Kat Eye Studio

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Art wants to be Free

Liberate Your Art! It wants to be free. Don’t you agree?

There are so many envelopes arriving now for the Liberate Your Art postcard swap. As of Monday, 77 envelopes from 10 countries have arrived. We have a little more than two weeks until the receipt deadline so I know the flood of mail is still coming. So much fun!!

And of course, the mail art keeps coming too! This envelope came from Valerie-Jael, all the way from Germany. I love that thought bubble!

She also included a couple of gorgeous mixed media pieces for me to enjoy. You get to enjoy them here too! Thanks Valerie-Jael!

I had to smile at this lovely lady from Kathryn* in Illinois. Don’t you think a few post office employees got a smile from this too?

Cindy* in Arizona had a great idea on her envelope. Balloon mail! Wouldn’t that be a fun way to get mail?

And finally, I must thank Tina in Minnesota for the title of the blog post. Yes! Art DOES want to be free! Let’s liberate it!

It’s also time for Paint Party Friday, so I want to show the progress of my latest yellow-green piece. I have not had much time to paint this week, but I’ve made some progress and I know where it’s going next. It all comes down to making time.

Have a lovely creative weekend!

*I try to share website links for the mail art I share when I can find them, but many of the envelopes I’m receiving don’t have a website on the postcards. If this art is yours, let me know and I’ll link back to you!

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Saving the Post Office!

The Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap is saving the post office, one postcard at a time! Sign up for the swap closed this week with just over 300 artists signed up. I’m so excited to see the postcards from all over the world! So far, 41 envelopes have arrived from participants in 7 countries. Many more are on their way, if the notes in the Facebook group are any indication!

This week brought some gorgeous art in the mail. My favorite is this one, from Amanda, a calligrapher in Washington. Is that calligraphy not the most beautiful thing ever?

She’s the one who inspired my leading line, since she wrote “Saving the USPO one postcard at a time” on her beautifully wrapped postcards. I hated to open them, for fear of messing up her work! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a link for Amanda to share more of her work so you’ll just have to enjoy these photos.

Jane from California (again, no link, sorry!!) created a fun little mixed media piece on her envelope. I’ll share a tip I learned by observing what she did: Cover your mixed media envelope creations with clear packing tape, then the layers won’t peel off as it goes through the mail. Thanks Jane!

This week brought the first snail in the mail! This fun envelope zentangle is from Stacie in Oklahoma. Don’t we all love snail mail?

Finally, I’ll share a bit of my art for the week, for Paint Party Friday. I’m working on two paintings in shades of yellow and green. Last week I shared the first, and here’s the second work in progress. I’m actually working pretty exclusively on this one now, since I know where it’s going. I love it when that happens!

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For the Love of Postage

Oh, how I love stamps! I forget this until the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap envelopes come rolling in, and I get to see these awesome postage stamps from all over the world. They are an art unto them selves. Like last year, I will soak them off and save them for future use. I have no idea what use, but I will come up with something!

After a week away, I received a big stack of envelopes for the swap when I picked up my mail yesterday. So much fun! So many stamps!! Right now there are 273 artists signed up for the swap, so there will be many more envelopes coming in over the next few weeks. So much art to be liberated into the world! Awesome!!! Sign up is open until July 15, so there is still time to join in or to share the swap with your artist friends. It’s been great to see the chatter in the Facebook group about people ordering, receiving and sending their postcards. Join us there too!

I’m also surprised when I receive little notes of encouragement and fun for me along with the envelopes. I don’t expect that! I receive two postcards addressed to me along with the stack of envelopes. Thanks Katie and Linda!

And today’s mail art comes from Nora Clemens-Gallo. I didn’t want to ruin this envelope by opening it! Thanks Nora, for the extra art liberated!

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And it begins…

It starts with a trickle, and will end in a flood. Not water, but mail! The Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap becomes official for me when the first postcards arrive. I’ve received four envelopes so far, one from our first international participant, yay! There are 210 artists signed up so far for the swap, but there is plenty of room for more. Please continue to share with your artist friends! Send them to the Liberate Your Art page on my site or share the Facebook Event. So exciting!

One great thing about a swap with artists is that they sometimes like to decorate envelopes! As they come in, I’ll share a few here on the blog. Today’s beautiful mail art is from Marie Johanson. I love the bright colors and the glittery symbol for beauty. Thanks Marie, for this little bit of happy mail!

And it’s time to share some of my own painted art, for Paint Party Friday. I continue to work on both paintings I started two weeks ago. One of them I love how it’s going, I’m sharing the progress on that one here. It’s not done yet, but I feel like it’s getting close. I know what to do next.

The other, well, I’m really not happy with it right now so I’m not going to share until I push past this point. I just want to stab my brushes through the canvas I so dislike it at the moment. Maybe that’s what I should do! Any advice from you regular painters, on how to move forward on a piece you do not like?

PS – And would you like to help me win a Vespa? Read more here.

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The Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap is Back!!

What happens when you create your art? Does it make you happy? Do you find that you have an amazing boost of energy, of insight into life and self? Do you find that you feel centered and grounded, as if some piece of you has been completed for brief moment? I’ve discovered the act of creating, of making art of any kind, can have an amazing and transforming effect on me personally. I know I’m not alone.

Now, what happens when you share that art with world? You share a little bit of yourself, and add a little bit of beauty or joy or brightness into someone else’s day. When you share your art, that wonderful energy you gained in the act of creation is not gone, it is magnified. You will see it reflected back to you in different, positive ways.

That’s what the Liberate Your Art postcard swap is all about – sharing your art, liberating it out in the world, where it can do its greatest good.

I’m excited to announce the Liberate Your Art swap is back for 2012 and now open for sign up! We had a fabulous time last year, and I’m ready to do it again. I’m hoping to make it even bigger this year! Can you help me reach my goal to beat last year’s number of participants, and share the info about the swap? Blog it, tweet it, post it on your Facebook page. Whatever it takes to get the news out to more artists!

Visit the swap page for more information and to sign up for the swap list. After you sign up, you will receive an email with all of the details and lots of support from me to get you started.

You’ll be hearing more about the swap here as time goes on, but for now click over here to see what the swap is all about, and join!!

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Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap – The Blog Hop

1020 pieces of art
170 participants
37 US states
13 countries
2 homes
1 swap
done.
I am struggling to find the words to describe how wonderful the Liberate Your Art postcard swap turned out to be. I set a crazy-big goal, to make myself reach farther and higher than ever before. You all came and answered the call, joining in to liberate some beautiful art and brighten someone else’s day. I knew it would be fun. I never anticipated what you all would give to me. At a time when life could have been sad, with my move from Italy to Oregon, your mail filled up my post box with love and encouragement. Color, beauty, passion, peace… your art helped me through a difficult transition. The image above is the art that many of you gave to me, unexpectedly, unasked, along with the swap. I am honored to have them. I am honored to have met so many of you through this swap. I look forward to hopping around this weekend, visiting your blogs and seeing your swap experiences. Seeing what liberating your art and making connections brought into your life.
Thank you.