Round Mail Art!

#981

 

 

I like the round format of altered CDs. I'm not sure these are actually making it through the postal system as I haven't heard back from any recipients. I hope they are cause I really like them and want them to go "naked" into the world. However, if I find out that they aren't getting to the destinations, I'll use an envelope. What do you think? Envelope? Maybe one with a window cut out in the middle?

Mail Art & a 4 o'clock

 This altered CD is being sent to a young person who attended my Mail Art workshop for kids at BBGB. He sent me some Mail Art almost immediately. I think this turned out really nicely. I like the illusion of depth and how the colors worked together to make this sort of a seamless illustration. It's no photo shop, but rather mu usual cut and past. The poem is from random bits of text. If I were the "hang on to all of my pieces" type of artist, I'd hang on to this one for sure. I really like it.  I hope the recipient will like this, oh, I first hope that it makes it through the mail. It's going "naked", not in an envelope.

It's been chilly here, yes, chilly, and gray and drizzly, so no pool for the past couple days. Here's photo of some flowers on my 4 o'clock bushes. This one is giving out two toned blossoms. Pretty cool. I have only 1 yellow bush, which is dismaying as I haven't seen any in the neighborhood to glean seeds from. I like the yellow flowers a lot. I hope my bush produces lots of seeds so I can assume I'll have more bushes in the future in that color. Any ideas about growing 4 o'clocks?

Starting a new week.

 What a weekend, with unbelievably hot weather. What to do? Make some mail art, that's what.
Here's another altered CD going out into the world. I hope it makes it. I'm sending it to someone on the opposite coast. The last piece I sent her, never arrived. Dang!
This one is called " her smile seemed to see everything. Piano attempted not to stare. For Sure!"

 This is soothing, so cool, so perfect for a hot day. It's going off to someone as a birthday card. Some of the circles are punched holes, some are dots on top of the paper. Fooled you!

 I like these chairs outside of a little restaurant nearby. It was too hot to sit outside of course, but, aren't they inviting anyway?

 Since I was staying indoors to avoid the heat, I thought I'd clean my refrigerator. Also, there was an odd smell in it. It was very satisfying to take everything out & discard odd things. I emptied an old bottle of Liquid Smoke and this is what the bottle looked like emptied. An interesting design left on the inside, residue of smoke? I never found out what smelled, except maybe the blue cheese? I used vodka and water to clean the 'fridge.' It worked great. Have you tried that?

This morning, the temperature was pleasant, the humidity low, and there was a warm breeze. I sat out on the lounge chair with my morning coffee. Here's my view of the bench corner. It's very gray and rain appears to be on it's way.

Since it was cooler, I actually went out in my car (which doesn't have air conditioning) to the post office this afternoon. I mailed this little book, 3.5" x 7", to a Book Art exhibit that will be in Moscow in November. The book is an altered catalog, with 30 pages. I started it in 2008, while in Paris - left it sitting around my studio all this time - worked on it more this past week, and voila Mail Art Booklet completed. I scanned all of the pages in case this doesn't make it to it's destination. Oh I hope it does.

All the usual fun!

 The pool this morning was nice, even if the water was 90F.  No one was there but us!











This is my latest, #966, and it's going to London. I sure hope it gets there. I like the poem - "For Sure! The wind felt immensely pleased."  I pick up pieces of text randomly and somehow they make lovely poems, these random bits. Do you ever do that? Let randomness take over for a little while! See what happens.

I made a bean salad on 3 July. It's a classic. I posted the recipe on my food blog here. It is sooo good, we've hardly any left and it's only the 6th!
Make this and let me know how you like it, okay?

Okay, it's still hot here. What's it like in your area?

Mail Art and Dots!

 Here's a photos that N. took of me using an app. on his phone. Pretty fun. Dotty me!

 This is my 900th piece of mail art since I started to number them on 1 Dec. 2010. I was pretty excited about doing this one, didn't know what it'd be, or who'd get it. In my studio I just grabbed the first thing at hand, and decided that a person who hadn't had mail from me in awhile would get it.

Can you see the text? That's the title of this piece. "suddenly very foolish, she grinned, proudly and wide."

 This is #899. I used a very old piece of paper that had the name Dean written on it so I'm sending it to my friend Dean.

I've prepared a small mail art kit for myself, and a number of postcard blanks, because I'm off to Los Angeles tomorrow to see my 98 year old Mom.  I'll photograph and post what I make while on the other coast.


Today, I did my Mail Art talk for the Osher Institute at the University of Richmond. It was a lot of fun and the participants were so involved and interested. I hope I've created enough excitement that they'll make mail art on their own and have the same wonderful experiences that I have.

Oops, the truth about my numbers!

 Ooops, I mis-spoke when I said that I was at #900. I think I WANTED to be at that, but, alas, I've still a little ways to go.
This CD collage got mailed off the other day, going very far away, I hope it makes it. It's #891.

