Outgoing: Lena

Received an unexpected envelope from Lena in Toronto yesterday. It was a bit of a mystery until I found her on the International Union of Mail Artists website. Thanks for the random send, Lena! Here's one coming back at you.

Clearly I am easily distracted by this replacing heads with stamps thing...

Art As Therapy

We've been talking a lot about happiness, perspective, one's purpose in life, etc. in our household. Big questions brought on by some challenging times. This morning we read something about happiness and the "tipster" doctor in the article said how one of the keys to happiness is to find something that you can get completely lost in. I'm not entirely sure why, but that's how I feel about collage at the moment. The sorting through bits of paper and ephemera, the tiny snips with scissors, the positioning of random papers together into something that makes a pleasing whole. It's a meditation of sorts and it seems to be leading me at the moment.

This video by Alain de Botton (he of The School of Life; how cool is that?) was very inspiring and timely. It's well worth a watch and when you're done, hop on over to Brain Pickings for more on de Botton's book, Art as Therapy.

Good Mail Day

Yesterday was a good mail day. I received a nice little package of collage materials from California and I also got this:

It was from Guido Vermeulen in Brussels. Of course it was great to receive a piece of original art on an envelope, but Guido also made me understand a small, but key, part of this whole business. You don't have to use the front of the envelope for your stamp and address. You can use the "back!"

Well, duh. It makes so much sense now, but I wasn't quite understanding that at first. (I was seeing so many pieces of mail art without any stamps or addresses posted on the Internet. People were posting the front (or the back, depending on how you interpret your envelope). Now I see. Thanks, Guido!

It was timely, because I was thinking of joining mail artist, Moan Lisa's, Fake Andy Warhol mail art call. I searched for images and thought I could tackle Lips (1950). So, using my fledgling rubber stamp making skills, I made a lip stamp and went for it. Here's the result.

Lips - front of envelope

I did my best attempt at faking Warhol's signature.

Lips - back of envelope

Outgoing: Art Deco to Satu

Here's my attempt to answer an art deco challenge. The address took me a few times, but I think it works well enough. The font is a bit wobbly, but it should be legible. Do you think Canada Post can handle it? We'll see. (I haven't been impressed lately. The cost is ridiculous. I mean $1.85 to send a postcard overseas? And that's soon to rise to $2.00! And then there was the postcard I received that took 23 days to get to me from the US.)

So, off to Satu in Finland.

Outgoing: "She"

I'm part of a collage circle; we're all sending a collage every two weeks to the next person on the collage list. By the end of the year, we will have created and delivered 11 collages and received 11 in return. It's a good exercise and nice to have a reason to create and send. This is my first offering, which is off to Marie-Dominique in Quebec City. I started with the label and went from there.

She

Media used: "She" cherryade label, postage stamp, page from a shorthand textbook, page from an address book, tissue paper transfers, image from old encyclopedia.

Mail Art: In and Out

Here is a new piece that's outgoing to California. The theme was winter, so I used a transfer of a vintage group sledding photo and added it to an envelope I made from "wintery" paper. On the back is a polar bear stamp I recently made (more on that soon).

The other stamps - blue "stars" - are purchased.

I must say that I'm pretty pleased with that stamp. I think it was the fourth one I tried. The medium allows for imperfections that's for sure!

And here is a very large envelope I received from China. It contained a small postcard and a bilingual letter from Ji Xiang Hua of Shanghai. The envelope is quite thick, almost with a plasticized coating, and the stamp is part of the envelope.

Abe and Liz Have a Chat

I'm not sure about ATCs (artist trading cards). First, they're pretty small and fiddly. I have tried to make a few, but I have found it a challenge to make anything interesting. Also, what am I going to do with them? Sure, they could be framed, but I think the idea is that you collect them in a book. I don't need more stuff. But, I couldn't resist this little challenge from Mail Me Some Art. Replace actual heads on images with postage stamps? Too much fun. Here are my results.

Quack! Here I Come, Canada. 

Abe and Liz. 

