Simple rubber stamps

I ran out of rubber erasers, but my friend Bobbi gave me a few. So, I carved some new stamps - just simple ones. I needed a walking person for a project, and also some mushrooms for another.

Two new RAKS came in the mail

The one with the very clever scissors was from Meridel. The 8 1/2 x 11 collage came from Emily Pruitt. Was I ever surprised to open that big envelope and see this one. Thanks both of you for these special treats. I suppose you know if you click on them they get larger so you can see the details.

Back to Punwit

Here the postal ready to go back to Punwit with a big Work in Progress stamp on the back. It will be so cool to see what he does to it next.

Good Mail Day Saturday

Wat could brighten up a gloomy rainy day more than some fab mail art? Recently I sent a post card to Punwit. Here is what he returned, a challenge to go back and forth. I'll post it later when it's ready to send back to him and also in it's final transformation. The striking gal in the big hat is from Georgayne from the CPS swap I'm hosting, a one for one. The fabulous chicken collage is from Fast Eyes.

Now, I'm going to go play with the one Punwit returned. I already glued on a couple elements but I think I want to change the background now.

More post cards for Feb

More of the Bushisms are ready to mail. I'm not sure whether I should mail them to friends in Texas?

Darker fabric post cards

The top image used a fabric from the fat quarter section at Beverly's from a few years ago. I always liked it, but could not think how or where to use it until I got the second urban fabric. Rosemary found the second one at Joannes, and I had to rush to buy some as well. I love the urban feel of it Here are some pics. Feb. "LOST" series.

Feb series

These are from a series of fabric covered post cards I made this month.

The background is an old sheet I bought at Macys probably 20 years ago. It's one of my fav fabrics.

Cardboard cards for Feb

My friend Jackie occasionally sends me post cards made with cut up carboard boxes. So, I made one for her and also a few extras.

These are from the Feb series.

Naming Art

One of the online groups I follow is having a discussion on naming art. I have talked about this some before, but since it is on my mind this a.m., I'll post what I wrote in response to their question.

I show my art in a gallery so the pieces need titles. I usually incorporate some scraps from
poetry books into the backgrounds of my collages/paintings - and quite often they are the inspiration for the piece. So, I may use a few of those words in the title. I've noticed that the
more interesting the words in the title, the more interest the works get. Hmmmm.... So, I look for something provocative that will make the viewer ponder the work longer to find the answer to the question, "what does the title have to do with the piece?". It helps engage them. Because my collage builds on layers and layers, it takes a viewer awhile to really appreciate the nuances and bits that make up the whole. The title is another layer.

Nothing is more boring to me than titles like Green tree. Koi. Red circle. Man and woman. Seaside. Blue bottle. Okay, we get that without looking at the art. Nothing leads us into the work with a title like that. My titles may be a little obscure, but that adds to the mystery.

What's in the mail?

I wonder every day what will arrive. And lately I'm surprised almost daily. Today a sweet Valentine package, a celophane bag full of sweetheart candies, a lovely tag, shown here, and some paper crinkles. I"m sure they took special care of it, as nothing was bent, broken, or disturbed. Looked as fresh as if Pat had put it into my mailbox herself. Thanks Pat. A mystery Valentine arrived with a post mark from my town. Hmmmm.... I don't recognize the handwriting. Wonder who sent it? It's the wrong time of year for Secret Santas, so what do I call this? It's very nice, and someone put a lot of thought and effort into it. Thank you Secret Pal.

Yesterdays mail brought a darling little creation by Roberta. An assemblage/collaged with images of Alice in Wonderland. She sent it as a surprise before leaving for a trip to Ireland. I also got a couple nice post cards - one from Marie and one from Susanne.

Mail art posted

Here are a couple pieces from last year. The red one is from Jaxx (ARTGURL II), and the pastel one is from Fast Eyes.

Mail call, a good day in Stockton

How great is this? The green one is from Charleen Pawlik, the red from Linda Giese, and the orange from Jennie Hinchcliff. My collection is growing.

Good mail

This post card was a RAK from Rachel. Lovely watercolors.

Found poetry

My good friend and artist pal Roberta posted a challenge to the Lodi Mixed Media Group. She suggested we use a poem by Longfellow and "find" our own poem within it. Here is my poem.

