The Hustle and Commitment of Mail Art - Cascadia Art Post

I haven't been able to help myself lately and have let the wave of existential politics flood my life.  Once upon a time, I wouldn't have dreamt of sharing my political views on Facebook. Not so now. This man and his outrageous tweets and devisive ways has called me to a service of sharing what I find that might help to counter the alternative news and views he seems to be feeding us. 

So Cascadia artpost has found a supporter in me.  I hope it was delivered by someone who read it and began to think differently.  I support mail art as a form of protest and no doubt will pepper my mailing with some dissent. As an expat in Brexitland I can feel cut off from my people, whoever you may be these days. and BTW, I love the stamp!

And yes, in a totalitarian world, where the rules seem to be always changing, where nothing we knew continues, we can take solace in mail art and the eternal network! Thank you Cascadia. and let's hop settles down!

Sue Marsdon sends green mail art

Sue Marsdon is a local artist, chair caner, mail artist and friend who has stayed in or house to look after Lyra when we've been away in the summer.  This was Sue's Christmas card to me, a beautifully composed photo of some of my stuff, used and washed by Sue then hung in an aesthetic line. It makes me want to run outside with my shoes off.  Unfortunately that might result in frost bite, so I will blog instead. 

You can see Sue's chairs here: http://suemarsdon.co.uk/index.html

In The Thickets Evening - Vizma mailing

This package came from Vizma quite some time ago.  I knew she wasn't on social media and I am blogging slowly. When vVzma dressed up her cats she wouldn't have know that women all over the world would be donning pink pussy hats and taking to the streets, but this card has new resonance for me. The CATS Meouw.

Like Carina, Vizma is a wrapper... and this wrapping may need to go into my fusing pile, rather than be archived. I love anything polka dotted and transparent with yellows spots, ooh la la.

Vizma is also a master of the cut up. She and Marie have a very special way with words and text. This time we seem to have a hephalump as well. Look closely at the words.  What Vizma has chosen is definitely her lexicon! HEH HEH HEH. 

Vizma and I collaborated on the two above postcards. 

And not only that, Vizma is tireless and such an inspiration, an absolute mail art trouper. But the really impressive thing is the breadth and beauty of everything she sends!  

The final few scans are a beautiful card story, laced together combining imagery and words in a funny and esoteric triumph. Huge thanks as ever, Vizma!

20 years without LINO - Tunbridge Wells Calling

IUOMA http://iuoma-network.ning.com is an amazing place.  This free to all platform where mail artists congregate is where Ruth found me. Imagine making your first linocut in 20 years! Well Ruth, these prints are fab and I suspect they will take you in lots of exciting directions.  I'm glad your terrific experiments found me. Joseph Beuys and his fluxus approach is a perfect place to begin again and again and again.  You should exchange with David Stafford, that ATC feels like it comes out of his collection.  Many thanks and I'll respond soon.

Ori Arrives - Poul Poclage

Poul sent me this painting a little while ago, but I hadn't opened the mail until this evening. There is often something to learn when you open a new piece of mail art and this time the clue was in the title at the back ' Ori Second'. Before I share what I learned on the internet, I will drink in the yellows of this dystopian imagery. As ever, I feel the generosity of other artists as I hold the 18.2 x 20cm acrylic. 

The Ori (pronounced or-eye; alternate spelling "Orii") were a collective of Ascended Beings who manifested themselves in a wall of fire in the City of the Gods on the Plains of Celestis in a far galaxy that was original home of the Ancients who were called the Altera those many millions of years ago. 

I believe it has something to do with Stargate, but I'm not sure.

Poul wishes me a year of great art (in spite of Trump).  If this is the start, I'm sure it will be and I thank you for your gift. Be patient.  I'm still working slowly…

You can find more of Poul's work here: http://poulpoclagediary.blogspot.co.uk

Forests in urban paint - Tofu St John

These two cards and art to hide in a book arrived from Tofu in the early new year. Twenty years of paintbrushes and Haight Forest share a vertical theme, in keeping with Tofu's cut ups that I have received (with enthusiasm) in the past. Both of these are comments on time and how we travel through it. 

But I have to admit to adoring his painted brushes on the card to hide in a book even more… Only someone who loves to paint could create such sympathetic, life-like creatures.  Brushes are like pets.

Thank you Tofu for making me smile and smell the turps!

American Zeitgeist 2016 - Cascadia Artpost

Really, really not sure how this slipped through and missed my blogging pile for so long… No doubt about it, Cascadia Artpost's Fractured image of Trump and Clinton shouting about their causes juxtaposed with the drinks party smiles tell it all… These great images zero in on the mood of the nation - even the world - at that moment in time. Although a bad story, Cascadia Artpost has nailed it!