Sticker Dude tests my willpower and moral compass.

Here we go again! More collaborative humour from The Sticker Dude and Kerr.  I love that what I expect is infact counterintuitively not missing. I am interrogating my idea of censorship with this piece and discover that what is offensive, or simply to be censored is arbitrary and deeply personal. SURPRISE!

 I don't know if Sticker Dude knows Richard Canard but this one made me laugh in the same way I laugh when I see something of Richard's.

Of course, this one isn't a sticker at all...

But this one is a sticker that is temptingly compellingly crying out to be used so it is seen by as many people as possible! I WANT TO SEND THIS or Stick it somewhere but I am an archivist, what to do?

And can somebody tell me if MAD still exists? 

Commodity Civilisation III Cascadia Artpost

In the midst of so much mayhem and misery in the world,  I wouldn't be surprised if we all were undone. The thing is what I'm finding on the receiving end of mail art these days is that some of us who are troubled by the way the world is going are taking that energy, and doing something positive with it. I love that lots of eyes have seen Cascadia's wonderful stamps, perhaps read her quote from 'a Question of Values' and thought a little about the slogans, and sound bytes that we are bombarded by daily.  All we ned to do is change one person at a time to make some big change…  electric colour and energy!

Mor phArt and one more thing from DK

Excited to be collaborating with Diane on some morph / art mor phart...  I am slightly slap-happy what with our insane schedule of the past few weeks! We criss-crossed and disected the country a fair few times, getting our fill of graduations and moves.

Diane must have chosen these colours for me.  I JUST put my plastic away but this calls out for some creative fusing in response. Can't wait!

Other goodies included in the envelope (mostly resource material, I think) but you know me and doodles, especially cipher doodles, and take a look at Jack Letterman's stamps and JUST ONE THING which is one of those minimalist works that makes me gasp with aesthetic glee.

The pop up cats really do pop up!  That reminds me of a doodle idea I executed once for Carina but never really progressed - I wonder if that could take me somewhere exciting?

Huge thanks as ever to Diane and I will get on the morph soon. I have one last hurdle to jump before I can lapse into mail art bliss again.

Dave the Rave and his anti-brexi-cabi-net of curiosities

Not long ago I got a mailing from Dave the Rave and I simply could not see that it was from Dave the Rave, although if I'd thought about it I would have recognised the doodles and seen that his name was there, albeit crookedly. This time Dave has even more clearly emblazoned his name on the top of the piece.  It arrived bubble wrapped and hidden behind brown paper, though.

For a serial scanner, like me, this package had a daunting amount of stuff from the outside, and I wondered if it was to read or simply to represent something.  Dave assured me I should open it, and refile when done.

The secret message is for Figgy.  Not sure which way it is meant to be read… I'm sure she'll be fluent in Japanese when she returns from Japan, and she will be able to explain further!

The video shows the discovery element of Dave's mail art, which is political by nature and it was the antidote to scanneritis!

My own love letter in the sand - Joel Cohen

Joel Cohen is a sharer extraordinaire!  I have never met him but trust me, he's one of those people it's fun to know. Not long ago I read about Joel's trips to Rockaway Beach. Do you remember the Ramones' song? I do! I also remember seeing the Ramones in the tower Record shop in SF one day when I was walking around taking pictures of punks. I digress. Joel loves the beach and his trips to Rockaway consist of sun, sand the sea, song and mail art. He encourages people to send postcards AT THE BEACH.  He hands out postcards AT THE BEACH that are illustrated by one of his collaborators, Thomas Kerr. And he serenades beachgoers AT THE BEACH.  I don't know about you, but that's not what I do at the beach, but isn't it fabulous to know Joel and to be part of his network so we can revel in his enthusiasm and dedication to the cause. What with busy family life right now I haven't been to the beach once this season, so will look at Thomas' umbrella and get vicarious pleasure!

The only thing that might make it all even better would be if Jude Weirmeir arrived, drew a stave on the sand and got everyone to sing the waves!

Post Referendum poetry - Cardboard Club

Robert Ridley Shackleton, my young adult children and the other 48% who voted to remain had a grey day on the 24th of June and RRS's vispo and accompanying words sum it up perfectly!

I heard from Simon Warren post election ad he is equally gloomy about the state of the UK. It's hard to know what to do.

maerD drieW and the dogwoods - Lucky Pierre

OOH lah lah, when this wallpaper envelope arrived I was smitten.  I have a bit of a thing for floral wallpaper but the colours, the evocation of the 30s or 40s.  I wanted to rush right out into the studio and use it in a still life, scan it and use it in a digital collage.  So when I carefull opened it at the top, and found Lucky Pierre's beautifully conceived maerD drieW, I had to sit down and drink a long elderflower cordial to avoid fainting on the spot. Sorry it has taken me some time to blog and YES I did finally send something to Richard! Thanks on many fronts and I love this!

Composition in decomposition - Susan McAllister

Susan proves that simple is more with this perfectly balanced, satisfying collage. I received it after I sent something to Susan which to my mind had a similar message, love when that happens!

Padding my FULL HOUSE with anti-stress mail art

Quite some time ago I got a big heavy package from Carina Granlund. It went surface so it was slow mail, the best kind! I didn't open it for a while but before my last open studio, I opened it and lots of people who came saw how I am inspired by my european, national  and international mail art friends. 

I am beyond apologising or making excuses and besides, Carina has specificaly made this mailing 'anti-stress' by packing all the goodies below in a relax anti-stress shoe pad box. (not pictured for some reason).

The title piece: Full House is inside a match box that has been painted and scraped.  The marks, the texture and the colour are exquisite.  Trust me.  I think Carina has used gesso in places and the cold, rough feel says 'time' and memories. Full House has been bolted together so that there are parts of the book that you can't read, that are tantalisingly beyond your view. The gesso lets you look through, but not completely.  The whole book is shrouded in mystery, again making me think that memories are unreliable. The pages are thick and made of collaged paper, possibly glued onto water colour paper, or even a matt board. They are irregular, as if torn carefully. Oxymoronic.

At the bottom of the box is a photo.  It's the men of the family, in a sepia haze.

In addition to the the bolted book, Carina has made me another shrouded boekie. The Riddle is a book with wordsI don't know whether it is fact or fiction.  I am led to look into a window I can't really see, to a house that I am told is red and then asked to solve a riddle.  I have an answer  that makes me think it is all a fiction. 

I have missed making mail art but I have come to see that with the things you love, sometimes they get to the bottom of the pile.  With a mail art like this arriving, the pile needs re-ordering.  My priorities shift in the sand.  Huge thanks Carina.  I began something but didn't complete, but I will.