Quote Cards to give away

Quote cards by Gina Barry

After my divorce,
I changed my name back to Gina Marie Barry.
I had hundreds of art business cards
with my married name printed on them.
I could have thrown them away and moved on,
but instead they became a sort of art therapy for me.

At first I used up palette paint on these cards,
covering over my old name with leftover paint.
Stacks of painted cards would travel to work with me.
In meetings I would doodle on them.
I would add a quote that spoke to what I was feeling in that moment.

I keep stacks unfinished and finished cards with me.
I jot down a good quote at any moment
or doodle something while I wait in line.

And when finished, I give them away...
That is the original purpose of a business card.
They are made to be given away.
They were created to remind someone of me.
But that me is no longer.
A new me has begun.
And Gina Marie Barry is beginning with a fresh coat of paint.

I have now covered over every single card
with layers of paint.
I used my Gelli Plate and spent a weekend
covering the last of the hundreds of cards
with beautiful textures.

No more leftovers - these are intentional.

These cards have helped me on this new journey.
They are little pieces of me,
some are ugly and some are beautiful
Drawing over the paint,
following along the lines made by accident.
Finding beauty in the imperfection (wabi sabi).

I now see this is my art practice, my journal of sorts
even if it isn't sitting down to create in my studio.
These are done in the space between.
The dream always finds a way...

Words and lines all mixed together.
Each unique and each inspired by a moment in my life
each created by a new me - to be given away
I hope they will inspire or bring a smile or send a bit of hope
As they have done for me.

I tuck them into check holders at restaurants,
(servers work so hard they could use extra love)
I give them to friends
I give them to strangers
I leave them anywhere I am inspired to leave them
with a hope that someone will find the words useful or helpful
Or send them on as well.

Maybe these cards have become a metaphor for me.
To take all the ugly of my failure as a wife
​and my failed marriage
and make it into something beautiful.

Maybe it is a way to cover over my old life
without throwing it all away
because it wasn't all bad and
my beautiful daughter is here because of it.

Maybe it is just something to fill the time
so grief can't take over. 

These cards are just a tiny piece of rebuilding my life
And sending them off into the world
is exactly what they are supposed to do.

Enter to win these 5 cards on Instagram
​at @ginabarryartist
​enter by July 1, 2018.