Ever Shrinking Art

Even the largest avalanche is triggered by small things. -Vernor Vinge

On Saturday, I taught my "Ever Shrinking Art" class at Quilters Quest in Woodridge, to a great group of women. Joy left before I took this photo. I think they did great! We started by making postcards then moved to making ATCs and finally inchies.  I remember thinking that I could never make tiny pieces of art and now I just love it! And I love that I can now get other people to love it too. I hope that I gave my wonderfully creative students an avalanche of ideas and inspiration.

My small group that did trades has disband so I decided to join the Artistcellar ATC Facebook swap. I kept it simple. The only rule was that you had to use an Artistcellar stencil so I wanted to make sure that my stenciling was apparent. Lisa Cousineau, the owner, lives close--Wheaton, but we have never met. I do love her "Art is Not an Option" bag that I use all the time. Isn't that a great message.  I am trading 5 for 5 so obviously I made an extra. I'm keeping the "love" one because I tried using paint with the stencil and while I like the look, it does not look like the stencil. It will become a Valentine. Cannot wait to see what everyone else has done.

Tonight I am off to give my first clay presentation--"Gone to Pot: a Little History and a Few Technique" at the Lemont Artists Guild. I am bringing different kinds of clay for everyone to touch plus a whole bunch of pottery to show including shards that I dug up at an archaeological site (with permission) when I lived in Aruba. I feel it is important for me to continue to do things that push my comfort zone. What are you doing to get outside your comfort zone?

Small Art Making

You can’t use up creativity. The more you 
use, the more you have.   - Maya Angelou

I am excited! On Monday, I will be giving a hands-on program on making small art for Village Quilters Quilt Guild in Wheaton, Illinois. This group has dedicated this year to increasing their creativity. How cool is that!

If you are in the area, come join the fun- Blanchard Alliance Church, 1766 S, Blanchard St., Wheaton, IL 60189 at 7 p.m. We will be making ATCs and inchies. This is a small guild of 45 members and one of the friendliest I have visited in a while. This is my second time sharing with them (did a program in September) and I cannot wait.

Do you create small art? Do you like to trade?

Just Like Potato Chips

Inchies (1" x 1" art) are just too much fun. What use to cause panic at the thought is now a joy. These were made for heARTist Trading Cards small art side trade for June. I wish more people had signed up and understand the craziness summer can bring. We won't be doing another inchies trade for quite a while so I may have to seek out others who would want to trade because once I start making them I don't want to stop. What fear have you overcome lately?

Lovin' Every Inch!

I realize that I am probably the last person in the world to make inchies (1-inch x 1-inch pieces of art). All I can say is, "What took me so long!" Inchies are fun. I have the heARTist Trading Cards group to thank. We will be trading them. This time there is no theme which in some ways made it easier and in other ways more difficult. However, once I got going, it was nearly impossible to stop. Something like the potato chips I ate last night. I can once again share that trading art is a great way to explore and have fun. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to creating more. Have you made inchies? What do you like about them--making? trading?