Mail Art, Anyone?

I became interested in collecting stamps after I joined a swapping website, and one of the things I love to exchange most is mail art. The latest project I've been working on is a collaborative postcard round-robin.

I thought I would share a couple of the postcards featuring postage stamps. This is the one I started (bottom section):



And this is the one I just finished (mine is the top section):


The crazy thing about the second postcard is that I had already decided to use a flying fish image and spent last night adding watercolor to a printout of an etching. Then today I came across the Fiji air mail etiquette thanks to a thread on this forum, and it's absolutely perfect.

Does anyone else enjoy mail art? Let's see some!

*** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***

Interesting images Zuzu

Not quite mail art, but some experimentation with stamps and Freecards

Zuzu
Just thinking these cards might interest you. (From my postcard collection of cards with a stamp theme).

Bas, I like those very much! Adding on the stamp as part of the image already on the card really makes it stand out.

I was going to comment on the honeybee card in the other thread, but I can do it here! It's absolutely lovely.

And the card above the bee, is that Nick Bantock?

Zuzu, your postcards are really neat. How do ya'll decide who gets to keep the card? I love this idea!

Bas, I love the penguin postcard.

This thread is going to make me look at postcards in a whole new light.

You will (should - as long as everyone completes the entire swap) always receive your "own" postcard (the one you started) back. For this particular swap, we had a rotation set up between the participants.

Our postcard round robin worked like this:

1. Get four or five people who want to participate, then set the rotation, which remains the same for each found. (Assume you're Person A. You will be sending to Person B, who will send to Person C, who sends to Person D, who sends to Person E, who sends to Person A (you).)

2. You take a blank postcard and divide it into roughly-equal sections, one for each participant. (I used a piece of paperboard from a carton of file folders, but some people buy blanks or use watercolor paper.) Then you create a bit of art in the first section – painting, drawing, collage (this is a popular one).

3. Address your postcard to yourself, place it in an envelope, and mail to "your" person in the rotation. For purposes of this example, you would mail your card to Person B.

4. At the same time, Person E has started his or her postcard, and will be mailing it in an envelope to you.

5. When you receive Person E's card, you'll decorate the next section of that postcard, write a little note on the message/address side, place it in an envelope (many of us continue to use the same envelope), and mail it on to Person B.

6. Again, at the same time, Person E will receive, decorate, and forward Person D's card to you.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you have received and decorated Person B's postcard, which will then be complete. Mail the postcard naked (no envelope) home to Person B.

8. You'll receive your naked completed postcard from Person E.

I'm also currently in a swap with an open-ended number of rounds and the participants may change each time. In that one, I'll receive my card back when it's full, which is basically up to the discretion of whichever artist receives it and decides that they've added as much as can be added. I've never been in one like this before, so we'll see...

If you can ever find one I'd suggest picking up a copy of George Feyer's Stamp Book.
I used to have one but my children, in their youth, destroyed it.
Check out George's story on this web site.

http://bradmackay.blogspot.ca/2009/...mp-book.html

James, that book does look interesting. I'll keep it in mind!
...

Many people consider Artist's Trading Cards (ATCs) a form of mail art because it's art that can be easily sent through the mail. I generally do not regard ATCs as mail art, but I think this one fits here.

I participated in a swap for which we had to create an ATC using a book page and a postage stamp. I knew that I wanted to use this Polish stamp based solely upon appearance, but I couldn't bear to cut up any of my own books. Instead, I found a ratty paperback romance and thumbed through looking for interesting words and phrases.



Turns out, the gentleman on the stamp is Juliusz Slowacki, a major figure in the Polish Romantic period, and the father of modern Polish drama (according to Wikipedia).

Zuzu

The 'Labeille Apicula' is from a set by Louise Deletang.
There are more in the set, two of which can be seen here - the Cat and the Snail
http://vulcain.canalblog.com/archiv...7143046.html

Heres another odd one I picked up somewhere - 'Fair Skies' From Voyages by Beth Nelson 1998
http://www.amazon.com/Voyages-Notec...p/0811814912

Zuzu, nice idea.

I did a similar round robin last year but the art of the card would be the stamps. Like this:



This one has traveled in Taiwan, Brazil, Japan and France. It took +/- 3 months to be completed.

I love it, brisingamen! When sending out the round robins I posted about above, I usually used the same envelope I received and just added to it as well.

I just finished putting together this mail-inspired matchbox for a swap:

Zuzu
Those matchboxes are a very nice idea - very artistic

Bas, this was the second matchbox swap I've tried. My first was another favorite theme of mine, stars:

(Apologies for ridiculously crappy picture.)

ZuZu, I LOVE your matchboxes!! It's amazing how many things you were able to fit in each one.

Thank you! I need to take pictures of the mail-inspired matchbox I received for that swap.

Here's a postcard I sent out today: