Greetings!
Thank you for visiting. I am happy that you are here.
This post is a summary of the February Visual Journal Collective meeting at the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts.
We created mail art postcards, and it was a blast!
If you are curious to learn more about the history of mail art, this Mail art Wikipedia page is an interesting read!
I have had a love of mail art since I first learned of it in the 1990s. I have always loved stationery, cards, and handwritten letters. Now that I am a mixed media artist, the idea of combining art, collage, stamps, and ephemera into "good mail" really makes me feel happy!
I am pleased to spread the joy to the participants at our February Visual Journal Collective meeting.
Here are some samples of Mail Art I have received or created. Mail art is fun for everyone. No artistic experience required. Almost anything goes, so it's all about freedom to play and create without any pressure.
Supplies
Paper and cardboard
Tape, Stickers, Labels, Paint Scraper
Rubber Stamps, Ink Pads
Artful Labels and Stickers
(Thank you Mary Ann Moss and Roben-Marie Smith)
A good ol' cereal box, or a sheet of 140 lb. watercolor paper makes for a great substrate for your postcards.
Mail Art Postcards in the Making
(Chris from StumblingOverChaos)
(Beth, playing with color, comics, and luggage stickers)
(TJ of Studio Mailbox, working on pre-cut cereal box postcards)
(Molly of The Found Art Walk, and Kathy, having some fun!)
(Karen, using a glue brush to add texture over her scraped paint)
(Here's Chris' awesome postcard stamp from Paper Source.)
I didn't catch everyone's creativity in action, but here are some of the results.
(Mail Art postcards by Beth)
(Super fast mail art postcards by Chris)
(Mail Art postcard by Chris)
(Mail Art postcards by Karen)
(Mail Art postcards by Kathy)
(Mail Art postcards by Molly)
(Mail Art postcard by Kara)
(Mail Art postcards by Catherine of Storyslices, LLC, and Kara's mom-I love it when mothers and daughters create together!!)
(Mail Art postcards by TJ)
(Mail Art postcards by Briana)
SUMMARY
I hope you feel inspired and empowered to create something fun and send it through the mail. We all could use some happy mail that is not a bill or a boring advertisement. Would you agree?
For the USPS standard postcard sizes are as follows:
Minimum: 3 1/2 x 5 inches
Maximum: 4 1/4 x 6 inches
Current postcard postage is $ .35
First class mail letter is $ .47
Enjoy! Make art! Spread color, love, light, and personal stories.
Blessings to you,
Briana