It’s that time again!  The highly anticipated “Liberate Your Art” (LYA) blog hop!!!  Kat Sloma, again, organized her Liberate Your Art postcard swap, and again, I participated!  This is the third year Kat has hosted the swap.  She uses LYA to encourage artists of all media to share their work.  It’s a great opportunity for artists, particularly amateurs like me,  to step out of their comfort zone and share their work.

Each participant creates five postcards (same or different) and sends them to Kat with postage and address labels.  Kat organizes the postcards and sends them out into the world–two per week for three weeks.  The sixth fantastic postcard is always one of her own–her way of saying “Thanks for participating.”  Sharing one’s own work is just part of the fun.  The real fun comes when postcards start appearing in the mailbox from the other participants.  There is a great big international mailbox party going on for three weeks. Here’s what I found in my mailbox:

“Columns,” by Eric Adama, 2011, mixed media on paper

Eric is a mixed media artist from the Netherlands.  You can find more of Eric’s mixed media art on his blog, CERULEAN.  He shares a Matsuo Basho quote on the back of his postcard: “Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”

“Santos Cage Doll, Protector of the Birds,” by Kitty Mitchell, hand-sculpted over paper mache base, 9-10 inches

The sculpture is interesting and I’d love to see more of Kitty’s work.  Alas, there’s no website listed.

“Paper Cranes,” by A. Whitehurst

Amy took this photo at her favorite place, the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia. Amy’s cheerful postcard also includes a quote:  “Change your thoughts and you change the world,” Norman Vincent Peale. See more of Amy’s work here.

By Elissa, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams,” Henry David Thoreau

Here’s another beautiful mixed media piece.  I love the cheerful colors of this one too!  Elissa, a mixed media artist and photographer, hails from Chiltern Hills in the southeast of the United Kingdom. Check her out right here on WordPress:  Gallery Dee.

“Memories #1” by Roxi Hardegree

Roxie sends her elegant photo with blessings to a “fellow creative soul.”  See her work at Creating Beyond the Layers.

“Adorned and Alone,” Kat Sloma, 2013

Last, but certainly not least, Kat sends her piece.  The perfect piece to round out my LYA 2013 collection.  It’s simple, yet complex, a little fun; the tone is bluesy and jazzy at the same time.

Kudos to Kat for organizing this swap!  216 artists from 11 countries participated this year.  They shared 1290 pieces of art.  Kat’s purpose for organizing the swap is to get artists to share their work and connect with other artists.  She talks about it on her blog: Kat Eye View of the World.  Thanks for another awesome LYA swap, Kat!

I can’t remember whether I sent 3 or 4 photos into the world.  I was a bit “out of it” and had to rely on my photog friend, Cakers, to choose photos for me.  I recall being home alone, sitting in my home office staring at photo after photo after photo.  I was still seriously reeling from my sister’s passing and nothing made sense to me.  I selected an album, loaded it to Flickr, sent the link to Cakers and asked her to choose and rank the top 5 or 6.  I went with 3 or 4 of her choices (Thanks, Cakers!).  Don’t forget to click an image to view larger.

“Childhood,” New Orleans, 2011. I found this one while taking a “camera” walk near my son’s former school)

“Solitary Place,” New Orleans, 2005. Taken at the New Orleans Nature Center, closed since Hurricane Katrina in 2005

“City Park Turtles,” New Orleans, 2010. Also, noted in an earlier post.

Huntsville Botanical Gardens, 2012

I simply love capturing images that inspire, intrigue, amuse and feed my spirit.  For me, there is so much joy in holding my camera and freezing a moment or scene.  I enjoy sharing my photos as postcards, greeting cards, note cards, bookmarks and even calendars and digital scrapbooks.  I’m not trying to make a living through photography, but I do work toward improving my technique and presentation.

I also thoroughly enjoy–and might be addicted to–the photographic creations of others.  I am inspired by them, not just to pick up my camera, but to create something beautiful in this life.

Similarly, I am inspired by every piece of art I’ve received through the LYA swap.  The photographers, in particular, push me to step up “my game” and take the time to play more with my photos.  I really need to put my Adobe software to more (and better) use.  Well, that’s my goal for Liberate Your Art 2014–kick it up a notch! If only I had time to take one of Kat’s tempting courses!

What about you?  Is there an artist in you that needs to be released?

One more thing: Please check out the blogs of the other participants by clicking below.  Enjoy!