Tuesday, June 15, 2010

making ripples




Making and sending etegami for the sheer pleasure of it is a fantastic thing. But there are ways that even these little pieces of art can make a concrete, measurable difference in an ailing world. Kelly Light, an illustrator friend from the #kidlitart chat on Twitter was deeply distressed by seeing how the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico was devastating the wildlife of that area, and she decided that she just had to do something to help. She did this by doing what comes naturally to her-- that is, by drawing. Kelly started the Ripple blog and called on other artists to get involved, and we did. We donate our drawings to the Ripple project, and these can be purchased in exchange for a $10 donation to the buyer's choice of two non-profits, The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies and The International Bird Rescue Research Center.

The etegami I posted above are my contributions to this project. If the Ripple project is something you feel you can support, either by purchasing some of the artwork displayed on Kelly's blog, or by donating artwork of your own, then by all means do so. Let's not underestimate the effect of a ripple.

Translation for my Japanese colleagues:
メキシコ湾原油流出事故のことはニュースで聞いて知っていると思いますが、その規模はいまだに把握されていません。流出を止める手段もまだ見つかっていません。海と海岸で暮らす生き物たちが数多く被害にあっています。その生き物を救おうと努力しているNPOを応援するために友人のイラストレーターKelly Light が立ち上げた企画 Ripple (波紋) に、私も絵手紙を通して参加しています。寄付された絵の写真はRippleブログに掲載されます。指定された二つのNPOのどれかに10ドルを寄付する人は寄付金と引き換えに絵を一枚「買う」ことができます。作品が「売却」されると、ブログから作家にメールで知らせが送られます。買い手に作品を郵送するのは作家の責任です。

絵手紙などのアートで企画を応援したい人は、(1) 海や海岸地帯の生き物をテーマにして絵を描く。(2) 作品をスキャナーでJPGファイルに変える。(3) JPGファイルをRippleブログに送る。その時、絵の寸法(ハガキの場合は10 cm x 15 cmまたは、4" x 6"と書いてください)と、自分の事を一言添える。自分でRippleブログと交信する自信の無い方は私に送ってくださっても構いません。私が代わりにRippleへ送ってあげます。ただし、(4)「売却」(SOLD) された場合は、自分で責任もって作品の原物を買い手に送る。郵送料は作家の負担になります。

指定されているNPOへのリンクはRippleブログの右上に掲載されています。Rippleブログのメールアドレスもそこにあるので、自分で作品のJPGファイルを送る場合はそこへ送ってください。もちろん、寄付した絵が売れ残ることもあります。それでも参加することに十分に意義があります。作品のJPGファイルと自己紹介文を私に送る場合は>>> dosankodebbie あっとmacどっとcom (あっとは@、どっとは . )

14 comments:

  1. These are gorgeous! What beautiful contributions you've made.

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  2. Ooooo, I just saw the Pelican card you made for Ripple. Nice! I'm so humbled by the work Kelly is putting into this project. I would not have the stamina-- no way.

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  3. Marvelous Debbie! I'm writing a post about the Ripple and other artist taking action in regard of the oil spill, and I'd like to include your contribution to it, if you don't mind?

    Love your art! :)

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  4. Please do, Mari. Thanks! I'm making more for Ripple today, and will keep contributing for as long as there is a need.

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  5. I found your website off of the Ripple blog and your work is GORGEOUS. I've studied Japanese for several years and love that you're a translator! Just wanted to say hi and compliment your work :)

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  6. Allie, you are very kind. Thank you. 日本語の勉強、がんばってね。

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  7. Your art has a lot of heart. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. I just love your etagami, especially the "it's a battlefield out there." I am just trying to wrap my head around the "Ripple" concept. You say these etagami are "sold"... does this mean they are no longer for sale? Am I too late?

    A fellow J to E translator in Kanagawa

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  9. Nice to meet you Kazuho! Thank you for the kind compliment.

    Yes, if the artwork is labeled "SOLD," it means someone has already chosen it in exchange for a donation to one of the two NPOs. I've already sent all the cards in my first two series of Ripple cards to the buyers.

    I'm working on a third (and probably final) Ripple series of etegami and hope post them pretty soon.

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  10. I look forward to them! Do you sell your etegami anywhere else? The watermelon is simply perfect. And the shimeji made me chuckle!

    And, this was the first comment I have ever made on a site like this...it turns out I was logged in with my hubby's gmail account... Sorry!

    Marian the newbie

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  11. Hi Marian,

    I'm honored that your first comment on any site should be on mine! No, I don't sell my etegami anywhere. The Ripple project is the first of its kind that I've ever participated in, and it's not exactly "selling" the artwork, is it?

    I'd be happy to send you an etegami if you want to write to me first with your postal address. My postal address is on the right side of this page, in the paragraph titled "Current Mailart Call."

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  12. Hi dear, the post is up! :D

    http://marisrandomities.blogspot.com/2010/06/oil-spill-take-action.html

    Thank you for doing this!

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