Relationships with Postmistresses

I am lucky enough to really know a postmistress.  Eileen is the elder sister of one of my childhood friends, Rhonda, (who died tragically young quite a few years ago).  Eileen is also one of the Cranberry Island Postmistresses.  As you can imagine, Eileen was pivotal last summer when I coordinated a mail art exhibition on the island and this postcard from Eileen was sent as a thank you to me for bringing business to the post office (which teeters on the edge of viability in the age of cost-cutting). Eileen writes that she also is a big fan of the Island Mail art catalogue and the new art form which international and island mailartists brought to the Cranberry. Great to hear form you Eileen!

Here is link to the Island Mailart catalogue too: 
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3g5q7Qjx55QVkZCS2txdE1tNkk/edit

Cheryl Penn's Elegy to the Tree

Cheryl's beautiful book arrived yesterday.  Although nothing beats handling something so lovely, I thought you might like to see it for yourself!

It took me a chunk of the day to download it and order it into a PDF. Please enjoy Cheryl's book by clicking on this link to download a PDF.  I reduced the size of this this morning, so you can have easy access now! ENJOY.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3g5q7Qjx55QcVlieTZud0Jtd2M/edit

You can learn more about this amazing book by visiting Cheryl's 
Website http://cherylpenn.com/wpb/

The appeal of 'arty slides'

Peace full Mail today from Christine Coppa (USA) and Judy Starocik (USA).   We're all  in an IUOMA group called arty slides. This is my first mailart from both Judy and Christine. If you saw this post yesterday you may have guessed that I was scanning Cheryl's book at the same time and things go mixed up... I think I got the slide from Christine and the cute envelope above from Judy...  Her mailart featured a tiny envelope inside the bigger one that could fit slides perfectly, but I don't think she sent me one -  two envelopes in one mailing from Judy!  Thank you Christine.

Christine sent a very snazzy envelope and the other peaceful contents (plus the slide, I think...) Huge apologies.  I will only scan one thing at a time in the future!

I sent Judy  and Christine some arty slides during the holidays.  The small format and the ready frame appeal to me as another format to work with.  when we took the train up and down the country I took some slides and a glue stick and spent hours composing within the frames...

Stephanie, can I wear them?

I know, I'm not the only one to be the recipient of Stephanie's mass mailing, in fact I am 11/48 (or perhaps it's 98)?  Whatever I am very grateful and surprised by this wonderful post! I am surprised by the size.  The scale is great.  I love the layers, especially that little plastic bag that isn't stuck to the laminate. The label.  The way the word hello looks like IUOMA, sort of.  There are things that are inside that should be outside.  I like that.  I like the way Stephanie has used colour and those delectable chromatic greys. I like the way the stamps match.  I like. I like it!

But what I want to know is do you mean for me to open it? Should I take the pieces out and wear them.   It is so perfect as it is... But I would.  I have already suggested their potential as earrings. I see they could be a key ring. Oh Stephanie, I need guidance.

I got one of those beautiful envelopes from Taidgh!

I have been hoping for a Taidgh Lynch envelope for some time... I sent T. something after New Year, so when I found this in my letterbox, I let out a little cry of joy.  'It's OK, I told my husband, Patrick, it's something from Taidgh - I recognize it'. He used to be the recipient of things like this.  Now I just get them and he looks on in wonder. 

This morning I brought Taidgh up at breakfast.  I do that.  I talk about my IUOMA friends, bring them into our life. My family have some pet names, even. I asked about Taidgh's name.  Patrick knows a lot about a lot so I expected a satisfactory answer, but he knew nothing. Because I hate not knowing,  I consulted Wikipedia:
The commonly accepted meaning of Tadhg is "poet"^[3] or "storyteller". An alternative derivation from the Celtic *tazg(j)o-, meaning "badger", has also been proposed. 

Well Taidigh is certainly a delightful mailartist 

but he is also a poet: 


As well as all those goodies, Taidgh wrote me a note.  He tells me that he's been busy and is finishing off envelopes so he can clear the decks for other new projects - a 'myths and legends' project! (Note how, true to his name, Taidgh is also a storyteller) and he teases me with: ' I'd love to make you a buoki (boekie, little book?).  He asks if I'd mind a first attempt... No TAIDGH I'd be honoured and delighted.  You have a wonderful day too, Taidgh, and thank you, they brightened my thawing Saturday.

Dean should XspecT some Drunkpo soon!

As the weekend approaches and minds turn to fine dining, wine, the good things in life, entertaining in general, Dean delights me with a robust, ephemeral and also practical piece of mail art. This is A4 (bigger than US letter, sort of), a trashpo collage that instructs.

What Dean will not know is that on Tuesday I went to the eye doctor, so I'm wondering whether Dean's been in Suffolk... the stamps are English, not French! How could he know that I've had glasses on my mind? In fact, these look my glasses.  Was Dean the man in the next booth at Specsavers?

