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.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

#39 Just arrived!

Several pieces of mail art arrived this past week. Thanks to Petropetal of South Africa whose mail art brings the total number of continents represented to 6!


From Petrolpetal, Milton, South Africa
Collage and red cord wrap



From Raphael'L, San Jose CA, USA
Collage

From Cristina Blank, Worthsee, Germany
Postcard, Collage, Artist's card

!

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

# 38 Participant List: Celebrate IUOMA 25


This is a list of those participating in the mail art call: Celebrate IUOMA 25.  There are representatives from 6 continents. Thank you all for your creative entries. It has been an honor to exchange art with you.

Mail art answering this Call was displayed on October 19, 2013 at the Book Arts Jam event in Palo Alto, CA, USA   http://bookartsjam.org/  View the report on this event at entry #41.

Karen Alekyan Ayumri, Armenia
Parys  St. Martin         Glenelg, Australia
Guido Vermeulen (3) Brussels, Belgium
Patricio: Celestial Scribe (3)         Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Edna Toffoli         Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Anna Banana (3)         Roberts Creek, BC, Canada
Laura Bucci         Vancouver, BC Canada
Denise Souray Bradford, Ontario Canada
Horst Baur         Changsha, China
Nicole Nielsen Helsingor, Denmark
Carina Granlund Petsmo, Finland
“E”         Guivry, France
Valentine Mark Herman (2) Sigean, France
Cristina Blank  (2)         Worthsee,Germany
Roland Halbritter          Nuedlingen, Germany
Michael Wagner Heidelberg, Germany
Katerina Nikoltsou Thessaloniki, Greece
Patrick Anderson-McQuiod Drumshanbo, Ireland
Marina Miletic Drumshanbo, Ireland
Carlo Maria Guidici Lecco, Italy
Ryosuke Cohen Moriguchi, Osaka, Japan
An.U Riga, Latvia
Larissa D. Christchurch, New Zealand
Yulia-Fruit-Ananas Irkutsk, Russia
Markarova Dzerzhinski         Yaroslave,Russia
Petrolpetal Milton, Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa
Viktoria Robinson         Goteborg, Sweden
Cerulean         Linnaeuslan, The Netherlands
Rudd Janssen         Breda, The Netherlands
Artist unknown Bristol, United Kingdom
Mail Art Martha Beckenham, Kent, United Kingdom
Emily Coles (2) Plymouth, Devon, United Kingdom
Rebecca Guyver Stowmarket, United Kingdom

A. S.                 Winston-Salem, NC USA
Bonnie Jean         Cocoa Beach, FL USA
Borderline Graphics (2) Austin, TX USA
Gayle         USA
Grigori Antonin Minneapolis, MN USA
Elaine Arvati         Youngstown, OH USA
Kelly Bancroft Youngstown, OH USA
K. S. Chambers Anaheim, CA USA
Angie Cope         Port Washington, WI USA
Jon Foster (8) Winston-Salem, NC USA
Angela Gue         Lincoln, CA USA
John Held, Jr.         San Francisco, CA USA
Andrea Jay Staten Island, NY USA
Donna Juliussen Kenai, AK USA
Esther Kamkar Palo Alto, CA USA
Raphael'L  (2) San Jose, CA USA
Lynne Larkin         Joliet, IL USA
Russell Manning (2) Dallas, TX USA
Jinny Pearce         Berkeley, CA USA
A.M. R. (2)         Keene, NH USA
TOFU (2) San Francisco, CA USA