Seth Apter - The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed

If you gave one hundred artists the same set of art supplies and asked them to create, you would end up with one hundred unique works of art. This is because the magic ingredient in every artwork is the artist. All artists bring their own history, personality, creativity and personal perspective to the pieces they create. They bring their joy and their pain, their successes and their failures, and all the quirks that make them who they are. Knowing the story behind the artist elevates a viewers appreciation of the art and brings their understanding of the work to a completely new level.

With this idea in mind, in 2008 I started an online artist survey called The Pulse. The goal of the project was to provide a window into the creative hearts and minds of the artist community. Much like an archeological dig, I wanted to go below the surface and uncover the inner workings of the artist. There have been four online editions of The Pulse to date, and it has grown from 35 participants to nearly 150. This book has grown out of the online version and expands on the original premise in many ways.

This book is not your typical how-to guide. Instead, you will be taken on a journey deep within the soul of the artist. Imagine that you have been invited to have an intimate discussion with all of your favorite artists: a one-on-one show-and-tell. You can ask them anything, no holds barred. You can learn their secrets, feel their passion, and experience their vulnerability. You can hear firsthand the personal stories behind their artwork. This is what you will find on the pages of this book.

In the first two sections, you will be introduced to thirty-one spotlight artists, some of whom you will already be familiar with and others who will be new to you. Threaded throughout the pages are their answers to a series of personal questions. Some of these questions focus on their art; for example, the art material they could not live without, their art-related pet peeves and the colors they avoid. Other questions focus on the artist; for example, their art-related regrets, the obstacles they have faced and the one person in their life with the most creative impact.

But what is an art book without art? You will also find new artwork created by the spotlight artists in response to a series of twelve prompts. See how they use their artwork to express anger, passion and vulnerability. Find out about the artists obsessions, secret ingredients and hidden messages, all of which find their way into their completed piece. Discover how they see themselves in their self-portraits. And for every image, each artist shares in-depth the personal meaning behind their creation.

In the third section of the book, you will meet 103 additional artists who are representative of the larger art community. Each of these contributors has also generously shared their most intimate thoughts and feelings. You will find their answers to a different series of eleven questions and will learn about their secret dreams, their friendships lost as a result of art, and the one trend they wish would go away. You will learn about the inspiration behind new artwork created in response to prompts about their secrets, fears and innermost self.

Join me and all the artists on an adventure that will make you a true art insider. After reading this book, you may never look at art or the artist the same way again. Its time to take The Pulse of Mixed Media.

www.oneartistjournal.wordpress.com

I am a gatherer. While on my tracks I find sky-kissing mountains and deep valleys, barren deserts and lush rainforests, wandering nomads and firm settlers. My tracks take me places. At times I get lost. Enchantingly, as soon as I gather my findings, lay my images and words on a physical or virtual canvas, I get found.

www.ornamental.typepad.com

Nina Bagley has been a professional jewelry designer since 1987, a mixed-media artist for as long as she can remember (thinking here of a little clay mushroom ensemble that was created in perhaps the third grade, for starters), and has been teaching mixed-media/jewelry workshops worldwide since 2000. Her artwork is featured in many books and magazines, and has been carried in multiple boutiques and museum shops across the world.

www.vivianbonder.wordpress.com

I create from a space of silence and solitude A space where at times emotional turbulence and noise are ruling Where intense happiness and suffering meet face to face A space where I am balanced within myself, between extremes and feeling grateful to be alive.

www.johnborrero.com

You may have seen me walking ahead of you on the street, looking around to see who is watching, and bending down to retrieve metal from the curb. You may have passed me at the book store, investing in mythology and folklore, smiling with a childlike enthusiasm as ancient stories speak to me. Maybe youve noticed me at the antique shops, buying photos of faces of people forgotten to lovingly give my creations their grace and humanity.

www.pamcarriker.com

It is both my personal goal, and my artistic goal, to have my life and art reflect my true self. Some days my true self has paint on her elbow for more than one day at a time, and cant find the TV remote under the pile of socks that have lost their mates, but there are days when her skinny jeans fit and all is right with the world. I strive to convey the importance of the things in my life that matter most to me through my art.

www.acartwrightstudio.com

I am an unruly artist. I feel naked without a camera in my hand. When you are a photographer I think it trains you to see life differently. I cant imagine a world without art.

www.alteredbits.com

I paint. I collage. I assemble. I sew. Im a mad eco-scientist of sorts in that I devise natural, earth-friendly recipes for dyes, stains and inks to use in my art (largely due to annoying allergies to chemicals), and I like to make light-up and mechanical art from scrap electronics bits. This is my husbands fault as he teaches me things such as which value of resistor is needed to power an LED light.