Self Portrait and Memories Kevin and James Gillen

Delighted to share this new mail art call, and beautiful mail art from Kevin and James Gillen.  But...sorry that I scanned it and haven't shared it until now.  I will participate, I feel terrible that this got lost in my summer chaos !

Thank you K and J!

Find out more:

https://www.facebook.com/MailArtWorldwide/

 

The Envelope is the art!

Naughtily I am blogging two of James' pieces together. I got back from Maine and although I got few pieces of mail while away, I hadn't blogged what `i'd received before yet.  The first is a sensational  almost anamorphic  ink drawing.  I love the variety of handwriting, the restrained colour, the stamps and the sentiment.  James has brought together everything you need in a piece of mailart. 

The second ppostcard is more 'au courant', topical and chosen specifically for ME, one of James' New Yorker friends.

BIG THANKS and check out the facebook group!

No Nixies in England

I think this irregular mailing is made from a bit of a book.  It's TRASHPO! Another person who used to send me pieces of books is the Artist in Seine.  His stuff was absolutely audacious.  I once sent Vizma a life sized postcard of the top half of a topless woman.  I think Artist in Seine has taken a mail art holiday.  I know I owe him some mailart, maybe he's given up on me!

I owe James and Kevin mailart, too. I have a box with all the mailart I have blogged; I haven't even managed to write it all down in the Ledger.  I always have such good intentions… It's always a pain to do it later too.

If you follow this blog you will know that I challenged James to send me some irregular mailart when (and if) I go to Maine this year. You'll be happy to know that James' experiment (sending something that might become a nixie in America - due to it's size and shape arrived. -  (Nixie (postal) ... A Nixie is a name given by the United States Postal Service to a piece of mail which is undeliverable as addressed. It is derived from "nix").  I guess it couldn't go through a machine, though, as the stamp is hand cancelled, again.

Thanks James.  It's a gorgeous piece!
 

'Suitable' for the UK postal system

James Gillen's mail art is instantaneously recogniseable.  His graphic imagery dances around the shape. And this is a great shape! The postcard measures 18 x 12 cm.  This would be a problem in America, although from our post office on Cranberry Island I have succesfully mailed odd shaped envelopes etc… I'm not so keen on the way the stamp was hand cancelled. I'll bet the machine would have left a more interesting mark.

from US post office:

You may think that your mailpiece is a "postcard," because it is a single sheet of paper. But to qualify for mailing at the First-Class Mail postcard price, it must be:

• Rectangular 
• At least 3-1/2 inches high x 5 inches long x 0.007 inch thick 
• No more than 4-1/4 inches high x 6 inches long x 0.016 inches thick

Thanks James. If I make it to the US this summer, let's test the rules? Thank you!
 

NYC Postcard for Manhattan Rebecca

This slick and professional digital collage was created by James Gillen and printed by Funky Pigeon. James, Kevin and I have been exchanging mail art recently and James knows about my NYC roots.  I am touched by his thoughtful mail. 

If you know NYC you might recognise the Chrysler building. Apparently one side of the building is wider than the other, so the eagle is higher on the right. James thinks the Chrysler building is more striking than the Empire State, too. I only went up in the empire State building once, taking a future English husband on a tour. I have never even entered the Chrysler building, but agree it is iconic.

Checkout the recent protrait stamp, Ray Johnson and the sunny NYC vibe of James' terrific mail art.

 

Ziggy Gillen and his Thread count from Hawkinge

Great to get postcard 2 of this series from James Gillen. Its graphic punch with it's British/American or simply MAIL colours and exciting text are a east for the eyes.  Does anyone else think Ziggy Stardust when they read the image? 

I suspect James thought I'd NEVER get his first postcard, so followed up with another... which was speedy by comparison. Lucky me.

I will reply soon,  but I need to finish my current series first and the garden is already interfering with my mail art output.