My own love letter in the sand - Joel Cohen

Joel Cohen is a sharer extraordinaire!  I have never met him but trust me, he's one of those people it's fun to know. Not long ago I read about Joel's trips to Rockaway Beach. Do you remember the Ramones' song? I do! I also remember seeing the Ramones in the tower Record shop in SF one day when I was walking around taking pictures of punks. I digress. Joel loves the beach and his trips to Rockaway consist of sun, sand the sea, song and mail art. He encourages people to send postcards AT THE BEACH.  He hands out postcards AT THE BEACH that are illustrated by one of his collaborators, Thomas Kerr. And he serenades beachgoers AT THE BEACH.  I don't know about you, but that's not what I do at the beach, but isn't it fabulous to know Joel and to be part of his network so we can revel in his enthusiasm and dedication to the cause. What with busy family life right now I haven't been to the beach once this season, so will look at Thomas' umbrella and get vicarious pleasure!

The only thing that might make it all even better would be if Jude Weirmeir arrived, drew a stave on the sand and got everyone to sing the waves!

Post Referendum poetry - Cardboard Club

Robert Ridley Shackleton, my young adult children and the other 48% who voted to remain had a grey day on the 24th of June and RRS's vispo and accompanying words sum it up perfectly!

I heard from Simon Warren post election ad he is equally gloomy about the state of the UK. It's hard to know what to do.

maerD drieW and the dogwoods - Lucky Pierre

OOH lah lah, when this wallpaper envelope arrived I was smitten.  I have a bit of a thing for floral wallpaper but the colours, the evocation of the 30s or 40s.  I wanted to rush right out into the studio and use it in a still life, scan it and use it in a digital collage.  So when I carefull opened it at the top, and found Lucky Pierre's beautifully conceived maerD drieW, I had to sit down and drink a long elderflower cordial to avoid fainting on the spot. Sorry it has taken me some time to blog and YES I did finally send something to Richard! Thanks on many fronts and I love this!

Composition in decomposition - Susan McAllister

Susan proves that simple is more with this perfectly balanced, satisfying collage. I received it after I sent something to Susan which to my mind had a similar message, love when that happens!

Padding my FULL HOUSE with anti-stress mail art

Quite some time ago I got a big heavy package from Carina Granlund. It went surface so it was slow mail, the best kind! I didn't open it for a while but before my last open studio, I opened it and lots of people who came saw how I am inspired by my european, national  and international mail art friends. 

I am beyond apologising or making excuses and besides, Carina has specificaly made this mailing 'anti-stress' by packing all the goodies below in a relax anti-stress shoe pad box. (not pictured for some reason).

The title piece: Full House is inside a match box that has been painted and scraped.  The marks, the texture and the colour are exquisite.  Trust me.  I think Carina has used gesso in places and the cold, rough feel says 'time' and memories. Full House has been bolted together so that there are parts of the book that you can't read, that are tantalisingly beyond your view. The gesso lets you look through, but not completely.  The whole book is shrouded in mystery, again making me think that memories are unreliable. The pages are thick and made of collaged paper, possibly glued onto water colour paper, or even a matt board. They are irregular, as if torn carefully. Oxymoronic.

At the bottom of the box is a photo.  It's the men of the family, in a sepia haze.

In addition to the the bolted book, Carina has made me another shrouded boekie. The Riddle is a book with wordsI don't know whether it is fact or fiction.  I am led to look into a window I can't really see, to a house that I am told is red and then asked to solve a riddle.  I have an answer  that makes me think it is all a fiction. 

I have missed making mail art but I have come to see that with the things you love, sometimes they get to the bottom of the pile.  With a mail art like this arriving, the pile needs re-ordering.  My priorities shift in the sand.  Huge thanks Carina.  I began something but didn't complete, but I will.

Issue 64 Subscription Opus Weirmer

 To participate in Jude's performance (duo or solo) all you need is a paper eggbeater. It looks as if my studio would be a perfect site for such a production. They could stand up in the gallery and we (you and me) could beat our egg beater so the sound would travel up to the lofty heights.

I can't begin to juggle all the detail Jude gives me in order to SEE the performance in my minds eye.  I think my family (after a banquet of cooperatively home-cooked supper) wouldn't be able to keep up either, even though they have significantly more musical prowess. But maybe you can HEAR IT SEE IT? Some phrases and images that I know will circulate in my mind for sometime are playfully pious (what does that look like?)  The instruction to play 3 7/50 times with specified modifications made my wonder. And why can't you pick up the egg carton?

 Hugely grateful, as ever, if befuddled and inadequate in my muscial knowledge! But maybe that's part of the point? Luxuriously detailed and aesthetically ravishing.

Looking for change in a Brave New World

Following on from Sticker Dude's comments on democracy, it seems there is discontent on this side of the pond too. The postmark is Chelmsford - and that's down the A12 from me, but can't place any of my mail art friends there, so not really sure who this is from.  Whoever it is is ANGRY, but like Joel is using humor to shout about it.  Humor and a see through pink envelope (is this a wink to a pro-communist leaning?) with puffy letters spelling out an Aldous Huxley title and using the leftover letters to rave and record the year England entered the EEC. More code for breaking and some possibly text that I can't decipher. I hope I discover who this protester is!