Poetic Mail and more…

It’s been a busy month sending out mail art and seeing more come in.  Some of the highlights include:

1. E. Coles sent a poetic piece that asks: “No one can say because neither of you could. She is tough underneath.”  I just want to know how she knew my spatula is orange?
2. R.F. Côté says “Oui” and I love those Canadian stamps.
3. Stanislav (aka Virgo) sent a collage piece (front and back shown) that is titled “Ukraine 14-15.”  I also love the colorful envelope and didn’t notice the stamps at first feature the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
4. The piece from Torma Cauli featured scraps of Hungarian and a Year of the Goat postage stamp. 
5. Nico van Hoorn’s red x postcard arrived – it felt like good timing as it complements my own Transcontinental Arrow series.
6. Send some mail art to May Mail Art in Gunnison, Colorado and see what you get back.
7. Suus in Mokum knows I love grids and patterns, yes, more grids and patterns.
8. And speaking of grids, Fleur Helsingor latest piece might very well be my favorite so far.  It is an image of sidewalk grids with a few little squares of metallic paper (the scan doesn’t do it justice).
9. Finally, is it mail art or an envelope full of poetry? Well certainly poetic pieces from Eduardo Cardoso in Portugal.

Fancy Animals invade Civic Center

The carnival is in town. Taiwan artist Hung Yi’s Fancy Animal Carnival has been installed in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza.  The whimsical, colorful animals are here until May 7th and adding some much need spring color to the plaza.

Transcontinental Arrows

Did you know that in 1924, across the Western United States, the U.S. Post Office Department installed a series of concrete arrows on the ground as well as steel towers with lighted beacons?  It was called the Transcontinental Airway System and it helped move airmail across the country.  Planes would use the arrows and towers to navigate across the sparsely populated West. 

When I first learned about the arrows, I immediately wanted to rent a car and head east to Nevada and see some for myself.  Not yet, but definitely on the next big road trip.  In the meantime, I am working on a series of hand-painted postcards.  The first ones are being mailed out today.  With elements of the desert, landscape painting, maps and mail art all rolled into one, it’s the perfect art project for me.