  it’s going to be gorgeous!!

the deadline for submissions 21 December, 2011.  i have had to extend this a bit due to all of the recent chaos in my life… so hopefully this will work for everyone.  if you need an extension, please let me know and i may be able to work something out, though i cannot make any promises just yet.

what you must submit to be eligible for inclusion:

• send high resolution photos of your art piece (or photography), at least 300 dpi, no smaller than 6 inches on the shortest edge (at 300 dpi, 6″ = 1800 pixels).  please attach to email rather than inserting into body (some email programs shrink files when you do that).
• indicate which category you are submitting each piece to so i don’t put it in the wrong place.
• PLEASE don’t send small photos.  use name files like this so i’m not confused: lastname_firstname-artpiecename.jpg (you can send jpgs, pngs, tiffs — no gifs or bitmaps — those don’t work for print).
• a short bio in odt, txt, rtf, doc or pdf format.  please DO NOT SEND DOCX files — i can’t open them and don’t want to buy ms word.
• the url to your  website or blog
• optional: a short write-up about your piece and/or your inspiration (these will be space permitting)

what you need to keep in mind:

• kind of a no-brainer but i’ll say it anyway just in case: do not submit anything with copyright restrictions.  for example, don’t use egon schiele’s “standing nude young girl” in a collage or whatnot — i don’t publish copyrighted content as that could ruin it for all of the responsible participants.
• please ensure all of your images are royalty free or have commons licenses.  there are great places to get images like that (flickr commons, wikipedia commons, etc.).

when it will be published:

i will be working on layout and design over the winter holidays and the start of the new year.  i’m shooting to have this published and ready to order by late february or march.  i’ll keep you posted though — if you sign up for notifications on my blog, you’ll be insta-enlightened when i post about it.

extra bits:

if you are interested in submitting an article or tutorial, let me know — i’ve never included one before but think it could possibly be fun to have one in each issue here on out.  if you are interested in advertising in the zine, go to my website to find the rates and info that i will be soon posting: http://alteredbits.com/artzine.php (or email me)

send everything to hi [at] altered bits [dot] com.

thank you so much, friends and fellow artists.  if you haven’t submitted yet and you plan to, i cannot wait to see!!!

“steampunk emporium” book and bundle giveaway winners

first, i want to thank all of you who entered my recent giveaway of “steampunk emporium” by jema “emilly ladybird” hewitt and the little bundle of goodies.  the random number generator was a tad testy this morning, first picking every single international person, then kerin whom i know already has the book.  sheesh.

anyway, without further ado, here are the winners:

the winner of the little bundle of watch parts, gears, cogs and vintage beads is…
miss missy majchrzak buckley of the rust button

and the winner of the “steampunk emporium” book is…
miss lynn stevens of trash to treasure art

congratulations, ladies!  please send me your information and i will send yours right out, missy, and pass your mailing address onto northlight books, lynn.  (i will email you today too since i’m not expecting you to be sitting around hitting refresh on my blog all day)

p.s. the two images in this post are from some new collage sheets that i have not yet posted on the altered bits website (they are in my etsy shop though) and are free to use for anyone who wishes to snatch ’em up for your collages, assemblages, art journals, ATCs or whatever.

xx

artist interview and giveaway: jema “emilly ladybird” hewitt’s “steampunk emporium”

i have had the honor and privilege of receiving a copy of the wonderful book “Steampunk Emporium” by UK-based jewelry maker, costume designer and crafter, jema “emilly ladybird” hewitt. “steampunk emporium” is about creating fantastical jewelry, devices and oddments from assorted cogs, gears and curios. it is vastly full of wonderful jewelry and costumes, many project instructions (20!) and a wonderful variety of intermixed stories.  it’s quite a delightful book for anyone interested in steampunk, jewelry, costume making or just reading adventurous tales.

to be entered to win a FREE copy of jema’s book “steampunk emporium” from northlight books, simply leave a comment in this post before july 19th.  limit to US visitors only, please.  see below for the additional giveaway: a little altered bits bundle of steampunk and vintage bead goodness (no geographical restrictions — i’ll ship it anywhere).

don’t fret — if you do not win, you can still buy yourself a copy on the shop mixed media site here: http://www.shopmixedmedia.com/product/steampunk-emporium-z8074/ or any local bookseller anywhere in the world.

and now, for the interview…

Please tell us a bit about yourself and the art that you create.

My name is Jema Hewitt and I make unusual costumes, wedding gowns and jewellery, particularly Victorian-inspired steampunk styles. I live amid the rolling hills of Derbyshire and have an Aladdin’s cave of a studio in Nottingham. This area of England used to be the heart of the textile and lace making industry back in the Victorian era and I love the fact I am carrying on that tradition. My steampunk alter ego is “Emilly Ladybird” and I use that persona to create fantastical steampunk objects d’art.

