ATCs: Creatures of the Night

"Ghosties on the Loose"
by Cathy Dillon

Appropriate for the Halloween celebrations, the FiberAntics Artist Trading Card (ATC) theme for October was "Creatures of the Night."

While witches, goblins, princesses, super heroes and cartoon characters were Trick-or-Treating in your neighborhood, the artists in this month's ATC swap had other creatures of the night on their minds.

Here they are...

"Joyful Halloween"
by Dawn Spagna

"Creatures of the Night"
by Diane Pineschi

"Creatures of the Night" by Karen Downer

"Jonathan Frid, My Favorite Barnabas"
by Veronica Hofman-Ortega

Oh, and you know there's a story behind this ATC...

"My New Old Boyfriend"
by Marilyn League

Happy Halloween!

ATCs: In the Kitchen, My Town

"In the Kitchen 1910" by Marilyn League.

So, what happens in your kitchen? Cooking, baking, eating... maybe a little dancing?

In our kitchen, the cooking utensils, food canisters, a bread box, cutting boards, microwave and panini maker span the kitchen counters. How 'bout you? Do the gadgets line up around your kitchen begging, "Use me next! Use me next!"?

There were two themes for the September Artist Trading Card (ATC) swap. The first is "In the Kitchen."

"Save your Fork. Dessert is coming."
by Veronica Hofman-Ortega

Wouldn't it be fun and interesting to use the old, tried-and-true family recipes with today's state-of-the-art cooking technology and gadgets?

"Generations in my Kitchen" by Cathy Dillon.

This is the inside of Cathy's ATC. You could write in your own family favorite.

"Generations in my Kitchen" by Cathy Dillon (inside).

"In the Kitchen" by Diane Pineschi.

"In the Kitchen" by Dawn Spagna

The other ATC theme was "My Town." It's fun to be an armchair traveler and visit the landmarks and tourist attractions via Artist Trading Cards.

"Santa Monica" by Dawn Spagna.

"My Town: Los Angeles" by Diane Pineschi.

"My hometown, Arlington Heights, IL"
by Cathy Dillon

"Chattanooga and Moon Pies" by Karen Downer

"You can take the girl out of the Windy City..."
by Veronica Hofman-Ortega

"One Woman's Gardin is a City's Weeds."
by Marilyn League

ATCs: The scent of ___ reminds me of ___

The smell of Corn Fields reminds me of
the Summer Days of my childhood.
by: Cathy Dillon

Have you ever been driving down the road and a certain song comes on the radio that transcends you back in time? Maybe to your high school prom, or a fun time with a bunch of your BFFs, or a crazy time in college...

Or while perusing a photo album [digital or the old-fashion paper ones] memories of a vacation, a family gathering, a wedding or other special event come to mind...

What about our sense of smell? Can it conjure up memories too? The theme for the July Artist Trading Card [ATC] swap was "The scent/smell of ___ reminds me of ___."

The following ATCs illustrate how certain familiar smells do bring memories for these ATC artists.

The scent of lavender reminds me of Peace.
by: Karen Downer

The smell of rain makes me feel creative.
by: Diane Pineschi

City smells remind me of shopping!
by: Dawn Spagna

The smell of food... reminds me that I'll get fat!
by: Marilyn League

Magic Sizing reminds me of my mom.
by Veronica Hofman-Ortega

ATCs: Calligraphy

"Create" by Dawn Spagna

Calligraphy.

Beautiful writing.

From the Greek:
kallos = "beauty" and graphein = "to write."

As a typographer, I love letterforms and was excited to propose Calligraphy as the March theme for my FiberAntics Artist Trading Card (ATC) swap. Calligraphy elevates letterforms and the written word to more than the carrier of a message... to something of visual beauty.

I often hear my friends that are teachers (or former teachers) say that penmanship and cursive writing are no longer taught in schools. This makes me sad. I can only hope that children find interest in the beauty of letterforms through classes and books about art and design, typography, graphic arts, printing, publishing, book arts or through collections and exhibits in libraries and museums.

When moveable type was first invented, the type was cut to mimic hand lettering. There was more than one version of an individual letter—say, for instance, 3 variations of the lower case "a" and 5 variations of the lower case "e." This was so the printed text looked like it was penned by a person—not a machine—with the inherent variations that come with hand lettering. Like our Artist Trading Cards, there is an intrinsic beauty, a uniqueness, and a personal quality to letters and texts that are created by hand.

