The wonder of swaps!

Although I belong to this wonderful group I also take part in another group that some of you may know. It is called Boomers and Beyond or BBEST for short!

Last month the BBEST team had an ACEO challenge with the theme set as ‘Spring’. Members were invited to contribute an ACEO in any medium to swap with others. There was a great response and many who had never tried creating an ACEO had a go, and really enjoyed themselves in the process!

For my part I entered the challenge with two, one in my PQ personality and one in my OAW persona.

My PQ ACEO was created using coloured felt pieces, vintage buttons, beads and a signature butterfly. With a bright sun to cheer the viewer on their way I wanted to achieve a bright, springy feel to this one!

The ACEO created under my OAW banner was created in the encaustic medium or painting in wax. Using my trusty travel iron and hot stylus for detail I imagined this stream running through some rocky crags with plants rearing their heads gingerly as Spring approached.

I suppose it was a sneaky way to secure a swap for 2 great ACEO’s. Let me show you what wonderful ACEOs I got in return!

Firstly from Hemlock Hollow came this beauty. She even used rocks (pebbles!) from her creek. Very pretty!

I think this was a ‘first’ and hopefully, not the last.

Meanwhile, the other ACEO I was lucky enough to receive came from Make Your Presents Felt and brought a cheery smile to the day. What a cheerful chappy!

Personally, I thought it was a wonderful way to introduce ACEOs to creators new to this format. To some ACEOs can be very daunting; to have to work in such a small piece of art can be challenging when you are not used to it. However, these two folk had never attempted this before and there were many who have realised what a fun and interesting size it is to work on!