The Original Tree Poems - Marie Wintzer

I can pick out a Marie Wintzer envelope from across a room, from a corner under a stack of mail… Marie has a style that is unique. and yet this envelope has some echoes of her friends, I sense Vizma in the stamps and tape and Carina in the characters and yet it is wholehearedly Marie.  The refashioned vispo of the flower parachutist is wonderful!

One of the stamps that I should bring to your attention is thebookwormslunch.com that is marie's non-mail art website. In case you don't know, Marie makes artist books and  writes poets; she makes books of arresting originality, her photos are exquisite and her poetry affecting.  So, you can imagine how I felt when I opened the envelope and discovered the original pages of her recent 'Tree Poems'.  Aren't poets and artists meant to save (or sell) those originals?

Marie sent me a little letter too, in it she told me she had decided to free the original tree poems, so sent them TO ME.

The poems are on what I imagine to be daily scraps.  I guess they are trashpo in their own way. 

If you want to read the poems in order  (I muddled them up when I created the display) you can find them here:
http://mariesuitcase.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/tree-poems-or-how-to-grow-forest-on.html
Or you can download the book from scribd.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/248600378/Tree-Poems

Marie has been traveling with work, to DC this time, where she must have been to the postal museum, because she picked up some freebies that she enclosed in the envelope.

Lots to read, look at and think about here and I love the image of attempting to grow a forest on quicksand! Many many thanks, Marie!

Finn Badger's going bananas

I received a mass mainling from Finn Badger earlier in the week! I opened one and retreived a banana mailing from the bespoke envelope and proceded to get it attached to the sticky (very sticky) V of the envelope! See if you can see what i ruined…

The card I pulled out happened to be one without a name, so I had no idea who it was from, wondered if it were David Stafford, wondered if I'd forgotten one of the banana mailing people, and then discovered that Fin Badger had forgotten to sing his post…

He sent me this Wallace Stevens poem and what he called a 'bonus' envelope. Of course I LOVE Wallace Stevens.  I love snow too, but we haven;t had any yet in Battisford.

Fun, bold and graphic!  Many thanks Finn Badger.  I owe you a misadventure and a banana too!

ENCARTED - four lines become lifelines - Aristide 3108

If you have never recieved a piece from Aristide 3108 you won't know that there are layers to them.  first they are conceptual in thought but they are also beautiful to hold and to study. They are familiar because (perhaps) they exist around the ATC format, but each is very original and has design wrapped around it. Aristide's evelopes are created out of a piece of printed paper that related to the ATC, or the whole body of work in some way.  Soemtimes it seems to be an echo.

 Print is intentional.  some words are in caps and some are in colour. the repetition of form and sound add a dimension.

I hear poetry and see poetry.

This is an accordion with 24 pages.  What a crappy photo/scan!  I'm sure I took some others but can't locate them at this moment!  It is beautiful and the bodies, eovoked between the lines are all different and very expressive.

 I believe the words, hidden by the luscious colour, are words that we associate with lines, lignes.

The ATC, wrapped in the envelope inside the smaller envelope next to the book is (let's call it P12) is my hand coloured four lines.  Wonderful!

Issue 56 Subscription Opus (Maze Music)- Jude Weirmer

Delighted to receive this beautiful and fascinating piece from Judith Weirmeir.  Unfolded, it measures 19 x 13 and is printed onto glossy card. It arrived folded (inside one of those 'we're sorry your mail has been damaged' bags.  Luckily, it hasn't been damaged!) 

Above is one side of the Judith's mail art.  It is silkscreened  (I think) and has that wonderful haptic feel of raised ink.Great colours, expressive text and variety!

Below is an intricate digital? drawing that features music, language, gestures and flowcharts. It is funny, whimsical and in places political! FABULOUS! You will need to spend some time with this piece to get even part of it.  Zoom in and enjoy!

I love the floppy but sturdy quality of this book and the way it can be read in many ways! I'm feeling lucky! Many thanks Judith!

Nina Hermus sends 'a lucky dip' of dutch mail art

Not sure, but think this is not Ritual mail art, although the ritual of chain letters is an established ritual! Along with the exciting contents I have photographed is a letter with addresses and the request that I send out mail art to TEN people. I will try… but can't promise anything as generous as all that Nina included! Wonderful stamps to use, dutch motifs in PLASTIC as well as two beautiful books., one on the subject of stamps and the other a whimsical and romatic garden of delights!

Many thanks Nina!

Theo Nelson's Tribute to Guido Vermeulen

I'm sure the mail art world is still thinking often of our friend, Guido Vermeulen, who died earlier this year. Guido loved trees and sent many radiant watercolours to all corners of the world.  Theo has taken at least those two characteristics of our friend and brought him back to life through his wonderful poster and envelope!  Many thanks for this delightful memory of Guido.