May Mail

Sometimes with mail art the envelopes try to upstage the contents — and this month has seen a few examples of amazing envelopes in my mailbox along with some great contents.  Plus, I am noticing more and more postage stamps and artists stamps honoring, doctors, nurses and medical research.   I even hunted down some Jonas Salk postage stamps for the vaccine-themed mail art I sent out a few weeks ago.  

The mail shown here includes:

1. Rebeka Torowin-Borowicz – U.K. 
2. Wabi Sabi Sews – California
3. Kathy Barnett – Missouri
4. Jennie Hinchcliff – California
5. The Sticker Dude – New York 
6. R.F. Côté — Canada
7. Peter Müller – Germany
8. Margo Hill – California
9. William Mellott – Taiwan 
10. Fleur Helsingor - California 
11. Katerina Nikoltsou - Greece
12. Gregg Biggs – Museum of Unclaimed Ephemera – California

More Books and Objects

Here is the latest still life in my Chaekgeori-inspired series.  This is one of my own bookcases — I can easily recognize nearly every title and I know the story behind every object.  The glass insulator was purchased at a roadside stand on my first trip to the Grand Canyon.  The Canadian, soapstone, totem poles have been on my bookshelves since I was about 10 years old.  On the bottom shelf there is a painting of Rhyolite, Nevada from my 2011 Project and mail art from South Africa from the artist Cuan Miles.

The curious object on the top shelf is a Mörksuggan.  The Mörksuggan or “dark sow” is a piece of folk art I received as a gift 40 years ago when I was first in Sweden.  It gently swings on the edge of a shelf and can come take away bad children during the night.  It’s a rather local and obscure piece of folk art and may be the only one in all of San Francisco.   I never have problem with bad children in my home, so it must work.

Pandemic Chaekgeori

Whether casually chatting with friends, having a business meeting or being interviewed by the media, stationing yourselves in front of your bookcase seems to be the default way to communicate in these times.   Our books send a message, “Yes, I do read.” 

The books give clues to our tastes and personalities.  The seriousness of PBS NewsHour put Judy Woodruff showing off a red room of books to match her hair coloring.  One would think with her penchant for red dresses, we would find historian Lucy Worsley surrounded by red books — but she opts for a contrasting blue and grey wall of books without a red tome in sight.  Comedian Seth Myers manipulated old copies of his mother’s favorite book, The Thorn Birds.  And not at all funny, yet ironic, Betsy DeVos, the amoral and corrupt Secretary of “Education”, posed in front of a bookcase devoid of books.

The times we live in can certainly influence an artist’s work.  I am no exception.   While I have always lived surrounded by books, my inspiration came from a brief video posted by San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum.   I discovered Chaekgeori — it’s a Korean still-life where the artist depicts books and objects on shelves.  My color-coded bookcases demanded to be painted.   Soon after, I started asking friends for photos of their bookcases. In some ways, each painting is as much a portrait as it is a still life.

All paintings are acrylic on paper, 9"x12".  These are the first ones, with more to follow.

Mail Art in the Time of Plague

I knew someone would be sending me a plague doctor postcard — I’ve been seeing that image in my head for months.  Of course, I am not the only one drawing masks on postage stamps.  I received a postcard from Gina Visione (1).  Peter Müller (2) reminds us to pray to Saint Corona. Gregg Biggs (3) latest offering from the Museum of Unclaimed Ephemera features two ladies who are all dressed up with nowhere to go.  And the latest piece from Kathy Barnett (4) just cracked me up — thank you!

The volume of mail art has unsurprisingly declined.  I have read that the movement of mail between some countries is barely happening if at all. 

 

I have avoided trips to check my post office box.  San Francisco has closed some streets to through traffic.  I now can walk all the way up Page Street to Clayton Street and easily get to my post office branch and practice social distancing. I can order stamps online or wait to buy them from the postal staff.  They are also wearing masks and are relatively safely behind new Plexiglas shields.  

The problem is the narrow passage to my post office box way in the back.  It’s a room where social distancing is impossible.  The few times I have gone up there, I have always had to ask someone to leave the post office so I can get to my box.  Some of us go in, key at the ready, open, mail in bag, shut and lock and get out the door.  But then there are the other post office boxholder types.  Every post office has them.  The post office is their reading and sorting room where they need to spend 20 minutes examining every piece of mail, including random junk mail, before they exit the building.  No pandemic will get them to change their habits.  I get glared at every time I ask one of them leave.  At this point, I do not apologize for offending them.  I imagine long hallways in their Victorian flats with piles and piles of old magazines and newspapers — because one day, maybe, they will need to disturb the silver fish and find that October 1983 issue of The Nation.

Stay Home, Make Art – Day 34

With all of us sheltering in place and staying home, there are many reports of wildlife reclaiming urban turf.  Coyotes live with us in San Francisco, but now packs of them have taken to howling in the middle of the night.  Apocryphal stories abound with dolphins in the canals of Venice and chupacabras rummaging in Albuquerque dumpsters.  With the that in mind, shouldn’t the birds and other critters break free of their postage stamps?

Stay Home, Make Art – Day 15

Today was about art maintenance, cleaning up, applying acrylic varnish.  Not worthy of a photo.  During my half hour perambulation around the Lower Haight and Duboce Triangle, I managed to maintain social distance and also snapped this photo on Page Street.

Stay Home, Make Art – Day 10 (and get some groceries)

More gluing today but also a trip to the grocery store.  We are allowed to go grocery shopping in San Francisco.  I have changed my habits and now only shop once per week.  Both to limit my chances for exposure but also to keep the crowds down so more people can shop safely.  

Like many grocery stores, the workers at Trader Joe’s are doing a great job.  A line with every customer at least 6 feet apart snakes through the parking lot and up the sidewalk.  At the door customers are given a freshly cleaned cart or basket.   When I arrived, I counted about 50 people in front of me.  Within a half an hour I was inside.  The store did not feel crowded and I was back outside with a heavy shopping bag and full backpack in less than 15 minutes.  The store was well stocked.  If this is the “inconvenience” we have to go through to keep us all safe and flatten the curve, I am all for it.

Stay Home, Make Art – Day 9

Need more orange!

Stay Home, Make Art – Day 8

Today’s forecast is occasional spring showers and a good dash of color.

Stay Home, Make Art – Day 6

Got some more work done on this art project this afternoon.  

Even though we are being asked to shelter in place and stay home as much as possible, we still are allowed to go out for some fresh air and walk.  The important thing is to keep that social distance of 6 feet or more (2m).  This morning I strolled around my neighborhood.  It was quiet and virtually everyone is being really cautious and maintaining that social distance.  This has been my experience that past week — people seem to be getting better and better at this new normal.  Although, there is one exception.  Every time I see a pedestrian failing the social distance test, they all have the same thing in common – they are distracted and talking on their phone.  We all need to get used to a new way of doing things, and if you cannot focus on walking safely, please wait to take the call until you’re back home.  

Stay Home, Make Art – Day 5

Making art today was all about cutting and using hole punches.   Tomorrow will be about gluing.

Stay Home, Make Art – Day 4

Staying home and making art — It may look like I am channeling Rothko.  But for this project I need some more yellow and orange painted paper to cut up for the Post-Folk Art collages.

Stay Home, Make Art – Day 3

Staying home and making art even the scraps for the recycling look fabulous.

Stay Home, Make Art – Day 2

Staying home and making art. Cutting circles, organizing colors.

Stay Home, Make Art – Day 1

Staying home and making art.