Paw Prints

Christine had suggested that FM2005.11 would be better with white lines — “like the Microsoft commercials” — than with the black ink and gouache i was trying. I didn’t believe i could find any way to apply white ink or paint that would come close to the control i wanted/needed for the design. But when i was in the office supply store, i saw Liquid Paper correction pens. I bought a pair and, while the line is far broader than i would have desired, it works!

Maintaining the pressure for the “squeeze gently to control flow” is actually hard on my hand, so i can’t draw for long with it. Nonetheless, it’s great for drawing on photos.

I think i’ll plan sending to four known artists/exhibitions and then leave the five open for nervousness/LJ-like trades.

FM2005.11.a: IHMP Exhibition (deadline, end of year) [sent]
FM2005.11.b: blogger Angela Genusa [sent]
FM2005.11.c: blogger Troy Thomas [sent][rcv'd]
FM2005.11.d: MissKitty @ secondary nervousness condition [sent]
FM2005.11.e: BG [sent]
FM2005.11.f: Filippo Buresta – pippoburro[sent]
FM2005.11.g: AA Berry, in response to his postcard [sent]
FM2005.11.h: AthameArt (snc)[sent]
FM2005.11.i: RW

Slightly altered a New Orleans Second Line Jazz Band postcard with complementary Mr M 2005 artistamps and cork cancels to send off for bend of bay’s postcard project.

Photos from a disposable Advantix camera that had likely been too long on the shelf, developed through the local grocery store.

Merced National Wildlife Preserve and Los Baños State Wildlife Refuge, 2005-03-26.

Laminated to cardstock. Two Mr M 2005 definitives. Canceled with wine cork stamps of Maltese cross (sky blue) and eye (red).

FM2005.10c awarded Honorable Mention

Alicia Mitchell, education coordinator at the Peel Heritage Complex, was this year’s juror. She said her job was difficult because of the large artistic spectrum represented by the works. “It is really challenging, especially with the variety of media and subjects,” she explained as she paced back and forth, trying to select winners. “I have a lot of things to consider, especially since this is postcard art. Are they trying to relay a message? How are they using the small surface space of the actual post card? This is going to take awhile.”

FM2005.10a: To Tyler Hoare
FM2005.10b: To Mick Boyle [posted]
FM2005.10c : To Snail Mail World Postcard Art Show with the ad hoc statement, “Inspired by mail artists and by my environment, I whimiscally address these cards from reality.” [Honorable Mention]
FM2005.10d: To ebandit via a “secondary nervousness condition” board swap.
FM2005.12: Gurdonark

From: Last Vestiges
Wetlands Flowing Clear
Refuge, Wild
2005-03-26

FM2005.10:
To Altered Landscape
1375 Boulevard St
Paved, Urban

FM2005.12 (with a printed card back)
To One Who Understands
Egrets & Herons
Cameras, Disposable

Worked on the next commemorative stamp project (FM2005.04 & AS2005.03), aiming for a first day cover release in August some time.

Worked on next series of postcards using the Los Baños/Merced disposable Advantix photographs. These will be FM2005.11. Painting with gouache on photo surface seens doable. Need to use a very small short flat/bright brush for control. Paint first, then add detail with the Staedtler pigment liner 0.5. Researched the brand i want identified (despite Christine’s abhorance to the idea). Tried to research old fruit labels for the San Joaquin valley. None at trove.net. Did skim “A Geographer Looks at the San Joaquin Valley.”

Christine thinks white ink instead of black would have been preferable.

I think the trims from the post card shapes could become ATC. The San Joaquin notes could go on the ATC — possibly try drawing fruit?

FM2005.04 & AS2005.03
* final stamp design
* (almost) final envelope design
  [-] add URL? 2005-07-27 no
  [x] add sequence number? (which i forgot on the stamp) 2005-07-27
* printed two sheets of thirty stamps
[x] cut out 60 stamps 2005-07-26
[ ] determine actual anniversary date
[x] buy business envelopes
[ ] rubber eraser cancels 2005-07-27
[+] print envelopes 2005-07-27 (12)
[ ] make URL stamp?
[ ] afix stamps, cancel

FM2005.11 & ATC2005.01
[x] design the postcard backs? & laser print? 2005-07-26
[x] laminate photos to stock 2005-07-26
[x] trim 2005-07-26 
    (Actually, i trimmed then glued, which turned out just fine.)
[-] mass paint the blue 2005-07-27 nope
[-] mass paint the red 2005-07-27 nope
[-] mass paint the lettering 2005-07-27 nope
[+] add the rest of the detail 2005-07-27 (4) 07-31 (3)
[x] addressed, stamped, canceled 2005-07-27
[x] exemplar scanned 2005-07-27

I’ve got the cards I received in the trade in the gallery, too.

The last ATC trade i participated in was a Nervousness swap called Glorified Characters. I was excited about it, as the theme fit something i wanted to do anyhow.

Work, research, practice — the cards weren’t perfect, in the end, but it was a good experience. And so i shipped them off, and i think i may have gotten a little carried away in some of the stuff, the “supplies,” i added to the envelope to send off to the organizer.

And it never arrived.

I won’t completely lay my departure from mail art and ATC trades at the foot of that, but it did disappoint me a great deal. I basically quit handling my ATC. I’ve had the returns on some trades i received since then, but i didn’t scan them in or do anything with them. A few weeks ago, i scanned in those cards, catching up with myself. Today i’ve spent getting them up on the server, arranging them, researching (without the help of the Nervounsess site) the senders.

Gallery

* JEB-ATC2003.03 Carolingian Research
* JEB-ATC2003.03 Research
* JEB-ATC2003.03 More Research

This morning i’ve mainly spent being “RLG central:” calling and waiting for calls from colleagues regarding some hardware problems at work. In this frame of mind, surfing for calls for mail art submissions was a pleasant distraction. This one call for artist stamps, “In commemoration of the “30th Anniversary of the First Mail Art Exhibition in Argentina”, ” seemd like a wonderful destination for the series of definitives.

I’m very excited by this new work, that took me somewhat by surprise.

Artistamp Gallery
The stamp was just a small piece in a very Nick Bantock inspired work i made as both birthday and anniversary card for friends and family for June and July occasions.

Faux Mail/Mail Art Gallery

I’m enjoying sharing the art with the friends and family i owe correspondence; I’m not sure how soon i’ll be expanding to mail artists. If my surfing lately is any indication, i’m interested in expanding my contacts.

[I'll leave comments open until the first spam....]