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

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

A Great Mail Day!

It is always a good mail day, no, actually, a great mail day, when an envelope arrives from Cuan Miles in South Africa.  Here is the latest one.

Pink that Traveled the Farthest

Mail art from the South African artist Cuan Miles is always a special treat in my p.o. box.  The recent envelope and its contents (see below) was no exception.  But, I was wondering why I had not received a piece for the Pink Mail Art Show until it finally arrived yesterday.   It took nearly a month to make it from South Africa to California.  Perhaps that is appropriate as it is the pink mail art that has traveled the farthest. 

Come see Cuan Miles’ pink mail art along with the 400 pieces of original, postcard-size art — all sent through the mail.  The art was made by artists of all ages from all around the world including 21 states and 34 countries.  There are small paintings, prints, collages, drawings and a multitude of mixed media works — and the theme they all have in common is they are all pink.

The opening reception is on Friday, November 4, from 6-9 p.m.  The show will remain on exhibit through November 30.
Warehouse Artists Lofts (WAL), 1104 R Street, Sacramento, California

Mail All Over the Map

The latest round of mail art to arrive is a reminder that this is a global adventure with mail coming from close by, just over the hill in Noe Valley to all the way from South Africa.  With additional mail from Québec, British Columbia, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey and Hungary.  As a twelve year old, I had a few pen pals, but it really has all come full circle for me.  Here are some of the latest pieces:

1. Two pieces from my Remove-and-Pass series came back.  Both used postcards of a map collage I did back in 2003.  There was one from Torma Cauli in Budapest. 
2. Another arrived from Meral Agar in Istanbul.
3. A new piece of recycled material from the school kids in the Netherlands.  We are getting ready to plan the second Pink Mail Art show – I am going to be putting these kids to work soon.
4. A marvelous little booklet with postal history from Pamela Gerard.
5. Adrienne Mason also sent a great ephemera-filled handmade book as well.
6. Kerosene (aka Carolyn Oord) sent a map-themed postcard that can even teach me a little French.
7. Angela Behrendt sent a photo piece commemorating President Obama’s latest trip to Germany.
8. And finally, a fantastic haul from Cuan Miles.  I love it all, and I need to get myself a Nelson Mandela rubber stamp!

Time to get back to making art and ready for our mail art extravaganza this weekend with the San Francisco Correspondence Coop celebrating its 5^th Anniversary.