Liberate Your Art 2017

I'm not sure what made me decide to join in with Liberate Your Art for the first time last year.  One of those spur of the moment things I guess, because there is no way on earth that I consider myself an 'artist'.  I have trouble drawing a straight line with a ruler, so there is no paint related artist blood running through my veins!  So when I read through the sign up post I realised that art takes many forms, not just the initial idea of paint on canvas.  I've always been keen to create - whether it be by sewing, knitting or sticking bits of paper onto other bits of paper and creating scrapbook pages - so as a 'newbie' to LYA I photographed things that I had made as examples of my 'art'.

When the LYA mail started arriving last year I discovered that out of the postcards I received, some of my favourites were photographs and I realised that you don't actually have to physically make something for it to be art, that you can make art through the lens of a camera.  I filed that idea away for the coming year's project!

Enough of my history with LYA - let me share some very special mail that has arrived on my door mat within the last couple of weeks.

Aren't they fabulous?



From street life observations, finding art in a close up view of a vintage object, collage, and original art. 

And along the way I've discovered new blogs to check out and new Instagram accounts to follow.  None of which would have happened if I hadn't been brave enough to put my insecurities aside and sign up and join in.  My postcards came from many different states in America and one from Europe.  Yes, one postcard had a very long round trip from Slovenia to America and then America to England!  Now I'm thinking, we need to advertise this more in countries this side of the Atlantic - so please consider joining in next year.  It's always good to receive Happy Mail, be inspired by others and forge new acquaintanceships.

For my postcards this year I didn't photograph 'things' that I had made, but when I was on holiday last year I kept an eye out for things that I thought may be suitable for making into a postcard.   Inspiration came in many ways!  While on holiday in Portugal I found some very clever street art painted onto old crumbling cement walls.  Then while laying on a sunlounger and staring up at the sky I noticed how striking the opening petals of a lily growing on the patio looked against the blue, and on an early morning walk, the blossom on the tree looked pretty with the sun gently shining through the branches.  A trip to the English coastline gave me inspiration for my final card.  I love beach huts, and we are lucky to live in an area which is well known for its colourful huts along the sea front.  These were taken while walking between Frinton on Sea and Walton on the Naze on the Essex coast.  So these were the five postcards that I sent out.

 Please do visit Kat's blog to see the kind of mail which has been travelling between the participants of this year's project. Click here for more information.  Ready for some facts and figures? 

876 pieces of art were sent around the world
146 people took part, and those people came from ...
12 different countries

But even better than that, join in next year!  It really is a great project and Kat makes it so easy to participate in even if you live outside of the US. I promise to let you know when the sign up starts for 2018, so start thinking about what you can make into a postcard now!

Liberate Your Art 2016

I'm not sure what gave me the courage to put my name down to join in with the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap project.  But in true Deb tradition, the minute I'd entered my details I had a 'what on earth was I thinking?' moment. The final blog post from Kat Sloma about the swap can be seen here. Just check out some of the amazing postcards that people sent around the world.

But that's the end of the project, let's rewind and remember the beginning - I read and re read the instructions and with the thought that art can take many forms, not just paints and canvases I went ahead and had some postcards made with a few images of quilting that I had done and photos I had taken.  They were written on, packaged up and sent on their way to Kat to be forwarded on to other participants.

 

The date for the exchange came and I impatiently waited for the cards that would be sent to me from 5 other artists.  Look at the lovely cards I received:

from Krisha in Southern California.  This is a page from one of her art journals, and created with just a pallet knife.  Isn't she clever?  The writing says 'She sent her heart afloat before it could be broken'.

 

From Janice Darby in California.  'Until you spread your wings you will have no idea how far you can fly' is the quote on the front.  Such beautiful details in her artwork, my photo does not do it justice!

 

'Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul' - John Muir.  This is the quote Sarah Calhoun in Georgia added to the reverse of her card.  This photo was taken in Cloudland Canyon State Park and is quite amazing.  I would never have guessed it was a photo, the techniques she has used are brilliant.

This rather regal lady is the artwork of Janet Reid.  She has added the quote 'Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life' - Pablo Picasso.  I tried to find something with similar colours to add as a 'prop' to my photo and liked the way the colour of the Chambord matched the majestic purple and the crown on the label echoes that in the picture.

Now, art can take many forms and Dona Hyll is a member of a band called Vatra Ziva from Columbus, Ohio.  She added the quote 'A painter paints pictures on canvas, but musicians paint their pictures on silence' - Leopold Stokowski.

I just have one more that I am waiting for, the one from Kat herself. 

It's been such a lovely project to be part of, and I apologise now to the recipients of my cards for they have no clever or thought provoking quote included on them.  I just added a short personal message but I will know better for next time.  For there will be a next time - I have really enjoyed waiting to see what beauties will be waiting for me on my door mat when I get home from work.  Happy mail really is the best!  Technology is great and it is such a quick and easy way to communicate but there is something about receiving something in the post that you can touch, look at and admire.

 

Huge thanks go out to Kat for organising this; I can't begin to imagine the logistics of how she does it, for although all the cards I received were from USA participants, people took part from all over the world.  175 people took part from 12 different countries!  Kat made it so easy to join in, even from overseas, and the instructions were clear and easy to follow.  Did you take part this year?  I think that every one of the people who comment on my blog are artists in so many different ways whether it be scrapbooking, card making, painting, sewing, knitting, crocheting ... the list of ways you can create art is long.  I've really enjoyed checking out the blogs and etsy shops of those people who sent me their details and it's been fun spreading my wings and finding new blogs to check out.  Come and join me next year - I'll let you know when the sign up begins!