the filigree deer & postmark deadline

Can you believe it? It’s already the last day of January, which means that my sketchbook project is getting documented, wrapped up and sent down to New York with the most secure postage I can possibly purchase. I learned a hard lesson exactly one year ago, when my 2011 Art House Sketchbook Project went missing in the post (pretty much because I got bullied by the local post office cow to send it without tracking… she later inspired me to build the faux post office in my studio). As you know from reading my previous 2012 sketchbook posts, I still have quite a few pages of my sketchbook left to share with you, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to post one of my favorite pages from both the lost sketchbook as well as the new one in “I remember you”…The spread above from my 2011 sketchbook is now known as the filigree deer. This page actually inspired the first homage I made to my lost sketchbook, which in turn indirectly inspired a series of hand screen printed moleskines called “animal patterns.”  With the theme “I remember you” and drawing inspiration from my lost sketchbook, I of course had to create another “filigree deer” for a two page spread. I’m thrilled with the results and believe that this design will be transformed into a screenprinted moleskine sometime in the spring. Isn’t my new buck just as beautiful as the first?! He was drawn completely with HB graphite and mounted into the book with silver photo corners. The pattern on the left inspired the heart-shaped Mandela which floats delicately amongst his antlers. The patterned green paper also has a lovely acrylic gloss that has been printed over areas of the design: adding texture and shine when it moves in the light at different angles. I can’t wait for my sketchbook to show up in New York for the World Tour so it can actually have the hands of eager readers flipping through it’s colourful and creative pages.  It’d make my “figuring you out” 2011 sketchbook oh-so-proud. Stay tuned to blog as I will be continuing to share the rest of my creations for Art House’s awesome collaborative project in the following few weeks.

outgoing snail mail

Six pen pal found treats in their post boxes this past week. One letter in particular had been waiting for it’s addressee to return home from his european trip: Robert Sae-Heng (@mrrubbertoes),  found a handmade envelope with typewritten addresses and rad Canadian postage stamps, including the Walrus (his fave animal). I sent him a “how to tie a bow tie” instruction page, a bartending octopus (cuz rob slings drinks part time), a sick spray paint sticker, vintage walrus tea card, walrus flash card and an awesome drawing I did for him inspired by his nickname. It took me a few tries to get it to look right, but essentially the idea was to have rubber toes spelling mister rubber toes.Jill Griffin (@jillgriffinart) found a classic airmail envelope covered in vintage aviation postage stamps. Inside were helpful post-its, plenty of collected paper ephemera including quotes, artwork, magazine clippings and flash cards. I also tore out a page from my martha stewart wedding magazine with cool ideas about alternative ways to use washi, since she has a new found love for the Japanese tape. I handmade an envelope for Sumi Senthi (@sumiart) out of a paper that reminded me of old parchment. I closed it shut with my wax seal from Venice Italy, but sadly the red accent went missing during it’s travels through the postal system. Luckily the contents made it intact: a who’s hoo zine, NMF postcard, stickers, telephone themed flash cards, a calendar to get organized with and a wee little watercolour painting of a cartoon bird.Pagrum Boon, said she loves cookies and collects vintage airmail stickers. It was a no brainer to copy one of my mom’s best cookie recipes and send it with a big pile of various airmail stickers. I also jazzed up moleskine with one of my vinyl stickers to gift to her, along with a wee note on a postcard and some customized typewriter triplicate poetry. Lisa Grabbenstetter‘s (@magneticcrow) twitter bio says that she can not function properly without birds or trees, thus inspiring the themed of my recent mail art post to her. Stamps, paper ephemera, postcards, stickers, rubbings and other tree & bird items were collected to fill an envelope with a swan on the front. I selected only tree or bird postage stamps to send it with too! The last pen pal who enjoyed mail art from me was ACAD friend Su Yin Strang, who found a plethora of cute Sukie woodland post-its, a free willy pog and a sappy friendship quote. The piece du resistance however was this monster freak postcard, on the back of which I described his made up life story… Su said it was “fridge-worthy.”I’m excited to see what postal pleasures arrive at their destinations next week! Plus I’ll be  making envelopes for some of my owed replies later this week, once my art house 2012 sketchbook project is finished.

C is for mail art

After receiving countless envelopes from the duo Nick Oostyen & Olivia Delorme, a card from Kathy Dahl, Canada geese in Jeannine Saylor’s envelope, a letter from Cheetarah and a completely C themed envelope from Amanda White, it is clear that this week’s incoming mail art post is brought to you by the letter C! I’ll start with the outrageously fat envelope that arrived from Amanda Nicole White (@amanda_ink). We are trading ABC & 123 mail art and this is my third envelope from her. As always she gifted me more goodies than I could have ever imagined – all inspired by the letter C! A gorgeous panting of our country Canada covered the envelope which held: Canadian Tire Money, Congrats on our engagement, C inspired altered book pages, Cassiopeia constellation relief print, canoe chine-colle etching, copper for etching, paper crane, vintage Canadian postage stamps, a clipping from the Canada’s Centenial about Canadian spirit, a home made Canadian Crossword, a condom, chocolate chip recipe, C-word pinback buttons, a map of the Canadian Pacific Railway, a poem called the Carrion Crow and the most heartwarming letter. CRAZY!!! Mail showed up from one of my C named pen pals: Cheetarah (@missthundercat), who made an awesome envelope covered in bird illustrations, big bold letters and some colourful postage stamps. She gifted me several fun postcards (my favorite of which is the swap-bot airmail face), and wrote a nice message on the back of one. She also made me a mini book and sent some fun stickers and collected worldwide postage stamps. Canadian gal Jeannine Saylor (@saylor_made) sent me a reply filled with fun paper ephemera including a copy of a watercolour painting and a little clipping which was C-themed: a cartoon about Canada Geese. Other goodies included a nice letter, a paper garland, and a shot of Matthew with a note written on his chest thanking me for all of the “70′s man hunks” searches on her blog due to some sexy postcards I’ve sent her way. Kathy had already gifted me this gem last week and was headed to the Bahamas for a relaxing trip. However I found this cute card covered in puppy stickers on Friday; I guess Kathy’s flight got delayed, so she spent the 3 hours in the airport writing letters to pen pals! FUN. I hope she made it to the beautiful beaches without any more hiccups.Finally Nick Oostyen & Olivia Delorme (@o_delorme) continue to send me mail art, even though I owe them a reply. I found a bunch of envelopes from them this week: a handmade googly eyed farm animal envelope and card. A wee postcard, with a hilarious and sexy photo on the back, congratulating John and I on our engagement. And finally a postcard with tied up pocket attached. Inside the pocket were mini art clippings and an altered vote for pedro pin (possibly for Gerry Taft of Invermere??? Who knows). I wonder if a theme will emerge with next week’s incoming mail!? Wouldn’t that be cool? Outgoing mail that was received last week will be documented onto the blog tomorrow.