Imagine my chagrin when I checked my email the morning of April 18th and realized that I’d completely missed the Liberate Your Art 2016 Blog Hop! I was sick for days about it. I blamed Tax Day and the madness of April for my missing out. Oh well. I eventually dusted myself off, and now LYA is my first blog post for May.
Again, I participated in Kat Sloma’s Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap, a swap she founded to encourage artists of any medium to share their art with the world. The postcard party just completed its sixth year.
This year there were:
- 1050 pieces of art liberated
- 175 artists participating
- 12 countries represented
I received all six of the postcards that were sent to me this year. Here they are:
“Innocence” by Amy Irwen, November 2015
Amy hails from Rosemount, Minnesota. She created a handcut collage made of paper, ink, paint, and gel medium transfer. The attacks on Paris in November 2015 led her to create this piece, a commemorative of lives lost.
Art Journal Painting by Linda Richards
Linda sent greetings from Sunny California. She shared a reproduction of a painting she had done in her art journal while visiting her son in Missouri. This image with earth tones and splashes of reds, yellows, and blues is calming and exciting at the same time.
“Journal of My Soul,” Rosanna Pogaun
Mabuhay from the Philippines! Rosanna sent her beautiful flower with God’s blessings of love and a reminder that the good news is written on God’s handiwork as well as in the Good Book.
“Twilight Eagle,” by Diana Brady
Diana also hailed from California. She shared her “twilight eagle” with a gorgeous purple sky and the silhouette of trees in the background. On the back of the card, she penned a poem by an anonymous Native American poet:
What is Life?
It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and
loses itself in the sunset
Light and Bird Mosaic
While we’re on the subject of birds…The artist who created this gorgeous mosaic did not sign a name, but wrote a brief poem on the back of the postcard:
Light and Bird
fused
in the
transparent
morning
sky…….
If you’ve been following my blog over the last year or two or three, then, you’d know that the last postcard sent for the “official” LYA swap, comes from Kat, the swap’s founder, coordinator, and all-around awesome person. She sends her card as a “thank you” to participants.
“Gatekeeper” by Kat Sloma
Trees are among Kat’s favorite thing to photograph, so I wasn’t the least bit surprised to see the trees. I love the way she “stacked” this photo allowing the trees to serve as primary frame for the moon but still hold their place as focus of the photo. You can find more about how Kat crafted this photo here: Masking in Stackables (Mobile Tutorial).
She typically includes the a LYA motivational thought on the back. This year:
And Kat’s last word of the swap–
![[Kat Sloma] I created this year’s final celebration art piece to remind each and every one of us that we are on a journey. We may start on the path of liberating our art timidly, fearful of the response we are going to get. Art is such a personal thing, it can feel like we are putting a piece of our heart and soul out there, where others may reject it. But you know what? The more you liberate your art, the easier it gets. The more confident you get. You just have to keep taking small steps.](https://chandralynn.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/2016-lifelong-journey.jpg?w=620&h=414)
Kat Sloma’s Final Piece for LYA 206
I created this year’s final celebration art piece to remind each and every one of us that we are on a journey. We may start on the path of liberating our art timidly, fearful of the response we are going to get. Art is such a personal thing, it can feel like we are putting a piece of our heart and soul out there, where others may reject it. But you know what? The more you liberate your art, the easier it gets. The more confident you get. You just have to keep taking small steps.
Thanks, ladies, for all your beautiful work!
Now, of course, we can’t “participate” in the swap by simply receiving postcards. We have to create something and share it with the world, so tune in tomorrow–or maybe, the next day–when I’ll share the postcards I sent for LYA 2016 as well as postcards I received in “side swaps.” I still have many left, by the way, so if you’re interested in a “side swap,” let me know.
Want more artistic inspiration? Check out the LYA 2016 Blog Hop. Hop to it!
Pics and Posts 
Lovely postcards and great post as usual!
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Thanks, Cy!
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These are all so wonderful Chandra, thanks for sharing 🙂
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Thanks, Sheila! I’ll be checking out all the other blogs tomorrow morning. A great way to spend the early part of Mother’s Day! 😊
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Beautiful post and cards…I love the card I got from you… plus I also received 2 that you got as well… the mosaic bird and Innocence by Amy Irwen!!!!
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Thanks, Carol. And thanks for letting me know you received one of mine! It’s cool to know if made it all the way to Israel. If you see another one that you’d like, let me know. (They’re in the next blog post). Hugs!
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You got some beauties. I haven’t participated for the last couple of years. Maybe one of these years I’ll get back into it.
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Yes, Candace! You must. I miss you in the swaps.
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wonderful blog and you recieved some beautiful Art post cards. what a great selection. so pleased that you posted it, thank you. you write well, would love to swap
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Thank you, Christine! I missed today’s mail, so your postcard will be in its way Monday.
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Late but definitely not least! Thanks for a wonderful post, Chandra. I’m glad you enjoyed the swap!!
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Thank you, Kat! I always enjoy LYA and I’m actually super excited about next year. After a “tortuous” hiatus, I’m enjoying my camera again and I’ve been working on some photos I’m flagging for next year’s swap. Thanks for all you do in motivating and encouraging us to share our work!
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Wow, I love these. Love, love love. Can anyone participate?
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Hi there and thanks! Yes, anyone can participate! If you click one of the first two links, you can find out about the swap. You can also sign up for Kat’s mailing list, and she’ll let you know when LYA comes around, typically with a March deadline. Hope to see your LYA post in 2017! 😊
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Chandra, thanks!!!! xoxo
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