Stay Home, Make Art, See the Sun Come Out – Day 33

Today is about some solar energy postage.

Marzipan Mail Art

It’s always nice to have friends visit from Germany, and when they bring me a big box of Niederegger Marzipan, well, I’m in heaven.  I love marzipan, and Niederegger is the best!  I made the pilgrimage to Lübeck a few times many years ago.  I resisted eating it all quickly, rationing the delicious pieces carefully and saving the foil wrappers. Now, after some recycling, cutting, and gluing, it is time to send some Niederegger-themed mail art back to Germany.

Mail Out — Mail In

I’ve been sending out a lot of mail art lately and the best part is, I get all this great stuff in return.   Here are some of the recent pieces received:

1. Esther Kwan – California
2. Pamela Gerard– California
3. Janet Elliott – California
4. Crackerjack Kid – New Hampshire
5. Meral Agar– Turkey 
6. Dori Singh – California
7. Peter Müller – Germany
8. Valdor – Catalunya, Spain
9. Marina Salmaso– Denmark
10. R.F. Côté– Québec, Canada
11. Katerina Nikoltsou – Greece 
12. Dame Mailarta– British Columbia, Canada
13. Mindaugas  Žuromskas

May Mail

 

Altered postcards, a return of dots, ATCs, rubber stamp postcards, collages and conceptual pieces are all included in some of the most recent mail art received here in San Francisco. Here is a list of the senders:

1. Gregg Biggs and the Museum of Unclaimed Ephemera
2. Skooter Fein
3. Valdor
4. Fleur Helsingor
5. Keith Chambers
6. Lours Postal
7. Crackerjack Kid
8. Amy Irwen
9. Bonniediva
10. Dori Singh
11. Pedro Bericat
12. Peter Müller
13. Serse Luigetti
14. Cuan Miles

When it Rains it Pours (Mail Art)

After an exceptionally dry February, it has been pouring the last few weeks and art has been pouring into mail box as well.  A few more pieces for Valentine’s Day and a Year of the Dog print from Gina Visione and even a nod to Presidents Day.  A poetic set from e. coles that included some wool from a British Southdown Sheep!  Big envelopes, collaged postcards and some spring time mail art from Greece.  Here is a list of the recent senders:

1. Dori Singh
2. Susan Stewart
3. Jennie Hinchliff
4. Gina Visione
5. Kerosene
6. Julia Crossman
7. e. coles
8. Peter Müller
9. Gregg Biggs and the Museum of Unclaimed Ephemera
10. Katerina Nikoltsou
11. Crackerjack Kid
12. Lours Postal
13. Marina Salmaso

Nautical Mail

I recently received some mail art from R.F. Côté that included a piece of an old nautical chart.  This motivated me to pull out some old, slightly mildewed nautical charts and to make some ATCs.  I am sending some back for and upcoming issue of Circulaire 132.  I also used some for a mail art call where the theme is watermarks.  That one is on the way to Germany. I was made some large pieces (i.e., 36” x 24”) about 10 years ago (see image).  It can be difficult to find old nautical charts.  For safety reasons, out of date charts are meant to be destroyed, lest they be used by mariners.  Back on Cape Cod, our neighbors included a typical New England curmudgeon. His wife secretly “disposed” of some of his horde by giving them to me for art purposes.

Postal Pugs

About a year ago I responded to a  call for art and mailed my pug-themed mail art to Germany.  I really appreciated the Edition 753 catalog that arrived last week.  And my model, Sammy, was quite pleased with himself.

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