Collage and Color

Braving throngs of summer tourists on Haight Street, I make my way up to my post office box.  It is always worth the trip, here are just a few of the pieces of mail art that were waiting for me in the last few weeks:

1. Gregg Biggs – Museum of Unclaimed Ephemera – California
2. Jennifer Utter – California 
3. Sagebrush Moderne – California 
4. Skooter Fein – California 
5. R.F. Côté— Canada
6. Katerina Nikoltsou – Greece
7. Robin Sparrow– New Zelaand
8. Serse Luigetti – Italy

New Zealand Memories

Yesterday I popped into the de Young Museum to check out the exhibit of Gottfried Lindauer’s Maori Portraits.  As always, it’s the under-hyped shows like this one that tend be best at the de Young.  It’s up until April 1^st and worth seeing.  They are running a brief film, as I wandered into the screening room the first thing I saw was Hokianga Harbour.  It is one of my favorite places on the planet.  I have been a few times in the winter.  I stayed in a swell motel where I was able to watch the water, the clouds and intermittent rain sweep in all day off the Tasman.  I can’t believe it has been over 20 years. 

And then there was something new from New Zealand waiting for me in my P.O. Box.  The latest in a series of incredible mail art from Robin Sparrow.  This postcard arrived safely in a cellophane envelope protecting the hand-embroidered San Francisco scene on the back.  I love it, including the Year of the Dog postage stamp.

December Mail

My holiday cards have all been sent on their way and it’s time to show off some of the mail art that I have been receiving.  Among the Christmas cards and other goodies here are some of the latest arrivals:

1. R.F. Côté postcard features what I assume is some wintery Canadian yoga?
2. Dori Singh sent a hand-stitched holiday card.
3. Autumnal greetings arrived from Katerina Nikoltsou in Greece.
4. Margarete Miller repurposed a Pantone postcard.
5. Polaroid-themed mail art from Melissa Wand.
6. Hungarian bicycle dudes from Torma Cauli.
7. Jane Gravois sent a collaged holiday greeting.
8. Fleur Helsingor’s latest piece references the recycled art at the Albany Bulb.
9. Robin Sparrow sent an amazing, hand-made, pop-up book/Christmas card.  I think it is safe to say she wins the holiday card prize for 2017.
10. And finally, another groovy envelope piece from Marina Salmaso.

30,000 Miles

When I added up the mileage for just six wonderful pieces of mail art I have recently received I realized the tally was over 30,000 miles (48,000 km).  That’s a lot of postal frequent flyer miles in these six pieces:

1. William Mellott sent a new postcard and ATC using some of his amazing rubber stamps from Taiwan.
2. Connie Jean sent a modified postcard from Florida.
3. Carolyn Oord (aka Kerosene) sent a new ATC and a skeleton zine form across the continent in Québec.
4. Three new modified vintage postcards came from Anna Hollings in New Zealand.
5. Fun envelope and a great collage inside from Virgo in Russia.
6. And finally, a lovely, small folio of prints of Rebecca Guyver’s pastel work arrived from Britain.