Outgoing collages: Annerin, Rachel, Jane, Holly, Jenny and Andrea

I found myself with a few free hours last Friday so finished off the last six collages to send to my collage "pen pals" from the 30 Days of Collage course. So I have a record and to share with others, here they are.

Thanks to my husband who has just returned back from Nunavut with some very heavy bags. The "Heavy/Lourd" tags came in handy! And every time I see pages from the short hand manual I think that was the best 5 cents I ever spent!

Incoming: "12 Countries in 12 Months" cards from Stephanie

I sent a lot of letters, postcards and collages in December. A lot. It was very enjoyable and gave me an opportunity to create and send things out into the ether. (I mean, really, what am I to do with all of those collages and mail art if I don't mail them out? I would drown in bits of paper.) Now I've started to receive cards, notes and emails notes back, which is even more enjoyable. Thus far, the "incoming" has arrived from Spain, Australia, Sri Lanka, Korea, the United States, the Netherlands, and Germany. Fun times at the Tofino post office! Yesterday I received three cards from Stephanie Levy who taught the 30 Days of Collage course I took last fall. (The next course begins April 2014 and it's well worth it. Lots of ideas and inspiration.)

Berlin - 12 Countries in 12 Months - Stephanie Levy

Stephanie embarked on an ambitious (and envy-inducing) project awhile back - 12 Countries in 12 Months, which you can read about here. The cards that Stephanie mailed to me are the result of this project.

London - 12 Countries in 12 Months - Stephanie Levy 

Greece - 12 Countries in 12 Months - Stephanie Levy

A Shush of Librarians, An Exaltation of Larks, and other collective nouns

I had a great time over the holidays, trolling thrift shops and second hand bookstores in the city. I initially was drawn by the illustrations in this book, but the text makes it a keeper. An Exaltation of Larks or, The Venereal Game by James Lipton is a book on collective nouns.

While many of the ones we are familiar with are included  - such as a parliament of owls or  a plague of locusts - the book was full of terms I'd never heard of. A shush of librarians? A twaddle of public speakers? A murmuration of starlings? Who knew?

The author identifies six categories of "venereal terms" (i.e., collective nouns):

1. Onomatopoeia - for example, a gaggle of geese.
2. Characteristic - for example, a leap of leopards or a skulk of foxes
3. Appearance - for example, a bouquet of pheasants
4. Habitat - for example, a shoal of bass
5. Comment (pro or con, depending on one's point of view) - for example, a richness of martens
6. Error (often resulting from transcription error; apparently a school of fish is corrupted from a "shoal" of fish.

Some are so "out there" they seem made up but, as the author points out, weren't all of these terms "made up" at one point? Eventually they made it into the vernacular. I think an "exaltation of larks" is still one of my favourite collective nouns. What's yours?

Outgoing: Water for Artists Without Borders

The International Union of Mail Artists occasionally has calls for mail art. I've answered a few; they're great for trying out new ideas. This one is from Artists Without Borders and is for an exhibition in Istanbul. I'm a big fan of gargoyles and chimera and when I was going through my stash, got this idea of some mythical gargoyle "birthing" water in Canada. (And there is a  lot of it. We have 20% of the world's fresh water.) The topographic map I had - from Quebec - happened to be littered with small lakes so I used that for the background and cut Hudson's Bay out of an atlas for the address label.

If nothing else, it's fun to send something to Istanbul! I don't get that opportunity often. The exhibition opens in May 2014.

Outgoing: Patricia and Nichole

I decided not to stop at the collage and also did a little mail art on the envelopes being sent to these two.

Book and Writer Round-ups

This is, of course, the time of lists. Maria over at Brain Pickings (you must subscribe; really), is a master of these, so here are a few of her year-end round ups. Her website is the most interesting and worthwhile time sucker on the web IMHO. (If you've never been to the site, get yourself a cup of coffee and prepare to dive into the rabbit hole.)

Paper Typewriter by Jennifer Collier

The year's best books on writing and creativity. Lots of gems there, including Neil Gaiman's Make Good Art. "Whatever it is you're scared of doing, do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever."

And here's Maria's list for best children's books (illustrated and picture books), which includes the fabulous You Are Stardust by Canadian writer, Elin Kelsey. (The book also has an app version.)

