2016 Card Swap Revealed

The 2016 6 Degrees of HLM International Card Swap was a huge success in its 9th year!  Thank you to everyone who participated--I hope you had a blast and that you'll join in again next year. Until then, here are photos of everyone's contributions.

To start, the Big Picture! (Remember to click on the photos for a closer view, and to view all close-ups all together.)

28 people fulfilled their goal of making ten individual cards. Here they all are, 280 cards laid out on my freshly-swept living room floor:

The themes this year were either "surprise" or "text." Everyone had such a unique take on these ideas. Brittany, from Fort Collins, found words that were inspiring on the pages of a book. Using a tag template, she cut those places out and highlighted the words in colored pencil.

Claudia (Fort Collins) found her inspiration in the stars. She matched up constellations to their noun in the dictionary, then used a pin to poke the constellation into the face of the card itself. Hold it up to light and you can see the constellation!

When I first met Gale (Fort Collins) a few years ago, I saved her contact info in my phone as as  "Gale the sunflower painter." She certainly does other things, but for her first year in the swap, painted these beauts on the back of vellum then added details and highlights in copic marker and colored pencil on the opposite side of the paper.

Gaye (Fort Collins) liked the shine of this origami paper and wanted to use it up!

Haley (Fort Collins) painted the pages of the daily newspaper while at the Work Party in early April. Then she cut many varying sizes of flowers out to layer them into these flower designs.

The idea for my cards came from the movie Bright Star (a most beautifully styled, artful film) and I got to use my fancy new Cricut Explore Air cutting machine to cut out all the parts. After they were cut, all I had to do was glue, fold, color, and distress. (Sorry, by the way for the tight-fitting envelopes!)

Jane (Fort Collins) is a painter and each year she makes up sets of cards of all the paintings she did using Vistaprint. This is the first year she's shared some of them in the card swap.

Jessica works and makes her art at Wolverine Publick House and Printing Press here in Fort Collins. This was her first year in the swap! She was fun to meet and her cards lent some honesty/humor to the sentiments.

Jessie (Fort Collins) came to the Work Party and found inspiration in a piece of paper that's been hanging in my studio for months. The paper is covered in hot air balloons. She took that theme and made each part of the image out of words. (See a fun photo of Jessie holding a potato cannon at the end of this post!)

This is Kristin's first year in the swap. She lives in Longmont, CO, and worked so hard on her cards that she drove up to Fort Collins to hand-deliver the precious cargo, created out of fabric, dyed napkins, tea tags, and stickers. Labors of love! 

Laura (Fort Collins) has a way with magazine pages. She hates to get rid of the beautiful photography in the magazines she subscribes to, and we are lucky to see some of her re-purposing. She wove these strips together into dynamic new images.

I met Marge at a Fort Collins Hotdish event this winter and we hit it off. When she told me that she'd recently tried out some new-to-her medium, I suggested she join in our swap. She went to town and made tons of cards. When I went to pick up her ten, she showed me a cupboard full of cards! When I went back to deliver her kitty, she said that just in that short space of time, her "style" had developed. Can't wait to see next year's contributions!

Mary Lu (Fort Collins) has been on some journeys of the heart and soul these last few years, including an actual road trip in Washington state. This year she'll be road-tripping on her own for the first time, so her cards were inspired by maps and being grounded and ebbs and flows.

Susan's cards were inspired by newspaper headlines from events in Colorado in the last year. Her collages were individual and thoughtful. She's from Fort Collins.

This is Tara's first year in the swap. She's from Centennial, CO, but about to move to Hawaii! She found inspiration in both themes, so decided to make five of each. The tree design was a pop up.

Amelia is from Fort Collins. She is famous here in town for her "dots" and if you look closely, you'll notice a few in these silhouette compositions. 

Andrea (Fort Collins) joked about how the Happy Birthday vellum has popped up in her cards for at least three years. She liked the extra challenge of making pop-up cards, and making them so large helped use up a lot of her supplies. 

Anne is from Seattle and has used fortunes in her cards before. I was amazed that to make these, she must have collected hundreds, especially as the fortunes chosen for each card seemed to relate to each other in a quirky way.

Annie (Fort Collins) made her adorable fiber collages and threw in some meaningful words to accompany them. 

Ambra (Toronto) embellished some cute owl cards, which got caught up in customs because of the feathers!! Nothing liquid, fragile, perishable, or hazardous here, people! 

Joanne is my new next door neighbor here in the Fort. This print-out of tulips is of a painting she did from a photograph of some tulips in her garden! Inside, there is a fun play on words (think: two lips); she says if you want to change the message, you can! The message is written on chalkboard paper with chalkboard pen. You can just wipe it away and write a new message with such a pen, $3 at Michael's.