"Calligraphy" by Karen Downer

"It is Writ" by Cathy Dillon

"Freeform Calligraphy with inks" by Marilyn League

"Calligraphy. The more you practice, the better you get."
by Veronica Hofman-Ortega

"Calligraphy" by Debbie Joyner

"A Palindrome" by Diane Pineschi

"Calligraphy (One of my Favorites)" by Bonnie Stevens

When was the last time you penned any letters by hand?

ATCs: Whisperings from within

"You've GOT what it takes." by Veronica Hofman-Ortega

Do you ever hear that little voice in your head (or in your heart) speaking to you? What does it say?

Something inspirational or encouraging such as, "You can do it!"

Something hopeful like, "Is this the one?"

Or perhaps it is a reminder for how to set the tone for your day, "Smile."  "Be happy."

The ATC (Artist Trading Card) theme for the February FiberAntics ATC swap was "Whisperings from within." Here are the whisperings that the ATC traders heard and then interpreted in their cards.

Enjoy the art and I hope the noises in my head aren't bothering you.

"Whisperings from Within" by Bonnie Stevens

When opened, the inside of Bonnie's ATC reveals the whisperings.

Inside: "Whisperings from Within" by Bonnie Stevens

"Whisperings from Within" by Diane Pineschi

"Kiss Me!!!" by Liz Armstrong

Here is an encouraging reminder that great things can come from small beginnings.

"Mighty Oaks from little acorns grow" by Karen Downer

From a poem by e.e. cummings:

"Greenly Spirits of Trees" by Cathy Dillon

"Whispers in the night" by Sharon Griffith

"The Subtle Conversation" by Marilyn League

"Whisperings from Within" by Dawn Spagna

ATCs: Houses

It's 2016 and FiberAntics (that would be me) is kicking off the 8th year of my FiberAntics ATC [Artist Trading Card] swap! Can I get a big Woot Woot?

"Our House" is a very, very, very fine house... with two cats in the yard...
by Veronica Hofman-Ortega

I am well into filling my fourth big, fat, 3-ring binder (all my binders have a 3" spine) with pocketed pages of beautiful, creative, heart-felt, amazingly clever and often hysterically entertaining pieces of mini-art from creatives and makers across the country. Thank You, All! 

Many friendships have formed through these trades and I feel a personal connection with many of the long-time participants (who are still trading with me!)—even though I've never met nor talked to some of them (expect via e-mail). It's also fun getting to know the more recent participants as well. It's wonderful to be able to realize and be witness to what "Art" can bring into your life.

As a retrospective, all the ATC themes from 2009 to the present are posted here, (go and take a look at the topics we've covered) and the vast majority of the ATCs can be seen in posts throughout this blog. The first post that included the ATCs was in July 2009. [Try the "Search this Blog" widget in the left column of this page, by typing in "ATC" to see others.]

The theme for the January 2016 ATC swap was "Houses." Below are what came in the squishy envelopes this month. And, here is Graham Nash with David Crosby and Steven Stills singing "Our House" to accompany your viewing pleasure. (go ahead, sing along...)

"For the Birds" by Karen Downer

"Houses" by Debbie Joyner

This ATC by Cathy is interactive. It's a little book.

"You Can't Go Home Again" by Cathy Dillon (front)

the inside...

"You Can't Go Home Again" by Cathy Dillon (inside)

"Houses" by Bonnie Stevens

"From the Big House" by Diane Pineschi

"Houses" by Dawn Spagna

A few ATC artists turned their "Houses" into "homes." On the back of Sharon's card is this notation, "I have a picture hanging on my wall with this saying on it, and my Mother had it before me."

"Houses are made of brick and stone. Homes are made of Love alone!"
by Sharon Joyner Griffith

"My Happy Home" by Marilyn League

Sometimes the theme of the ATC swaps inspires traders to make one-of-a-kind cards or a series (each card slightly different). Here are more Houses ATCs for you to enjoy.

"Houses" by Dawn Spagna

"Houses" by Debbie Joyner

"Houses" by Dawn Spagna

"Houses" by Debbie Joyner

"Houses" by Dawn Spagna

"Houses" by Dawn Spagna

"Houses" by Debbie Joyner 

"Houses" by Debbie Joyner

"Houses" by Dawn Spagna

And from me to all of you: Look forward to another year of fabulous Artist Trading Cards!

"Houses" by Dawn Spagna