Friday, December 27, 2013

# 49 Mail Art December 2013

As the year draws to a close, a few more pieces of mail art have been arriving. Unusual serendipitous use of the female figure in Laura Bucci's postcard photomontage and Moan Lisa's photos.

From Laura Bucci
 Postcard documenting an event 
in which I  participated.

From Moan Lisa/IUOMA: a very inventive photocollage 
From Moan Lisa/IUOMA: digitally altered photograph 
From Moan Lisa/IUOMA: another very inventive photocollage

Saturday, December 14, 2013

# 48 Mail art travels the world map

Where is it coming from and going to? (more added!)

From Mimi Torchia Boothby, Seattle WA, USA
Watercolor


From TOFU, San Francisco, CA, USA
tofuart.com
Digital print of 'collagescape'

By CR for Carl Baker, Peterborough,' Canadada'
Map series: Collage, drawing, stamping
By CR for Mimi T. Boothby
Map series: Collage, drawing, stamping

From Gabriele, Uberaba, Brasil. Ink pen + collage
She tells a big story on a small postcard
From Melissa, Jackson, TN
Monsters take on the holiday traditions!

By CR for Gabriele, Uberaba, Brasil.
Map series # 13 

By CR for Max Felipe, Uberaba, Brasil
Map series # 15

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

#47 Catching up

I am catching up with my responses to mail art that I have received during the past month. I decided to develop a series of postcards based on maps, both ancient and modern. A map denotes searching, connecting, finding, exploring, and thus is an apt concept for mail that travels the world. Each postcard includes portions of a map, plus collaged, stamped and drawn elements. Consequently, they are similar but unique. In some cases the map fragment includes the country of the recipient. Only a few examples of the 15 that have been created so far are included here. 

Recipients
Twelve of the postcards have been sent to the following:  Cristina Blank of Germany; Raphael'L of San Jose, California; Mail Art Martha, United Kingdom; Keith Chambers, Anaheim, California; Patricio the Celestial Scribe, Brazil; Marina Miletic and Patrick McQuaid of Ireland; Esther Kamkar, Palo Alto, California; Mimi Torchia Boothby, Seattle, Washington; Amy Irwen, Rosemount, Minnesota. The card to Moan Lisa, Des Moines, Iowa, accompanied my contribution to Fragmented, the Call for Mail Art. Thank you all who sent me mail art--they have been posted in previous entries.


To Moan Lisa, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Collage and drawn elements on painted paper.

To Mail Art Martha, UK
Collage, stamped and drawn elements on painted paper.
This received favorable comments on the IUOMA network.
To Raphael'L, San Jose California
Collage and drawn elements on painted paper.

#46 More Mail Art received

The mail system is busy delivering more mail art to me. Thank you Max Felipe, Esther Kamkar and Emily Coles.



From E Kamkar 4, Palo Alto, California, USA
Birdwoman drawing, plus text


From Max Felipe, Brazil
Ink drawing
From Esther Kamkar, Palo Alto CA, USA
Monotype on recycled card--Slow fish (quick dinner)
 
From Emily Coles, Bath, UK
Cover of mini-book: woven recycled paper


From Emily Coles, Bath, UK
Interior of booklet: One of six pages with painted landscapes in blues on  envelope security-linings, with accompanying poem. The variation in background design of the papers makes these images subtly intriguing. A very thoughtful and creatively crafted booklet.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

#45 My mail box runneth over


Quite a variety of materials and techniques are evident in these--always a delight to receive and send.
Add & pass from G. Bondioli; sent on to Amy Irwen/IUOMA

From Phyllis, California: Playing card mini-book
with information about the Golden Gate Bridge
Cover of Banzai, Issue # 19, October, 2013 from Melissa Fletcher, Jackson Tennesee:
A 'zine dedicated to rubber stamping and mail art
From Esther Kamkar, Palo Alto, California: monotype with poem fragment

To Esther Kamkar from CR: mark-making and collage
To Petrolpetal from CR: Collage and stamping

Saturday, November 2, 2013

#44 Mail Art received & sent

I'm one of the lucky recipients of KS Chambers' pop-art soup series. Three postcards have arrived during the past few weeks. And to my surprise, recipes for alligator soup and walrus fin soup actually exist--perfect for a wintry day.





KS Chambers, Anaheim, California, USA
Digital prints

And found in my mail box was a retro memorial to roadside attractions from Connie Jean. 


Connie Jean, Cocoa Beach, Florida
Mixd media collage--note the microwave popcorn box frame

Coffee Love, an add & pass journal, arrived this week. In my stash I found a napkin 'canvas' which I had painted with coffee. I decided to include this little treasure, a memento from Caribou Coffee Cafe in Winter Park, Colorado.   After completing 16 pages, I sent the journal to the artistic  Amy Irwen, Rosemount, MN.


