From the Editor

by Vicki Leeper

Art can be therapeutic. It can also be a source of fear – fear of failure. I love to make art, but so many projects are slow to get started, or I do start them and reach a point where I can’t continue because I am afraid I will mess it up. Does that ever happen to you?

The logical part of me knows this is silly. So what if I mess it up, I can always start again. But it still happens. That’s why our theme for this year’s Moscow Artwalk, Artist Trading Cards, is such a good idea. The art is small. Mini masterpieces only 2 1/2” by 3 1/5”.  It feels a lot better to say I may mess up this little piece of paper, than to mess up say a huge canvas.

And the medium to use is not limited. My first attempt (and I tried twice) didn’t really turn out as nice as I’d hoped. So I moved on. There are so many mediums to try, techniques to test out that it doesn’t matter that I threw away two little cards.

And that’s the main theme of what this is about. Process, not product. Grab a tiny piece of yardstick and try something out. Most of the art I’ve been trying uses things I have around the house. Hot glue, paint, glitter, ink and alcohol and more. Of the few I have attempted so far, foil embossing turned out to be my favorite. A simple procedure, only needing glue stick, some leaves, aluminum foil and shoe polish. And it turned out great! I can’t wait to try it again.

I didn’t really know much about Artist Trading Cards. But turns out they are a “thing”. Anyone who enters a trading card in our artwalk will receive another one from a different artist in exchange. Enter five cards, receive five different cards. All the cards will be viewable online on our blog as well as in person in our office for the reception.

So join in the fun. Who doesn’t like to get snail mail!

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