I am not going to render an opinion here on Sir Shadow’s art, but I will report that it is certainly a phenomenon. After gleaning his website, I see that he is on the road to becoming a one man industry. As I have written here before, it is always so surprising how one can be unaware of people, places or things in this city which are virtual institutions, in many cases having had major news coverage such as articles in the New York Times. A good example of this is Joe Ades, the Gentleman Peeler, a character who has based himself in Union Square and about whom I have previously posted – see here.

New York City has the population density, diversity and tolerance to embrace and nurture any self promoter who has good schtick and chutzpah. Self-confidence in tandem with a creative mind will permit virtually any endeavor to become a potential success – there are always patrons to be had, even with the most bizarre products or services. This city is a cauldron, always brewing soups with unconventional unique ingredients.

I was amazed at Sir Shadow’s fluidity. He is a master of the flow (part of his tag line) and improvisational poetry, describing his work as The One Line Art & Flowetry of Sir Shadow. He creates highly stylized line drawings in one continuous movement, never lifting the pen. A drawing in his signature silver ink is completed in a minute or two. See more photos here.

Although I imagine art snobs may turn their noses at such a commercial endeavor, this man has created his own business. He has a website, blog, online shop, a book, a fan club, youtube videos and a myspace site. A master of self promotion, Sir Shadow is now offering $1 million dollars to anyone who helps him earn $2 million …

“A Quick Beat”
Original One Line ACEO

Sir Shadow has just released a wonderful new addition to his ever growing collection of amazing One Line Art.  Sir Shadow Original Art Cards are now available exclusively at SirShadow.com.  These amazing minature works of art are highly collectable and beautiful framed.  Now in addition to brightening your environment, your Sir Shadow art can accompany you along your daily journey as steady reminder to stay strong and go with the flow.  Art Cards are a wonderful way to brighten your day or the day of those you encounter along the way.  Not familiar with Art Cards?  Read on…

A History of Art Cards & ACEOs

ATC’s or Artist Trading Cards are individual art miniatures which pass hand to hand. Some sources have credited M. Vänçi Stirnemann, who began trading sessions in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1997, as popularizing ATCs in the modern era, although modern ATC’s can be traced back to portrait miniatures and to a kind of business card popular with Impressionistic era artists.

Artists have produced miniatures for trade or self-promotion in many eras and places, and the current trend is thus part of this larger context. Historically there were few standard rules or guidelines to art trading cards, and many variances in sizes can be seen in older cards. The standardization in size of baseball cards is credited with creating the standardization in size for art cards. Today the only rule for these cards is their 2.5 by 3.5 inch size (64 x 89 mm), same as baseball cards and collectible card games. There are, however, certain conventions usually observed by those who make and trade these cards, such as the expectation that they be traded, not sold, and that they be created as unique works or small limited editions of prints. Artists generally sign and date the back, and may also include a title and contact information. For many, the face-to-face trading session is considered an integral part of the concept, although others find each other via the internet and trade by mail.

Artist Trading Cards are typically made on a base of card stock. However, ATCs have been created on metal, stiffened fabric, plastic, clay, glass, balsa wood, leather, embroidery canvas, acetate, heavy watercolor paper, and many other materials. The art on the cards can be done in any media: textile arts, pencil, watercolor, acrylic, oil, collage, scratch board, mixed media, assemblage, digital art, calligraphy, beadwork, rubber stamps, carved soft block stamps, pen and ink, colored pencil, airbrush, pastels, and many others – anything artists use.

An offshoot of Artist Trading Cards are the “Art Cards, Editions, and Originals” (ACEO). ACEOs originated when some artists began to create cards to sell, in addition to trading among themselves.

The selling of these cards is a sore point with some ATC enthusiasts, but the provision that cards should not be sold is certainly not enforceable. However, since they are being sold as something other than the ATC designation, that shouldn’t be applied to ACEOs.

In fact selling cards allows anyone to join in trading art cards, as even those that do not care to make an art card can purchase one (or receive them as gifts from family members or friends!) and thus have the ability to join in the fun of trading art cards without needing to make one themselves.

After all, trading cards in other areas such as sports have also been both traded and sold. The practice is meant to explore the temporal miniature in art, to augment the income, increase visibility, circulate small works more widely, as well as increase their patronage, as well as to allow anyone that wants to, to join in, or allow family and friends to give them unique gifts that they will most certainly enjoy either keeping or trading.