Thoughts of youth
Shadowy whispers

I remember magic

I remember WILD!!!
And music

I remember the dead.
Shadows of friendships
And early loves.

I remember longings,
thoughts,
dreams.

Strange, sweet sighing
Joy.

Beautiful thoughts of youth.

Here is the original Longfellow poem.

My Lost Youth, by H.W. Longfellow

Often I think of the beautiful town
That is seated by the sea;
Often in thought go up and down
The pleasant streets of that dear old town,
And my youth comes back to me.
And a verse of a Lapland song
Is haunting my memory still:
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.
I can see the shadowy lines of its trees,
And catch, in sudden gleams,
The sheen of the far-surrounding seas,
And islands that were the Hesperides
Of all my boyish dreams.
And the burden of that old song,
It murmurs and whispers still:
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."

I remember the black wharves and the ships,
And the sea-tides tossing free;
And Spanish sailors with bearded lips,
And the beauty and mystery of the ships,
And the magic of the sea.
And the voice of that wayward song
Is singing and saying still:
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."

I remember the bulwarks by the shore,
And the fort upon the hill;
The sunrise gun, with its hollow roar,
The drum-beat repeated o'er and o'er,
And the bugle wild and shrill.
And the music of that old song
Throbs in my memory still:
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."

I remember the sea-fight far away,
How it thundered o'er the tide!
And the dead captains, as they lay
In their graves, o'erlooking the tranquil bay
Where they in battle died.
And the sound of that mournful song
Goes through me with a thrill:
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."

I can see the breezy dome of groves,
The shadows of Deering's Woods;
And the friendships old and the early loves
Come back with a Sabbath sound, as of doves
In quiet neighborhoods.
And the verse of that sweet old song,
It flutters and murmurs still:
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."

I remember the gleams and glooms that dart
Across the school-boy's brain;
The song and the silence in the heart,
That in part are prophecies, and in part
Are longings wild and vain.
And the voice of that fitful song
Sings on, and is never still:
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."

There are things of which I may not speak;
There are dreams that cannot die;
There are thoughts that make the strong heart weak,
And bring a pallor into the cheek,
And a mist before the eye.
And the words of that fatal song
Come over me like a chill:
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."

Strange to me now are the forms I meet
When I visit the dear old town;
But the native air is pure and sweet,
And the trees that o'ershadow each well-known street,
As they balance up and down,
Are singing the beautiful song,
Are sighing and whispering still:
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."

And Deering's Woods are fresh and fair,
And with joy that is almost pain
My heart goes back to wander there,
And among the dreams of the days that were,
I find my lost youth again.
And the strange and beautiful song,
The groves are repeating it still:
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.

Mail Call - post cards

The Cat post card is from Roberta Schmidt. The Chicken in the cage is from Rosemary Hein, and the Posted card is from Jennie Hinchcliff.

There is no end to the variety and the types of techniques that can be used on postal art. That's what makes it so much fun.

Mail call again

Here are more post cards from my mailbox. This time I thought you might like to see the backs too. Some people make art on both sides. The ones on top are by Punwit. The bottom was from Pat Schmidt.

Mail call again

Here are more beauties that came in the mail. I identified the pcs on the images. The ATCs are from a group swap. The paper boats on green is from Margaret Scheers, The grey satin hopscotch is from Diane Ferguson. Geogeayne Adams sent the little horse, and Cindi sent the sewing machine. Swaps can be fun. This was a good one.

More to share

I'll be posting more of these as they are scanned. The Lovers is from Emily Pruitt, and the Renaissance woman is from Nancy Corrick.

Sharing the goodies

These are some of the wonderful pieces of mail art I have received. I'm tickled pink when I go to get my mail and find some wonderful unexpected creation from afar.

The eagle is from Carroll Woods, the Scrapbook is from Jackie Wight. Aren't these great?

Stitched post cards

These post cards used vintage quilt scraps and oter materials stitched to cardstock. Off they go for a swap.

What else? More postcards

I'm back to Bushisms and dogs this week. I hope I don't get on some political "list" for this, but I think they are funny and good fodder for art play. I scanned them two at a time so that's the way the photos come up.