Carmela Rizzuto, Sunnyvale, California
Coffee-painted napkin, complete with paint-by-number instructions


Sunday, October 27, 2013

#43 Trick or Treat

Just in time for All Hallows is this entry from Melissa Fletcher. It's a flip book of skeletons and ghouls taking their medicine. The 'queen of art' on the envelope sports a quote from Man Ray. Rubber stamps from http://www.100proofpress.com/ made it possible.


From Melissa Fletcher, USA
Stamping and spray paint
From Melissa Fletcher, USA
Flip book, cover: stamping
Flip book, last page: stamping

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

#42 Treasure Trove


Many treasures arrived in my mail box this week. Mail Art Martha's exurberant rendition of the blue bird of happiness enlivened my day. 

Fr_Mail Art Martha, UK: watercolor and collage.

From Esther Kamkar comes a postcard with a detailed drawing and a segment of one of her poems: You run home with your treasures, leaves and figs in the upturned hem of your shirt. Read more of her poems at http://www.estherkamkar.com/


Fr_ Esther Kamkar, Palo Alto, California

Lastly, from Patricio/Celestial Scribe comes another of his signature envelopes with surprises inside and  touches of his witty humor.




Fr_ Patricio, Celestial Scribe, Brazil
Envelope (Bottom) with 2 enclosures. Note the Memento Italia/Brasil stamp in upper right. 

Sunday, October 20, 2013

#41 Mail Art Mania at Book Arts Jam

The display of mail art from the Mail Art Call, Celebrate IUOMA 25, was a wonderful success. My thanks to all who sent entries! The event was held at the Lucie Stern Community Center in Palo Alto, California. About 300+ visitors viewed the display. At least 160 took the informational handout and stopped to ask questions about mail art and how to become involved in the IUOMA network.  Mail artists stopped to chat about their own experiences. It was a pleasure to meet Raphael'L, an IUOMA member from San Jose.

Visitors spent time examining the postcards, the decorated envelopes (Guido Vermeulen's and Celestial Scribe's were a popular), and reading the 'zines from Jon Foster and Russell Manning. The collaborative book by Jon Foster and myself was a favorite, too. The book takes off tomorrow for the exhibition, 'mail/art/books' at the San Francisco Center for the Book. The exhibition is scheduled for  February 14 - April 30, 2014 in San Francisco, California. View photos of the Book Arts Jam event  below. 

Participant List
The list can be found at blog entry #38 below.

Artiststamps
The free artists stamps that I prepared were  successful in drawing visitors to the display. For anyone who wanted information about perforated paper for artists' stamps/artiststamps: I purchased perforated, non-gummed paper from www.100proofpress.com. Gummed, perforated paper is available, but expensive, search online. Check out http://www.zazzle.com/create  for making stamps to use on USA mail. 

Create Mail Art Station
Part of the display was set aside for visitors to make their own mail art. It was popular with children and adults. Art materials were available: blank postcard-sized paper, colored pens, pencils, markers, collage papers & pictures, rubber stamps, vintage cancelled postage stamps, scissors and glue sticks. Two of the postcards made are seen below.


Paper & stamp collage by Janine Gianino
By suzannehwest.com
Ink drawing made at the Book Arts Jam & mailed to me 

Event Photos
These are views of  the display taken before and during the event. More photos will also be available later at http://Bookartsjam.org/ 

Book Arts Jam, Palo Alto 2013
Mail Art Mania--front table display
Book Arts Jam, Palo Alto 2013
Mail Art Mania--front table display
Book Arts Jam, Palo Alto 2013
Mail Art Mania--side table display
Book Arts Jam, Palo Alto 2013
Mail Art Mania: Create Mail Art Station 
Book Arts Jam, Palo Alto 2013
Mail Art Mania: Visitor looking at envelope by Patricio/Celestial Scribe.
Book Arts Jam, Palo Alto 2013
Mail Art Mania: Friend and founder of BABA, Jone Manoogian, greets visitors.
Book Arts Jam, Palo Alto 2013
Mail Art Mania: Create Mail Art Station in action

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

#40 Unique duo from Emily Coles, UK

These gifts arrived late last week--what a unique response to the text. One is a hand written poem, Bendix, by John Updike -- a meditation on the humble Bendix washing machine. The text is incorporated into a gelatin plate print that calls to mind the swishing water of such a machine.  The other is a 'found' poem floating in a blue and white background of woven security envelope linings. Such paper can be considered 'found' paper, so it has an additional connotation here. Both arrived in an envelope embellished with blue watercolor swirls. Thank you Emily!

From E. Coles, Bath, UK
Hand written, found poem on woven found papers

From E. Coles, Bath, UK
Hand written poem on Gelatin plate print.