The other thing Dean may not know yet is that this is DRUNKPO weekend at the farm. I have printed out Vizma's guide to drunkpo creation and now I can ensure that my drunkpo is carried out according to the rules and regulations of glass hierarchy as well! Dean could probably guess that my careless nature means that I may not be well-versed in table mapping. Thank you Dean.  Now should I want to invite anyone to my DRUNKPO event I will be able to set the table properly, if I can find the glasses at the back of the cupboard!

Thank you Dean.  I wait to hear the story of the glasses, the stamps and whether you are a fastidious glass man.

Ken Norton is feeling his age

Oh Ken, Patrick and I still have another few years to catch up to you two... And that song was the song that I sang my kids to sleep with all those years ago. Boo Hoo. Great card, even if I don't want to be reminded, and thank you!

Art Might be Anywhere - Cristian Sima

As I look at Cristian's beautiful landscape, I wonder about this Romanian landmark, or industrial building, or avant-guard dwelling.  Mail art makes me curious and I love hand coloured photos! Thank you Cristian.

Helen Thorne sends mailart from Germany

Helen is in Germany, learning to speak German better by teaching young people in German.  We miss here in Suffolk but are delighted that she took the time to collage a bit of her world.  I wish I could translate German... but Patrick wants Helen to kow that he solved the verbal reasoning in a flash (sort of).  Thank you Helen.

Birthday Mania: Guido sends me a Happy Birthday Simone De Beauvoir (Jan 9)

THE SECOND SEX: Happy birthday Simone de Beauvoir, January 9.

 SAD STORY: How to kill a turtle.

 See the above link if you want to buy a copy of Guido's book!

 Guido invited you to particpate in his mailart call for 25 years of IUOMA!

Thank you Guido, you generosity never ceases to amaze me!

outgoing mail Jan 14, 2013

In an effort to record/log mail art, I will try to post the backs of what I send out.

A burst of colour from Susan McAllister on a snowy afternoon

I'm a real fan of Susan's painterly postcards!  I'm not sure if this is acrylic or gouache or maybe acrylic ink? Whatever it's mysterious and delightful. Thank you Susan.

Twelfth Night at the Anna's?

Belated Christmas and New Year's greetings from Anna and family!

Dustin De Wind Does (Dis) play

So many thoughts whizzing around in my head about this piece from Dustin. But my key question is at what time on the 31st of December was  Dustin De Wind making my Display book? As I mentioned before, we were writing Drunkpo (which I still need to collate) with teenagers and other aged young adults, but glue-gunning soldiers to felt as one year 'magicked' into the next may give us some insights into the real Dustin.  And is this Drunkpo?
I am enjoying the book.

Camouflage.

I think this has some MinXus tendencies and heartliy appreciate chicken references, elastic wrapped devining fork.

Who is Ben Harris?

PINK 

Cowboys

Coal - is that a reference to the London fog?

Fab haptic trashpo book.  Thank you and I will not read it in the bath.

Stripygoose sends New Years' cheer... and a chicken story

Gratefully recieved festive fowl mailart from Stripygoose (no. 215) I have just checked and she is now on no 313! Go Stripygoose! Thank you.
http://mailart365.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/313ballet-birdie.html?utm_source=BP_recent

And that also gives me time to tell you my latest chicken story.  We have pheasants galore feeding at the grain this year.  I think the duck even fly in and out to eat our expensive mixed corn. I wouldn't care   except that it runs out so quickly and the chickens are hungry (and if we were wealthy).  As you might imagine, they don't lay when they're hungry.  I feed them table scraps.  They prefer rice, potatoes, cous cous - carbs. 
Just before we went to North Devon I collected the eggs to take with us.   They only layed 6 eggs over the course of the week and the grain had run out.  Because we were going away and because we were jaded by overeating in general, I fed them about half a tray of baklava that our son had made for a middle eastern meal we'd had. Boy did they love that.  The chickens are usually peaceful, but they were at war over the filo pastry, the nuts soaked in honey.  They made me laugh.
So when we got back and I went to check on them (they self feed and self drink, don't worry) I found that the grain was low but they had layed 8 eggs in 3 days! It turns out Baklava is a chicken farmer's tonic.

A collection from Val

I think I read somewhere that Val doesn't like comment on his mail art.  I'm not even sure he wants it posted, but Rudd told me mail artists like to have their work documented and it was great fun to see what I imagine is some of the stuff that Val finds in his path in France, so I wanted to share it.
One of the things I want to do in 2013 is to make some more collaborative mail art.  Does it count as collaboartive if I use some of Val's stuff, or should I put it in a dossier (like Cornell did)?
I think Cornell would love printer scanners!

My soul has been certified by 'E'

STUNNING envelope from 'E' - my scanner reads the highlighter pink as 'suffolk pink' like my house, appropriate but not accurate.

'E' appropriated a page of the book I sent him during the early M-L troubles which you can see on his website: http://insomniesetartpostal.blogspot.fr/2012/12/envoyez-moi-votre-ame-n235-rebecca.html

All over the world, people are sending 'E' their souls...

As 'E' knows, I love everything MinXus. You can see more MinXus at: 

http://minxuslynxus2.wordpress.com

I will print out a scan of these stamps and affix an official 'E' stamps on the first 32 lucky mail artists I send out to this January.
Thank you 'E' for these treasures!