What's on my work table?

What's on my work table varies moment by moment. Here's some of what's on it right now:

   Lots of Dia de los Muertos & sugar skull images for ATC's and cards, Latte pens, ink pads and paper scraps. And that's just in one tiny section of my 6 foot table space! 
  What's on your work table right now?

OK, I'm impressed. I've been reading a lot of the speeches & interviews our new President has given and what he says is impressive. Is he truly what he seems to be? Hell, I don't know. But I do know that he's eloquent, incredibly charismatic, seems to speak from the heart and for the people. I can't help but be drawn to him and what he says. Something that completely amazes me.

This passage from a talk on capping executive salaries reflects what a whole bunch of us think:

This is America. We don’t disparage wealth. We don’t begrudge anybody for achieving success. And we believe that success should be rewarded. But what gets people upset – and rightfully so – are executives being rewarded for failure. Especially when those rewards are subsidized by U.S. taxpayers.

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I received a cool mail-art postcard today from my friend Raine. Which reminded me that it's been ages since I've sent out any cards through Post-Crossing. So tonight I went on their site and requested a few names & addresses of people to send to. In the morning I'll have cards going off to Japan, Finland, Germany & the UK. The gal from Japan doesn't want any homemade postcards so she'll be getting a store bought one instead. Too bad as I think the handmade ones are way cooler than any store bought one could ever be!

Yet More Nudes

I've been playing around in Picasa again creating multi-layered collages. The backgrounds for these were all created from my own scanned art work or photographs. The foregrounds are from vintage French Nudes. I love the ethereal look of these images and cannot wait to print them out and play around with them to see what I can come up with! I know I'll be making some mail art postcards with these and perhaps some ATC's as well. As for what else I'll make, I won't know until I do it. That's one thing about being a foot-loose and fancy free artist, you never know when inspiration will strike or what you'll create. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way....

Postcard Mania

I've been busy this week making postcards. A few of them have gone out via Post-Crossing, a few others are for mail-art swaps. and the rest are for use in the near future, for when the urge to send mail-art strikes. I love making postcards and then sending them off into the world. I like to imagine that each person who encounters them along their way, from the mail man who picks them up to the people who handle and sort them in the various postal warehouses they pass through, might stop a moment to view them, perhaps ponder them or smile at them before sending them on their merry way. It probably isn't true, but it's a nice little fantasy I have.

Post-Crossing has been exceptionally fun for a lover of postcards. Not only do I get to send out as many as I wish, but each one is assigned a unique id alpha-numeric code so that the receiver can log it in once it arrives. Once logged I get to find out when they arrived, how long it took and read the comments made by the receiver. For each one I send out that gets logged back in I receive one in return. Fun for me no matter how you look at it!

I've also been busy altering some clothing. A denim jacket that once belonged to my mother has undergone a complete transformation. It's been dyed, bleached, stamped, cut, sewn and painted. The result is a stunning, funky jacket that I can't wait to show off. I also painted a pair of jeans with skulls, done free-hand with paint pens. These too are fun and funky. So much so that I just may submit them to Altered Couture just to see if they get picked for publication.

I love altering clothes. It's something I have always done. Long before it became the popular thing to do. Ages before books & magazines geared toward altering clothing, creating wearable art or any of the other catch phrases now in use, were even thought of. Am I ahead of my time when it comes to these things? I don't think so. For what bored teenage girl hasn't taken out a pen or marker and doodled all over her jeans or created a jeans purse? I know all the girls I hung out with did it. Granted, it was usually me who instigated the happenings, but that's just because I was more fearless than they were and was always the one to say, "Hey, let's do such and such!" before anyone else would think to say it. Or maybe I am ahead of my time. I'll go with that because it makes me sound so revolutionary....

Big Questions

I love mail art, both sending and receiving it. Give me a cool piece of mail art over plain mail any day. I especially love mail art calls. Creating a mail art piece on a specific theme can be fun, challenging, inspiring or even all three.

Given my love of mail art and mail art calls how could I possibly resist submitting a piece to wackystuff's BIG QUESTIONS call? Of course, I couldn't resist at all and I suggest you don't resist either. Wackystuff creates cool art and offers up equally cool mail art call themes. BIG QUESTIONS is only the latest. Check it out even if you don't end up submitting a piece.


Postmark Deadline: September 30, 2008
Send mail-art asking a significant question to:
BIG QUESTIONS
615 Foul Bay Road
Victoria BC V8S 4H2
CANADA

Skull Found In Mail!

I have a thing for skulls & skeletons. Especially the Mexican Dia de los Muertos ones (who can resist a happy, dancing skeleton?). My sister by choice & partner in crime, Raine Phoenix, knows of my abiding love affair with all things skeletal. She may not share it, or even understand it, but she appreciates it for what it is: part of my uniqueness & quirkiness! Or at least that's what I tell myself.

Imagine my delight when I found this great piece of mail art from her lurking in my mail box. With removable skull & hidden message no less!