August 31, 2010 · 4:30 am
An interview with Seth Apter – Mixed Media Artist.
Today I have an exclusive interview with mixed media artist Seth Apter who has appeared in numerous publications such as Artful Blogging, Cloth Paper Scissors, Creative Wildfire and Studios Magazine. Seth lives and works in New York City and writes his own blog called ‘The Altered Page which showcases his skilful work which include highly textured and distressed pieces combining different methods he will talk more about later in the interview.
After finishing a big art project, Seth has kindly agreed to answer some questions I have been dying to ask him since I came across his visually exciting and intruiging work.
'Drips'
So Seth, Please introduce yourself & tell us a little bit about your method of working.
I am a mixed media artist from New York City. I have been actively engaged in the visual arts for the past 10 years, a period of time for me that has been a never-ending adventure. My primarily interest at the present time is in book arts, works on paper and textural assemblage. My artwork tends to be abstract in nature and highly textured and distressed, using layers of paper, paint, ink, text, and transfers. Found objects are often integrated into my pieces as they bring a sense of history and evolution to the work
and provide a deeper sense of meaning as well.
Nothing compares to the freedom and flexibility that mixed media provides. Being able to use any and all materials allows for an unmatched sense of creative flexibility and excitement. I feel like an explorer, always on the lookout for bits and pieces to use in my art. My process is about building up and breaking down. The things I create are built up in layers. At the same time, I love to distress materials - sanding, scratching, inking, tearing, and aging. In the end, the finished piece is a combination of all that was added and all that was removed – and each process is equally important.
'Brew'
'Sumatra'
Who or what inspires your work?
There is a vibrancy in NYC that I find quite inspiring. Just walking out my door every day fills me with creative energy. I am often inspired by the people that I see, the architecture of the city, the objects I find in the street…not to mention all the galleries, museums, display windows, and unique shops that are everywhere. I love to take my camera to the many neighborhoods in the city and go on photo safaris. At the same time, I am transfixed by nature and find much inspiration there. I spend a lot of time in Central Park, which is really an urban paradise. And my vacations often take me to nature-filled locations, providing both inspiration and a needed break from the frenetic pace of New York.
'Contingent' - Eva Hesse
'Hotel Eden' - Joseph Cornell
Are you currently involved with any projects/exhibitions?
I host an online collaborative project called The Pulse, a survey in words and images of the online artist community. There have been 4 editions to date and the current one includes nearly 150 participants. Each participating artist is presented with a series of art-related questions to answer. The results of the survey are presently being posted on my blog as a series of individual projects. Right now The Book Guild is posted every Sunday and focuses on listing the participants’ favorite art books but also includes book reviews, author interviews, and giveaways.
I am a Creative Contributor on the MMCA Marketplace blog and once a month I write a blog post that focuses on issues related to being an artist. My most recent contribution is called “A is for Artist” and deals with defining the word Artist and addressing the reasons why so many creative people have difficulty labeling themselves as such.
This November I will have an online exhibition of my artwork on the New Zealand based Virtual TART site , which is run by Dale Copeland and showcases international artists. Several other projects that I am quite excited about are in the works and they will be announced on my blog in the upcoming months.
Do you work as a full time artist? If so, how did you get to where you are now/If not, how often you spend time being creative?
I am not a full time artist, although given the amount of time I spend either creating or working on my blog it certainly feels as though I am. I spend time every single day working on some aspect of art. As the years have passed, I have dedicated more and more of my time and energy to this passion and I expect to continue in that direction.
& Finally, what is your studio space like?
I have a dedicated room in my home that serves as my art studio, although many of my supplies and materials always seem to be migrating around my entire home. I live in an apartment on a high floor and have large windows with an amazing city view. My studio is filled with supplies, art work that I have purchased or been gifted, ongoing and completed art projects, art books, and tons of the flotsam and jetsam that is part of every artist’s life. I collect interesting boxes, cabinets, and cases and these items are everywhere and serve also as storage for the ingredients that are waiting to become part of my art.
City view studio space.
Thanks Helen for this opportunity to share some of my thoughts with your readers.
To see more of Seth’s fantastic work, you can visit his blog The Altered Page here.
Thank You Seth for sharing your work, methods, projects & your inspiration. I’m sure Seth would love to hear any comments and answer anyother questions you may have.
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Filed under Articles & Interviews, Mixed Media & Photography, Mixed Media Inspiration, Open Studios Tour, The Creative Diarist
Tagged as abstract, aging method, anselm kiefer, antonio tapies, architecture, art, art blogging, art projects, artful blogging, artists interview, artists studio tour, blue, books, boxes, Central Park, city view studio, cloth paper scissors, colour, creative fire, distressed, eva hesse influence, exclusive, image transfer, inking, inspiration, interview, joseph cornell influence, layers, masao yamamoto influence, melt series, mixed media, new york, New York City, orange, paint, Painters, paper, photography, rough, rust, sanding, scratching, seth apter, studios magazine, tearing, text, textual assemblage, texture, the altered page, the pulse, visual arts
I love Seth’s work and follow his blog over at The Altered Page. Thanks for this wonderful feature, it was great hearing more about this amazing artist.
Seth in an inspiration! I LOVE his work!! what a fantastic feature on him :)
HUGS!!
luthien :)
Seth is a man of magical powers …he is generous and kind beyond my humble words and organizes the collaborations others would dream for. I do love the article in the Studios …they could write a whole book about his mind’s processes and materials he seems to inspire his creations. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
What a great article on Seth, his work, inspirations, current projects, his studio and how he creates his artwork both by building up with layers and textures and then distressing them. His columns in MMCA are super! Can’t wait to see his online exhibition of artwork on the New Zealand based Virtual TART site and his other new projects. It’s also fascinating to see which artists inspire him. Thanks so much for this super interview!
Seth, your work, your studio, your processes, your creative energy and focus are each inspiring to me. You do live in an inspiring city, but it’s you who wrings the pulse out of it and frames it into your art.
Seth! Thanks so much for being generous with your time and your art, and thanks, Helena, for the feature.
Helena – I really enjoyed reading this piece on Seth. I have been following his blog for about a year, and in that time I have learned so much from the tips, observations and advice he shares with us from other artists and himself. Although I have only had communications with him via email, I feel like he is a dear friend. He is generous with his words, and inspiring with his works. Thank you for bringing him more into focus for us through this interview.
Hi Rebeca, I’m really glad you enjoyed it. I can’t thank Seth enough for being so generous with his time and sharing his wonderful work with us.
He has been a massive inspiration to me while I have been doing my Art degree and it’s clear that I’m not the only one.
I had a look through your blog and you also have some really lovely pieces :)
Thanks for stopping by, I’m sure Seth really appreciates everyones support and enjoys hearing that he is such an inspiration to us!
x
I enjoyed this interview with Seth so much. I’ve followed his blog for over a year. He contributes so much to the art community, especially to us who are online. Besides being a marvelous artist, he is generous with praise and encouraging words regarding other artists’ work. His “Pulse” projects have given us a door into other artists’ lives and work. I know he has spent considerable time and effort putting this projects together and posting results.
He is a very valuable asset to our “world”.
Thanks for doing this interview.
Seth rocks!!!!!
Oh how awesome! I love Seth’s work and blog. It is great to see inside his creative space. Thanks for that interview.