PROJECT X INSTRUCTIONS

WARNING! CLASSIFIED MATERIAL CONTAINED HEREIN...
IF YOUR NAME IS FRANCES ELIZABETH BARTH, GO NO FURTHER.
THIS IS A SECRET SURPRISE THAT I HAVE PLANNED FOR YOU.
YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN BE THIS FAR...BE A GOOD GIRL AND LEAVE.

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To my talented Artist Friends and Relatives,

First of all, let me thank you. I am honored you all agreed to assist me. And I am very excited to see how this turns out. I want to apologize for making you wait to get this info. Hopefully, 8 weeks is enough time to complete each of your individual projects. If there is a time issue, please contact me immediately (SEE BELOW for contact info). On to the plan:

I have asked each of you to create a 10" x 10" portrait, with Fran as the subject, in the medium of your choice as my wedding gift to her. I do not expect you to do this out of the goodness of your heart, although I know this group has some fine tickers. You will all be compensated for your work as agreed. At the very least, you additionally have a big favor coming from me (and I'm good for it--no favor is too large) as well as my sincere gratitude.

The following is my list of artists involved and medium they will work in. Please contact me with any changes.

1. Julienne Barth - Oils
2. Connie Dew - Pen and Ink
3. Kate Weigand - Mixed Media
4. Jackie Rush - Oils
5. Jamie Hood - Airbrush
6. Ryan Wall - Animation Cel
7. Matt Schwartz - Pencils
8. Emily Linderman - Mixed media
9. Chris Barth - Digital Illustration

This list consists of a total of nine artists--each single piece will be a part of a larger 30" x 30" wall display (fig.1). However, Fran may decide to display them in a number of configurations so each piece must be able to stand alone as well.

I have created a gallery of 45 images for you to use as reference material. My initial concept was to have each of you do the same image in your own style and media. After talking it over with many of you, I decided to open it up quite a bit more and let you chose an image which suits your needs best. I hope that I have included enough images to make this an easy task.

After you make your selection, I would like very much to know which image you will be working with. I will post that information here for our group to see. Also, if you need a hard copy, enlargement, variation, etc. of any of the images, contact me and I will send it your way. I have also included a slideshow of the 45 images so you can easily look at the whole group. Click on the links below for the gallery and the slideshow:

GALLERY

SLIDESHOW

As for the supplies for your work, please let me know what you need. I am hoping that those of you who can work on canvas do so. This is the suggested 10 x 10 canvas (the 10 x 10s are $9.69 and come to $16.14 with shipping--let me know if this is what you'd like to use and I'll have it shipped to you). If you want to try to find them in your local art store, look for 10 x 10 Fredrix Creative Edge canvases - Gallery Style (they have a black background on the label) with 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" stretcher bars. The Creative Edge canvases have no staples that show on the sides or back. If it is convenient for you, I will reimburse you at a later date for all your costs (otherwise, contact me immediately for funding). For those working in a non-canvas friendly medium, please use a heavy paper or board that is acid-free, such as BFK Rives, Arches, or Strathmore 500 board. Whatever you use, make sure it's acid-free. I plan on keeping these for a long time.

Please let me know if there is anything else you need to move forward with your piece. I would like to have all the pieces submitted to me by October 16th so I can have them mounted and ready for her when I present them on our wedding day (Oct. 26th for those still wondering). Feel free to include a personal note or dedication along with or on the back of your work. I am excited to see the results of your efforts and I know Fran will love this concept. I can think of nothing that we both appreciate more than the creative people we have as friends and relatives. Good luck, have fun, and once again, thank you so much for your participation.

Eagerly awaiting your masterpiece,
Chris

p.s. If you have any trouble, contact me immediately. Please do not use my home phone. This project is top secret and Fran monitors all my calls. Just kidding. But to be safe, call me on my mobile phone: 574.361.7988 at any time, day or night. I can also be reached via e-mail: chrisbarth@mac.com or christopherbarth@yahoo.com. Also, please bookmark this page.