Trump's Coup and Covid Cuture - envelope Arte from Crackerjack Kid

Following on from Cascadia Artpost's Biden Our Time, Crackerjack Kid, sent me an exquisite envelope and some beautiful stamps (that got a little stuck in the envelope … from water?). The stamps on the envelope are difficult to see amidst teh envelope arte, which makes the whole package seem even more exotic.  I wonder if he had the envelope handstamped? anyway, very lovely and I am delighted to have it for my archives.

This is the cover of a 47 page spiral bound booklet - an annotated bibliography of nearly 400 mail art articles covering the era 1980-2000.  Offered for $18 including postage. 

 

Hairstyles and Dandelions in Manderley

As a Rebecca, I bask in the characters who share my name.  When I was a kid I was Rebecca of Sunnybrook (farm). Herman has found an iconic Rebecca in this mailing. I don't really look good in brown but I love the style of turn of century Rebecca. As for hats, I LOVE them.

This collage of shapes is also a collage of words, poetry. Read the first line of Rebecca aloud…. it sounds even more magical in french! And Herman summons a corner of Matisse's studio and his big scissors in the way he assembles his shapes.  

As is customary, Herman places an envelope within an envelope, nesting his imagery.  When Herman layesr character over character he develops his stories. This Rebecca was once a child. She has watched children, delighting in them delighting in nature.  Iconic Rebecca gets some nuance, we are all more similar than you might think.

Herman's collages are also a mixture of what is 'real' and what we expect.  The Herman adds a patina of experience.  The sculptures become more unique but also deeper and more universal with the addition of scraps of patterned paper.

Perhaps i am reading something into this, but do you get the feeling that Herman's ink drawing feels trapped, perhaps in a Covid lockdown?

I don't often include notes, but Herman's handwriting is so beautiful I can't resist.  I also enjoy the marks of colour, not to mention the very kind words! 

As ever, Herman's mail art is always a little more beautiful than it translates in scanning. Each collage portaits fells great to hold and i am lost in the texture and pattern.  Thank you, Herman.

 

Petropetal defies the postal strike!

According to Cheryl Penn, there is (or was) a postal strike in Kwazulu Natal.  when I sent my mail art it was with a certain sense of defeat.  So, that I received this dynamic mail art from Petropetal has cheered me. Petropetal's envelope is a folded taped affair.  There is no inside as we know it. What I mean is it doesn't close or open, it just is. It measures 21 x 8.5 at its longest width. I never know if you can tape over stamps so they won't fall off.  Petropetal has and nothing terrible has happened! thank you Petropetal!

Ghost Mail from an Archipelago in Petsmo

In my experience, one builds friendships and collaborative relationships that are deep and lasting through mail art. Having moved around quite a bit, making friends and trying to sustain the friendship across many miles, it is familiar to me to know that I have a friend in a place but not to see that person, or hear from that person for longer than intended… For the most part, I have found that those relationships may lapse but that they carry on seamlessly once together again. My correspondents are more than simply addresses on envelopes.  To me they are friends.  When an envelope arrives I can usually identify the sender and get excited, delighted to 'pick up' again. 

Carina and I must have sent our mail to each other on about the same day after a long lapse, probably my fault, so getting Carina's envelope was extra specially exciting! 

I love Carina's prints.  She shares them occasionally on Instagram and I begin to imagine a story with the first glimpse.  I have never ACTUALLY met Carina but her charismatic characters make me wish I had and hope I will. I am delighted to have 16/22 ! It's  a beaut.

There a few things about Carina that are part of her signature: orange, boekies, and bizarre silliness. This mailing was chockblock with what I love. 

 Historical ephemera is always inspiring too! Delighted!

And what an envelope! BOO! I have more than enough pumkins for halloween and will practice my ghosty handwaving every day until the 31st infront of the mirror!  Thank you, Carina.  I did get my hopes up and they were certainly matched!  Thank you.

The Antique Elocution War

 Love this haptic, aesthetic collage vispo that makes me want to take a walk in the woods to find some treasure!  It arrived the other day from Bonniediva (Gurnee Illinois).Of course I will exchange! I've decided to begin making mail art a habit again and am even toying with the idea of arranging a mail art exhibition some time next year. 
...The mushroom person in the centre reminds me that I should say that I will exchange so long as I live to make mail art on another day… our son picked some parasol mushrooms and he prepared them as a side with tonight's dinner. I ate a bit of one. Hopefully his identification skills are up to snuff!

back of collage

Bonniediva's envelope was also v appealing and perfect for a rainy day in England! 

Thank you.

The Moon Rocks and Space Dust

Check out this cool envelope from David Stafford!  I don't know about you, but I think one of the best aisles in DIY stores is the one with the paint chips.  I could stand there, selecting colours, all day. Colour for the sake of colour. And then Dave goes and makes the paint squares feel like windows, I know, it's the face of a building for a rock climber? or maybe the grid of a map telling us where the space rock that is hurtling towards us is going to land?

The envelope is the house for David's doodles and the beginnings of doodles of others.  I trawled through mail art and found doodles to scan and sent them far and wide and mostly had them returned.  Diane Keys have you moved?  The elephant was one of Guido's. 

David has filled the reverse with a space story… he needed all that space (ha ha).  Beware of the space trash playing the accordion! But I'm not sure you will be happier once you land.  Those astronauts looks a little dubious…

And finally, thank you David for my office only card. It is in the pocket next to my heart as I type.

Land Lassies and the inscribed Iris

Herman's Holiday mailing arrived sometime while I was in Glasgow with my family. He could not have known that on Christmas day we were at the necropolis, in the rain, making sense of the mossy grave stones, looking out on the sprawling city below. The green man above, brings back those moments clearly.  Meanwhile, the Queen was ill in bed with flu. 

I love the stony face, a death mask of sorts, decaying back to nature. We are all so vibrant one minute and decayed the next… Best to keep smiling.

This little fella is smiling. Did you know that in Holland when a child turns one you should give him the whole birthday cake and let him/her do with it as he/she pleases? I suspect this guy would eat the whole cake mouthful by mouthful and still grin.

Herman wishes me a nice 2017.  Is this the big sister of the cake eating boy with the joker on his head? If so, I agree she looks mooi! and it's not fair that he got to eat the whole cake!

In our family, we write on champagne corks to commemorate an event.  Here, someone has wanted to save a moment in a pressed flower.  I think it looks like an iris, whatever, imagining what could have been celebrated, or perhaps commemorated in 1937 is a tale in itself...

As ever, Herman's mailing leaves so much to my imagination and gives me gifts to create my own stories.  It is all so beautiful, so temporal and so endowed with emotion in a way that is perfectly New Year!  Thank you, Herman!