What creative paths has your life taken to lead you to where you are today?

Oh so many, I was very fortunate to meet like-minded artists and craftsmen early on in my career and they have remained great friends, inspiring, swapping knowledge and contacts, giving each other jobs and helping find commissions. I worked freelance for so many different places too, always also working part time in shops and cafes to keep my rent money coming in. I suppose working at the bead shop in Nottingham was my first writing break – I did a puff piece for the shop which was published in a magazine and that lead to my first book which was most exciting.

Can you tell us about your art studio?

It is a tiny unit in an old Victorian hospital which had partitions put up in the 1970s to make it into light manufacturing units. It’s owned by the council and is rather unloved and neglected, but we keep our heads down so they don’t put the rent up. 😉 There are lots of wonderful artists and craftspeople in the building so it’s not lonely. My room has a huge window and is full of light, its packed floor to ceiling with cupboards full of fabric and trims and things with a wardrobe full of costumes and props. The studio is my “clean” space for fabric and sewing. My jewellery making tends to take place at home in the cottage, on the dining table. Fortunately my husband is very tolerant of my creative madness. I have boxes and boxes of clock parts, resins and beads hidden away under the stairs.

What artist would you bring back from the dead if you had the power to do so?

I would love to learn from Lalique. His jewellery is exquisite and I think he’d have been incredibly inspiring to be around, I’d love to see what he would do with our modern tools and materials too. I would love for Van Gogh to see how much his work is appreciated now too.

Where do you find your deepest inspiration?

From the people around me. They inspire, challenge and support.

Have any artists heavily influenced you in your artwork (known or unknown, living or not)?

I think some of my jewellery work is quite Alphonse Mucha inspired, it took a long time for me to find my own style; it’s hard when you are working as a commercial artist sometimes because you are always restricted by a client’s desires, you have to be able to adapt your style or mimic someone else’s. I’m becoming more and more interested in abstract pattern cutting techniques, Vivienne Westwood type Victoriana, proper punk haute couture, and I will forever be grateful to Donna Kato for inspiring me with her books on polymer clay techniques. My longtime friend and collaborator Lyssa has been a huge influence too. We started Kindred Spirits together and although she has gone down a different career path now, our house style was very much developed between us. We still get together every week to talk and enthuse! But really I suppose my influences constantly change as my work develops and explores new avenues.

Do you have a favorite piece of art that you have created for “Steampunk Emporium”?

I love the absinthe fairy necklace; it has that luscious Art Nouveau feel to it, while still being steampunky. I do like absinthe, especially with cream soda, so I’ll admit to a soft spot for the absinthe fairy! I’m also rather fond of the adventurers pocket watch.

If you could give one piece of your art to anyone in the world, who would it be?

I’d like to see Lady Gaga or Dita von Teese in one of my costumes, most definitely!

Describe a typical day in your life.

Patted awake by a cat or bunny around 9, gradually come out of my coma (assisted by a nice cup of tea from my hubby), then maybe go out for breakfast with him too. Arrive at the studio by 11.00 and do some pattern cutting or sewing, maybe have a client fitting or prepare for a workshop, exhibition or event. Work through lunch (I often forget to eat when I’m at the studio…). Order fabrics, do some taxes/book keeping or pay bills. Have a cuppa with one of the other studio folks or meet a friend for a chat, leave the studio about 6, get home and have dinner with hubby, watch some DVDs then do some jewellery making or writing, computer type things till eleven or so, then a bath and bed around midnight!

To be honest there’s no typical day though, I might get up at 5 am, drive to be on a film set by 6 and then spend the day loitering, or I might go to an exhibition and spend the entire weekend in fabulous costume, selling my wares!

Do you have any advice you would offer to an emerging Steampunk or jewelry artist?

Don’t undervalue your work. Price it properly even when you are starting out, charging for every minute of time spent on it. If that scares you, consider swapping rather than selling your pieces for things of equal hourly value, babysitting, accountancy or cake making for example.

Make sure your work is unique and marketable; try to find an area of design no one else has explored yet. Make a really spectacular showpiece and get it seen in blogs, Etsy, galleries… everywhere!

(this is the lovely miss jema “emilly ladybird” hewitt herself)

Where else, online or in print, can our readers find more information about you and your wondrous creations?

There are so many places!

First you can join my Facebook pages, https://www.facebook.com/emillyladybird for all things steampunk and https://www.facebook.com/bridaloriginals for my haute couture.