Katie (Fort Collins) made this bee-on-a-flower with a hand-cut stencil and watercolors. The bee spins around on its flower. Inside: Happy B-day! Haha!

Mia (Fort Collins) shared her stellar hand-writing skills in her card design, and played with brightly-colored papers against black card.

Sarah (from San Diego) participated this year for the first time and her cards cleverly incorporated both themes. The text on the fronts was endearing, and inside you find a removable bookmark to remind a friend of how great you think they are.

Shari (Fort Collins) subscribes to a monthly stamping club, and these cards were put together with some of the supplies she got one month from them.

Siri (College Town, PA) has an eye for fabrics! She used some of her scraps to make these heart cards and the surprise: heart confetti to be included in the envelope!

Sophia was recruited into the swap this year by Claudia and her simple collaged images packed a lot of punch. I hope I'm remembering right that she's from Maryland. 

Phuong is from Cambridge, MA, and made these cards with her almost-three year-old daughter. They like to stencil together--it's like magic when you take the stencil away to reveal the shape!

A few last photos, from the Work Party, the photo-taking, and the distribution day. That's Jessie having a go with my husband's potato cannon, which he was entertaining Andrea's kids with during the Work Party. Thanks in particular to Katie (who helped with the photography) and Haley and her 4-y.o. Harper, who carefully hand-selected each card for many of you. :)

Wearing Your Identity

In my last post, you saw my self-portrait drawing in which I was depicted wearing a button referencing my non-parent identity. That project got me to thinking about how identity develops within us. 

As children, we don't go around saying things to other kids like, "I come from poverty," or "I am a feminist," or "I am a disabled person," or "I am Hispanic," and then gravitate toward others who say those same things. As children, we haven't learned to understand how those identities affect us, and so we're left to navigate social situations without that context. Sometimes I long for that. Challenging in a different way, yes, but in other ways easier. Innocent. Simple. Kids make concessions for things with a shrug. They see the "different" thing and in many cases, adjust without a second thought in order to move on.

Awareness of our identities develops as we become adults, when we reap the benefits of our privilege or experience the frustrations of prejudice. As a specific identity rises to the forefront, suddenly we find ourselves making decisions based around it. 

Some people identify so strongly with one group that every situation is viewed through that lens. Chris Rock's recent performance at the 88th Annual Academy Awards is a good example of this. It happens to me too. ALL THE FLIPPIN' TIME, I consider (and judge) the world through my lens of gender and feminism. It is so prevalent that I no longer notice it. It is automatic.

Which is why I loved the book Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. (Read the book!!!!!! Her writing is exquisite. But if you want, here is a link to her 11-minute TED talk on the same topic.)

At the time I was reading Bad Feminist, I was working on a fibers project that was to be inspired by an object. Since the book was so prevalent in my thoughts, I couldn't imagine being inspired more by any other object than that. So I used the color palette of the book design as my source.

As I shuttled my bobbin through the loom, I thought about how weaving seems such a good analogy to identity. My experience as a (white) woman and a feminist is different than another woman who identifies the same way. Were she to make a scarf, she might pick different colors, a different length or width, a different pattern, and still call it the same thing I've entitled mine: a "Bad Feminst Scarf."

Weaving speaks also to intersections. Look closely at the piece and you can see every thread intersecting with a thousand others. While they may touch each other and connect in that way, they are individual pieces of varying identities themselves: long, short, cotton, polyester, stretchy, fuzzy, soft, etc.

Identity is not a simple thread of unbleached non-stretchy 100% cotton. It is complex and intertwined with other identities. Intersectionality is another whole expanded conversation, but Roxane Gay goes there (and does it well) and I am changed for the perspective and insights her book brought me.

Her message: it is ok to claim a specific identity, even if you're not the "perfect" (by whose definition, anyway?) manifestation of it. You can call yourself a feminist and still shave your legs, love men, and like the color pink.

As I presented these thoughts to my classmates, I wrapped my "Bad Feminist Scarf" around me. And there it was: I was literally wearing my identity. 

So when the idea popped up again in my self portrait last week, an image of me wearing a pin, almost like claiming my presidential candidate, it spurred a bigger idea. I want to explore identity more in my work, and wearing it seems an interesting take on the topic. 

A last note: I must admit that sometimes I feel burdened by my feminist lens, and thank goodness Roxane Gay writes about a similar feeling. A democrat friend recently told me she knows a Republican who says, "Democrats are always so sensitive!" When I heard this, I had to laugh. This is a truth for me for sure. Speaking up for those who are in some way disadvantaged because of circumstances out of one's control is so important, to be sure. But do I need to ruminate incessantly about patriarchy in our culture or constantly call people out or even declare someone a bad person for being a product of this culture and therefore saying/doing something that is sexist or gender boxing? 

