Ah, mid-week update! Mail Art and Slow Art.

#48

#49

#50

 The above three collages use scraps that friends sent to me. I really love using these old bits and adding my own touches. #50 is made on the cover of an old children's book that someone gave me to cut up. The cover fell off so I used it in this way.

I purchased a scrap kit from the Museum of Collage, Cecil Touchon's place, to help support the museum. It arrived yesterday and I'll make several pieces of mail using the scraps from Cecil's studio. I decided to send scraps from MY studio to Cecil to use for collage night. Happy to pass scraps along.

Ah, move slowly like a turtle - that's what we'll do on Slow Art Day 2015.

I've set up an EventBrite page here. Just click on "here" and sign up. It's free to attend and I'll be able to prepare enough handouts if I know you're participating.

And if you aren't in Richmond, VA, check your city and see if there's a Slow Art Event where you are. Venue's here.

Mail Art - catching up, still.

#42

#43

 I have many of these old postcards. This particular view is so boring that I rarely use them. Since the location is near a friend's home, I decided to alter it and send it to them.

For some reason, placing a real person there as a "sculpture bust" seemed like a good idea. My story about it is that it creates a problem for drivers who often miss the turn onto the expressway. What do you think? Does it work?

I found a stash of my cut out paintings that I'd forgotten about, and made another in my series of Landscape Beautification Projects.

This one works nicely. The story is that the boaters enjoy it but the people who live in it's shadow, not so much.

#44

#45

While going through some little drawers of collage bits that I hadn't explored in awhile, I found these bits of photos that I'd cut out. Why I'd taken photos of eggplants, I don't know. And why I'd had those photos printed, wow, a mystery, and then, I cut them out!

So I had to use them in Mail Art collages, right?




Do you think I used these to best advantage?

Any other ideas for me as I have a few left.

#46

Combining photo, photo from a magazine, and very old newsprint.

#47

Figures are from old magazines that an aquaintance dropped off at my house. I don't like the musty smell of them so I work quickly to find images to cut out then drop the magazine in the recycle bin.

Mail Art catch-up! Did you miss me?

#33

#37

#38

#39

$40

Here's a series of Mail Art pieces that I made using scraps sent to me by some Mail Art friends. Aren't I lucky to have such good friends?

A bit of a break, now Mail Art & More....

 I made another of my Cactus and Lily series.

I have lots more of these cards, so I'd better get busy coming up with "poetry" for them.

I was inspired by seeing some collages made with old papers. I made a few like this the previous week, too. Very satisfyin.

 I have a very old, very falling apart, plan of Paris. The paper just about crumbles as I touch it. The colors are so nice.

 I made this specifically for Jo Maeder, the author of a book that I read recently - When I Married My Mother. It was a lovely memoir. I decided to send her a collage using one of my friend's baby photos. Other people photos, what to do with them? Make collages, of course.

Here's a lovely surprise. Many of my long time readers might remember The Shelf! Well, here's another one that appeared on a pole at the end of the block down from our house. It's very neatly constructed which leads me to thinking that it was made by the dad of the little boy living a few houses away.

I put a couple of things in it.

The original shelf is up again, after a brief period of being away. It's better than ever, and more sturdily attached to it's pole. You can see it in my archives searching under "shelf" or "elflog."

A couple of Friday's ago, we stopped in at the tango dance at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. I took lots of photos of feet that night.

Besides the regular dancers, a couple of professionals from Argentina did a demonstration of fancy dancing. It was quite fun and I'm thinking maybe we could try to dance Tango.

Do you dance? What do you do, ballroom Tango, Salsa?

MAIL ART, yay!

 It's been a fun weekend of making Mail Art.

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to speak with several people about Mail Art and it made me excited to make more pieces.

I don't know who gave these vintage postcards to me (don't worry collectors have told me that these aren't sought after.) I altered them with Italian phrases which I took out of my old Madame Butterfly libretto. I sent one to a friend who is actually Italian. I think he'll get a kick out of receiving it.

Here's a series that I did with my Cactus - Lily cards.

Again, so much fun for me to find words that create dialog between the two "friends."

I added an old stamp to each of the cards just because they needed something more.

 Does the dialog between them make you smile?   Any captions you come up with? Send them to me and I'll send you a card.

