Time to post more Mail Art

 A CD that I collaged and sent to Adamandia in Chicago. It got there without damage. I used the Dean, Artist in Seine technique of NO return address.

 My really good good news is that my Mail Art archive has been deeded to Special Collections of the Virginia Commonwealth University Library. And I'll pass along more this summer. I spent a lot of time sorting through my mail, putting artists work together, remembering all the wonderful mail days. Oh my, such fine work. And from all over the world.

I was excited to let everyone know, via social media and IUOMA group, that their work has been put into a library for ever! The work will eventually be digitized and made available to the public.

This summer, the librarian/curator and I will plan a program to be done at the library. She was very excited to learn that Mail Art is still being made and that the network of Mail Artists is very large.

Here are a few of my face pieces. I have such fun with these.

 This piece is a Persian card that a friend gave to me. I think the glasses and hand go perfectly on it. I feel so happy when things come together like this.

My friend Andrea, in the U.K. sent me the postcard awhile ago as part of her Lost Art project. It's an old tourist photo of Natural Bridge with a couple in the foreground. I added the hand only, which really made me laugh.

Some fun discoveries - student work

Student 1

 I was doing some house cleaning in my studio, and came across a folder with copies of work done by my students. These were just photo copies that I'd made on the copier at work, to have a record. However, there were no names and no dates on any of the work.

Here are a few of them. More to come.
These were done in my Basic Design class in early 2000s. There were done without use of a computer. All cut and paste. They were done to demonstrate the principles of basic design.

student 2

 I'm blown away by them. They're amazing and I only hope that the students who did these got an "A" from me. So far, no one has come forth (via social media) to claim any as their own.

student 3

 Here are some of the principles: Gravity, space, direction, and concentration.

Which is your favorite!

student 4

student 5

An award!

How nice to be noticed. I got this lovely award from Lesa.
Now I'm supposed to tell you seven things about me that you might not know, but since I've been blogging awhile, and you might be a regular reader, I'm a pretty open book. Seven things, hmmm. Okay, how about these:
1. When I was little, way before most electronic devices were invented, I wanted a device that I could put under my pillow that would teach me languages while I was asleep. I day-dreamed that one day I'd wake up and be able to speak Italian fluently, or Greek, or French, etc. I was about 10 years old at the time.
2. I sang with the Virginia Commonwealth University Choral Art Society for 7 years. I miss it.
3. I was a pretty decent ice skater when I was a kid.
4. I love hats and have some really nice hand made ones. Check out Ignatius.
5. I have lots of different colors of nail polish & once I had 8 different Golds.
6. I once swallowed a dime.
7. I've known my husband for 50 years. (OMG!! how can that be!?)

I want to pass this award to: Beanie at Found-art, what fun to read.
and to: Anke Martin, who here shares her family life, her art life and her beautiful photos with us.
There are soooo many more blogs that I adore and read regularly, you know who you are, YOU make my days delightful. Thanks, merci beaucoup, danke, gracias.

French Film Festival, whew!

Last weekend, we attended the 16th annual VCU French Film Festival, the biggest one of it's kind in the U.S. We were so tired at the end of the weekend. Amazing how tiring it is to watch movies. (smile) We started at 3 p.m. on Friday and ended at 8h30 p.m. on Sunday. We saw 9 of the 11 feature films and 12 out of 13 shorts. Amazing! We recommend "Ensemble, C'est toute" and "Un Secret," top of our list, but many other films were enjoyable, too. Lots of the films were based on books this year. I'd read Ensemble as Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda. The film turned out to be a good adaptation. The festival is held in the historic Byrd Theater, which is one of those old movie palaces. It's really a great looking theater with a Dolby sound system that's top notch, but the seats are horrible. Break your bottom and back awful. Some day it'll be changed; but' we just hope that by next year we forget that part and return for the films.