Imagine my excitement when I read that I could be part of a huge international collaboration, pulling together artists from all over the world to exhibit in Los Angeles and (cherry on top...) it was all to raise money for great causes!! I'll explain...
Artists from all over the world are submitting tiny postcard sized works which will be curated in The Exhale Gallery, Los Angeles and sold for $35 a piece. The money raised will go to the nominated charities. Simple!
Some very bright spark had the idea a few years ago and so far, this will be the third exhibition whereby a call to artists for entries is put out on Twitter. I saw the chatter from other artists I follow regarding what they planned to submit. I dug deeper and contacted the Twitter Art Exhibition directly to see what this was all about and if I was eligible to submit work. But of course! Its open to everyone, but you must submit a one off piece and it has to be postcard sized (and on paper).
I thought long and hard about what I was going to submit because, as someone who likes to paint a mountain here and there (and it is representative of my work) it will not fit on a postcard and oil paints do not sit very well on paper. So that was out. So I decided to draw on the inspiration I have been getting from my latest project - Rajasthan!!
A photograph I completely love was taken in Jodhpur market and is of some tie-dyed cloth hanging over a bicycle to drip dry. I loved it the first time I saw it but could not get my head around how to best paint or draw it.
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I decided to go down the acrylic route. This would speed drying times and would work on paper, plus I had the added bonus of being able to water them down slightly for a thinner (almost watercolour?) feel.
I was very pleased with the result and set about a second piece that was a sort of 'still life - Rajasthan style'. While we were at the palace in Johdpur, there was a fantastic display of Elephant Howders. These were the plush seats used to carry dignitaries (and the driver) on the back of an elephant. they were very popular during the 'British Raj' and got very ornate during this period. I thought it might be nice to have something a little unusual and stand alone on a postcard, so I painted that too.
All finished, I packaged them up as carefully as possible, knowing their journey would be a long one and they may fall into the hands of a careless postie or two. I went to the post office, bought a 'DO NOT BEND' envelope and sent them on their way to L.A. Fingers crossed they will get to their destination safe and sound and help raise $70 for a charity.
The best part about this exhibit is its accessibility. It is open to everyone from anywhere and likewise, anyone can buy these little postcards. You may even get yourself a bargain! Many well known artists are submitting pieces so $35 might be a worthwhile investment.
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