CLEARFIELD — It’s an international phenomenon, of sorts; but people are getting the chance to mix a passion for art with a similar passion for collecting.
Melissa Bowman, who says art has long been her hobby, is teaching a new class on artist trading cards. These 2.5- by 3.5-inch cards are the same size as baseball cards, but they are not displaying stats and faces.
Instead, each card is a hand-crafted piece of art.
“I’d never heard of this before,” said Marliss Scott, one of the city’s marketing coordinators. “But it is a great concept. It encourages creativity.”
Plus, she said, it adds to an already long-standing tradition.
“For ages, people have been collecting cards, from baseball cards to Pokemon,” she said. “But this takes it a step beyond that. You can create whatever you want with these cards.
“There are limitless possibilities,” Scott said.
Bowman, the class concept creator and instructor, said it is something anyone can do.
“You don’t have to be an artist,” she said. “You just have to love art and creating new things.”
She explained that people worldwide are involved in creating these trading cards and then exchanging them. The rule of thumb is they can’t be sold, only traded to others by logging onto any number of websites.
Some people are using paint and chalk to create them, while others use wood-burning techniques, sewing and even broken glass to create the one-of-a-kind trading cards.
“It can be anything,” Bowman said. “It is just a really fun process to be involved in.”
The city is offering two classes that start April 13 and run through May 13. There is one for ages 6 to 14 and another for ages 15 to adult. For the younger age group, Bowman plans to provide supplies, such as the base card, crayons, markers and more.
For the older group, she will just provide the paper; participants can bring whatever medium supplies they need.
“It’s fun and addicting,” Bowman said.
Though this is a new class for the city, she added, it is not a new idea. She explained that the concept started in the 1960s in Switzerland and has been ongoing ever since.
“There are a lot of creative people out there,” Bowman said. “Anyone can make something that small, and then they can share it with others.”
Classes are on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for youth, and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. for adults. Cost is $25.
Registration is ongoing now. To register for any classes, call Clearfield Community Services at 801-525-2790, or stop by the Community Services department, 55 S. State St.
Visit the city website www.reconline.org or www.clearfieldcity.org for more information.
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