An ATC a Day

Back in the early fall, Amanda and I were sitting in a coffee shop discussing art and life and everything in between. It was during that conversation that I heard about ATCs for the very first time. Immediately I thought, "what a perfectly splendid way to flirt with this woman." I went home that night and made the first of many commentaries on our moments together, "Watching Me, Watching You." This title summed up the experience of gazing into each other's eyes across the table where Amanda was framed by a wall of deep red hues.

Each time we spent together from that moment on was reflected upon while constructing an ATC. Now that we spend every day together Amanda receives a new card each and every day. As they have evolved, the backs now all contain a drawing of some moment from the day. in the top right corner is the sequential number of the card and in the bottom left, my signature chop. The back also has a stamped date in black ink. On the front I create a collage of found imagery, gauche, ink stamps and text. Most often the imagery also reflects moments from the day, but on occasion I simply use a pattern or scrap that is visually pleasing without direct references to moments together.

Typically I begin by making a list of key moments from the day. From this list I choose one instance that will be best reproduced as a drawing. Then, list in hand, I begin to peruse stacks of magazines, searching for some image that ties into our moments together. Mostly I take images from Travel and Leisure magazine, Food and Wine and a variety of other sources including an abandoned art history book. Once I've found some appropriate clippings I begin to glue them down, diffusing the edges with gauche applied with my fingers. Then I work in text in and around the imagery, often creating shapes out of several different handwriting styles that I have devised.

I have found that the easiest way to do this on a daily basis is to have my cards precut and numbered. If time allows I also apply the signature chop ahead of time, since it takes about half an hour for the ink to cure. I also try to glean images from magazines, organizing the clippings into file folders based on categories. Recently I have even begun to look for images that may apply to events that we have planned in the future, such as traveling together or going to the zoo.

Now that we're up to number 158 I have to share that the notion which came to me back in the fall was not merely a way to flirt with Amanda. I have found that the making of art every day for her has become a record of our romance and courtship. They have become my journal and an expression of my devotion to her.

Easter

This Easter was spent mostly around the kitchen table decorating bright eggs and dyeing our fingers garish colors as well as the eggs themselves. The kids are especially fond of Easter, as they are especially fond of anything that allows them to make a mess with bright colors and which so closely resembles making art but without paper. There too, for both kids and adults alike, is the anticipation of retrieving the once-white egg which is reborn a different hue. This Easter was different in that the children would not be spending Easter morning at home, but instead with their father.

In view of this, we decided to celebrate Easter lunch on Saturday with family,
preceded by an Easter Treasure Hunt. Gerard carefully drew a map on faded parchment paper and we used scraps to enclose clues that would be scattered along the trail. Our favorite clue was the bright orange egg, holding the last clue, that rested with a faded statue of an oriental man seated at a writing desk.

Chronicling a Relationship

Now I suppose it is my turn to write out into the void since Gerard has done the posts the past two times. I admit that I rather sit and watch him write, but to tell the disgustingly romantic truth, I could sit and watch him do anything. Tonight, I began posting images of my first ATCs from Gerard (at the request of Jane from the magnificent store, Random Arts). If you are not familiar with this lingo, ATCs are Artist Trading Cards. They are roughly the size of a regular playing card and are decorated by an art person who then trades it for an ATC from another artist. Usually only one side is decorated, but as you see Gerard always works on both sides because, he insists, it is more like a traditional playing card that way. He reminisces that in telling him about ATCs before we began dating I had given him the perfect way for an artist to flirt with an artistic woman. He also numbered them from the beginning, so on the left side you will see 1 and 2, but I just received number 137 last night.

I cannot brag on his thoughtfulness enough.... in the beginning after I had received a handful of ATCs something new arrived on my desk at work. It was a lovely cream colored handmade box, made by Gerard, with the words "Moments Together" stamped on the top. This title reflects his thought process for making my ATCs. At first, they came every other day or so, illustrating moments we had shared together days before. Now that I see him daily, I usually receive an ATC the next day, chronicling the most poignant part of the previous day, complete with imagery, writing, and a commemorative drawing on the back. That first box holds Deck 1, cards 1-52. The following box was also handmade covered in pale green and gold paper and white gouache, holding Deck 2. The box he is filling now is also handmade (what else do you expect?) and covered in a rich handmade paper, red with a delicate black pattern....I AM beginning to become spoiled, but I am grateful. I will continue to post more images of his ATCs, I want to share their beauty and his thoughtfulness.

Between School Time

On Mondays I teach an evening class and have become used to squeezing in family time between jobs. Amanda too had to return to work this evening, so we decided to take the kids to the playground.

Amanda had been feeling ill today, so I went out onto the jungle gym, while she looked on from a nearby bench. A little boy playing alone joined us and we all ended up on the merry-go-round. There was a shallow moat surrounding the platform that made spinning it very difficult. I ran in circles for a while, spinning the boys. Then I jumped on to join in the fun. For some reason I decided to look to the center of the merry-go-round instead of looking around...

A short while after this, I was spinning the kids and the boy we met at the park when Alex fell off the side and landed in the muddy water... Needless to say he was quite upset by this.

We left the playground, stopping to pick up a change of clothes we keep at his daycare and drove to my house to get him cleaned up. Once he was in his dry clothes we all played outside for a few minutes, stopping to stand upon the stump of the great oak tree that once stood between my and my neighbor's house.

Amanda and I remained as the kids went back to playing. She and I looked at one another and lamented for the pair of feet that was missing from our gathering. "He has your feet," she said to me. "They're just like yours."

Western North Carolina in Early March

We've just returned from a weekend trip to the mountains of Western North Carolina. This journey was my birthday gift to Amanda, celebrating an undisclosed age. Several months ago Amanda told me that she had never seen a waterfall before. I decided then that this was the perfect gift for my love.

Friday we traveled from Wilson to the Stone Hedge Inn near Tryon, North Carolina. All day as we made our way into the the west, rain fell steadily. Upon arriving at our destination the clouds parted, but the sun was setting. The next morning there was a fierce wind storm that brought with it bitter cold wind.

Late in the morning we made our way to Pearson Falls, on the road between Tryon and Saluda.

Arriving at the park we met an initial disappointment as there was a traffic cone barring our way into the lot. I drove past it anyway and flagged down someone near the check-in booth. The woman said that they were not going to open for another hour because of the mud from yesterday's rain... "Unless you don't mind the mud," she added. "Of course not... mud never stopped us!"

We started up a trail near the river, which passed along a few weathered picnic tables and benches. Attracted by the rush and sound of the water we traipsed over rocks and soaked in the sounds of nature around us. A sudden hail storm forced us to higher ground and a sign awaiting us...

From this point we continued on our way until we rounded the final bend in the steep path and crossed a stone bridge to see the splendid sight of the falls. Here we sat taking in the experience of the place and the warmth of each other. After awhile, we both grew weary of the signs and began to ignore their warnings...

An avid dirt collector I needed to collect a sample from the water's edge at the base of the falls. Amanda, being in love with the very spirit of water, decided to take off her shoes and socks
and frolic in the frigid river.





From Pearson Falls, we drove to the historic town of
Saluda. Our specific destination was the wonderful art shop
Random Arts, formerly known as the Stamp Peddler. Jane, the owner, welcomed us in as if she had known us for years. She was very friendly and wanted to know what brought us across the state from Wilson.
Even though the store is not much larger than a living room, we spent over an hour perusing the shelves and chatting with Jane. Later the two of us worked late into the night with all of the new treasures acquired at Random Arts.