Sunday, August 2 at 4pm PDT, we had a Zoom discussion on how three different veteran Poetry Postcard Fest participants create their unique cards: Abhaya Thomas, Colette Dutton and Tim Mateer. The original post is below the video of the event.

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Living in Tacoma, near to the local hub of PoPo, this annual event [Poetry Postcard Fest] has worked its way under my skin! As an avid reader all of my life, a lover of art, and a photographer by training, these creative forms of expression have become inseparable for the past 5 (or so) years of August Postcard Poetry. I was introduced to Postcard poetry by my friend, Ellen Shaman, and quickly became entranced with it. From drawing and hand coloring my cards, to the more recent explosions of color in mixed media, I hand make my cards nearly exclusively. There have been some likenesses and some differences in the way the cards have been produced over the years, and sometimes the art and the poetry have more connection than others, but they all come from a creative core that is fed by PoPo and the poets who share their wondrous words with me. Enfusiastic Art!Fine Art by Colette Dutton — www.EnfusiasticArt.com

Tim Mateer practices curiosity from his home in Austin Texas which he shares with his first and current wife Sara (26 yrs). He’s been blessed with a career in the performing arts. This is his seventh year to be involved with Poetry Postcard Fest. He has been making postcards for 35 years. He always wanted to be an astronaut.

Abhaya Thomas lives with her husband of 40 years on a small farm just outside of Portland. After raising four children she now finds more time to dabble in her lifelong attraction to making art. Seven or so years ago the PoPo Fest became a perfect catalyst for this with the small postcard format a fitting and unintimidating place to begin again. At first the cards were mostly altered vintage ‘real’ postcards but slowly the totally handmade crept in. Now most are some form of mixed media collage with many layers. Watercolor and printmaking also inspire her. Some of her postcard art prompts the poetry… other times there is no connection.

Abhaya Thomas 2020 Card

Colette Dutton Flower-and Ladybug