In 1997, Zurich artist M. V. Stirnemann created the Artist Trading Cards project. Stirnemann envisioned the project as a means for artists throughout the world to meet each other and share their art and stories.
Artists make miniature works of art on 2½ x 3½ inch or 64 x 89mm card stock. These miniature works of art include drawings, paintings, collages, text, and photography. Artists bring their miniature artworks to trading sessions where they meet and trade with other artists. The project is not about monetary gain. The main purpose of this project is the trading sessions, the personal meetings and the opportunities for artists to share their personal experience.
Since the project’s inception, trading sessions have cropped up across the globe in Europe, Canada, the U.S., Australia, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Argentina, and so on.
Here is a sampling of my first artist trading cards. I have been doing these “doodle drawings” since high school as a way to occupy my mind in a thoroughly relaxing way with no care or stress about the outcome. I have a collection of pens and I just allow these little drawings to flow out of my hand with little planning or forethought.
I’ve traded a few of my cards now and I’ve already discovered that meeting other artists, hearing about their artistic lives, and recieving their little gems of artwork is an addictive experience.
Learn more about this project at http://www.artist-trading-cards.ch/index.html