#897

 Last night, while watching the wonderful PBS series ART21, which included Ai Wei Wei and El Anatsui (love their work,) I sat still and made 6 pieces of Mail Art. I was so inspired!

My friend Val wants to know the relationship between the music, the postage stamps, and the text. You decide. What could it be?

 I am so fond of this kind of Iris. These are, unfortunately, not in my garden. I spotted them on a walk in my neighborhood.

 Here is what my back garden looked like before I started the re-do. I didn't like those pencil trees at the right, creating a "wall" as I entered from the back gate. The pines along the fence were dying slowly from lack of sunlight. The entire area looked too stiff and regular for me.

Here's the re-do. It's not completed yet. Since this photo was taken, the round stone has been removed and a rectangle in it's place. I've planted more in the front section. I can't wait til everything comes up, so I can see what else to plant there. I'm definitely pleased with this  arrangement. My friend Shelia, made it happen. Less formal, for sure. Now to find a tree that takes morning sun, for the left corner behind the potted bamboo. Any ideas for me? I'd like it to get as tall as the fence.

More round mail art and the back garden

"...bright and sunny..."

 Thanks to my friend BeeBee, who sent me some CDs to play with, I'm able to continue my round mail art series.


I tried some big images and I think they work nicely on these. Looming!

"...and a moment later..."

Go roundies go, roll off to your destination. These are being sent to people in the U.S.A. Wish them luck!

I

Re-working the back garden area. With the help of someone to do the work, and discuss my ideas with me, namely our friend S, I'm getting a garden that I like. This shows the stone path in place. Not done yet. Path to be changed up a bit, pencil trees have been moved, pines in back have been removed. It's getting more to my taste. Wilder looking, less formal. I like it already.

Round Mail Art

 Here's one of the round pieces of mail art being put into the post box the other day. I put no return address on it, as per advise from my mail art friend, Dean. This way, he says, the postal service has to deal with it. Dean's the guy who sent me sand from Normandy Beach in a zip lock baggie, from France. And it got to me!!

 This was headed to the mid-western part of the U.S.A.

This one headed to Canada.  I hope they both arrive! I'll let you know.

CD mail art & a funny story in Paris

 My friend Katerina has inspired me to use old CDs, & ones that come in the mail advertising something, as Mail Art material.  Here I am mailing one yesterday.

 Here's the reverse, me covering address so it'll be a surprise to the recipient, but showing that there's no return address. This is a hint from my friend Dean, who sends wild stuff through the mail. He figures that once there's a stamp on it, and it's in the mail box, the postal service has to deal with it. And indeed it has, Dean sent me sand from Normandy Beach in France in a small plastic bag. I received it.

 Here's the close up of the CD mail art, my second one of what I hope will be many.

 Here's a funny bird that we spotted at Fountain Lake during the past week. We don't know what it is but the gulls and geese didn't mind it's presence. Anyone? Sorry the image is small, I took it with my cell phone from a distance.

Okay, now my funny, to me at least, story.  When we were in Paris, Dean recommended that we see a performance by his neighbor, which was playing at a near by venue. So I went on-line, ordered the tickets, looked up the address on Google-maps, even put the little person on the street and had it look around so I'd not walk past the narrow passage (pah-sahje) leading to the theatre. We're all set for a night of fun. The show is in English, one hour long, and will teach us to be Parisian.  The show was very funny. We laughed a lot and learned how to be Parisian. (check it out here.)I actually put some of the hints into play later that week. No, seriously, I used some of the looks and shoulder shrugs and felt quite good about it.

But here's the funny part, to me. The weekend after seeing the performance was the Mail Art meet-up. After a day of making Mail Art, our little group made it's way to Dean & his wif'e's apartment for dinner. We did the code on the entry, got in, the door closed behind us and we were in the dark, not knowing where the light switch was. Oops. So the three guys with their tiny flashlights/torches aimed them at the panel of names (with the buttons to push for entry into the next set of doors to the elevator.) Suddenly, the outer door opens and the entry light comes on. I turn (everyone does) to face the door and there is a couple. A man and a woman, face to face with yours truly (I was at the back of the little group of flashlight bearers.) I realized in a nano second that it was Olivier, the performer! His eyes were wide in surprise, of course, seeing this huddled mass of people with tiny torches peering at the call box. And I say - "Oh My God, it's you!" at which he is even more wide eyed. I'd used a line from his show, that he said all the time to indicate an American woman. "Oh My God." I had to do it, I had to say it, I couldn't help myself, he triggered it in my brain. I followed it with, "We saw your show." He said thanks, waved at us, said good night, went up the stairs, as we stifled our laughter. We managed to get up to the apartment before we fell to laughing, as I explained what happened. The Mail Art group didn't know who the man was, but the whole thing of what it must have been like for him to see us there in the dark, made us laugh harder.

I'm not sure this is funny, if one wasn't there, but if you are ever in Paris, check and see if this performance is still playing and go see it. It's really funny and maybe you'll get the chance to run into Olivier somewhere in the city, like we did. Just carry a tiny flashlight, in case you need it.