Lockdown at the Flicks and Doodle Mania

I always associate airmail with birds, so I begin here with Ted Trager's envelope of curiosities. I am struck by how much I learn about mail art correspondences by what they send, even if what they send comes from a world that I am not party to. I hardly ever watch films, I'm sorry to say.  It's a time thing… if I did I would never be able to blog or make artistamps or...

Another thing is how much I like Ted's drawings / doodles. I've embarked on another big art project but if I can fit it in, I would like to resurrect DKULT Doodle Therapy to put out a lockdown doodle edition. I will try. Send me your doodles!

The mark making in and on and through this mailing is wonderful! I wonder if Ted's film watching has impacted on what he chooses to represent? Am I missing something by not watching? Eeek!

By the way, I have had a message from Blogger that Feedburner will stop sending out emails as of July.  Does anyone have a solution to this and how many of you will still want to get emails from me?

Thanks Ted. 
 

Received: haptic digital collage stamps

Kevin and James sent me this beautiful sheet of stamps, which pre-perforation make an exquisitel collage of imagery and textures.  As I archive my mail art, I wonder about photocopying this, perforating the photocopied page in order to use the faux-faux stamps to send out on other mail art. I am curious about what each stamp would look like and how I could use them on my own mail art. If I do, I will photograph the pieces.  Thank you!

I was honoured to find that a photo of some mail art I sent in to Mailart Worlwide is now the cover page!

 

Honesty implies an Audience.

As we fill our envelopes, make our artistamps, select our postage stamps, imagine the opening and the response, we are performing for our audience. And, according to the sticker dude clipping service and Sarah Viren, (below) in particular, we are being responsible creative non-fiction writers, of a sort.

Sticker dude has enclosed a host of prompts for the mail art world to select from, re-use, afix, delight in; and in this mailing he also offers opportunities forus to gather material that may help me/us to tell our stories. Look at those artistamps, those stickers - the collaborative imagery we can make!

When I used to go into schools to work with little kids, making books, one of my favourite activites was making envelopes and letting them make and choose images that they could use to tell their own stories.  They would pick images out, arrange them and create a narrative. Joel is sending us that kind of valuable stuff so we can tell bigger, bolder stories and learn from him through the stories he tells.

Great mailing!  It is a tough old world that we co-exist in, but luckily Joel is one of my correspondents! Contact him, get some stamps and stickers and be empowered to create, protest and change things!

A3 collage by Carol Stetser with images from the Eternal Network, reproduced by the Ssticker Dude, 2021

stamps: Cracker jack Kid, Piermaro Ciani and the Sticker Dude

 

OXquises/OXquisses Serie EG-2021 Aristide 3108

I trust you will enjoy Aristide 3108's beautiful concept, drawing and presentation. I wonder whether Keith's mailbox ephemera is the inpsiration for this encarted?

 http://www.keithbates.co.uk/proxy.html#

Happy Year of the OX and thank you for this beauty, Aritide 3108.

Front Boekie

envelope for encarted Ox

Back Boekie

Encarted Ox

Encarted Ox II

 

Elixers, Ox and Mazola

In this lucky dip from David Stafford, I am provided with all that is needed for a happy year of the ox (thank you Patti). the bottle of Professor Edmund's Elixir of Life is a haptic wonder and relates to the Mazola bottle. I love a ridged bottle!

I also love a salad and a saute and the colour yellow!

Another key ingredient to a smorgasbord mailart, for me, is political commentary. 

Finally, celebratory mail art is always great.  Delighted to receive this (annual) hand-silkscreened Chinese New Year from David's partner, Patti! Fabulous!

Thanks David!

Gardening Joy from Cascadia Artpost

If you've been following this blog for any time, you will know that Cascadia Artpost and I share a love of growing things and that he sends me (and others) seeds.  He knows I will sprinkle them and try to make the world a little more beautiful.  Year by year, this corner of Suffolk UK is becoming a little more colorful and a little more like a patch in Washington. It's so exciting!

Cascadia packages, thinks through and executes his projects with care and lovein a beautiful, aesthetic way. He has laid down the mantle and asks that we pick it up and celebrate garden flowers. I have been painting my garden, bouquet by bouquet, but hopefully, I will find a way to share my love with all things growoing with my mail art community.  Thank you for sparking something for the future!