mail art

First of the Summer Mail Art

Make something every day.

That’s my plan for the summer. Not counting travel days.  There’s plenty to do around here. .

I started today by finishing off a bunch of mail art cards I’ve been working on for a while.  The first one is made inside a small jewelry box.  I picked up a bunch of small boxes at SCRAP in San Francisco last fall, thinking they would be something unusual I could mail.  Add a bunch of papers I made, some scraps and a bunch of HO scale passengers…I like the surreal result.

These are the product of two things.  One is an old Monopoly game I found at a yard sale.  The other is a print making lesson that was part of a workshop at the Asian Art Museum.

I’ve made quite a few, since once you make a stamp you may as well make a bunch of prints from it.  They’re going out to members of the IUOMA (International Union of Mail Artists), most of them in the United States, but one’s heading to Greece and one to Russia.

These four are made from old book pages that I painted, then tore into squares. I collaged them together and outlined each piece in pen. I like the results. The pen outline is what really makes them work.

I’ve been making mail art for many years now.  I’ve been numbering each piece and am approaching #300.

These are all stamped and reading to go out in the mail tomorrow.

5 thoughts on “First of the Summer Mail Art”

  2. These are gorgeous, James! While I am not so talented when it comes to art like this, I do admire those who do it.

    1. Thank you. Since mail art is usually post card size art, it’s not at all intimidating. It’s the perfect thing for people who don’t consider themselves artistic, like me. I look at it as just playing around. You really can just paint a few random strokes on a piece of paper and come up with a decent looking postcard.

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