Monday, December 14, 2020

The Art Of Your Time

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I studied Soviet history extensively both in undergrad and in graduate school - my Master's degree is in Slavic linguistics, so I was immersed in both the language and culture of the region for about 20% of my life on this planet.

One of my favorite classes was a Russian art history class, which explored the genres that were born under Soviet rule. 

At first, it was all very offputting to me, before I learned the history. I didn't understand the thematic background just viewing it as a Gen X American child with no context. But as I learned more, even though my focus was language and literature, I found myself revisiting the art more and more. The more I understood about the time in which the art was created, the more I appreciated the art. 

It was dark, I'm not going to lie. It was also extremely spare - there was nothing extra in the art of the time period I studied. And now I know it's because that time was extremely spare. 

I was extremely fortunate to grow up in a family that experienced the depression - I am the youngest child in a family that reaches much farther back. It taught me so many life skills that I value more than anything else. As much as I didn't love the freezer burned corn and lima beans my grandfather served when we went to visit him at holidays - I completely understood where that came from and I learned from it. It has served me well all my life, and is especially comfortable now.

But lately - in some of my classes, I've had some conversations about whether or not we should be documenting all of the crazy things that are happening right now, and as the granddaughter of a man who wrote a line or two daily every day of his adult life, I can emphatically say - YES - we should be.

As much as I enjoy writing, I enjoy visually documenting things even more. And so today's post is your permission slip to make your cards reflect this bizarre time we are living in. It needs to be recorded in one way or another so that some lucky college student in the future can have the wonder I had discovering the strange life of Soviet Russia...

So today's cards all heavily rely on real life as we know it this year. The first one is probably my favorite. I sort of feel like recklessness has been misappropriated and I'd like to reclaim it. So I distanced my friends from a new stamp set I'm obsessed with - A Walk in the Park - and the companion set. I used the new sun stencil and a sentiment from this set. The shadows were made with the transfer paper hack in this video. I have a coupon code in the footer for the transfer paper. I wanted to separate the people in the scene, but also have the hopeful, bright sunrise, and I did that with this stencil



This one is a combo of oh so many themes for 2020 and covid. This awesome new floor stamp made me think of chess, which is such a great metaphor for our issues. I separated the people on the floor, but also colored a few of them because I think we all have this sense that we have no idea right now who is infected, who is vulnerable, who we need to protect. It's the perfect imagery - and wouldn't you love to know that if you did everything you could do right now to protect vulnerable people that in the end, your kindness mattered?




Finally, and not because it's not my favorite, because it is, I abstracted the background in A Walk in the Park to make a Seurat inspired scene. When I saw the image, I imagined it like A Sunday on La Grande Jatte - but now - without people. So I stamped it in a light grey ink, and then dotted acrylic paint all over it with a combination of Q-Tips and my ball stylus.

X-Press It Transfer Paper — X-press It
[ XPR ]
PFS - Slim Line Waves Stencil
[ PFS ]
Slim Line Daisy Burst Stencil –...
[ PFS ]
BFF Avery Girl Coordinating Die -...
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BFF Girl Avery - Picket Fence Studios
[ PFS ]
Slim Line Die Cutting System – Picket...
[ PFS ]
Peach and Piper Coordinating Die –...
[ PFS ]
Peach and Piper – Picket Fence Studios
[ PFS ]
PFS - Leaves for Flowers
[ PFS ]
PFS - Leaves for Flowers Coordinating...
[ PFS ]
PFS - Corner Sun Stencil
[ PFS ]
PFS - Burst of Sun Stencil
[ PFS ]
PFS - A2 Tall Grass and Waves with...
[ PFS ]
PFS - Slim Line Grass and Waves with...
[ PFS ]
PFS - A Walk in the Park
[ PFS ]
PFS - A Walk in the Park Coordinating...
[ PFS ]
PFS - More for a Walk in the Park...
[ PFS ]
PFS - More for a Walk in the Park
[ PFS ]
PFS - Slim Line Cloud Coverage Stencil
[ PFS ]
PFS - Do Good Recklessly
[ PFS ]



There is so much fun new stuff today over there today so check it out!

Loveyameanitbye.



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7 comments:

  1. I love the variety in your cards, and this release is amazing!

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  2. I really adore the Reckless stamp... so timely, in this time of a global pandemic. Always Peaches and Piper on top of my list for adorable cards. And those new stencils.... swoon.. thank you Lydia for showing them to us and Thank you Picket Fence for developing such new goodies. :) Gail T.

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  3. Lydia thank for spotlighting these sets. Picket Fence is so timely. I love the RECKLESS stamp and it is so relevant in this time of Global Pandemic. Yep.. on my list along with the new stencils.. Gail T.

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  4. Your stories and cards are always so thought provoking... today maybe the most beautiful. Hopefully we, as a world, will save those little notes and cherish all these lessons we've learned. My memories ARE my most prized possession and comfort. I think the new normal is being formed right now from our hearts. These cards are incredible!

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  5. Terrific ideas to put in a journal!

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  6. I so enjoyed your post today. Not only did you give a bit of an art history lesson, put you also gave us an insight into what inspires you to create art.
    That is why I so enjoy reading your blog with my coffee each morning.
    Have a safe and healthy holiday season.
    Thank - you

    ReplyDelete
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