Judy – Page 8 – Dear Liza

Tiny Art Finished!

Der Liza,

That delightful tin box of art (the Time Capsule that I started with Ruthie Inman a few weeks ago) is finished!

It took a few days to finish up the accordion folded cards inside, and another day to get the box covered, but I really like it.

Since it is mostly about travel, I covered it, inside and out, with maps collected over the years. Mod Podge is a good adhesive for this.

I included bits from London, Copenhagen, France, Leiden, and “the castle-iest castle in Denmark”. There is even a bit from the book I made for you, “Adventure Grandma”.

Every time I look at it, I remember, and I smile.

The cards fold up nicely, but are a very tight fit in the tin. To get them out without damage, I laid in a ribbon to pull on and pop them out. It works great!

looking forward to my next adventure!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Auntie Beeswax is BACK!!

Dear Liza,

I am happy to announce that the Willamette Week, our local paper, has decided to bring back the comics! There have been several months with no comics, and folks have missed them.

So Jack Kent’s Sketchy People, Marcy King’s Transcend, Shannon Wheeler’s Too Much Coffee Man, and Mat Barton’s Gag of the Week are all joining Bridgett Spicer’s Auntie Beeswax on one big, bright comics page.

If you aren’t where you can pick up a copy, go to WillametteWeek.com and follow the directions to read the paper, just like it was in your hands.

I am so happy that Bridgett’s comics get to be out spreading joy and whimsy again. The world needs it now. A lot.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Auntie Beeswax is BACK!!

Dear Liza,

I am happy to announce that the Willamette Week, our local paper, has decided (after a bit of a public outcry) to bring back the comics! There have been several months with no comics, and folks have missed them.

If you aren’t where you can pick up a copy, go to WillametteWeek.com and follow the directions to read the paper, just like it was in your hands.

I am so happy that Bridgett’s comics get to be out spreading joy and whimsy again. The world needs it now. A lot.

Love,

Grandma Judy

More Tiny Art

Dear Liza,

Every time I get together with the ZOOM Art group with Ruthie Inman, I get so full of ideas I could pop.

This past week she showed up these: tiny, accordion folded books that fit in a little tiny box. The samples she showed were people’s’ interpretations of their high school years, with black and white photos and bits and pieces from the fifties for illustrations.

I had a good time in high school. I met Grandpa Nelson there, and Ruthie. I learned a lot about who I am and what I believe in, on the way to becoming who I am. But it was just four years out of 69, and I didn’t want to make a whole art project about it.

First, we cut some heavy paper so it fit into the little Altoid tin. Then we made little hinges from paper and joined the cards together like an accordion.

I decided to start my “Time Capsule” in the 1950s, when I was born. Some old ads and papers worked nicely. Then came the 1960s with the Beatles. I had to rework my High School years because the colors weren’t cohesive with the others. In the re-do, the horse stands for our Mustang mascot .

Since I got married right out of school, the kids came next. Sticking with the vintage ads, I showed our girl and boy….

And started in on the adventures! Traveling to France, learning French, and getting out in the world. I like how it folds up!

I am trying to choose colors that are cohesive so it looks like they belong together. Bridgett tells me this is color theory, which I have always rebelled against. Oh well.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Artist’s Trading Cards Run Amok

Dear Liza,

I started making these little Artists Trading Cards last week and now I can’t stop!!

I started with collages of soft backgrounds and black and white photos. The words came mostly from the J. Peterman Catalogue.

Then I used the same soft focus backgrounds for some neurographic art, which seems to be just lines which cross and create negative space. I like how the flower shapes play with the flowing black lines. I gave some of the spaces dots, and some a wash of color. they don’t say anything, but they’re pretty.

I love so many things about ATCs. They are small, just 2.5 by 3.5 inches, so you can make them out of next to nothing. When you get bored with one medium, you can switch and not be stuck with a whole canvas to cover. And you can share them! I’ve mailed some, but I’m also making some to take on our trip.

Just before my hand gave out for the day, I picked up some scraps from the cards I’d made and a page from an old, old book, and made three more.

Who knows what I’ll make next?

Love,

Grandma Judy

Another Way to Share ATCs

Dear Liza,

You know how creative people are… once they get an idea, they follow it to the next, and the next. That’s sort of what is happening with my ATCs, or Artist Trading Cards.

Once I got the right size figured out, I laid down some floral bits of art from a donated calendar. To make them a softer background, I brushed on some white acrylic. I cut them to the proper 2.5 by 3.5 inches.

Then, to contrast with that lovely pastel, I searched the calendar again and found black and white photos or darker images to add. I really liked the way each one told a story.