Call me a bad feminist, but if I can just take a minute to breathe/calm down/chuckle at myself, and even let the moment pass, I boost my resilience for when the moment is right and it's more important to speak to issues that matter to me.

Microexpressions & Identity

The self portrait is a strange notion: who would want to buy a piece of art that depicts someone's portrait, particularly if the subject is not you or someone you love? Yet, self portraits abound in the art world.

In fact, self portraits are what selfies used to be. Our instructor recently stated, "Selfies have put artists out of a job!" Before the invention of the camera (and of course even afterwards too), artists slaved over artistic images of themselves for hours, manipulating paint or collage or marble or whatever medium, along with the use of a mirror, to encapsulate the essence of the self.  I tell you now: even with a camera as an extremely helpful modern-day tool, the self portrait continues to demand several hours and focused intentions.

Microexpressions are a phenomenon which were introduced to the world at large in the 2009-11 TV show Lie to Me. In this show, an expert could read the slightest change in facial expressions and interpret them in a way that led to to solving crimes. I found the show fascinating and indeed, agreed that there was something to the idea. I had no idea until I tried to draw myself. Microexpressions DO exist, people!

There is a fantastic Fort Collins artist, Haley Hasler, who uses self portrait almost exclusively in her work to explore truth and imagination, whimsy and earnest. I've puzzled over this channel of artistic expression for years--that is, until now. Now that I've made a self portrait, I finally understand the appeal. I almost feel as addicted to the idea of making more self portraits as I was to that TV show!

What a very complex topic 'identity' is! Our self portrait assignment was to incorporate identity in some way. As I sat with myself for so many hours, my most prominent identity of the day--being a non-parent--is what kept coming to mind. What face could I possibly depict that would show all the feelings that accompany the way I engage with the world around my experience of this identity?

I tried several faces. I think I took about a hundred selfies. Once I picked ones that I think showed what I was feeling, the drawings of those selfies manifested in ways that were and were not always so successful. 

To claim any one identity is to deeply explore the various facets of that identity. I am lucky and grateful that I live in a time and place where I have the choice at all as to whether to have children. The choice was a challenging one to make and the process took me several years. Once I made the choice, the reaction of my community (friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and strangers) added an entire, often unexpected layer to the experience. These reactions caused me to feel all sorts of feelings, from relief, smugness, validation, and a desire to advocate for others to make this choice for themselves to frustration and exasperation that my lived experience of womanhood might not be considered valid or as rewarding or meaningful or even purposeful.

To delve into this experience, this claim of being child-free, and to share my experience with you, took some courage. The last thing I want is to alienate anyone. Instead, I want to talk about things. I want to engage in dialogue about your experience and mine. Both matter; one is not better or worse than the other. But this is my truth, and I am emboldened by having taken this step to put it out there in the world.

Join HLM's 9th Annual Card Swap!

It's Card Swap season! I invite you to join in the 2016 Six Degrees of HLM Card Swap. 

Here are the details:

1. After I hear from everyone who wants to participate and I give you the signal, you'll have 7 weeks to make ten (10) greeting cards, most often somewhat identical in design (although this is not required).  These cards can be any shape or size, blank on the inside, themed... wherever your whimsy takes you. Every medium is welcome: fabric, stamping, painting, beads, collage, photography, papercraft.... Most important is that whatever you make fits into an envelope that can be mailed either domestically or abroad.

THEME:  This year's theme can be either "surprise" or "text." By "surprise," you can be literal if you'd like, but my idea for this theme is based on wanting to surprise the recipient with some aspect of the card. For "text" I mean something that integrates text into your design. You could pick one alphabet letter or word and build a design around it, or do like you may have seen me do several times and have words embedded in the background. Be creative! Interpret as loosely as you need to. (And if you're totally uninspired, just throw the theme out the window and do what you want!)

2. On or before the given postmark deadline, you'll send all the cards you make to me with enough envelopes for each card and five dollars. When you sign up, there is also a way to pay electronically if you prefer.

3. Once I receive everyone's cards, I'll divvy them up so that every person receives ten cards from other swap participants. Using your moola, I'll send them back to you.

4. You'll receive a set of handmade greeting cards to use over the next year in the mail for a limited cost and a ton of fun.

Here are the dates you need to know:

·   RSVP to participate in the card swap by clicking HERE.

·   Start thinking about/making your design as soon as you can.  You'll be surprised how quickly that deadline will be here.

·   I'll host a Work Party at my studio in Fort Collins, CO one weekend in March--anyone who participates in the swap is welcome to join us.

