Thursday, April 22, 2010

Garage Sale Finds and Mail Art.

I must have gone to a dozen garage sales last weekend, and most were lousy-but, I did manage to find a couple rad items. And, I did send and receive some quality mail art this past week, so all is not lost!

This little guy is actually a pencil sharpener. Who'd have thought something so cute could also be so functional?




Secondly, I discovered this lovely treasure box, handpainted and decoupaged. The crafter who did this was a womyn after my own heart (yes, I know it was a womyn because the seller told me so)

The lid- which initially drew me in...


Only to find it's this wonderful blue owl interior.....





AND NOW, time for a selection of last week's mail.
RECEIVED:

Barn Owl Card sent from my friend Carolyn- she knows well my love for owls



Totally neat postcard I received from Hope Hayes (Knitsicle) via Swap-bot. Not only is this card painted and embroidered, its inspired by a Bikini Kill song! Could this be any radder?



Isn't it a lovely envelope? Received from Eileen Oh via SendSomething.Net - the tea was great by the way- I love the strong floral tones of Jasmine.





SENT:


A little creature that I drew with a Bic pen, and added a little color with an oil pastel Sent to a fellow mail artist.


The name of this picture is "Chaos in Cancerland" and was drawn by Jamie Reed (he did all of the art for the Sex Pistols). I refined the linework a little, added a touch of rose here and dash of violet there, and dusted some glitter on for whimsy. Sent to my penpal Meg.


That's all for now, it's getting late. perhaps more tomorrow...





Friday, April 16, 2010

Some Old Art.

A few drawings that I've had kicking around for awhile, I created these about 3-4 years ago. I only drew Punks & Cowboys/girls those days... My drawing subjects have widened since then, but you gotta love the old classics- peppered with a bit of my teenage angst.




A mockery of nihilism. Its such a manifestation of internalized narcissism, you know?


Argyle Cowboy.... less gaudy than the rhinestone cowboy.



Ruckus- A self Portrait of a gunslinging bandita.


Be as the raccoons, find beauty and freedom through the treasures buried within your local dumpster.




I know, Angsty, huh?



Something I've gotta see just over those blue hills.....

Monday, April 12, 2010

Things that made me happy today.

Ever have those days that are just uniformly lovely throughout? Well, I have- and such is today. A day for being delighted by simple things, creature comforts really. Thought I'd post a few of the things make me smile, a photographic ode to the common pleasures of my everyday life.







Received this exquisite handpainted
watercolor postcard today from another
mail-artist (Bill Porter of The Olathe Poste).
Such a beautiful treasure to find in the post box.










Though this postcard is not new to my post box, I do adore it and I keep it on my wall. The blockprint art on it is totally rad, and Dandelion is one of my favorite herbs in the whole world!!!!!!


These bird clothes pins are still pretty new to my collection of knickknacks. They are basically one of the neatest things I've ever seen and I just can't get over how charming they are.











I know it's silly, but I truly do treasure my address Book. Not only does it hold the names and addys of some of my very favorite people, the cover always brightens my mood. My favorite detail of this picture? The envelope that the girl is holding is addressed to Jane Eyre- one of the most fascinating and knowing of literary heroines.






Lastly, I am stoked because I just finished this ATC and I'm always glad when I make something that A) I'm proud of and B) will make someone else's day when they receive it! If I had one other picture on here, it would be of a steaming cup of tea, because I love drinking tea, by myself or with others, caffeine or non, sweetened with honey or just savoring it straight.

It was raining only a little this afternoon, so I went for a walk.

Here in northern Oregon, it has been raining for nearly two weeks straight now! Though this is nothing new, I was getting antsy for a long walk. Today was reasonably dry, so I decided to go on a lengthy stroll in the woods along the lake shore. Cloudy days and long walks are the very best for contemplating life and purpose. I also took some pictures during my walk, I feel they do better justice to the beauty of this landscape than my words do....

This is a view of Foster Lake- just peeking through the trees. Its a magical body of water, when I was a child I was convinced Mermaids lived in it. I have yet to see them, but any kind of magic worth believing in is all about faith!

A trillium flower. A long time ago, I was dismayed when told that I couldn't pick them because they were endangered. I longed to weave them into flower necklaces and crowns... Now that I'm a little bit older, I can appreciate them staying in the ground, lending their beauty to the forest.


A really dear little bridge that has never ceased to absolutely charm me.

That's me, surveying the wonderful blue tones of that cloudy sky. Sometimes, I see a particular shade of color, or the design trees make silhouetted against a dark sky and it gives me a whimsical feeling- as though I am both reassured and yet saddened that everything in nature is made up of such particular, exquisite aspects that it can never truly be replicated....



I adore these old stumps. They derive from trees that were cut decades ago when they were building the lake (it's man made, maintained by a dam). They didn't bother pulling out the stumps, just left them and every year the lake washes away more of the soil around the roots. Well, to me, the stumps look like woody octopi who are climbing down the shore back to the lake. It's something that's special and beautiful to me, though I don't know if anyone else can see an octopus in a tree stump. Hmm.......


Saturday, April 10, 2010

Some of the loveliest Mail Art Postcards I've ever received.

This morning I was sorting through my postcards over a cup of tea, and I thought I'd share some of my favorite pieces.....


This is one of my favorites of all time, because it has a Raccoon and alludes to Dumpster Diving!
(Received from Carroll Woods in March 2008)


This beauty was made last September by one of my best friends, Ali.








A watercolor Etegami-style Postcard from DosankoDebbie in Japan. (Sent via Sendsomething.Net)









I love Kathleen Hannah and any art that alludes to Feminism- because I think it (Feminism) is hella important and still valid in our society.
(Altered Art card received from Lynn Alexander on Halloween of 08')

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Silhouetted hillside against a cloudy sky.
(Lovely ink painting created by Dewi in Canada. Received via SendSomething.Net)

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Vintage Horse and Rider photograph with a goldleafed border.... I love Horses, including that Patti Smith album!
(Sent from my dear friend Jona when she was living on out in the country)


Altered photograph of a Gnome.
Created by Spinweaver for a "Gnome Postcard" swap via Swap-bot.

Very Crafty postcard made from vintage photographs pasted over an old dictionary page.
Created by Angela (StiffNeck18) for a "HandMade Postcard Swap" via Swap-bot.




Both of these postcards were created through digital collage, and sent via SendSomething.

The one of the left was sent from Cuan Miles in S. Africa.

The one on the right "A woman in Space" was created by Fast Eyes.







That's all for now friends. Perhaps for my next post I'll put up some mail art postcards that I've made, or I might post some photos of fine Mail Art envies that I've sent/received. Stay tuned!








Friday, April 9, 2010



I was originally forced to make this blog for an art class and I wasn't happy about it at the time- afterward I deleted all of my posts and haven't done anything with it since.

Lately though, I have been sifting through my beloved collection of mail art. Some pieces have been created by friends, but most are from people I've never met. I've been thinking I probably never will meet some of them, and yet I feel a connection with them through these postcards and letters. I think we create something new & magical whenever we share our art, or just things that are beautiful to us, with other people. So, I am hoping to use this blog to share wonderful things, to honor and to cultivate connections with other lovely souls.

Mostly, I will put up Mail Art that I've received or created- and hopefully inspire folks to craft and share more love through postal exchange. Also, I will be putting up images and words that inspire me-
Because the songs and pictures we need, they need us too.....