Happy New Year!
I thought I had done pretty well in 2022. I returned to the mail art world--and then promptly "retired" when I started to get overwhelmed with mail and knew I couldn't keep up. I didn't quit, just "retired" (i.e. removed my address from anywhere it was visible in the mail art world and asked not to have anything sent to me). But I still churned pieces out...166 of them, to be exact (NOT counting all of the individual art cards I made for various projects). I thought I had gotten to a comfortable spot--not "owing" anyone mail and sending mail as I felt appropriate.
Then the holidays came and I got slammed. I tried to keep up--and did somewhat. I had Christmas to deal with, friends up visiting, etc. There was no time. But eventually I got "caught up" (temporarily).
Here's a look at the mail I got and sent over the holidays--as well as the big Christmas card exchange between some of my core friends. Strap yourself in...This is a long-ish one (with LOTS of pictures):
IUOMA (International Union of Mail Art) member, Mike Parsons sent me a letter inside of a mail art envelope that he fashioned himself. While I appreciate the gesture--it was very nice of him to create and send it--I have asked people over and over to please not send me mail. I have my reasons. Of course, my banning them from sending me mail---while I still freely send them mail---probably seems like I'm being unreasonable. But no one has ever asked me not to send them something. I'm NOT ganging up on Mike. He seems like a very nice man. I'd just rather not get mail. It stresses me out and makes my life that much harder.Thank you--sincerely--but no thank you.
THE CHANGED: This is a super rushed, last-minute envelope I actually made right after my last post. I got the piece of mail (above) the night before I was to go off island--for the last time until just before Christmas (weather permitting). I literally had NO IDEAS and just used some (unrelated) images of people with blank eyes. This was the outcome. I know it's not the best example to WOW you with for a new post for the new year. Just bear in mind that this is technically a last-minute add on for last year...and move on. NEXT!
As it got closer to the holidays, I realized that my trip to California would happen during the time my IUOMA friend Maxima Strange would be asking for submissions to her next Goth project. This one is to somehow be a valentine. I've had an idea for weeks. Knowing I'd be gone and unable to do it, I whipped out the 13 requested cards quickly. This time though, I cheated a bit. I cut out ONE of the images I wanted, placed it on the heart and made 13 copies. Then all I had to do was cut out the heart and a bit of the dress. That made it much easier--but not as interesting. That's okay. It is what it is. This is what I came up with. I do hope Maxima likes it.
An here are all 13 copies I made. Joy...
As I've done in the past, I expanded the card into an envelope with the title "Isn't It NecRomantic?" If it looks rushed, it's because it is. I wanted to take a break from mail art for the holidays. (I was so behind with holiday chores.) I didn't even think to put a background on it. I just wanted it done quickly. There are three or four pictures online of this same Victorian girl and ghoul...which I was lucky to find.
Just when I was ready to relax a bit and enjoy some ho-ho-ho time, I received this amazing packet from IUOMA's Coco Muchmore!
It was chock-full o' goodness, including a very nice note.
But the work inside...oh my stars! They were exquisite. The photos do not do them justice. My favorites are the Christmas tree and the moon painting. Zowie! I was so impressed.
So, I slapped together
A VERY UN-HO!-HO!-HOLY CHRISTMAS, turning images from the 1959 Mexican movie SANTA CLAUS (complete with the devil-like character) into a holiday slasher...although light on the blood shown, as I want the envelope to find it's way to Coco. It was a tired Christmas attempt, but... It may also be the LAST one (as I was hoping for when I ended my last post) until spring as I have run out of black ink. I've reordered more...but it won't be here until the 24th. My only options now are use existing images and/or email things to myself to print at the library. (However the last time I did that, the printer there was broken.)
The same day I received Coco's mailing, I got a bonus surprise pack from mail artist Ken B. Miller. Wowzer! It was an explosion of wild images, artist stamps, stickers, a Christmas card (made from his own original artwork) and one of his collages of faces. So awesome!
THE HOUSE OF NEVERENDING HORROR: This is what I came up with for him. Yep...back to the haunted house schtick. Oh well...
The very next day, boom! Amy Kiessling sent me stun-o-licious packet o' fun!
In it was a mail art piece of a Christmas goose, a silly clipping, a Christmas card from her boyfriend, Chris, and a very nice letter. Whoo hoo!
There was also this cool band poster she scored for me somewhere. No, I don't know the bands---but love the faux comic book art.
This is what I slapped together from images already printed. NIGHT IN THE CEMETERY. Ho hum...
If you'll recall, in my previous post, I was in a Christmas card challenge with my best friends. Mine were mailed off and received. Erich's were mailed off and received. Vye and Shookie have mailed their cards off, but only the one from Vye to me had arrived by the time I started this post. The others would arrive soon. But there was a new wrinkle. My friend Nedra was coming to the island for the holidays. She would be around for the Zoom call where we opened our envelopes and see our cards. I didn't want her to feel excluded, so I made her an envelope, too. Using the same image I used for THE COOKIE CUTTER envelope, I had to come up with a whole new story line about THE FRANKENGINGERSTEIN MONSTER to make it work. Nothing like a little last-minute ho-ho-ho. (UGH!)
I started making the envelope, before I realized, DUH! I need to make a CARD. So make a card I did.
Like the other three I sent to Shookie, Vye and Erich, it's a pop-up card. It's different than theirs though. Almost SHOCKING!
