Liberate Your Art

While roaming around different blogs one day, I discovered a blog by a woman named Kat.  It was called Kat Eye View of the World and what attracted me to the site is that she was an American living in Italy.  That was just so intriguing to me and, as a group of my friends and I are planning a trip to Italy next year, I figured maybe I'd glean a few tidbits of advice as far as cool places to go while in the land of Pasta and Vino...

Kat is a photographer as well and so she posts intriguing photos almost everyday.  One of posts at the beginning of the summer was a little venture she embarked on called "Swap Your Art".  She asked people to sign up for an art swap.  We had a date that we had to have our art in by and then we sent 5 postcards with our "art" (whatever mode it may be) along with labels with our address on it and postcard stamps.  Then, Kreative Kat :) had this imaginative way in which she swapped all of the postcards and sent us 5 different cards back to us.  It was just so cool as I not only got to see different art, but I was also able to connect with some new friends through their art, some in country and some out of country.

Here are the cards I got ....

 This card was the first one I got.  I received it right before I went on my sailing adventure and I used it as a bookmark while traveling, so everytime I broke out my book on Russian books and the psychotic people who love them, I got to be refreshed by this amazing bright pink flower - I love the shading in the back of the photo so you're totally concentrating on that front big flower.  It was done by Claudia who has a bunch of her work posted at http://www.dipityroad.com  She has tons of beautiful nature photos posted - theres a garden in Utah where she lives that looks exactly like something you'd see in England - its just so peaceful.  Thanks Claudia!!!!!

 This is a totally cool, one of a kind card, made by hand.  You can feel the texture and see the vivid colors.  The painting is called "You Are Wonderful".  It was created by Tia whose website is tiatuengo.wordpress.com.  I really love this card - its just so original!  Thanks Tia!

 Here's another hand done original....  Again, you can feel the texture and then you really examine the painting and you see so many little intriguing nuances.  Can you tell that its in a different language :)  Its by TJ at http://studiomailbox.typepad.com/tales_from_studio_mailbox/   TJ is an American who has just moved to Germany and is creating more art in her community there.  Great stuff and interesting to see her life changing as she posts.  Thanks TJ!



Here's a photo called "No Ride For Me" by Kris.  I love the lighting....

This one is from Lorraine at Paperbird.  Her blog is paperbird.typepad.com.  

And last but not least, Kat herself sent us all a little thank you for participating in the Art Swap.  One of her amazing pictures from around the world.  I feel like I'm in Italy just looking at it.  What a sweet little Vespa - I wish we could ride them in Chicagoland - somehow, spinning those little wheels through 15 inches of icy snow somehow just probably won't work.  But I can still dream, can't I?  Thank you so much Kat for such an awesome idea and for some great new connections to blogs that spur my artistic-wanna-be!  Here's Kat's creative and continually changing blog!  http://www.kateyeview.com/