Made in Marseille

 Richard Baudet's aesthetic envelopes are carefully crafted with lettering, text and graphic details.  This time Richard's design has no up or down.  The stamps must be 'north' but my name is rotated vertically.
The words of the text run different directions making them more than words. I love the watercolour (turned on its side in thei image) Happy valentines day, a day late!

Rats!

Tofu has been carving rat mug shots.  They look pretty cute… Not like the vermin that dug a hole through our roof tiles.  Not cute. I am a rat and at 59 I am happy to report I haven't sprouted whiskers yet!

Meanwhile, David and Patti have been paying homage to the rat too. It's funny to consider whether some rats might avoid cheese. We put chocolate or peanut butter in our traps. 

Thank you Tofu and David!

a calendar of stamps for the future

I heard some disparaging comments about mailart a few weeks ago. It was something like 'the audacity of using mail art to protest about climate change!' Mail art is a game. Mil art is deadly serious. Stamps are canvases, miniatures, graphic perfection, a tile of protest or enthusiasm. Here Mikel uses his 'stamps' as abstractions, telling the reader something, but also illegible. Asemic? Game over 2050? I hope not.

ON CAPS 2020 EB07203265

I haven't corresponded with Aristide 3108 in a long time.  I have been a lapsed mail artist but when I finally made a series, he was on my list.  I was astounded that I got a reply quickly and as ever, with Aristide, it is a haptic, curious mailing that I feel I should be able to pin down but that floats mysteriously in that space where mail art that suggests without telling floats. At least for me.

What I think when I see these grub-like shapes (before I get close and realise it is a human figure, or it is many human figures, tightly packed but randomly)  is how interesting they are... but also how creepy they feel.  Once I know they are human, I feel like a speck of dust.

 Below, can you see the embedded body?

 Are you the queen bee in the cell, hibernating, ready to emerge when the weather perks up?

Mail Art Congress at SFMOMA and more

Joel Cohen went to San Farncisco and the mail art community rallied; there was a Mail Art Congress which included a Networker dinner and then they saw an historic exhibition. Read about it and see the participants here: 

All of the 'goodies' from Joel came in one of his trademark envelopes, with commemorative stickers and stamps.

Not sure how I missed this in the NYT, I have a digital subscription (and to Washinton Post, and the New Yorker… I feel strongly that we need to support our press!) Anyway, I did miss it and even though I am stuffed with anti - Trump opinions, I will not look away.  So thank you, sticker dude for you clipping service!

I will use these stickers.  I have started touse a few of Cascadia Artposts'. It is very much against my nature not to simply archive the material I receive! 

 And I will do my best to add and pass.  Thank you Sticker dude, as always.

Maria sends me all the best!

If you can't tell from the scan, this is a collage. Maria has juxtaposed three pictures: the skyline, an usual chandelier and a blooming flower.  The effect,  a New Years' eve display, a visitor from another planet, a harbinger. Thank you and Happy New year, Maria.

Double-sided Mailart for easy Hangability

 So I have to admit to listening to the latest evidence dropping while typing. So when I look at David's mail art, the thing that leaps out at me is 'screw eyes cemented in brick'.  I watch a lot of crime stuff in box sets so yesterday as I walked to Trinity Buoy Wharf there is this big building site.  What went through my head was I wonder if there are any bodies buried there. Where are the bodies buried? And why can't we see the evidence? Clearly this guy in the parka doesn't want you to know.  Flip the double-sided-mailart and you someone trying not to bear witness . Holism at its best!

Clearly things have changed since the madmen style office leather sofa and the man calmly reading the paper.  OK so Nixon was up to his tricks back then, but there is no twitter and there was no Trump. And stop telling me if you have a trial you don't need witnesses. Remember there's this woman in England who is listening and watching and waiting to see how each of you acts.