L.Y.A. 2016 Side Swap #9, “Build” by Sherry Harmes.
Sherry Harmes lives in Larsen Bay, Kodiak Island Alaska. I have swapped with Sherry before, and I always look forward to her art arriving. For these tiny houses she used security envelopes and watercolor. On the back of the card is this:
Conceive, Believe, Achieve!!!
The building she is doing this year includes and addition, Bee, Bird, Butterfly and Bat houses. And relationships with long-lost family! Sherry sounds like a busy bee herself!
Sherry includes the weather stats on her card, I think that is such a fun and creative detail. The temperature in Alaska was at 44 degrees, and when I received the card in Wildomar, CA. our temp was at 51 degrees. Funny to think So. Cal. was almost as cold as Alaska!
I placed Sherry’s card in something that I built (with some help), paint storage crates.
This is my lucky 13th card to arrive! Still looking for one more of the regular swap cards, and then Kat Sloma’s to close the swap. And there are more sides on their way as well!
Wishing you the very best in your busy year Sherry! Thanks so much for sharing your playful art with me!
L.Y.A. 2016 #4, “Beth” Digital sketch by Michelle Swetnam.
Yikes, #4 already! Only two more too go. So thankful that I have more side swaps to look forward to as well. This magical card came to me from Alexandria, VA. Which is just outside Washington, D.C..
Michelle Swetnam is a writer as well as an artist, and the back of her card is proof of it. Fourteen lines of tidy penmanship! I can only ever fit four or five in my messy writing. Michelle tells me that she finds drawing on her tablet frustrating. But from where I am sitting, it looks like she has mastered it. Beth has plenty of personality.
Michelle writes Zines on many topics including positivity (love that word) and creativity. She even trades them, and you can contact her if you would like to be part of one of her future projects. Which I am going to do. Sounds fun!
If you send her something beautiful, like a postcard, she will post it on her site and send you something back. How fun is that! You can find Michelle on Instagram and Etsy. I have so got to get on Instagram.
Michelle’s honesty motivated me to take pen to paper and do a quick sketch simply because I have not sketched in a while. I need to add to my faces, that told myself I would try to do more often. Months ago. I am laughing at the cowboy hat. A cross between The Flying Nun and Fire hat I think. It is better than the watercolor I tried today. So I am happy with it!
Thanks Michelle for the inspiration! I love pondering Beth!
Sapphire Seafront. Gesso and acrylics on paper. 2016 Sheila Delgado
I am working through the lessons in Pauline Agnew’s Artbytes One. I skipped Project Two as it calls for creating a triptych, and I need to pick up canvas for that. Project three calls for creating a textured landscape. I scored high, I think, on creating texture. But low on creating a pleasing and painterly piece. Still, I am happy with it. It’s growing on me.
I practiced each technique. Started with gesso again and layers of warm color, that should still be slightly visible, but are not. They would have added depth and character. Is there a sense of weather? Storm on the way, or just retreating?
The assignment was not to create a fabulous piece. But I would like to make this better, just for the experience. If I can. Any suggestions are welcome.
L.Y.A. SIDE SWAPS
L.Y.A. Side swaps 6, 7, 8. Sea Dean, Cheryl Goyer, and Jacques Williamos.
Cheryl Goyer is a fiber artist, just look at the fabulous fiber becoming yarn. Hand dyed silk. Gorgeous colors, I just want to reach out and feel that bundle. Cheryl teaches spinning at the Antique Gas & steam Engine Museum in Vista CA., and Rigid Heddle Weaving at Common Threads in Encinitas. I confess, I had to look that up. Visit her site to see her gorgeous work! You can also find her on Instagram – clgoyer, and Tumbler – cgoyer. Cosmic connection… I have a good friend who lives across the street from the museum.
The gorgeous cat is from Jacques Williamos and came to me from Radstock in the UK. She is on Facebook , visit her page to see more of her art. Some done with her nondominate hand, amazing! Jacques included this wonderful quote on her card:
“Slow down and enjoy life.
It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast –
you also miss the sense of where you are going and why”
Eddie Cantor
Best wishes to you as well Jacques, and be sure to sign up for Kat’s newsletter to be in the loop for next years swap. I hope you are feeling better and healing swiftly!
Sea Dean is an artist who can paint just about everything. Her card is a collection of pet portraits. Most for commissions. I love them all, especially the blue cat at the bottom. (I think prints are an awesome idea Sea!) Sea lives in Kelowna, BC, Canada. 1410 miles directly north of Wildomar. Big Hug to you Sea.
OOPS! Swap #3
Remember this gorgeous tree postcard from a few days ago? Michele accidentally sent me a second one. And it makes me laugh, because that is something I would do. How ’bout you? Brain fart or senior moment, we all can relate. I received a second one as part of the regular swap! MY third to arrive. And I was so busy reading the quote and personal message, that I flat out did not see that it had one of my printed address labels on it. Glasses on and I still was completely blind! LOL. When I read Michele’s comment, I cracked up! SEE! I told you I would do something like that and I WAS DOING IT! Ha ha ha ha
I will be using these cards for the front and back covers of my album. Thanks for that Michele! (Your card was the first one I received). The back of this card is different though, with this quote:
One of the greatest necessities in America, is to discover creative solitude. Carl Sandburg
L.Y.A. 2016 Side swaps #1 and #2. Sarah Calhoun, “Mermaid”. Michele Matucheski, “Hope in Winter.
Cosmic connection here:
Carl Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, writer, and editor who won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln.
My favorite President as a child was Lincoln. I read book after book on him. My birthday is January 5th, and I was born the year Carl died. Silly I know… but there are connections everywhere.
Thank you Cheryl, Sea, Jacques and Michele! Such a lovely surprise to receive four beautiful postcards on the same day!
