143.

143.

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

142. First hummingbird

142. First hummingbird

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

141. Middle C

141/ Middle C

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

140. Monkey business

140. Monkey business

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

139. Music is always

139. Music is always
4 x 6. Fabric, sequins, glue

"Elaine N. Aron writes that music is always a stimulant."

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

138. Throwing bricks

138. Throwing bricks

"The people who got mad at each other thirty years ago were still throwing bricks at each other."

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

137. That's the trouble

137. That's the trouble.

"That's the trouble: Once someone is dead, they stay dead, and the job of the living is to continue to live."

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

136. Devotion

136. Devotion

"...piano demands a quality of absorption, the ability and will to forget yourself and give your total attention to the music and the keys. Devotion: they both demand devotion."

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

135. Songs of geography

135. Songs of geography
Traveling across the country, "I lavished songs of geography on Fred."

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

134. Exigencies

134. Exigencies
4 x 6. Fabric, paper, beading

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

133. Cutting edge theology

133. 4 x 6. Fabric, cereal box, trim, glue (The stars on this piece glow in the dark. It's one of the first fabrics I bought when I started making fiber art; I wish I'd bought 10 yards.)

"Cutting-edge theology makes people nervous."

Sent to My Real Wall, May 2009. From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

From Richard Canard

Mail art technique

My new version of mail art is rife with beaded trim. I've happened upon some 90% off sales in the last year or two, and it struck me that rather than storing them for later use, I could utilize them now on mail art. Two concerns had been slowing me down. First is that I might need to photograph rather than scan them to have any hope of a decent facsimile. Second was that they can't be mailed as postcards but, rather, need to be in an envelope, preferably with a bit of bubble paper to protect the beads.

Sometimes you just have to take the plunge. Once I did, and it was time to scan the first one, I realized a bit of tape across the beads would stabilize them for scanning and also be simple to remove after. The scans aren't as good as the ones of flat art, but they're good enough. As far as the cost of postage -- well, some burdens just have to be borne. Mailing overseas costs the same for a postcard or a letter; and as for mailing in the U. S. -- right now I'm having fun using the new first class Simpsons stamps, so it's all working out.

132. Loving everybody

132. 4 x 6. Fabric, paper, beaded trim

"Loving everybody, I've noticed, is an awful lot of work."

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

131. Unpretentious yet satisfying

4 x 6. Fabric, trim, glue

To Richard Canard May 2009. From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

130. How life works

4 x 6. grocery box, fabric, trim, glue, paper

"..."that week, or that summer, or that year, but the time was coming when Fred's death would be stone-cold reality. That's how life works, even when there's not a fourteen-year gap between your age and your husband's, and oh what a nightmare and oh, what life.
"It is a f****** nightmare. It is life. Maybe life is a f******* nightmare."

Sent to Robert Varlez for his "His Death Kills Me" mail art call. From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

129. Letters to Grandma

129. Letters to Grandma
Fabric, paper, recycled box, glue,used stamps
To Carroll (dumpsterdiver) May 2009. From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

128. Love is like that

128. Love is like that
4 x 6. Recycled box, fabric, trim, glue

Yes, that was it, the very moment the world changed.



To Tasha, May 11, 2009. From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

From Richard Canard

Many things in life come and go, but Richard Canard is steadfast. I sometimes wonder how many fortunate mail artists in the world are enlightened by his wisdom.

From Roland Halbritter

From Roland Halbritter

Roland's piece includes an insider joke: the body shape in the middle is from a piece (or photocopy of a piece) I sent a few months ago called Turquoise of the Living Dead -- Really fun to see what he's done!

From My Real Postcard Wall

Over at the IUOMA ning site, My Real Postcard Wall announced that postage rates are going up in England; he had some extra stamps; and he'd send a piece of mail art to anybody who asked until he ran out of stamps.

I love this guy! -- not least because one day not too long ago he resigned from Facebook and installed his Real Postcard Wall to document his interactions with real mail and real people.

The Flamster

And here we have that well-known summer pest, annoying to both humans and bumblebees: the flamster.

This piece is going to David Berube for his Berube-bugs mailart call.
When you consider how many bugs - insects -- otherwise crawly creatures there are, it's hard to imagine that even more varieties live in people's imaginations. You can see some of those imaginings at David's site.

Technically this piece doesn't belong on this blog, because there are no book bits in the art. However, the photo on which the composition was developed is one I took last summer; so it fits the spirit of the blog, which is transforming something that had heft in its own right into a new form.

From Jennifer Zoellner

These amazing pieces are from Jennifer Zoellner, whose chromatophore mail art call I'm working on now. They came with a chromatophore announcement in an envelope afloat in notes -- totally cool. The zine is to die for -- super illustrations and wonderful colors -- Jennifer and Test Tower did it together, mailing pieces back and forth ...

From Rachel Freeman

From Rachel Freeman

Beauties from dear Richard Canard

From Richard Canard

127. Peace of mind

127. Peace of mind
From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

126. Lighthouse

126. Lighthouse
From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

125. Bunny hop -- revised

I made some additions to this piece today, which often happens when a piece is headed out the door. This one is going to the amazing Rachel in Kansas.



125. Bunny hop
From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

124. who knows

124.

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

123. Balance

123. Balance

From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

122. Garbo

122.
From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

121. I believe I can fly

121.
From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

120. Puppy love

120. Puppy love
From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

119. Green tractor

119. Green tractor

118. Gutenberg

118. Gutenberg
From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

117. Wander the branches

117. Wander the branches
From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

116. Falling in love again

116.
From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

Top ten things said by mail artists, in no particular order

Top Ten Things Said by Mail Artists
1. I can't find my scissors.
2. I wonder where I put my scissors.
3. Have you seen my scissors?
4. I own 8 pairs of scissors. You'd think I could find one pair.
5. Where did you hide my scissors?
6. Maybe they're under the couch.
7. Maybe they're under the bed.
8. Maybe they're under this pile of stuff.
9. Who took my scissors?
10. Never mind;I found my scissors.

115. Hula down the Bunny Trail

115.
From the It's Only a Book project in which I'm deconstructing my 2003 book, Grace: A Memoir, and turning it into art.

Grumpy Greta from Pamella Jo

From Pamella Jo in Lowell, MA.