CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM A sampling of artists' trading cards, clockwise from top: "How Much Does Love Cost?" by Sandra Watanabe, "The Grid" by Greig E. Gaspar, "Buddha Bless You" by Renee Sambueno, a bird by Hans Loffel, "Origami Dreams 2" by Gaspar, and an absract piece by Loffel.

Blossoming community

Artists' trading cards put collectible creations in the palm of your hand

Greig Gaspar googled "artists' trading cards" online in 2002 and received about 70 hits. When he does that today, he gets more than 2 million.

The idea of creating miniature works of art in the size and form of trading cards originated with Swiss artist M. Vanci Stirnemann in 1996, and the trend has been growing ever since. Locally, artists attend trading sessions at the Louis Pohl Gallery on the second Saturday of each month.

The cards measure 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches and can be made in any medium, from watercolor to ceramic. They are traded much the way people trade sports cards.

Sandra Aoyagi-Watanabe began trading cards via e-mail with artists as far away as New Zealand, Australia and Japan. She introduced Gaspar to the concept, and together they spread the word to artists and fashion designers like Eric Eugene Kamakahia'ai Chandler and Takeo.

Soon the Oihana Project was launched, using the Louis Pohl Gallery as a trading venue.

"It's all about sharing with everyone. Anything goes, everything can work. It's all about having fun and making a statement," Aoyagi-Watanabe said.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Greig Gaspar keeps his collection of artist trading cards in a binder while trading at the Louis Pohl Gallery.

"People are starting to talk about art in a fun way," said gallery owner Sandy Pohl. "This puts everyone on a level playing field."

Some cards sport hula girls; others are miniature watercolors. Chandler created his out of playing cards. "The cards are embedded with secret messages, like 'The Da Vinci Code,'" he said.

Takeo used pastels. "We are really doing this for the next generation of artists," he said. "It opens doors for the artist, young or old."

Gaspar and Aoyagi-Watanabe both work with mixed-media collage.

Gaspar hopes to collect enough cards to frame the different pieces together.

Everyone is invited to trade, whether they work in the fine arts or crafts. "Art is an open-door invitation. We need a new terminology that encompasses it all," Chandler said.

Community outreach is their next step. "We are sending fliers to local high school and colleges to get younger artists involved in the program," Gaspar said.

They see card trading incorporated in after-school programs or exchanges with schools in other countries.

Gaspar would like to entice taggers and graffiti artists to become involved: "It may be encouraging for them to look at another way of expressing themselves."