Recycled Apples

Today this year’s first big batch of mail art was sent out.  A series of 21 collage postcards.  The source material was my 2017 calendar that featured vintage fruit crate labels from Washington State apples.  I could have just tossed the calendar in the recycling bin, or, instead, recycle the calendar it into mail art…

Finding Whittier at the Vintage Paper Fair

I paid 33¢ for this old postcard at the Vintage Paper Fair in San Francisco this month. The birch bark trompe l’oeil is what caught my eye.  I had not even paid attention to the subject – the photo shows the birthplace of John Greenleaf Whittier in Haverhill, Massachusetts.  I knew very little about the 19^th Century poet and abolitionist. You can learn more here.  Although, Whittier has been a presence nearly all my life.  A large volume of poetry sat on the shelves in the house I grew up in and the book.  Eventually the book made its way to my home in San Francisco.  It is stuffed full of treasures (see below) and was part of the inspiration for my ongoing Hide Art in a Book Project.  Now it’s time for this postcard to be slipped into the book and placed back on the shelf for someone else to find.

New Year, New Mail

My P.O. Box was full after I returned from Christmas travel and more cool mail art keeps arriving.  There were some holiday card stragglers, a new awesome booklet from e. coles (I am building up quite the collection) and more Artist Trading Cards.  I have been filling up an ATC binder that I often show off when friends come by.  These new holiday ones from Kerosene, Amy Irwen’s moon series and Cuan Miles’ latest ATCs are all in the binder.  I answered Eric Bruth’s mail art call for postcards made with recycled paper bags.  He sent back a piece in a handmade envelope from a pink paper bag.  Gregg Biggs’ postcard was postmarked on the “wrong” side, but I always like when mail art is authenticated like this.  Pier Roberto Bassi sent an artist stamp and a card emblazoned with number 17.  17 is my favorite and lucky number.  Hopefully a sign for a better new year.

1. Carolyn Oord (aka Kerosene)
2. Barbara Stasiowski
3. Julie Crossman
4. Amy Irwen
5. Peter Müller
6. Eric Bruth
7. e. coles
8. MIM
9. Gregg Biggs
10. Cuan Miles
11. Heather Ferguson
12. Pier Roberto Bassi

time + color + memory = returns

 Last year I sent out a series of ATCs exploring ideas of time, color and memory.  You can read about the original mailing here.  The sets included a blank ATC to be filled in with each recipient’s’ color memories.  I have received ATCs back from nearby in San Francisco to all the way in South Africa. I learned that Jennifer Utter’s mother forbade her from wearing that lovely shade of red.  I was not so unfortunate.  Lil’ Tofu had a smart wool coat in that very color!