Inner Works Lives On

Distressed Elements

So happy to be able to announce that my book from our Inner Works collaboration is now on display as part of my solo exhibition at The Gallery Link in Ellenville, New York.

The Gallery Link is part of a wonderful community in the Hudson Valley and is part of the Ellenville Public Library and Museum. The exhibition is being held in conjunction with the release of my book The Pulse of Mixed Media: Secrets and Passions of 100 Artists Revealed, which includes contributions by Inner Work collaborators Jill Zaheer, Roxanne Evans-Stout, Veronica Funk.

In addition to new work, the exhibition at The Gallery Link also includes a sampling of handmade and altered books that I have made on my own and through collaborations. 

I am thrilled that my altered book from our collaboration is included.

The exhibition runs from March 1st to April 23nd. There will be an opening reception at the gallery on March 26th at 6pm followed by an artist talk and book signing at 7pm. Please RSVP for the artist talk at 845-647-5530.

Coming to a Close

As our jouney through Inner Works is coming to a close, I want to thank each of you for all the hard work and creative energy that you poured into our collaboration. Every single page that was created in my book speaks to the talent that each of you posses. And I am so grateful that you shared your talents with me and that, in the end, I have both a bucketful of memories and one amazing altered book as a result.

Perhaps as a way of keeping the project alive just a little bit longer, I have decided to document the journey in a series of posts, both here and on my own blog The Altered Page. For today, I just want to send out a thank you to everybody - along with a glimpse of your amazing work!

Thank you Veronica:

Thank you Supria:

Thank you Roxanne:

Thank you Rita:

Thank you Jill:

Stay tuned for the page by page replay!

Distressed Elements - A Journey in Seth Apter's Innerworks Altered Book

Seth Apter's Distressed Elements is my last book to work in - and what a final act it's been. Hard to imagine that this theme, initially so foreign to me- turned out to be a magical play land - prompting me to take flight within this extraordinary altered book collaboration. As seen in my post here, these pages have been inspired by Seth's phenomenal book joined by the soaring spirit of our InnerWorks group!

So thank you Seth for creating this wonderful book. It's here that I've discovered an exciting journey of layers and human construction within the depth of human emotion.

Working in this book totally filled my soul - and what could be a better ending than the creation of a new beginning- right here - just where I leave off!

Distressed Elements - Seth Apter's book, My Round Robin Pages - #3

It is not hard to be inspired by Seth's work...his work has a distinct flavour, one which invites the artistic mind to a deeper place of inspiration.  I found working on his book really opened up my mind to the energies of the past..Past stories, people's history..Their stories of their lives..Wondering what it would be like for the woman in the photo, holding a book.  What is her story?   Who is she remembering, while looking at the book?  Or what are the inspiring words in the book she is holding, are they providing her with the strength and inspiration to move forward....?  From what, to what????

The book medium, the written word, has itself been a great source of magic and strength for me...I find that through the written word, through books, life finds deeper meaning and comfort, whether it is for an escape or if it is a way to look at life another way, through the wisdom of the author.....The gifts from writers and visual artists who give of themselves freely, help feed the soul, give others a chance to contemplate another point of view, whether similar or different.  Check out the other post I wrote on this work, here!

All of this was what came from my time immersed in Seth's book, Distressed Elements...and  I am grateful for the opportunity.  Thanks Seth for joining the collaborative, your work is an inspiration to many, including myself.

The Layers Within

I am finding our project to be both inspiring and challenging. I feel that my book and I are both literally and figuratively on a journey. As our books zig zag across the United States and Canada, we are all sharing a piece of our selves in the artwork that we create. I find the process tremendously satisfying.

I chose my theme, Distressed Elements, for several reasons. Most simply, I am mesmerized by a distressed surface - marks, scratches, dents, chips, rust, frayed edges, layers and the like speak to me. For this project, though, I also wanted to explore the layers beneath the surface. The layers within. And maybe to use this project to tap into the awareness and expression of some deeper and darker feelings. The book I have altered, Oracle Nights by Paul Auster, lends itself so well to this theme.

I have chosen to post only select images below so that when it is each artist's turn to receive the book, there will still be a sense of surprise and discovery when they open package. Some additional images can be found here on my blog, The Altered Page, as well.

Designs in Nature Continues

Before I send my book off and present final pictures and a completed product, I would like to share with you some of my earlier steps before it will have journeyed to it's final phase of completeness.



Here are a few pictures of my book's journey.






