Art Is Joy: INTRODUCING...MAGNET ART!

It is rare that in the middle of winter I should experience a creative spurt. But alas, wonders never cease! A couple of weeks ago I was shoveling through things in the studio and found some Artist Trading Cards (ATC’s) that I had made with my students a few years ago. ATC’s were started in 1997 by the Swiss artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann as a way for artists young and old all over the world to exchange and appreciate each other’s art. ATC’s are of a standard size, 2.5"x 3.5" and any medium may be used to create them. My students loved making small little pieces and we enjoyed sharing them on the studio art wall.

My initial attraction to the ATC was its small size. An artist has to think differently when working on a small surface. It is sort of a challenge, especially for me as I usually think and paint big.

I began to look around the studio for materials that I could use for ATC surfaces and selected some 100% cotton printmaking paper and some scrap canvas. I started painting them with gesso and glass beads and ripping them into 2 ½” x 3 ½” pieces. I emptied out all my drawers and brought out glass beads, hand painted wood objects, metal pieces, ribbons, wire, hand painted papers, old paintings on paper that never went anywhere, patterned papers, buttons, and other unfinished and unused things that were sleeping deep in the depths of the studio.

I cleared off a table in The Great Dain’s Frame Shop and set up a special creation space. I gathered all my stuff and settled in. It is here that I began to make small collage and mixed media art, 2 ½” x 3 ½” with the purpose of displaying them with magnets. Art that could occupy a small place somewhere and be appreciated for it’s tiny-ness. I began creating one piece works and triptych’s. I have in two weeks created over 45 small works of art that are all delightfully different.

Since Valentine's Day is February 14th, I made 14 magnet art pieces to offer for sale for that special day. They are all $11.50 a piece, plus tax, and a small shipping cost will be incurred if it is to be mailed U.S. Mail. I also have small 5” easels that can be purchased for $3 if you wish to display the art work that way vs. a magnet. (See last photo, below.)

All art is titled and signed by me!

Enjoy!

PS: Look next month for the introduction of the 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" triptychs!