Then there are my main websites www.steampunkjewellery.co.uk and www.bridal-originals.co.uk

And an Etsy page where you can actually buy some of my one off pretty things http://www.etsy.com/shop/SparkleyJem

I also have a blog which I rather sporadically post my epic costume making processes to http://sparklyjem.blogspot.com/

I write regularly for “making jewellery” and “making” magazines (UK) and I am featured in the new “Steampunk Bible” by Chambers and Vandemeer.

Finally I have written lots of books too, from tiara making to basic beadwork as well as the latest of course, the lovely “Steampunk Emporium”!

.   .   .

as a reminder, all you have to do to enter to win a FREE copy of jema’s book “steampunk emporium” is leave a comment before july 19th.

you will also automatically be entered to win this little bundle of rusty gears, cogs, watch parts, antique brass beads, sea green glass beads, and vintage pearly beads (from the 40s) in a pretty little organza bag from me — maybe you could make a pendant, necklace, brooch or some pretty earrings with them:

here are the contents laid out for you to see (probably a little more helpful):

good luck to all who wish to enter!  i will be doing a random drawing on july 20th for two lucky winners, and will announce them that day.  you may enter until midnight on july 19th PST.

(you can also read this interview on the altered bits website, or view past interviews via the links at the bottom: http://alteredbits.com/guest-artists.php)

jump for joy: collage pack winners announced + steampunk giveaway reminder

the winners of last week’s collage pack giveaway have been picked!  congratulations to the four picked from the original blog post:

patricia kurowski
debbie price-ewen
romeo and “her”
katie cahill

and the facebook winner of the fifth free collage pack is:

serena barton

congratulations, ladies!  (and romeo!)  i will try to contact each of you directly today to get your mailing addresses (or if you see this first, email me your address to hi (at) altered bits (dot) com — no spaces, of course).

for those of you who did not win, stay tuned as i will be having lots more summer giveaways.  and you can take the above trampoline girl from a circus image above (click for larger version).

right after i posted the giveaway, my family and i traveled to yachats, oregon (thus my utter silence) for a job my husband had.  in addition to being one of the most amazing musicians in the world, he’s the king of artisan concrete.  he does the most amazing decorative concrete floors, patios, counters, etc..  anyway, it was a LOT of fun to visit the coast again (we go to the northern oregon coast almost every month but i haven’t been that far south in years).  other than the gorgeous sea, stunning scenery along the drive, a doe and her fawn and heaps of sunshine, guess what i got to see!!  one of my favorite artists and dearest friends kerin gale of remnants of olde.  woots!  i love miss keriny and it was so nice to see her.

stay tuned tomorrow for an exclusive interview with jema “emilly ladybird” hewitt, author of “steampunk emporium” and enter to win one of two fabulous prizes: a FREE copy of her magnificent book OR a little steampunk bundle of gears, cogs, watch parts and vintage beads, etc.  see you then!

collage crazy and artist spotlight

i’ve been all kinds of collage crazy lately.  playing with paper and paint is always such a grounding and relaxing thing for me.  that, and the last six pieces i’ve completed were assemblages so it felt time to get a little dirty again.

it’s no surprise that the first four were anatomical in theme.  i just couldn’t help it when i found a 1930s medical book with the most fantastically fun illustrations.  i just had to use them!

i’ve been trying to play with color a bit more than i typically do to gear up for a fantastically divine collaboration i’m doing with my sweet friend jill zaheer of jazworks.  she is such an amazingly bright and colorful artist that i felt i should break out of my monochromatic shell a teeny tiny bit and show her some color.  of course these collages have absolutely nothing to do with our collab (i don’t think miss jilly likes anatomical illustrations as much as i do), but i wanted to just “play” a bit for fun.  we both will have plenty to share on that front another day though as we progress with our joint creations.

this first guy is not colorful at all, except for the little splash of “alicia red”.  he’s pretty tough, this guy.  look at those muscles!  (not terribly manly though.)

i call this guy “enlightened”.  for some reason i’ve felt secretly drawn to blue lately.  i have no idea why and keep telling myself i need to re-investigate the psychology of colors, but i keep forgetting.  i wish my photography skills were better so you could see all of the cracks and texture in the brown… and that the lines didn’t look pink.  i hate pink.

okay, i guess this guy isn’t terribly bright or colorful either.  i accidentally ripped his head off (so unkind of me!) but liked it so replaced it all askew.  he’s broken.  i think he likes it though.  crap photography again, huh!

red and blue, woots!  two whole colors in one piece.  i’m proud.  🙂  i have no idea why there is a hazy white “glow” around the heart because it’s not really there in person.  looks all haunted.  or reflecty.  (yes, i know that is not a word.)

