ATCs Monika Seidenbusch (left); Christine Henri (centre); Michelle Casey (right) 2007
I discovered Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) in 2007 when an artist organization I belonged to invited a local ATC artist to speak about the subject. Along with her came three massive albums of cards she’d collected. I lover of small works, I was drawn to these tiny treasures (2.5 x 3.5 inches) which consisted of original art works made by artists and non-artists, who traded their works with each other for FREE (unimaginable!). The thought of trading art works and socializing with artists working in this area really appealed to me. As my eyes devoured the ATC albums, our speaker Christine’s passionate revelations inspired me to join the group. I noticed another woman beside me ogling the cards with equal excitement – we both felt like we had found our very own artist Shangri-La! That person turned out to be my now good friend Olive Jones; within the month, we attended our first ATC meeting together.
A bit leery of joining a new group, our first meeting was a scouting mission to see what types of artists frequented the venue and what was involved in the trading sessions. Held at a local vegan restaurant every last Friday of the month, the evening meeting had a nice social air and great food! Group members, who numbered about 15, varied from a few kids to mostly adults and retired folk – predominantly women. Some brought their kids or grandkids who also contributed to the exchange; I thought it was great to have the different generations involved in art making together. Composed of a mix of amateur artists/crafters and regular folk, they were interested in using and challenging their creative skills as well as learning from each other. Compared to other artists groups, I’ve yet to find a more generous group of people when it comes to sharing ideas and techniques. At the end of the session, our host Christine gave new members a free ATC – a wonderful initiation into the group. Smitten, Olive and I returned the next month with a handful of our own cards to trade!
Throughout our stay in the group I found some members made cards using traditional methods: painting and drawing; while others integrated images, papers, lettering, fabric, fibre, string, photos, embellishments and even origami into collage/mixed media style pieces. There was no end to the creative imaginings of the group! Because we had no particular theme to work with, you never knew what subject matter or medium the ATC you’d be given would be – it was always a surprise! Our hostess Christine had the most fabulous ATCs (ie. beautifully stitched, hand-lettered cards and mini books). Some of my favourite ATCs where made by artist/painter Monika Seidenbusch. It was awesome to receive miniature versions of Monika’s large, beautifully stylized portraits of women. Olive, Monika and I became good friends and also began making submissions to the ATC Quarterly Publication run by artist Ronna in Dunvegan, Ontario, Canada. Later, enticed by Olive, I joined another group of women artists/crafters at the Painted Pony Arts & Crafts Store where we currently trade cards.
ATCs are a great way to help you develop your art skills, make friends and collect art at the same time. Every time I open my ATC album to admire the cards I’ve collected, I feel like I’m holding my very own art museum in my hands! It’s a great feeling! Stayed tuned next week for more information on ATCs and trading a card with me!
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