As I've mentioned in some previous blogs, I participate in a monthly artist's trading card (ATC) swap at one of the stores where I teach, and I am still amazed at how much I love this artistic forum. This month's theme is party hats & beads. Here are my submissions. If you zoom in and look closely, the background of each card is made up of tiny microbeads. I used Artgirlz charms for the faces, and of course they're each wearing party hats and party dresses adorned with various seed beads etc. I only need three for the swap, but I make six every month -- 3 for the swap, 1 for Marilyn, the swap host (visit her picturetrail site in my links at right), 1 for my friend Debbie, who so often encourages and inspires me -- Oh, and one for me, so I can keep a sample of the techniques that I use! The silver one (if you look really close, she has a martini with a beaded olive)-just my kind of party girl- is the one I am keeping. I would let my friend Debbie choose her own, but she is off jet-setting around Scotland, so I am going to pick one of the brightly colored ones for her, as she is a very colorful woman!
I had a rare opportunity to make art for almost three full days straight this weekend, and it was pure joy. I am always stealing time for my art these days, and this weekend I just ignored the remainder of leaves that fell onto my lawn, ignored the dust bunnies that swirled about on my floors, and made art. One of the things I was reminded of is that an artistic body and mind in motion stays in motion - creation fuels creation. Sometimes it takes me hours, after I've been out of my studio for awhile, to get back into the swing. Not the ideas so much as the rhythm, for me, takes some time to recapture. So that by the end of a weekend like this, I am brimming with ideas, and I just want to hole up in my studio for days on end. It reminded me how much I love the process, as much as the finished pieces.
5 comments:
Same here. I was able to spend the weekend with my art. It's been a while since I've been able to do that. It was good.
I like your ATCs!
Kerri - These are absolutely fantastic! Thanks for sharing them. I'm in the swap, but it's nice to see others since I normally only see what I get. I did fabric gel medium transfers with party hats and seed bead necklaces (of family members current and generations ago) for my ATCs.
These are just FABulous!!! I love love the little microbead backgrounds and the artgirlz charms. Lucky the recipients!:0) Deb
Oh, great post! Your cards are wonderful. My brother does artist cards too, and is in several on-line groups. He has found it curiously addictive, I think.
I really relate to having to "steal time" to make art, and also how it takes a while to get back in the rhythm. Exactly! The deisre is there, the ideas are there, you just have to set the body in motion and sometimes it is surprisingly reluctant to plunge right in. It is odd, but this seems universal.
Your cards are great! And, you've really hit on something wrt the creative process. Thanks for sharing.
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