·   Monday, April 4 is the postmark date for getting those cards, enough corresponding envelopes, and cash (if you didn't pay electronically) in the mail to me. (If you're local, you obviously don't have to bother with the sending business--we'll just rendezvous!)  

·   I'll send out a reminder about 4 weeks through.

·   Around May 1 is when I will hopefully send your cards back to you. 

Please DO forward this invitation to any of your crafty or arty friends and have them sign up here if they'd like to participate.  Anyone is welcome (even if card-making is not your main means of artistic expression!).  My only request is that everyone who signs up follows through to make/swap their cards.

For inspiring close-up images from last year, click here.

The Human Figure and The Politics of Nudity

Who knew that drawing the human figure would be so interesting? The politics (for lack of a better word) of being in the same room as a nude model are fascinating, the exploration of drawing materials is curious and frustrating and demanding and surprisingly exciting all the same time, and the outcomes are rewarding, even on a bad drawing day.

What do I mean by "the politics" of being in the same room as a nude model?

For me, having a nude model to observe is an opportunity like no other. When are we ever granted license to stare without shame upon the likes of another human in his/her most vulnerable physical state? In this scenario, I get to appreciate the body for what it is--its forms, shadows, and weight, how muscles move around bones, how light bounces off skin, the body's ability, its strength, its imperfections, and its beauty. I first started to appreciate this when my mom took us to the ballet when we were young. But this is a whole different level. Up close and personal.

Even if the model appears to be other than what our culture would consider the most beautiful, it is unpredictably empowering to see someone stand before us in what one might consider a compromising stance. Their seeming fearlessness and nonchalance gives me courage to be in the room with them and a confidence which allows me to think of my own body differently. Why should I feel modest or embarrassed? Whether I like it or not, no matter how much I consciously don't want it and seek to diminish it, no matter how feminist I declare myself to be, I have to admit that from time to time, self-consiousness about my non-Heidi-Klum body prevails. But standing five feet from a disrobed person and being granted permission to gawk at them for hours helps me allot value to my own frame, more than I've ever allowed. What about the way my muscles move around my bones? What is the contour of my face? How would I represent just the tiniest curve of my elbow or the shadow on my back? How does my own breast fall differently on my chest than the model's? What shape does my hair have?

Fun fact: models are paid an hourly wage, and so they should be--it's hard work! Have you ever tried to strike a pose and then not move? Try it for just a minute. Then try it for 5 or even 20. And if you need entertaining while you stand there, completely still, watch this fantastic animated video (4 min) about someone who takes the job very seriously. (I have watched it five times and lo-ove it.)

  

When I first painted the nude figure in a painting class a few years ago, I found myself astonished at the experience itself of trying to represent the nude figure at all. My nervousness at the outset abated immediately when we were given just one minute to try to capture his pose. What? One minute??? It took a few 1-minute poses to get in the groove, but once I did, well... would you look at that? Strangely, I noticed that in my mind, the model had gone from a person to an object in a split second. Wow. Is that even ok? In art-making, I believe it is, as long as we don't treat the model as such!

To be fair, I did have to giggle about the whole thing with my 30-something friends for a few days after that initial experience. You know, to process.

Relatedly, an added component of being in a classroom full of mostly younger people (18-20 year-olds) in this circumstance is paying attention to their behaviors. Foreign to me in this context, perhaps because I'm not in pursuit of a life partner, is the idea of sex. Before that split-second shift from human-to-object, are some classmates actually checking the model out?? The thought makes me chuckle under my breath and shake my head. Also, I have what I consider the advantage of more life experience, and indeed, I have seen more naked bodies just for having lived nearly twice as long as they have. With that comes maturity and, contrary to what I said about Heidi Klum before, slow (and deliberate!) acceptance of one's own body. I can't speak to what is going through the minds of my fellow drawers, but I can tell that some of them are uncomfortable. 

I once knew a student who desperately wanted to change her major to art, but couldn't handle even the thought of being in the same room as naked person. As Figure Drawing is a requirement for the art major, she did not succeed in making the disciplinary change for this one reason. She "settled" (my own assessment) for something else. I feel that our culture's gymnophobia has let this young woman down. Not only am I sorry for her, but I am disappointed. What art will this world miss out on because she is literally unable to bring herself to see nudity as non-threatening? 

Knowing that someone else out there cannot do what I get to do, I will admit to feeling gratitude at the thousands of subconscious factors that allow me to be calm, collected, and even happy when I am given the chance to gaze upon the nude figure (whether in art class or elsewhere!).

For our first big homework project, I got to gaze at my husband's hands, and here is the result, from start to finish. (Click on the photos for a closer view.)