But I’m a word person, snd I wanted words. I found them in Auntie Bridgett’s ‘French Phrase a Day’ calendar. Taking our current national situation into consideration, I added phrases. (I will let you look them up…) These were really coming along!

Then, to top it all off, Ruthie Inman suggested punching a hole in each one and keeping them on a ring! A portable, share-able art gallery! I am having fun imagining when I might share these on a train traveling through France, or sitting in a park. Of course, they have my information card on the back so folks will be able to find me on the ‘net.

Ain’t art grand?

Love,

Grandma Judy

Artist Trading Cards

Dear Liza,

I have found a new kind of art to make, and even a group of people to share it with! Ruthie Inman’s ZOOM art group includes Zoë, a delightful lady who lives in Tasmania, Australia. Zoë and Ruthie both make ATCs. That is, Artist Trading Cards.

Artist Trading Cards are little pieces of art, 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. They can be painted, collaged, drawn, just about any medium you can imagine. You make them, then mail them to friends, who mail you theirs. It’s like having artsy pen pals!

I used a few failed Valentines, but mostly clipped bits from the art calendar Jennifer Coile sent me.

I made my first ATCs using Auntie Bridgett’s old business cards as backing, then realized that they are a half an inch too small for the ATC trading rules.
They are just two in he’s high and 3.5 inches wide.

But that’s okay! First, because I don’t think art should have rules; and second, because I can still send them to friends who don’t care about the rules.

But for my second round, I’m doing something different. I laid out rectangles of the right size, and made six ATCs at the same time, with bits overlapping.

I glued bits of art down, then gave it a quick smudge with white paint to soften the colors. I really like them, but they need something… I’ll show you what, tomorrow!

Love,

Grandma Judy

President’s Day Protests

Dear Liza,

As you know, the United States’ newly installed president has spent his first three weeks in office dismantling the Federal government, rolling back human rights laws, and generally setting himself up to be a dictator.

With his appointment of billionaire racist Elon Musk as head of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), he is quickly firing the staff of any agency that might stop him.

Even more frightening, the Republicans in Congress are doing nothing to protect the government they were elected to.

This angers me… and hundreds of thousands of other Americans.

So on Monday, which was Presidents’ Day, about 2,000 people showed up at Portland City Hall to protest, chant, and eventually march through the streets. A peaceful but vocal crowd marched across the bridges and up the east side, carrying the message of resistance to tyranny.

It was good to be part of something bigger, of a flood of hope and passion for our democracy. Portland’s Raging Grannies were there, and Federal Workers, Union Members, and thousands of just plain folks.

This will not be our last protest, you can be sure. I’ll keep you posted.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Artsy Valentines

Dear Liza,

We had a Valentine’s Day snow storm, so it was stay-inside-and-make-cookies sort of day. I made a salmon quiche for dinner and we had a lovely, quiet evening.

And for our Valentines cards, we got all arty!

My cards for Auntie Bridgett and Grandpa Nelson were projects I worked on with Ruthie Inman this week.

Soupy watercolor backgrounds were painted, left to dry, and pressed flat under three big volumes of Shakespeare. Then tissue paper and napkins were glued onto card stock and cut into hearts. Then the hearts were glued to the watercolors, and everything got glued to a card and pressed again. It was fun, not terribly exacting, and turned out very well.

Auntie Bridgett’s card to me was also very artsy! It is a line drawing inspired by her latest painting for GiftyKitty, which I just love. It featured cats, coffee, and lots of swoops, hearts, and spirals.

And I get to color it any way I like!

Hooray for love, cookies, and art!

Love,

Grandma Judy

A Chilly Night in the Mississippi

Dear Liza,

We are expecting a full on snow storm, and last night the temperature was nearing freezing. So, (of course), we went out. Our first priority was dinner, and we tried Mississippi Pizza. Their gluten free crust is crisp and delicious, and their garlic and onion pizza has made us vampire proof. It was amazing.

The pizza shop is also a music venue and comedy club, and has all sorts of smaller rooms and hallways. The decor is chaotic and fun and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Mississippi Pizza was perfect because our goal for the evening was GiftyKitty, which is just up the street. GiftyKitty is the delightful store run by Clody Cates, Bridgett’s business cohort. She was having a “Meowgical Forest” display in her shop. This was part of Portland’s Festival of Light. All sorts of art that glow under black light were being featured, and that sounded too good to miss.

The street was nearly empty because of the cold, and the storefront was very dark. That’s because the interior was only lit with the black lights that make the art glow. Once inside, though, the effect was , well, “meowgical”.

We walked around and gawked as Clody told about all the artists. Eventually, we had to brave the cold, get back to the car, and head home.

It’s amazing what’s out there, if you just put on the big coat!

Love,

Grandma Judy