Trading Original Art With Judy Brick

Chicago Looking South... by: Judy Brick

 Artist Judy Brick and I are members of IllustratedATCs.com an international community of artists who make ATCs and ACEOs. We traded our art cards recently, and I had to share her work with the world. We found out that we had both lived in Chicago at some point in our lives so we decided to draw city skylines for eachother. She would draw our beloved Chicago, and I would draw my beloved Los Angeles which is where I currently live. I love her blue and violet color pallet in this piece, but my favorite element is the soft watercolor clouds in the background. This card reminds me of many humid Summer mornings riding the red line on the L to downtown. Not only did she send me this wonderful ATC, but she also sent me some blank vintage paper she found at an estate sale pre-cut to ATC size. Thank you for a great trade Judy!

Los Angeles in watercolor by: John Tallacksen

  Above is the card I painted and traded to Judy. I found an older picture of downtown Los Angeles and I let that inspire my color scheme. The piece was delicately painted in watercolor because the city's fragile water supply has been on my mind a lot lately. Downtown rises above the horizon line like a crown against the faded blue sky. Down below in the foreground is the barrios where there are stories of good times in the light, but also sorrowful times in the shadows. The shadows and silhouettes make the houses in the foreground stand out and therefore reinforces their closer proximity to the viewer. I hope to bring some of those stories to my audience in future pieces.

  Trading original art for original art among other artists brings a very satisfying feeling. The idea of miniature art being traded like currency between people is very appealing to me. I encourage you to join our global community in the trade.