The prolific (and very witty; you should also follow her), Elizabeth Bird over at Fuse #8 Productions, has compiled a list of 100 Magnificent Books for 2013.

Closer to home, the Canadian Chidlren's Book Centre has put together a list of great holiday reads by Canadian authors, illustrators and publishers.

Finally, British Columbia author Laura Langston, wrote a two part, Gifts of the Season, in which authors share the best gifts they've received. It's a must read for many reasons, but most of all if you have an aspiring writer in the house. Here is part one and part two.

Outgoing: Mail Art Call

Some morning fun - answering the mail art call from the International Union of Mail Artists. This one, from a Canadian, is Give Mail Carriers Work, a shout out to Canada Post's recent announcement about cuts to mail carriers in large centres (small towns, such as ours, have never had door-to-door service). In lieu of door-to-door service, these customers will now have to use "super boxes." I am somewhat ambivalent about that part of the news (although I do have nostalgic thoughts about it all and always thought that a postal carrier might have been a great career had I thought about it - you start early in the day, get your exercise while you work, deliver mail (yeah!) and have completed your work day fairly early), but I am concerned about the rising cost of postal rates, which are already ridiculous. A letter mailed in Canada will now be $1.00 (or 85 cents if you buy the stamps in packs). I'm not sure how much US (currently $1.10) or international (currently $1.85) letters will be, but it could cramp my style if postage become prohibitive. So, in an attempt to keep those mail carriers busy, here is my letter to Elaine. Not the wildest envelope, but I used a caribou stamp so thought I'd stay with the caribou theme.

Collages sent: Nichole and Patricia

These two are off to Nichole in Clifton, Virginia and Patricia in Amsterdam. More loose fun with these two. I stopped trying so hard.

Collages sent: Vickie and Jill

I have been trying to make a collage or two a day to send to my classmates in the collage course I was taking. I've been making them in batches, but my technique has been pretty fiddly and slow. I took photos of the first batch, but my camera and the lighting were pretty terrible so I won't clutter up the blog with them. Here are two of the six final collages.

In these two collages, I made a base layer of text (using a page from an old typewriter manual) and then did different patterns with a layer of gesso. When that was dry, I added paper and "ephemera" in black, white, red and yellow. These were my two favourites. They were whisked around the world - to Belgium, France, the US, and Canada.

Yesterday, I picked up Randel Plowman's (of A Collage A Day) The Collage Workbook, which has lots of great ideas. I made these two collages quickly, using his Layering 101 tips. I just found some papers I liked, trying to keep them in a similar palette, added a second layer with some tissue or other translucent papers, and then added a subject. It was interesting how there was serendipity in the end. In the first, for instance, the squares and rectangles were echoed pretty much by chance as was the positioning of MONOPOLY on the man's chin. After some fiddly days of collage making (between a lot of other things), these two were fun and relaxing. Perfect for the holidays. More to come. These are off to Vickie in Decatur, Georgia and Jill in Clare, South Australia.

Inspiration: the art of Rebecca Jewell

A few weeks ago I was in Victoria for a meeting and saw a notice for a show that intrigued me. It had birds in it, of course, which attracted me being the nature lover that I am. But this was a million miles away the ubiquitous "put a bird on it." British artist Rebecca Jewell has "put" exquisite birds on feathers.

Owl Headdress

Yes, those are real feathers with their fine, delicate quills. This incredible fact did not quite translate in the advertising copy for the exhibit at Alcheringa Gallery in Victoria, nor in the pictures I saw in a magazine, so I was floored when I actually saw the art in person.

Jewell is artist-in-residence at the British Museum. Imagine having the job of re-imagining the collection of the museum in her prints, paintings and other artwork. This video is a wonderful introduction to Rebecca and her work.

Rebecca Jewell: Artist and Printmaker from Rebecca Jewell on Vimeo.

Quill Pens and Inkpots

Here are the details on the exhibit. (Thank you to Rebecca, who graciously answered my email and gave me permission to post the images.)

Three for a Girl, 2013

So, if you're in Victoria over the holidays, take some time to visit this stunning exhibit. You won't be disappointed.

