Liz Adams, a Plainsboro artist, has invited artist friends to help introduce an exhibit of unusual media — “Artist Trading Cards,” an exhibit including humorous collages, old time photographs, line drawings, and psychedelic watercolors. The cards measure 2.5 by 3.5 inches and have the artist’s name and contact information on the back. The exhibit opens on Sunday, January 7, at Plainsboro Public Library and will be on view through Saturday, February 3. A reception will be held on Sunday, January 21, from 3 to 5 p.m.##M:[more]##
Adams, who has done an art show at Plainsboro Library in January for many years, has featured different art forms over the years including mixed media, drawings, paintings, papermaking, and embroidery. “I wanted to do something different this year and Jinny Baeckler and the library offer a great opportunity for experimenting,” she says. “We’ve had some really exciting shows and I’m very happy about having the first artist trading card exhibit in this area.”
Artist trading cards originated in 1996 with M. Manci Stirnemann, an artist in Switzerland, and has spread throughout the world. Reminiscent of the days when mass-produced artistic trading cards were carried in pockets and traded on lunch hour in the school yard, the new version celebrates original artwork. Like their predecessors, they are traded, never sold, among artists and others who create the works.
“Just about everyone I invited to participate accepted and it was a nice outpouring,” says Adams. “I know all of the local people and the others I know virtually through the Internet. They are all serious artists from Canada, Singapore, California, New York, Texas, and Illinois. There is even a group from Canada that like novelty work.”
“The exhibit is an amazing array of one-of-a-kind artwork,” says Adams. “Every art form is represented including paintings, drawings, pastels, embroidery, monotype, photography, digitized computer work, and acrylic. There are close to 500 little art works and they will be hung in the plastic sleeves designed for baseball cards.
“Cards vary according to the medium but most are created on at least card stock,” says Adams. “Some use 400-pound watercolor paper, photography is usually backed onto a card, and a collage gets thicker as you work with it.”
Adams is from North Yorkshire, England. Her husband, Andy, a radiation chemist, was invited to University of Wisconsin in Madison for post doctorate research. They moved to this area for his work close to 40 years ago and have lived in Plainsboro for more than 30 years.
“I’ve been an artist as far back as I can remember,” says Adams, who began studying art in England and has taken classes at Mercer County College. “Like many people I took a lot of different paths.”
“The thing I really like to do is include people in what I’m doing and encourage them,” says Adams. She enjoys creating classes and workshops and is scheduled to teach drawing at Princeton Adult School this year. She has been exhibiting at local and regional juried shows for more than 25 years. Adams is a member of TAG (The Art Group), a group of eight artists who exhibit their works together. Last year they had a show at West Windsor Library and they complete a show at the Windrows on Friday, January 5.
Other artists participating in the artist trading cards exhibit include Maureen Jordan of Plainsboro, and Jody Kendall and Emily S. Townsend of West Windsor.
Artist Trading Card Exhibit, Plainsboro Public Library, 641 Plainsboro Road, 609-275-2897. www.lmxqac.org/plainsboro. The trading originally scheduled for January 21 will take place after the show. Sunday, January 7, to Saturday, February 3.