I hope the pop-up image inside didn't offend her, It's meant as a joke. Who expects to find Santa naked in a Christmas card? Ha! I hope she likes it. This is the last thing I made in 2022.
When we got to the actual opening of cards, this is what my friends created for me. From Shookie, I had this card:
Inside she had a pop-up picture of a winter scene.
On the back of the pop-up was a chainsaw-wielding Santa Claus! Ha!
For our friend Erich, who was up here for Christmas, Shookie made him this card:
Inside was a pop-up Jesus.
Vye sent pictures of the card Shookie made her.Vye loves the Rankin/Bass holiday specials, so Shook made her this Rankin/Bass-themed card.
The characters were straight out of their classic RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER special.
She even included the Bumble!
Vye's cards were also clever. For Erich, who had been listening to my PARTRIDGE FAMILY Christmas CD the last few weeks before Christmas, she made him a "tree" with PARTRIDGE FAMILY ornaments. Mine was an assemblage of pop culture celebrities from my growing up years in the 60's/70's and 80's. Everyone from MaryAnn and Mrs. Howell on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, to a 1970's MICKEY MOUSE CLUB mouseketeer, all the way up to the tree-topper, Geri Reischl (aka "Fake Jan" from THE BRADY BUNCH VARIETY HOUR---for which every Jan. 2 I celebrate "Fake Jan Day").
For Shookie who loves Harry Styles, Vye made her a tree with Harry Styles ornaments.
Erich and I collaboratively made special bonus cards for our friends. One featured Shookie as the Christ child (with Vye as the virgin).
The other featured Vye as the divine infant and Shook as the virgin. Erich and I are also both in each.
Erich's cards to Shookie and Vye were identical, featuring these intricate boxes that he fashioned himself. They were amazing (and I'm so MAD at myself for only getting this shot of one card before it was even completed). We all loved our cards and had a great time Zooming. Nedra has decided she will join us next year when we do this card exhange again.
Getting back to more standard mail art... I had something from IUOMA mail artist Mike Parsons.
In it was an art card he had made, correctly addressing it to "Curmudgeonly Monster-A-GoGo" (Because I do NOT want people sending me mail art.)...but he had incorrectly addressed it. (Which is why it was resent in the envelope above.)
It was very nice of him to send it, though...even if I am a mail art curmudgeon.
I finished this for him just about an hour + past midnight on January 1st.
Just before Christmas, my copy of Maxima Strange's YULE project (that I had participated in) arrived.
Well, because we had snow--and the post office was not delivering mail because of it (so much for the postman's motto, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.")--I had to physically go to the post office myself and demand my mail. Ha!
But what a gloriously cool bumper crop o' different mail art styles was within with the various cards from the participating artists. Thank you, Maxima and all who participated!
Also rescued from the post office just in time for the holiday was a packet of Christmas goodness from the one and only BonnieDiva!
It was fa-la-la-la-la full of holiday wonderment, including one of her precious Bon-Zines. This one was the Holiday Entertaining edition! Ho-ho-ho!
What I came up with for BonnieDiva... Eh. THE MIDNIGHT CHURCH is lame...and way too cluttered. I was going to call it MIDNIGHT MASS...but then I remembered there is a TV series on Netflix called that, or so I'd heard. Either way...it still didn't come out great. (It probably won't reach BonnieDiva anyway. She's only gotten one or two envelopes I've sent her. UGH! But I have stopped--for now--having things poke out off of the edges, so maybe it WILL get through...)
Although she considers herself an artist (and she IS) and NOT a mail artist, I was astounded by my friend Skye Levine's incredibly beautiful holiday card she sent. The photos don't do it justice. Wow! Wow! Wow! And since she sent it through the mail, mail art is IS (whether she likes it or not).
She did both the front and back o' the card, too. It really is a stunner.
Normally, if I was going to send her something, I would include her wife in the sending. But her card I found so unique. I loved it and thought she deserved her own piece o' mail art as a thank you. This is the envelope I came up with for her. Eh...cheesy sci-fi is not very like her at all. But that's what came together in my head as I was looking through the images I had saved.You never know what will come out when you start. It's not the best, but... It's done!
On the last mail day o' the year, I received this from mail artist Carien van Hest of the Netherlands.
It was a charming mail art Christmas card. What a nice way to close out the year.
In a hurry to get responses out before I go to California to escape the rest of the winter here in the Pacific Northwest, I whipped this out utilizing pieces I had already cut out. The only new aspects of it were the words; the title, address, and verbiage on the top. (In other words, it was a quickie!) It came out...okay. I hope she likes it.
And that's it for now. I have a backlog of envelopes I need to make for several people---but they will all have to WAIT. I am heading to California for 6 weeks and plan to do ZERO mail art while I'm away. Yes, I'm leaving my scissors and glue stick at home. If/when I make it back in mid-ish February, I'll think about jumping in again. But I do have so many other things and other projects waiting for me to get back home as well. We will see what, if anything, the future brings.
CHEERS and thanks for joining me once again.
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Comments
anyway, I got here... I really like your stories and the light way you write... it's a lot of fun...
They are very rich and creative works. It doesn't matter which category of artist each one is, but if we identify with the piece and its artist. What counts is the intention, the will to produce and send it to someone. Have an unforgettable vacation and hope to see you soon at the post office. <3