after the anatomical collages, i think i went a little crazy for a minute.  the short background story: we have been house hunting on and off for the past six months and dreaming, dreaming, dreaming of a little old 1880s to 1939 farmhouse with 4-5+ bedrooms and on 5+ acres.  i have “house on the brain” syndrome.  it’s not that we don’t love our little old house but we need more space.  three bedrooms is just not enough when you cram an artist/web designer/doll part hoarder, a studious smarty-pants kid with 9,638,821,143 books and almost as many toys, and a musician/electronics genius/instrument builder under the same roof .  i think that is what happened here, while in the zone.  i don’t think when i create.  i just do… whatever i do.

okay, here is the color.  i do like the cloud print paper in the background though.

as if one house were not enough, i created a second one.  kind of a “creative visualization thing” because the first one didn’t look much bigger than our house and the yard was too barren.  kinda silly, but it was fun.  if this were sunny, had lots of windows and black and white tiled kitchen floors and an old fashion double-stove and was on 5+ acres i would live in it for sure.  plenty quirky for this girl!

after those, like literally maybe 20 minutes after those were completed, i had to create two more to feel balanced out.  3+5=18, i think.  this is really a rich, deep black though you can’t tell here.  ah well.

and last but not least (actually, yeah, least — i am not thrilled with this one).  i called this “sometimes i feel like this”.  when i’m upset or something pisses me off or makes me sad, i create.  it just so happened that i was not in a good mood when i created this.  no wonder i think it’s hideous.  hah.

kind of ugly now that i look at it on-screen.  i think i shall collage over it.  mmmm, extra texture!  (i’m almost done with the next 2, larger ones.)

                               

as mentioned in a previous post, it was a HUGE honor and pleasure to get to have the artist spotlight for the very first print zine be miss lisa jurist of mudhound studio whom i have admired for several years.

in addition to being in the zine, i have featured the interview on the altered bits website in the artist interviews section.  so, if you haven’t yet seen it and wish to get a glimpse into the art and life of lisa, go give it a read.

introducing the first ever altered bits print zine!

i am just giddy with bliss right now as i’m holding in my hot little hands the very first ever print version of the altered bits mixed media art zine.  there are 46 pages of detectible goodness greatness!  twenty-one amazing artists have created the pieces in this zine and i am so proud to have been able to design it, despite all the glitches and delays (sorry!!  that won’t happen again).  i spent all of today doing one last iteration of the zine, uploaded it and have made it available for purchase from lulu.com at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/altered-bits-mixed-media-art-zine-themed-notorious-letters-and-symbols/15982653

soon i will be issued an ISBN number so it will also be available on amazon, and at that time i will order up heaps of copies for the altered bits shop too.

just to give you a tiny peek at some of what’s in the zine, i will introduce you to two gentlemen.  well, guys, at least.  first, jesse james.  i created this piece as a gift for my husband as he is a decedent of jesse james (which you can read about in the zine).

next, the storyteller.  he’s a quirky dude made from a wonderful anatomical doll i received from my super friend tracey kraft (actually, i think she sent me about 20!).  he’s the first in a series — wait until you seen the giraffe guy.  🙂

i did a girl too, but i shall share her with you another time.  i was clearly in a comical state of mind with her (and the guy above).

also in the zine is a wonderful and personal artist interview…

if the revisions i did today look as good as what i got in the mail this morning, i think you will like this zine (they SHOULD — all i did was move one page and alter a name misspelling).  i sure hope you all love it.  thank you, thank you to all who helped to create this first print issue of the zine!  i adore and appreciate each and every one of you!  in alphabetical order by last name: Jay Anderson, Seth Apter, Joanne Archer, Alicia Caudle, Finn Caudle, Katie Cahill, Kym Decker, Patti Edmon, Kerin Gale, Tricia Gillispie Scott, David Hayes, Lisa Jurist, Tracey Kraft, Melissa Majchrzak Buckley, Debi Mattingly, Kim Palmer, Lisa Sarsfield, Renate Starke Krammer, Esther Verschoor, Rachel Whetzel and Jill Zaheer — you are the best!!

the zine is not only available in print, it’s available as a digital download.  almost forgot that: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/altered-bits-mixed-media-art-zine-themed-notorious-letters-and-symbols/15982653

(i will be adding all participants to my sidebar soon, and send trackbacks for this post, but for now, i have to start getting the little one wound down and ready for bed.)

ohoh, i will also be doing a secret drawing this week — ALL participants names (except mine and finn’s) will be tossed into a hat and whomever i draw will receive a FREE issue of the zine from me.  i wish i could afford to send ALL of you a zine… but i can’t.  starving artist, and such.  xx