Put a Bird, er Collage, On It

When I made this collage this morning, I couldn't help but think of the Put a Bird on It episode from Portlandia. I will try not to make a collage out of everything. Promise.

So here's the story. As I was cleaning my office, studio, piano room, junk catch-all place in my house, yesterday I decided the Rolodex had to go. As I was going through it though, I realized that all of those cards were a little bit of my history. I don't think I've even looked at it - and certainly haven't added a new card - for several years, but there were a few gems in there. (And clearly an attestation to my pack rat nature.) Much of what I found were old logos and cards from publishers and publishing contacts. The cards are a bit of a time capsule of my writing history. In fact, I still had the card from Mary Macchiusi at Pembroke Publishers, who published my first book, The Green Classoom, 23 years ago (is that really possible?). I think it was the original card she gave me 25+ years ago. I give Mary much of the credit for launching me as a writer back in the late 1980s. Honestly, I didn't know too much about the industry then. In fact, after The Green Classroom was published, in my enthusiasm I sent her a second manuscript for a book that was entirely unsuited for Pembroke Publishers (first rule of trying to get published - target your publisher wisely and don't waste peoples' time; okay, that was two rules). But Mary kindly passed the manuscript on to Kids Can Press and the rest, well, is pretty much history as Kids Can has published most of my books since. I had a few cards from Kids Can in the stack and you can see how the logo has changed. Also in the stack is a card from my beloved editor at Kids Can, and wonderful writer in her own right, Valerie Wyatt. (Her's is the Two Can Communications card, a company she started with her husband.) There's also a card from Linda Weigl at Weigl Educational Publishers where I did some of my first educational writing. Interestingly, there were no cards from McGraw-Hill Ryerson, whose educational division I wrote for for years. But perhaps it's not too surprising as our interactions were largely over the Internet. Other publishers are represented too. Some I've written for (Greystone, Orca and OwlKids*) and some I just had conversations with (Rocky Mountain Books and Tradewind). To round it off, a few cards from friends and colleagues I've worked with over the years.

Clearly I didn't give a lot of thought to composition of this collage, but the exercise did take me on a journey through my 25 years of writing history (I still can't quite get my head around that!).

*I've been meaning to write about a great four-book series (Sizing Up Winter, Sorting Through Spring, etc.) on math in nature that OwlKids released over the past two years. They're written by Lizann Flatt and are a fabulous resource for elementary-aged children. I helped out in a small way by writing the teacher's guides that went with the books. They're free and available by pdf. Here's one.)

Goody Goody GIft Swap

So once I got my enthusiasm ramped up for saving (more) bits of paper and ephemera (essentially anything that can be glued down), I had to figure out ways to share my experiments. I quickly found Swap-Bot, which is still a bit of an experiment. We'll see how that goes and I'll report back. I've sent a few things out into the ether and am crossing my fingers I don't get anything too cutesy in return. (And if I do, that's okay too. I'll just cut it up.) I can't even recall how I got linked up with the Goody Goody Gift Swap, but I just finished my gift for my partner, a young mom in the US, who is training to be a herbalist and acupuncturist. I used a variety of patterned papers, pages from a small book in Chinese text (which I have no idea what it says), some royalty free images printed on velum, and images from a dictionary of gardening. Here's the result. It will be in the mail tomorrow.

Adios, Movember

I don't participate (obviously) in Movember. We have sponsored others who have decided to grow a 'stache, but my husband is fully bearded and moustached, so I've not had the torture of snuggling up against an itchy, scratchy face with an "incoming" beard. Still, I had Movember on my mind, so I created this collage during the weekly art night date I have with a few friends.

Movember: not just for boys and elephants

This piece was created using a piece of a Polish map, a page from a book on shorthand, and various book and magazine images.

And, hey, I finally learned the definition of "portmanteau" by reading the definition of Movember on Wikipedia (linked above). A portmanteau word is simply, a "blend."  The other definition is a travelling bag for clothes, etc., especially of leather and opening into two equal parts. It is French in origin, from porter, to carry, and manteau, mantle. Yes, I'm an etymology geek.