Edward Gorey House
Envelope contest 2025
Pen and ink with watercolor on a 6" x 9" manila envelope. "Evil Garden" is the theme this year. Had fun looking up hemlock, oleander, and other poisonous plants to include. Not sure what kind of creature belongs to the tentacles.
Rainbow bird says, "Fight!"
"Fight for our democracy, for our liberty, for the opportunity for all our people to live lives that are meaningful and free." - J.B. Pritzger, Governor of Illinois
Unlike the GOP, I also think people and the quality of their lives matter. Stay strong, my friends and take care of one another.
Pangolins are considered good luck. We cannot depend on good luck to keep us from being deported to a prison in El Salvador or Guantanamo. That's what due process, the constitution, and rule of law are supposed to be for. Not with masked vigilante ICE agents roaming the streets illegally abducting people without warrants or any other form of due process.
Due process denied to anyone is due process denied to everyone.
In a functioning, healthy society, you're actually supposed to care about other people.
Only caring about your own rights is exactly how you lose them.
Medieval Snail-Cats show up in a couple of manuscripts. Nobody is sure what the symbolism means. People have always been a bit wacky. That's what makes them interesting. Each diverse individual contributes their own richness to humanity. Especially the ones who dream of snail-cats.
We the People are under attack in this country. All of us must stand together against this tyranny.
Do what you can with what you have wherever you are.
Little hedgehog.
On the back: I would rather have a nation full of immigrants than even one billionaire.
Do billionaires even care about hedgehogs? Animals of any kind? From what I have seen, billionaires only care about making more money at the expense of everyone and everything else. (Like they don't have enough.) One of them even claimed empathy is a sin.
Yet we let billionaires buy their way into our government. So much for government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Especially FOR the people.
I think we all know greed is the sin. Empathy and compassion are virtues, which billionaires apparently do not have.
Women don't owe you anything.
As a society we 'owe' each other compassion and some common decency. Treat others as you would like to be treated. That is the contract. The opposite of a functioning society is trying to control other people and force them into what you want them to be or do.
Nazis and fascists do not adhere to this contract. Fascists want to make other people dead if they disagree. Hate is their weapon. Demeaning and killing your fellow human beings is not a society.
I am against fascism and I am not afraid.
Women don't owe you sex. Women don't owe you children. Women are not property. Oh, and transgender women ARE women and they don't owe you anything either.
This card has already traded.
Being Wealthy Does Not Make You a Good Person.
In fact, if you are a billionaire, you are probably just GREEDY.
This dragon is not greedy. He has no hoard. He is all about generosity and compassion.
Wealth is not a virtue.
Compassion is a virtue.
3.5" x 2.5" Artist Trading Card. Green-headed dragon in a medieval style. Check out the "Tres Riche Heures" of the Duc du Berry if you'd like to see more of these little dragon guys. It also has some beautifully detailed borders, although the borders on this card are inspired by different manuscripts.
I started making these cards in March when I was making a trip to Mississippi. The thought of traveling to such a hate-soaked conservative state with anti-women, anti-LGBTQ+, and pretty much ant-diversity of any kind laws required some sort of response. I handed out these cards and left them along the way in hopes of encouraging my fellow 'oddballs' and giving conservatives something to think about.
Kept making them because every day under this regime, some new, horrifying, fascist, proclamation issues forth.
Contact me if you'd like to trade.
Dragon III
Had fun playing with the borders on this one. Especially the 'flowers' on the pale blue side bars.
I think this one will say, "More politicians have been arrested for sexual misconduct in bathrooms than transgender people."
Heard another good thought, "Fight for the things you are passionate about, but do it in a way that will lead others to follow you."
Up for Trade or purchase. Heck, send me some postage stamps and I will be happy.
"Innocent until PROVEN guilty. That's due process," is written on the back. This has been one of the basics of American law since the founding of this nation. The current administration seems to have forgotten what freedom really means.
Contact me if you want to trade.
Dragons!
Finished the recent Octopus series. Now I am starting some dragons, Grrr.
Gonna use every color. What do you think? Bird head, beast head, spikes down the back, or no?
Might do some with barbed tails instead of the leafy-things.
I have not decided what they should say on the back yet either. I am outraged by so many things this administration is doing to harm Americans, it is hard to know where to start.
I did phone my Senators yesterday to express my disapproval of syphoning off money from Medicare/Medicaid to enrich billionaires. I strongly object to my tax money being diverted from programs that support children, the elderly, disabled, and otherwise vulnerable people. What are we supposed to do with tornado season upon us and the National Weather Service gutted while disaster-stricken communities are denied Federal aid?
There are preventable deaths in this country right now and their blood is on the hands of those enabling a corrupt regime.
Second pink octopus.
Comment on back, "The government has no right to kidnap you without due process." Octopus series is finished for now. Some dragons next. Resist my friends.
Original Artist Trading Card. 3.5" x 2.5" watercolor and ink.
$10 or trade.
Pink Octopus
Number 17 in the series.
The comment on this one is, "Innocent until PROVEN guilty." You know, in a court of law. This administration is complaining that they don't have time to hold trials for everyone they want to deport - trials that we are all guaranteed in the Constitution.
