Found in tax filing!

It's perfect that today while doing the really heinous annual task of reconstructing my year by sorting and recording all my expenses against my invoices (dumped in a box) and carefully registering them into an excel spreadsheet in order to discover how little I made and what my taxes will be… that I found David's mail . The fact that it's also Halloween proves that my karma must be good and that David Stafford and I have a secret mail art language that persists even when the mail never makes it to appreciation because it's been accidentally sequestered in the tax filing. FIVE MONTHS LATE. Yippee.  I loved David's brilliant mail!

Now if I feed the day into David's handy-dandy time machine (top image), my own starfish hands will begin clapping. It could be the world series (I had no favourite but it seems exciting)… it could be that I'm up on my highhorse because I haven't eaten a bag of candy corn or it could be todays bat…*** crazy news.  

And David liked my Barr drawings too!

Ghost Mail from an Archipelago in Petsmo

In my experience, one builds friendships and collaborative relationships that are deep and lasting through mail art. Having moved around quite a bit, making friends and trying to sustain the friendship across many miles, it is familiar to me to know that I have a friend in a place but not to see that person, or hear from that person for longer than intended… For the most part, I have found that those relationships may lapse but that they carry on seamlessly once together again. My correspondents are more than simply addresses on envelopes.  To me they are friends.  When an envelope arrives I can usually identify the sender and get excited, delighted to 'pick up' again. 

Carina and I must have sent our mail to each other on about the same day after a long lapse, probably my fault, so getting Carina's envelope was extra specially exciting! 

I love Carina's prints.  She shares them occasionally on Instagram and I begin to imagine a story with the first glimpse.  I have never ACTUALLY met Carina but her charismatic characters make me wish I had and hope I will. I am delighted to have 16/22 ! It's  a beaut.

There a few things about Carina that are part of her signature: orange, boekies, and bizarre silliness. This mailing was chockblock with what I love. 

 Historical ephemera is always inspiring too! Delighted!

And what an envelope! BOO! I have more than enough pumkins for halloween and will practice my ghosty handwaving every day until the 31st infront of the mirror!  Thank you, Carina.  I did get my hopes up and they were certainly matched!  Thank you.

Fluxus Bucks and Coffee Clutch

Cascadia Artpost has his finger on the pulse of the mail art network. I've been trading in fluxus bucks for the past ten years but I was obviously a latecomer! Nevertheless, Cascadia included me in this wonderful tribute. 

Mail art hides in unusual place.  Take last week… while at Frieze Art Fair (Figgy gave me some comp tickets) I saw an original ANNA BANANA and discovered Keith A Smith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_A._Smith who I think sends mail art but also makes these fabulous books and sews on his collages! I wish he'd trade with me, but that would be greedy! The Latin Americans had some great fluxus exhibits too. Who knew!

Meanwhile, Cascadia not only makes dioramas, sends me beautiful seeds that make plants that go on and on… (last year's seeds bloomed again all summer and now I have some sweet williamas waiting to bloom again early spring!)… he sends amazing postcards, updates on mail art meetups and he also has a newsletter. Not only do I get gardening tips, I can also bend my mind with trivia.  Don't forget to opt in for coffee clutch refill.  I'll need it.  the mornings are already dark and the news is so nuts I find it difficult to sleep well.

Thank YOU Cascadia!

The Antique Elocution War

 Love this haptic, aesthetic collage vispo that makes me want to take a walk in the woods to find some treasure!  It arrived the other day from Bonniediva (Gurnee Illinois).Of course I will exchange! I've decided to begin making mail art a habit again and am even toying with the idea of arranging a mail art exhibition some time next year. 
...The mushroom person in the centre reminds me that I should say that I will exchange so long as I live to make mail art on another day… our son picked some parasol mushrooms and he prepared them as a side with tonight's dinner. I ate a bit of one. Hopefully his identification skills are up to snuff!

back of collage

Bonniediva's envelope was also v appealing and perfect for a rainy day in England! 

Thank you.