Tied Back For Easter, Carina Granlund

When I think of Louise Bourgeois, I think of stitches and line drawings on white with red.  That's why I put the back of Carina's Easter mail art first.  It evokes Louise Bourgeois, who Carina later mentions. Carina and I both 'sew' our hair back.  The little orange patch (that relates to nothing on the reverse side), is a tangle of hair in my imagination, Carina's, as a girl. Mine is, of course white now, although it is grey and apparently it is still quite very-dark-brown in places at the back. I have a white braid most of the time and that makes me feel whole. 

Figgy took me to a Louise Bourgeois exhibition in Edinburgh last year.  It was very poignant.

an image from an exhibition of LB in Belgium 2007.
To see more visit: http://www.xavierhufkens.com/exhibitions/2007-04-louise-bourgeois

I grew up in a family that mostly celebrated Easter with a bunnies and eggs.  Sometimes we went to a grandmother in Florida and knelt in a church and made palm crosses; in New York it was all about Passover. But then I moved to England and went to a church service on a Good Friday, because I lived in a little village and that was what people did,  I was asked  to hold a nail, to feel the pain and see the blood, I experienced another side of Easter. 

These little minnow stitches dance around in a raucous fashion and make me smile, but I also feel the wholeness that the stitches are determined to create and the red pin pricks of blood.

Huge thanks Carina. Hope my silly stuff arrived in Finland, finally!  PS, yours arrived before Easter.  I just didn't have time to open it, let alone blog it… !

The Cardboard Club is making its mark

Robert Ridley-Shackleton sends cardboard club mixed media collages in groups and I think that is perfect because they seem to speak to one another, deepening meaning and demonstrating how marks can communicate so much.

I'd love to understand Robert's process. Have I asked that before?

This pair of collages is colourful by comparison to other collages of Robert's I've seen and the way they dance on the page is remarkable. I have a pinterest folder all about mark making and these images belong there!

The interestingly shaped wrapped collage is about the size of my thumb if it were run over and flattened.  Can you see the plaster (bandaid for Americans)? Many thanks Robert!

Office of blame: perpetrator and victim J Block

Apologies for not stripping the address barcode from the image... but to be honest it may have been  holding Jay's flimilsy glued masterpiece together.   

I love the simplicity of this mail art and in it I see the topical issue of freedom vs security being referenced. This passport shaped card with its mix of imagery, words and stamps, becomes a identity document, or a police record, confirming our worst nightmare - blame can be apportioned by he who shouts loudest, no matter how spurious the claims are!

The address side of Jay's postcard reminds me of the first postcard he ever sent me. Tha one delighted me and this one does too! Keep sending naked collages, Jay, but beware of light gluing… I wonder how many pieces of Jays work lives in the dead letter centre? Boo Hoo. 

Postmistress sends non machinable mail

This envelope may be smaller than an ATC and it arrived in England after being posted from Cranberry Isles by the island postmistress. It took a little while but I just love that she hand stamped it with appropriate instructions: 

Non Machinable. 

Amy's deep reflections

Amy's mixed media, sewn piece conjures up childhood. Her Christopher Robin figure makes me long for simpler times. We are outdoors, by the water's edge, maybe listening to the croaking frogs. Amy manages to capture wonder, and the stimulation that comes from first experience. She's left some prickly pins in the piece and the butterfly/moth is large and dark, perhaps hinting at her title on the flip side:                               

                                     "When did growing up become so difficult?"

Amy has also included an ATC for me, as well as a finished doodle page! The ATC "Stock Market", with its stocking weave, punctuated by numbers, may be another social comment.

The vibrant envelope is festooned with John Foster's stickers and some Dkult buses.  Stay on the BUS.  Many thanks, Amy, what treasure!

Tropical painting from Alzira Liliana Renata Zelinda - Brasil

Am overjoyed to receive this original painting from Brasil!  It conjures up a tropical place, reminiscent of a trip to the the botanic gardens.  It will inspire me to make soomething warm and lush even though it's 4º and drizzling here.  The stamps are great too!  Make sure to visit  http://postalprojetocasa3.blogspot.co.uk and https://www.facebook.com/casa3projetopostal/?fref=ts

Wayside Fiddler and True Metal from Herman Kamphuis

Herman's mail art arrives in a beautifully addressed white envelope. Inside I find pieces of select papers and images that he hopes I will use in my own mail art, or collages.  I have used pieces of things before, but mostly I like to put it all back in the envelope so I can look at it as a whole again and again. 

The 'heart' of the mail art is a three side sealed envelope with the two sides you see above. The envelope is a collage, painstakingly gluedso that it is smooth and fast. Inside that is a note, and three wonderful ink portraits (quite a bit better than a doodle ,but I have used them as doodles, to bring the quality of the DKult Doodle therapy boekies up)!

We lived in The Netherlands before we moved to England and I can't explain it but when I open the contents of Voyageur Postal's mail art I can feel the canals, I can hear the trains, I can taste the licorice.

Herman likes to send me English things and I wonder how he knows what will mean something to me, he always does find just the right imagery.  This time the violinist takes me to a piece of music I heard yesterday on Radio three: the gypsy jazz violinist, Tcha Limberger, playing Moonglow! Patrick and I have never been blacksmiths, but our cartlodge was the home of the village blacksmith, and today I was in the garden for hours and my arms feel like I have been wielding a hammer. STOP! All of these associations are really beside the point.  I JUST LOVE the way Herman composes his mail art

Although I may have been quiet on the doodle front, I am working on some stuff and one of the first next things I plan to do is to make some more Herkalux Postage Stamps! Huge thanks for all my beautiful goodies, Herman!

Mail hearts from Mail Artists of the future! Earl Soham Six Year Olds

Some of you will know that one of the things I do is work in schools with children and teachers.  One of the best collaborations I ever had was with Elaine Elliot in schools in Laxfield and Martham in Suffolk and Norfolk.  Elaine has been a headteacher numerous times but more importantly she is a creative doer like few you will meet who inspires children to excel beyond their means.  I suspect it is Elaine's own creative energy that makes this happen, so I was delighted to hear form her the other day with a surprise parcel of mail art.

I am encouraged that people like Elaine are still choosing to un-retire themselves in order to feed the creative imaginations of the future!  Yes, Nate, ink is messy but I am sure it was fun! and Elaine, I can't wait to see you new journals!