$10 or trade. Comment if you are interested.
Lavender Octopus 16
Right-leaning octopus to match the left-leaning octo from yesterday. Same comment on the back of this one, "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty."
I wish there were more we could do to resist this appalling administration besides contacting our representatives and attending rallies.
This is the paper I'm currently using for ATCs. I can get 4 cards from each sheet, plus a strip left over large enough for a bookmark. Probably could use something a bit thicker and I like a bit more texture to the surface. Still this holds up to erasures and alterations.
$10 or trade
I'd love to hear what you think. Please leave a comment
Left leaning lavender.
Octopus 15 in a series of rainbow colors. Octopi 13 and 14 were traded the moment they were finished. Similar in color and sentiment, this is the latest in the series. 2.5" x 3.5" Artist Trading Card. Watercolor and ink Minoan inspired octopus rendered in a Renaissance style of painting.
On the back is the statement, "When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty."
Post a comment if you are interested in trading.
Green Cephalopod
Artist Trading Card 2.5" x 3.5" Watercolor and ink. Original artwork. This is number 12 in a series of rainbow octopuses done in a historical style.
"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty." is written on the back
$10 or trade. Comment below if you are interested.
Vasectomies Prevent Abortions.
This little green octopus is number 11 of a series of cephalopods in a rainbow of colors.
Art Trading Card. Original artwork on the front and, "Vasectomies Prevent Abortions." on the back. 3.5" x 2.5" Watercolor and ink.
This card has traded.
I use De Atramentis document ink for outlining this style. It is waterproof so I can paint right over the ink without smearing. Works beautifully in my fountain pens without clogging them. The various colors can also be blended. I generally stick to Urban Sienna. I feel the brown is less stark than black.
Red Octopus 2
$10 or trade.
Card says, "Due process denied to anyone is due process denied to everyone."
Watercolor and ink on 2.5" x 3.5" card. Red is my favorite color. I have at least one more red cephalopod to post. Comment below if you are interested in a trade.
Due process is guaranteed by the Constitution to every American. I want my Dadgum rights back!!!
Y'all are gonna be really angry if you get exiled to a foreign prison without any hearing, trial, or legal recourse. That is exactly what this administration is trying to do to everyone who disagrees, speaks up, or just randomly gets picked up. And that's for the Rest Of Your Life. There are no clauses or exceptions for returning you or limiting the time you serve.
Back to making some more red octopus trading cards. This one says, "It is NEVER right to deport/exile U.S. citizens from their own country!"
This country belongs to us, not the government. None of this is ok.
Original artwork in watercolor and ink. Below is a photo of my portable paint box. Bought it decades ago. It holds all the necessary elements for watercolor, even a small brush which fits into its own protective metal cap.
Half pans of chrome green, pthalo green, yellow ocher, burnt sienna, burnt umber, Chinese white, cadmium red, alizarin, pink (mixed from white and alizarin), ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, a second ultramarine, and an indigo. Metallic gold is from the tube of gouache upper left.
Most of the colors you see on my cards are in this box. As you can see, I will soon need to refill the cerulean blue. I just refilled the white yesterday.
Yellow cephalopods.
I started making these Artist Trading Cards as a response to my anxiety about a trip to Mississippi. With this current administration, especially traveling to a deeply red state, it seemed an appropriate response to carry along some encouraging artwork and commentary to hand out and leave along the way.
Cards are 3.5" x 2.5" hand drawn and painted with ink and watercolor. Each one is slightly different.
$10 each or trade.
I am currently working on a series of octopuses in a rainbow of colors. Commentary on the backs of these two is, "I.C.E. detention isn't just a nightmare, it's a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit. More people detained means more money for the corrupt."
Cruelty is the point of this administration's actions.
These are a few of my favorite fountain pens. I use them for drawing outlines. TWSBI brand makes excellent pens with different nib widths. They work with a variety of inks and have held up even after all the abuse I have given them.
I am making a series of ACEO octo cards in a variety of colors. I have been handing them out and leaving them in the Little Free Libraries around my neighborhood.
The comment at the bottom of the photo is written on the back of each card, "Men being treated for erectile dysfunction is gender affirming care."
Please drop me a comment if you are interested in a trade.
This brush is a size 1 kolinsky sable from Kalish. It is a series 7 which means the bristles are a bit longer than a regular 'round' brush. I recommend Kalish brand. They are very high quality and reasonably priced at $7.20 for this specific type when I checked the web site today.
I like a good size brush that can carry a lot of paint. The very pointed tip helps with fine details.
$10 each or trade
2.5 by 3.5 inches. Art cards (ACEOs) are like sports trading cards, but for artists. I have been making these since the new administration started destroying our government. Each card so far has original artwork on the front and my opinion on the back.
This one says, "ICE detention isn't just a nightmare, it's a business. These privately owned facilities make profit for the corrupt."
This card has traded.
Edward Gorey House Envelope contest 2025 Pen and ink with watercolor on a 6" x 9" manila envelope. "Evil Garden" is the ...
