Postmarked or Post-marred?

When you send mail art you always take a chance that it will get roughed up along the way.  Like many artists, I use paper or clear envelopes for more delicate pieces.  When recipients post my handmade postcards online, I have seen some that have been postmarked on both sides.   I know some artists find this frustrating, but there is a side of me that appreciates that authentication.  You know it is genuine mail art when the postmark hits both sides.   That is what happened with some mail art I just received.  Including a portrait piece from Gregg Biggs, a lovely, original watercolor from Margo Hill and the latest sticker remnant collage piece from Heather Ferguson.  

The Perils of Postmarks

When you send art on a postcard as Darlene Altschul did for the Pink Mail Art show, you risk it getting postmarked on the “wrong” side.  And while the postal machinery could be seen as marring the artwork, I also see it as a way of authenticating the mail art.

The Unexpected Layer

Stampedelic, mixed media on canvas, 24”x24”

I have been working on a series of collages where the main, or only, source of collage material is old postage stamps.  Often when I delve into a new material there are unexpected results.  With stamps the postmarks form an unexpected and interesting layer.  I focus on laying down the stamps only to step back and see the postmarks on top adding another element to the work.