 Oh Lily, Oh Cactus! ha ha ha ha

 Today, I got serious with my Mail Art. I'd been thinking about text and old papers, and wanting to do a few more small collages.

To ensure that the viewer looks at them in the orientation that I wanted, I signed and titled them. As you know, I usually don't do this with my Mail Art.

I'm going to continue with this series for awhile. I need to get back to serious business, ha ha ha, rather than playing around.

or not.

Remember this motto from The Alternative Speakers Bureau.

Every day, make something, or do something creative. Practice!

If you need some help to get you started - you might find HERE.

More catch up, before the time changes....

 My neighbor decided that a Halloween party was in order. I don't like to do costumes, so I dressed as WARM because it was very cold the night of the party. Beetle Juice is played by my honey in a costume created by our son a few years ago. It was quite effective

#303

More Victoriana, some French and some Italian text on cardboard from a cereal box.

#304

I treated myself to some new Washi tape. Here I use it merely as a design element and not in any narrative context. 

#305

NEW, this card, however used OLD elements. The paper scraps are from an old book.

#30

Minimal - a circle, some old paper, and four random words.

This is another nail polish color that I like to wear in the fall. I've been very careful about polishing my nails. It's like a meditation, waiting for polish to dry. I have to be quiet, not move about, be patient.

And the end of the week....Mail Art catch up and pumpkin time.

 I think of this as a portrait of a pumpkin. This one was small and meant to be made into pie, but instead I baked it and mashed the "meat."





Then I made it into a Pumpkin bread using the recipe that came with the new baking pan that my honey bought for me.

I'd seen it in an old magazine and he found it for me on-line. I love it and the recipe is really good. You can find the recipe on my recipe blog - here.

 Isn't this pretty? And it tasted so good, too.

#300

This used another Victorian scrap and a BIG question, in Español.

I couldn't get to the scanner, but then who needs to these days, I have a phone! That's one of my fave autumn nail polish colors on my nail.

#301

A scrap from an old French phrase book, a few dots, and a Miro sticker.

#302

I had to alter an old postcard - I had the urge to resurrect the Highway Beautification Project - but in a new guise, major public historic site improvement. How did the committee do on this one?

Wednesday, already?

#184

#34

 These are the last of the vintage paper and map cards, for now. I followed my own rule and started to make a new series on Monday.










I used quotes from the Dalai Lama XIV and was happy with the reception when I posted them on Facebook.

The quotes have nothing to do with the images, totally unconnected except in the way that we make connections, ourselves, in any randomness. Know what I mean?



New stamps! I'm so happy that my new international forever stamps arrived in the mail, followed a day or so later, by the new postcard stamps - apples, illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators: John Burgoyne.

I don't mind the price hike. Still inexpensive for the service provided, getting my mail art out into the world.

185

When Monday arrived I had NO idea what to do for my next series. I pulled out a portfolio from under my work table and found a bunch of prints of my moving car photos - taken along the New Jersey turnpike several years ago.

#35

Okay, what can I do with these? I remembered how much I like the mail art card I received that had inlaid circles in it. I'd try that. I punched out circles in different sizes from the print. I then punched out circles of different colors and set them into the print. Very cool, inlaid circles. I like it. To get the full effect, one needs to see these in person. On the screen, hard to tell what's going on.

Here's the big salad that I made for dinner a few days ago. This is one of our favorite things to eat. 

More on Saturday, Mail Art plus

#181

 The quotes on the reverse of these cards are from the Dalai Lama XIV.

They have been very satisfying for me and seem to "resonate" with people.

The Lama surely knows what he's talking about!

#183

#182

#32

#33

For instance, the quote on this one:
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." 









And this one: "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."













The source of material for these cards is an old Paris guide book, VERY old, and old receipts for goods, that are also VERY old. I add the rubber stamp image, reproduction post marks.








With this one, I got daring, I broke the grid and angled the paper. It give the composition more action.

 This is a treat from my friend Dean, in Paris. I joined his banana group. I'm not sure what I'll do in the group but it's got to be banana related. Dean made this digital collage for me. How perfect that he lives somewhere that there are Mim stores.

This past week, I got a wonderful surprise. Mary E, a mail art buddy, sent me this gorgeous tiny tea cup, and an extra tiny saucer. It's just so gold and blue. I love it. Thanks, Mary!