early September postcards

I'm finally back in the making art mood. Don't where it went all those months. Actually, I do know. I was reading my way thru all 5 available Game of Thrones books. What a great saga. Looking forward to the last two books, along with 47 million other people. Haven't watched the HBO series for the simple reason that we don't get HBO. So far the world hasn't ceased to turn, but at some point we'll need to sign up for a 3 month special or something cause I would like to see it.

Anyway, been knocking out postcards. Techniques and subjects have no discernible relation to one another, just whatever catches my eye. Seems I make art like I live my life, no real plan. Prolly not the best way, but a bit late to change it all now. This is the batch with a vintage feel.

These are all available if you'd like to trade. Just email me.

The bit of text cracked me up. Tried to find a photo it fit
but ended up liking it as the only element.

Misc gelli prints background with a bit of vintage photo.

Security envelopes, a few other papers and a photo of two kids.

Bird images from an old book, colored a bit,
old book text, Stabilo All pencil marks.

Bird postcards

Finally got a bit inspired by a swap on Mail Me Some Art - bird postcards. Had some unattractive gelli printed cards so drew birds on them and colored with oil pastels. Much better. I like the way the paint specs from my filthy gelli plate show thru.

incoming mail art, batch 1

Man, all that Olympics watching really put me behind, but it's all over for another two years so I'm back at the keyboard again. Lots of fun incoming mail art to show you, plus some of my own work. First up are misc cards sent to me for reasons other than a swap of some sort.

Terrie, another mail art pal, and I swap cards regularly, and I recently got one of her lettered cards in exchange for, um..., I guess I don't remember exactly what it was for. Maybe a stamp head ATC. I'd not heard this saying before and I quite like it. Thanks, Terrie!

When Connie posted a bunch of stamp head ATCs, I admired the Sun-Maid Raisin ones and the next thing you know, one shows up in the mail. Thanks, Connie!
I always used to think it said 'puffed seeded muscrats' when I was a kid. 

The gorgeous envelope that matches the ATC. Too fun. I'm going to tear it up and collage with it. Never used to be much of a purple person but like it much more the past several years.

A charming card sent to me by Pamela while she was at Ex Postal Facto, the mail art event held in San Francisco in the middle of Feb. Look at that ornate mail box, and his little basket of mail is too cute.

The back of Pamela's card is every bit as fun as the front. All sorts of stamps and stickers. I really enjoyed this card. Thanks, Pamela!

outgoing, eventually

Been making batches of mail art but my head's been in a odd place lately and when I look at these the next morning, it feels like someone seriously off their meds broke into my studio and made a bunch of postcards. Weird postcards. Postcards that sorta make me scratch my head and wonder what in hell I was thinking.

But at least I'm making art. 

More or less lol.
 

This one and the two below it are for an MMSA swap
where you need to use recognizable pieces of security envelopes,
the insides with the little patterns. 

1 out, 5 outs

Actually, I have more than one going out but you've seen the others already.
This one was made on the package from a set of foam insoles.
Any cardboard is fair game in my house. Gelli prints background
(what else!! gotta use up those 300 papers somehow)
magazine images and letters, some doodling.

Cute little hand drawn and painted chickadee card from Dawn.
I always love book text backgrounds, and her shaded writing is cool.

Marvelous collage from Connie Rose. I was crazy about her
 ICAD series and this card is sort of in that style -
few elements, minimal color palette.
And the motto was written just for me, I'm sure of it, because
I could eat Mex every day of the week!

Another hand drawn, hand painted card, this time from Peggy.
Because my drawing skills are, um, *poor*, I always appreciate
hand drawn cards. The colors in this one are lovely,
and the sentiment is a good one.
Love the little border. It's a small detail but really
makes a difference to the final look.

A fun collaged card from Trula.
I love the mix of color and b/w elements
on this card, something I shy away from
cause I think they don't 'go' together.
Well, obviously they do!
Also love the ransom note message.

This is a heavily collaged card from Lynn.
It started life as a huge collage that she then cut into postcards.
I love this card for the same reason I love scrap quilts -
there's just so much to look at.
And Mr Saturday Afternoon cracks me up.

outbound mailart

My husband looked at this one and said 'why the ha ha?'
Really??
It seems so obvious to me that she's not soft and fluffy.
She looks like the badass radical feminist mamas from the 60s.
To me at least.

Postcards going out in the next few days to private swappers. I get home from work an hour or two earlier than my husband and I use that time to make art. These were last night's production. The gelli print backgrounds were already done. I have a box with a big stack of postcards with backgrounds that are ready for collage or whatever. Makes it real handy to sit down and get a few cards done fairly quickly.

Gel medium transfer of my mom's family from a  1944 Christmas card.
She's at bottom right in the striped top.

Wild and crazy girls at the lake around 1942.
from left - aunt Carolyn, my mom, cousin Barbara, cousin Kaye
(I think)

MMSA outgoing postcards

Two for the pink swap and two for Lee's collage sheet swap.

For Lee's, you could use only the elements on the collage sheet she provided, so I printed it a few times at two different sizes and went to work.

The definition "in abundance" (small white rectangle) inspired both of these as I used the girl more than once on each. Did misc machine stitching on them as they looked a bit plain to me when I was done collaging.

The top card has "Alice" stitched on one girl and "twice" on the other. Alice, twice. Get it? Anyway, I like both of them and can't wait to see what other people do with the exact same elements.

The background is kraft card stock stitched around the edge tpo a piece of white card stock to hide the other stitching and give me a place to write.

The pink ones are mostly scrapbook paper backgrounds except for a bit of painted paper bag on the first one. The various elements are from magazines, sometimes as is, and other times I cut petals from a pink item. Got going on flowers because of the hat, i guess. Plus it's spring (more or less) so I'm seeing flowers everywhere.

 A couple bits of old large-print book text, some stitching, a few doodles.

The card I got back in the green swap were great, so I'm looking forward to the pink returns.

OY

Ah, Beth. Your winter mailart postcard arrived today and it gave me much more pleasure than you can even imagine.

Every day I come home from work, set down my purse, briefcase and lunch box, open the bird's cage so he can climb out and run around on top, and then I walk the dog down to the mailbox. We live in a neighborhood where the communal mailbox has 11 little locked doors, plus a slot to drop mail. So all along the street, every 5 or 6 houses, there's a mailbox on a post. Ours happens to be about 3 houses down on our side of the street. It's the perfect distance to walk the dog at nite. Not too far that we both freeze, but far enough that she stops to water the grass and I get a look at the nite sky. Tonite's moon is a waxing crescent with a slight halo. Very pretty. I could have been a moon worshiper in another life.

Anyway, we get to the mailbox, I unlock the #5 door, grab my mail, and lock it back up. We turn around and wander back up the street as I flip thru the mail when suddenly I come to Beth's card. I stopped in my tracks and began to laugh out loud. Normally a postcard with the theme 'winter' wouldn't be especially funny, but Beth's card had the word 'joy' in little round stick-on letters. Some place between Michigan and California, the J had gone astray, so that when I looked at the card, it had this lovely pale blue and white music thing going on with the word OY in the bottom right corner. Too funny. It totally sums up my December.

Thanks, Beth, for the lovely card. And for the chuckle. I love it - both for how it was supposed to be, and for how it arrived in my mailbox.