This collaborative altered book project has been one of the most enjoyable artistic experiences I've ever had. Challenging because I've never done this kind of project before, but so exciting and inspiring that I can't help but think about it all the time. I'm so grateful to be working with everyone- Supria, Seth, Rita, Veronica and Roxanne. Since my first posting of this collaboration, I've experienced so many coincidences and synchronicity of our projects. To begin with, I was awestruck to receive a comment from Reva Solomon, a reader of our blog, indicating that she knows the author of my book choice for about 13 years through The Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators - scbwi.org. I'm hoping that the author, Nancy Smiler Levinson, will be happy with the final results of our collaboration, knowing that this kind of project is done as an act of love of the book we've chosen and our connections to it.

The next coincidence came when I read about Supria's theme of Helen Keller for her project. I've always been fascinated by Helen Keller and to this day, marvel that she learned to see and hear without the workings of her biological eyes and ears, but rather through her intelligence, mind and senses. When I was creating the inside of my book cover (still in the works) I had glued an additional page from another book into this book for a butterfly shape I once cut out. As I started to read the words on the page, I was shocked to see that the writing was about Helen Keller.



The paragraph that was showing through (although may actually end up hidden) details the meaning of the word Sensuist - defined as a person who revels in life's sensory experiences. It goes on to say that Helen Keller was one of the greatest sensuists of all time. Based on this definition, I would characterize myself and would think most artists would fall into this category.

While working on this project, I've been overwhelmed by all of the energy I feel, highlighted by the connection toward all of my collaborator's themes which have been so inspiring to me. With this, I send a special thank you to everyone for sharing so much of themselves through their altered books, and again, a very special thank you to Supria who selected me as the 6th and final artist to complete our Inner Works team- and for that, I will forever be grateful.



Seth Apter of The Altered Page

Theme: Distressed Elements

The topic of distressed elements was originally foreign to me. The only distressed items I've previously been drawn to are antiques, old books and all parts of old houses. However, since the time that Seth selected his theme, I've slowly been drawn to distressed and rusted metals. So much so that I may now fit the category of an official rustonian! There is a certain beauty about these items that I have a new found appreciation for. It's a new world that's opened up to me- a whole new sphere of art to love.




























Veronica Funk of Simple Pleasures

Theme: Friendship





On the surface, it may seem as if everyone knows about friendship. But actually, I think it's one of the most misunderstood kinds of relationships that abound. Thinking about the title enabled me to reflect again on the complexities of friendship. A year or two ago, someone sent me a poem, author unknown, that begins with this phrase: "People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person...." I find that this sentiment often helps me to better understand the character and nature of many of my friendships and has helped me to understand the direction that they've taken. Friendship is one of the greatest gifts we can give to each other and ourselves.











Supria Karmakar of An Artist's 'Encaustic Musings'

Theme: Helen Keller


Helen Keller's aquisition of knowledge and ability to learn and accomplish all that she did in her lifetime remains a mystery to me. Not too long ago, I was walking in midtown Manhattan, New York City and saw a double billboard of both Helen Keller and the Dalai Lama.



I at once snapped pictures of it and wanted to incorporate Helen's piece into my bronx city scene painting- but unfortunately, it just didn't fit. The sign says, "Helen Keller Could Only see the Possibilities, Foresight ... Pass It On". What a beautiful thought for all of us to follow.










Roxanne Evans-Stout of River Garden Studio


Roxanne Evans-Stout

Theme: Earth Tones

How can we not be connected to Earth Tones, the foundation for our place on earth, our "air" below us, our ground and our connection to the world we live in. This past summer I traveled to Sedona and am forever now connected to these brilliant tones of our existence. They've become a part of me- so much so that I was inspired to create a painting of my relationship to these beautiful, peaceful yet exciting new found colors.

























Rita Vindedzis of Rita Vindedzis

Theme: Gift From the Sea


The sea, another one of the great gifts of our earth is such an important part of my life. I've always been drawn to the sea and it's treasure trove of shells. I love both to collect them and be dazzled by their shapes, colors, textures- chameleon character- and how they are the protective homes to the sea creatures which they are entrusted to protect. The gift of the sea is not one thing, but encompasses so much. From the tides, fish, plankton, shells and all life within, it's always been such an amazing entity to me. I have this need to always be near a body of water- and thankfully, or maybe for this reason, I am gifted to be able to look out my window every day and see the Henry Hudson River in New York.













Jill Zaheer of Jazworks

Theme: Designs of Nature

I've chosen designs in nature as my theme to celebrate the natural beauty in all that nature has to offer and to capture the exquisite textures, relationships of space, lines, colors, dimension and overwhelming endless visual kaleidoscope of life's artistic blessings all around us.