Rivers and Bridges Artist Trading Cards

Artist Trading Cards, Phillip Hoyle, 2016

Bridges was the topic for last week's Artist Trading Cards workshop and swap. The pieces were clever, artistic, and varied. Conversations sparkled, snacks satisfied, but most of all the artists had fun working together and trading the results. Everyone got to go home with at least one of their new pieces. 

I went with no new pieces but traded some others and then got to work on something related to Bridges. When I got home I was inspired to do more and finished nine more cards three days later. You can see the kind of things I did here. Under the influence of some other artists who mess with maps cutting them apart and then glued them back together in an amazing number of ways, I messed with maps (acrylic washes rubbed on with paper towel) and cut out rivers that I collaged and emphasized with black lines. Think of these cards as abstracts. They were great fun to make. 

Artist Trading Cards, Phillip Hoyle, 2016

I continue to celebrate Artist Trading Cards as a novel size for doing fine artwork. They don't require much space and come in at very low cost. Just don't throw away any scraps and make them into tiny art. Have fun. Join us. Look up Artist Trading Cards, Make them and trade them, Denver. Something like that! 

Second Saturdays at 10:00 - noon. Fourth Thursdays 7-10 pm or so. Both up-coming events celebrate Halloween and Day of the Day. You won't believe the variety. Add yours.

Art Intentions

Getting Ready! 

For several weeks I've felt like I am caught in an artistic slump. At such times I think about old arguments contrasting artistic process with artistic output. I believe the origins of the discussion is really educational theory, and it is a good way to look at my situation. 

For me, artistic process includes any number of activities. The only thing that has slowed down is my work in the visual arts. When this happens I recall years ago when I was making collages from magazine pieces and was always suspicious of my color selections, I'd lay out the pieces I was planning to use and look at them for several days or even weeks. I wanted to give my eye time to really see the interactions of the colors before I committed myself to glue. I'm sure I just couldn't get the gumption gathered to engage in the sometimes tedious act of gluing. BUT I'm not making excuses, simply describing.

My current stalled project includes lino block printing on a variety of prepared papers. I've messed with it over several months and finally selected some colors, maps, brushes, inks, on and on. I'm not quite sure my block cut is finished. Hopefully I'll have some finished piece to show next week. I remain hopeful and while my mind keeps at solving visual projects, I keep writing stories. And telling them.

Denver, 2016