Michelle Casey, Frida Kahlo-inspired collage mail art, 2014
Earlier this year artist Tina Morris (UK) sent me a fabulous package of mail art. It contained several postcard prints of her awesome abstract paintings as well as a Frida Kahlo-inspired collage she’d recently made: a provocative piece in which she skilfully adorned an image of Kahlo with a jewelled crown instantly transforming her into royalty! When I agreed to exchange mail art with Tina, I was expecting one handmade postcard; I never expected to receive so many souvenirs of her art! It was a magical feeling and it gave me a better sense of her art beyond what I’d seen on Facebook (where we met). Naturally, I was bent on sending her something equally wonderful and surprising. So, as Tina is a HUGE Frida fan, I thought I’d concoct something Kahlo-inspired and came up with this diptych (in progress). As a big fan of the Mexican painter myself, I admire the her for leaving such an impressive legacy of art despite the physical and emotional pain she endured during life.
Tina Morris, Frida Kahlo-inspired collage mail art, 2014
It’s so thrilling to receive real mail art in this age of email . Tina is one of a number of on-line friends I’ve never actually met except through the pieces of art we’ve exchanged. As a result, I’ve gotten to know to the depth of their creative spirits better. Each one of them has inspired me to extend the boundaries of my art making. For quite some time I never even realized mail art existed as medium. Last year, I picked up a great book on the subject: Good Mail Day: A Primer for Making Eye-Popping Postal Art by Jennie Hinchcliff and Carolee Wheeler. I whole-heartedly agree with the book’s authors when they say that receiving mail art transforms your mailbox into a gallery! Their very comprehensive text covers the subject from practical and historical dimensions; as well as, featuring numerous exciting examples of the craft. Conceived in the twentieth century with the birth of the postal system, mail art has been practiced by several fine art movements since the 1920’s: the Dadaists, Futurists and Surrealists to name a few. Today a whole host of fine artists and crafters practice it. It’s a very inclusive genre; like artist trading cards (ATCs) anyone can participate in creating and exchanging mail art (for free, of course).
Since I took the mail art challenge, my “gallery” has been filled with works by artists from Canada, the USA, the Netherlands, the UK and France*. Mail art encourages and deepens friendships as well as fostering art making. Even if you live in the same city (as the authors of Good Mail Day did), you can still cultivate your skills and relationships by sending mail. Besides, it doesn’t hurt to receive a gift of art in the post every now and again instead of bills and junk mail! If you’ve haven’t got anyone to exchange with, I’d be happy to trade with you! * Note: Mail art works include: custom-made envelopes, letterhead, postcards, artist trading cards (ATCs) and zines. I’ve even received miniature assemblages in the form of small mint tins filled with tiny art works, books, notes, Chinese fortunes (from cookies), beads, badges, even a lemon-scented tea bag… all from my good friend Diane Salter. One day soon, I’ll be making a sample to trade with a lucky reader… perhaps it will be you!
BONUS!: I’ll give away a free sample of my latest collage stationary to anyone who leaves a comment on this blog entry.
Other Related Links:
Frida Kahlo: Wielding the Brush of Anguish
My New Collage Stationary
How to Make a Collaged Envelope
Collage Your Own Stationary
Rebecca Henretta’s Design into World Blog: Kitsch Design
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