Sharing Art – Dear Liza

September 6, 2025

Dear Liza,

A while back I told you about art cards, small pieces of art that you can send to friends or give away to strangers. I’m building mine on old baseball cards.

This past weekend, I got an inspiration of another way to share them. I was at the No Kings March downtown, walking with thousands of other folks to protest the current administration’s unconstitutional and illegal takeover of our country.

When we got home from the March, I went into my art closet to make more art cards. Before, I liked leaving the back untouched so you could see that it had started life as a baseball card. Now, I wanted to use it for a rebellious purpose.

I tried a few ways of treating the photos… flat acrylic looked streaky, but an impression from a sheet of shelf liner made a nice surface so you can still see the player.

I pulled letters from my box of words to spell out a simple message.

I like the ransom-note effect.

Now my art has a purpose. I can hand these cards to folks at future protests, a small piece of art to give encouragement. I even punched a hole in the corner and strung some ribbon through, so they can be tied to a backpack or belt loop and not get lost.

I have a hook in my art closet for my growing collection.

Love,

Grandma Judy

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