Journals & Collaborative Projects

Below you will find a sampling our members' work from previous collaborative projects.  Click on images to view them larger. We hope this will inspire you to come and play with us! If you are interested in joining our group, please visit us at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/

Tutorials & Techniques

Below are some of our favorite tricks for adding depth and dimension to your art.  We hope you have fun giving these a try!

Current Group Swaps & Projects

Below is a list of current swaps and projects available to group members. If you are interested in joining our group and participating in these projects, please visit us at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/.  

For existing group members, you can sign up to participate  in these projects here: Swaps & Current Projects.  

We look forward to swapping with you.  Happy Arting!

Member Gallery for Group Swaps
 
Below you will find a sampling our members' work from previous group swaps and projects.  Click on images to view them larger. We hope this will inspire you to come and play with us! If you are interested in joining our group, please visit us at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/.
 
Come play with us... Join today!

Paper Traders is a friendly online community of artists from around the world. We nurture and value creativity, embrace new ideas, products, and techniques yet also value tried and true methods of artistic expression. Our projects consist primarily of paper arts, mixed media collage, artist trading cards, altered art, assemblages, collaborative journals, mail art, and more.

We are interested in creative individuals of varied skill levels who wish to challenge themselves artistically and help build a supportive community. We are at our best when we can share our creative efforts as well as techniques, resources, feedback, and insights. We encourage conversation about art, the art process, and what it means to be an artist.

Paper Traders is hosted on Yahoo Groups at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paper_Traders/.
We hope you will consider joining us on an artistic journey!

In order to prevent spammers and to insure that all applicants are actual persons interested in creating art, a questionnaire will be sent to all potential members. When applying, please submit digital examples of your work or direct us to a website where we can view your art. The intent of the questionnaire is not to judge the merits of your art but to safeguard the integrity of our community.

Free Images for Download
Below you will find images that are owned by our group members and offered for your personal use as well as images found in the public domain. Images may be freely used in your personal artwork but may not be used for commercial purposes of any kind without written permission of the owner. No images may be used to create collage sheets or image collections for resale.

To download, follow the link provided. In some cases, you may be able to just click on the image to enlarge it, then right-click and select "save image as". Content changes frequently and many images are available for a limited time.  Please check back often for newly posted images to use in your art journey.

Open Art Challenges !

We're changing things up here at Paper Traders. Instead of the monthly challenges of the past, we'll now be hosting special challenges that might feature a specific technique or product and will be rewarded with actual prizes sponsored by our group members.

Our new challenge for 2013 is a year long word prompt journaling project/challenge. Each specific challenge will be open for one month and all art bloggers can participate, whether you are a Paper Traders member or not. Each artist will comment with a link to their blog post that features the artwork for that particular challenge. For each challenge, a winner will be selected whose art best exemplifies the challenge. The winning artist will be featured here and get a "Trader Treasure" blog button to display on their own blog. They also will receive one chance for each entry for the end of the year prize drawing. Watch this page for more details and challenge announcements.

Friday, August 16, 2013

It's Member Spotlight Time.....

....and this time it is shining on
Nydia Dominguez.





How did you find Paper Traders? I was invited by Pam Prosser to check you guys out since I was enjoying expanding my artwork to outer limits.

How long have you been a member? I have only been with the group for a few months. I was welcomed into Paper_Traders in March 2013

Where do you live? I live in Meriden, Connecticut in the USA.

How have your surroundings affected your art? I tend to look around me to see what I can use to include in any of my projects. The seasons also affect my artwork as I love to use botanical, birds and seasonal themes. I adore Spring! It gives me life. I am reborn along with the buds and blossoms after all the snow melts away.

Please share a little about your own art experience. I was always drawn to art as a child. Drawing at the kitchen table. I went on in studies in Art. I have a BS in Studio Art.

What are some of your favorite techniques or genres? My favorite medium are soft pastels but I have been turned on to collage and mixed medium and get get enough of it!

What inspires you? Beauty around me, Springtime, and bright colors.

Who are some famous artists whose work you admire and what especially appeals to you about this? Leonardo DaVinci especially for his drawings and studies, Frida Kalo for the colors and thought process in her paintings and Georgia O'Keeffe for her botanical work.

Describe your work area... Do you have your own studio or craft room? My studio is pretty messy and cluttered(I think I need to save so many things). I am in the process of re-doing it to have it organized.

What tips or tricks have you found to help carve out a niche for your supplies and art? Bins so far...I've researched, measured my studio room and will have my sister and brother-in-law build me my work area, counters and cubbies...now to empty out my studio into large bins! hahaha...

Please share a little about your family and pets... I am married to a big rig trucker, and have two sons(16 and 26). I have a granddaughter and a grandson (expected any day now) and a Skye Terrier.

If you'd like, please share a little about your childhood, where you grew up, and when your creativity began. I am the first born of 3 siblings and I tended to be shy. I used to aways draw on scraps and napkins and doodled all over in my notebooks. My favorite class was art.

Do you have any other hobbies or interests? I collect anything that has ladybugs on it!... my youngest son has Aspergers Syndrome(On the Autism Spectrum). I am focused on sharing Autism Awareness in our community. I teach Art to teens and young adults on the Spectrum at Autism Services and Resource Center

The work I have included is recent for the Puerto Rican Festival we just had this past Sunday. I sold The Magi 14x17 collage.



Posted by Cathy L. Calamas at 1:40 PM
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4 comments:

Jo Murray said...

It's nice to learn more about you Nydia as I'm a fan of your work.

August 16, 2013 at 9:57 PM
Nydiart said...

Thank you Jo...

August 17, 2013 at 6:13 PM
fairyrocks said...

So nice to read a bit about you Nydia. Lovely to have you in our group. Keep smiling and creating

August 23, 2013 at 6:15 PM
Lucy said...

Lovely to have you here on PaperTraders, looking forward to seeing your art.
Hugs Lucy

September 2, 2013 at 4:05 PM

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