Mail Art, Mail Art - It's Monday again! (and cake!)

#154

#155

#156

 Three cards from the past few days. An original collage incorporating a painting by Kandinsky, who I didn't apprciate until I was an adult.

Two altered cards to send to people that I know, to surprise them.

And for book club yesterday, I once again made the Brown Sugar-Toffee cake. It was the best version ever! Want to taste it? The recipe is HERE.

Let me know how it turns out and how many compliments you get when people taste it.

Crossing the James River on Sunday morning, headed to my knitting group, so peaceful, with such a lovely sky.  I took this while driving!! I can't believe that I did it but look, no one was on the road with me.

Have you ever done that, taken a snap with your phone while driving?

Mail Art plus

#153

This was my post on Facebook for MAM (Mail Art Monday.) I was really pleased with how I could take two scraps of paper with similar purples and a circle and create this landscape-like composition. I'm really please with myself. And what a good feeling that is.

What gives you that pleased with yourself feeling?

 Here are some chickadees by Milk, that are on display at Quirk Gallery. I had to buy one and I got a tiny one for free! How cool is that. Can't wait for the show to come down so I can have my bird!

 Here are some mice that were on display at the candy counter in Southern Season. I did not buy any. I was tempted, but I didn't do it. Maybe another day.

We've been fortunate to be able to take our grand, Zinn, to the Virginia Museum of Fine Art on Sundays recently. She loves being there and has some favorite pieces. One of them is this large Buddha. She says Buddha so clearly, it makes us smile. A Buddha smile!

Mail Art & family

#149

 Mail Art today - more strips and circles. I can't get enough of this. Or maybe it's one of my defaults? hmmm.

My grand watching a yoga class. Since my DIL is a yoga instructor, this little one is quite the practitioner. She'll lie down on the ground, lift up a leg and say "yoga." Cracks us up.

Oct. 1969

Mom and Dad, oh what a couple! I came across this recently and it made me smile.

Now for the Mail Art!!

#145

#146

#147

 After a bit of a break, I'm back to my Landscape Beautification Project, except this time - I've used sculpture. The figures were from a brochure I picked up in Quebec City. They add a certain je ne c'est quoi to otherwise boring landscapes. Don't you think so?

The Mary Cassatt figure contemplates & complements the tour boat quite nicely, too.

#148

This morning, I was in a mood for making strips and reached into my tin of cut up paper to make this piece. Adding circles is just right for finalizing the composition.

That's a Yayoi Kusama bit in the middle. She just tickles me with her dots!

I've sent some things to an installation piece in Wales. How cool is that? And, soon I'll be sending something off to Siberia. I've convinced my honey to participate in SPY with me, which will be an exhibit in honor of Graham Greene, in Novosibirsk. More on that soon.

No Mail Art - just some of my photos this morning.

Market Day

Market day

Tiny sweets

Chris Milk's chicadees

Bizoo (thinking of Chicadees?)

Brown sugar yogurt cake!

Shelf with Weather gram

Catching Up, Mail Art & More

#124

#125

 I've  been having fun with a circle stencil and water soluble 9B graphite.

I added a bit of color with water color pencils.

#126

#127

#128

Cards

cards

In cleaning up my studio table, I found cool stuff to cut up into substrates. With only one added piece, I get an interesting composition.










This collage is on a piece of card stock that fits into a First Cover envelope. I made this specifically to send to someone who likes Mary Cassatt.








Here's another composition using the same substrate as in #125.












More circle Mail Art.












Here's how I created the circle pieces. I worked on large sheet of water color paper, making circles with the stencil and the graphite and pencils.


I added water and when dry, I cut the paper into Mail Art sized pieces, Artist Trading Card pieces, and left overs for book markers.

No waste!




After the pieces were cut out, I sprayed them with matte fixative.

Hmm, I'm thinking I should do the spraying before I cut them up, oh yeah, that'd be better. Right?








This is a view of the 23221 Post Office the other day. I was sitting in the parking lot and noticed that the clouds were gorgeous! Notice the light on the side of the building had come on because the light was low. The wind blowing was nice to show the flag better.








Here's my studio table post clean up. I'm so happy that I spent the time to clean up and organize. on the left is a plastic box holding received mail. I'm pulling pieces from that to send responses. On my wall, are new inspiration pieces.

I'm happier in my studio now that I have more making space on the table.

How messy does your space have to get before you clean it up?