vergangenen tagen - bygone days

It's so interesting when a photo or a smell evoke something from childhood.  The word Leica has a history for me and this image of the child in the straw hat makes me think of the coppertone suntan lotion ad. It's the yellow, I think.

Herman is a master at evoking the past and that malachite green on the left of the collage is 'Herman green' in my mind. It always feels like I am coming home when I get mail art from Herman!

                                                     

One of the things I equate with the olden days is cinched waist skirts.  I wanted on,e but instead of an hourglass figure, I was shaped like a boy and drawing attention to the bit that didn't do what a woman's body was supposed to do would have been silly. I  learned to sew ad sewed some things that looked goodon the pattern but on me fell flat...

It is cherry season in the UK. In fact I baked a cherry pie this weekend. Now they evoke Ukraine for me, though. This is the sleeve in which all that follows is nested.

This ledger page is folded like a book. 

We went to Normandy for our son's 30th BD so this is not only exciting for the beautiful drawings exploring the dysmorphia some of us feel and doodle about but also becaue of the handwritings, the collged images and the FRENCH. The date is also fascinating.

And Herman's fabulous notebook drawings and photos from the past make this a VERY beautiful and generous mailing. Bygone days celebrated! Thank you!

 

Treasure Hunting from Finland

Anja Mattilla-Tolvanen belongs to my FEMAIL mail art group.  I am a very poor member - I still have failed to send any mail to members of the group but this is a generous group and I have had a fair few pieces through my letterbox. This is my first piece from Anja.

I love Anja's collages.  The narrative is engaging, the aesthetic is beautiful.  Thank you, Anja. EVentually you will get something from me.  I will try to make something as fun and beautiful for you. 

I'm not sure what Boris is doing on the edge of the field with a piece of treasure, though!

 

Mail art Wave!

Sometimes there is a decoding process when you receive mail art. For me I look at colour, shape, the design; I try to place it historically and to understand the context. When I don't know a correspondent well sometimes I research the person and their work.  I want to get as much meaning from mail art as I can.

Here, Mikel has made it easy for me. He's used artistamps and wonderfuly textured mark making when he made my 'original'.  He's altered a postcard, adding text over the image.  He has used all the things I look for and at to decode, as I respond to it.  It's interesting and beautiful.

Mikel has included a greeting.  It is personal. And then he gives me all the context I need to understand how the words MAIL ART WAVE fit in.  Read about the Mail Art Congress Meet up with a fellow mail artist in 2022!

 

A Tribute to Do Da Post

 

Thank you Cascadia Artpost for sharing the news of the death of Edward F Higgins III. Although I never traded with him, learning about him and putting him within the continuum of mailart is important. What a legacy!

Read the above! It paints a vivid picture of the man and leaves me with a sense of loss.

I see you mailed the envelope on the day of the service in Michigan. Thank you. I will add the tribute to the Nayland Farm archives.

Biden Our Time in the Biden Wagon

 

For me political Mail Art is the about opening up a dialogue. If we want to change things we better talk about them and listen to each other. 

This piece from Cascadia is hard for me to think about. The former guy was so polarising and much of what he did was obviously going to lead to heartache and disparity. the repercussions are far reaching and affecting us all and will do for a long time. But this guy isn't perfect.  HE IS FAR FROM PERFECT. and yet, I find myself wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt.  'In the round he's OK... well, at least he's better than the former guy," I say to myself when he does something that I disagree with or when he doesn't act quickly or enough. How do you thread that needle.  I need to think about that. Thank you Cascadia for beginning the conversation with me.

Asemic of Reflection

Sunset reflections near Rebecca Resinki's house

Below, rather inferior scans of Rebecca's beautiful recent pamphlet. I love both and will look at them and muse. 

Musing will do me good. Reflection is necessary.

Rebecca apologises for not responding more quickly.

My correspondents must be absolutley fed up with me.

Thank you all and thank you, Rebecca, for a beautiful mailing.

The huge and encyclopaedic Anatomy of Melancholy was produced by the English clergyman Robert Burton (1577–1640). It explores a dizzying assortment of mental afflictions, including what might now be called depression. Burton considers melancholy to be an ‘inbred malady’ in all of us and admits that he is ‘not a little offended’ by it himself 

Sometimes the machine imprint on a letter is vispo in itself.