A Slice of Summer

A Sandia Series of mail art, handmade postcards is off in today’s mail.

Home from Vacation

After a few weeks of fun down in Mexico, I came home to a big pile of mail. It wasn’t just junk mail and bills, there was plenty of good mail art waiting for me.  The list includes Adrienne Mason’s layered collage, new mail from Argentina, a tattooed hand, an old wallpaper sample repurposed as a postcard by Jennifer Utter, and mystery food embedded and preserved under layers of tape from Pedro Bericat.  I particularly liked Punkie Ebert’s Yes We Do Care  flag postcard – in these times, it is challenging for Americans to feel patriotic about our country.  Punkie reminds us that we will keep resisting until we deliver ourselves from this disaster. Finally, some follow-up from the Beyond Beat show down in Venice that included a poster and a set of artist stamps. Below is the full list of what is shown in this post:   

1. Adrienne Mason– Canada
2. Punkie Ebert – California 
3. William Mellott– Taiwan
4. Torma Cauli– Hungary
5. Maria Quiroga – Argentina 
6. Kathy Barnett – Missouri
7. Jennifer Utter – California 
8. Pedro Bericat– Spain
9. Gregg Biggs – Museum of Unclaimed Ephemera – California
10. Asli Omur – California 
11. Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center– California

Mail Art from the Tropics

It feels good to get a different perspective and be out of my usual San Francisco element.  Reading, relaxing, listening to the surf and enjoying afternoon thunderstorms on the Bahía de Banderas in Puerto Vallarta.  I travel with art supplies and have been making some mail art postcards.  Before heading out to find a mail box, it is important to ask the Magic Iguana to make sure these arrive — eventually.  They might take a couple of months to get to their recipients, but it will be worth the wait.

Who needs souvenirs when you can buy art supplies?

When I travel I always have an eye for some inspiration and often find art supplies on the road.  Oh sure, I could go to an art supply store anywhere, that isn’t quite what I mean. I’ve been picking up things down in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  After a trip to the arts and crafts aisle of Woolworths, I now the word in Spanish for googly eyes — ojos móviles.  The 25 Pesos store had Loteria de Los Estados – Mexican geography-themed loteria cards. Had to have them.  And I could not resist these sheets of neoprene at a fabric store, the plain ones were 2 pesos each, the glamoury glitter ones were 5 pesos a piece.  And shopping at the fabric store was amusingly bureaucratic, three separate counters to make a purchase.  Now, what am I going to do with all these supplies?  Hmmm….