beautiful blue bead

Sadi, a postcrosser in Istanbul, sent this beautiful blue bead, believed to keep bad luck and evil at bay. He wrote that the beads, called nazer boncugu in Turkish, can be seen all around the city. With good luck to all!

lush ordu

This jewel-like stamp showing a lush scene from Ordu was on the blue bead postcard above.

as you were

Mrs. October returned to the theme of baseball with this card that arrived yesterday.

supersized

This humongous, and very clever, lenticular stamp of a zigzagging skier was on the Finnish card shown below. Leave it to Finland for another great stamp!

forget me not

A Finnish postcrosser sent this nostalgic card made from a retro sticker, with greetings from herself and her three dogs. She's a chow fancier. Love the breed myself.

california republic

This pretty stamp was on a card from Mrpotani. Who knew that California was a republic?

One World One Dream

A fabulous card from a Parisian postcrosser, just back from the Beijing Olympics. It's my favorite type - a lenticular card. It has a moving anime girl riding a bicycle past the Laoshan Velodrome. I LOVE it!!!

Wintry Cool

A lovely wintry scene from a postcrosser in Latvia. It's most welcome today, as we are sweltering in San Francisco.

Lukiang Tienho Temple

A nice temple card from a postcrosser in Taiwan. This temple was built during the reing of Emperor Yungli of the Ming Dynasty.

Multiview Card from Bursa

Received this lovely card from a Turkish postcrosser. I was in Bursa in 2002 but my only vivid memory of the place is eating a delicious Iskender kabob at a lovely restaurant.

light/dark

Yesterday's mail brought a trio of images, two light and one dark. The two, from Jessie F. (aka Mrs. October), sandwiched the third, from Mrpotani. That card was of an unsparing painting by Frida Kahlo, in a show of her work now in San Francisco, which I missed in Philadelphia. I've posted the cards in the order that they came.

the closer

Brad "Lights Out" Lidge is the closer for the Phillies. On the mound he looks mean but word is that off it he's a sweetie. I made this card to send to Mrs. October.

the out man

What better name for a pitcher than Outman? I picked up the 2008 player cards on my last trip to the Reading ballpark. This wonderfully named prospect was part of the trade to Oakland this summer for Joe Blanton.

galway bay 1945

This National Museum of Ireland card features a limpid photograph of Galway Bay taken in 1945 by Padraic Mac Dubhain. It was sent by an Irish postcrosser named Siobhan, who wrote that sailing boats such as these were used in the past to carry food, animals, and other things to the islands off the west coast of Ireland. Wish I were there.

calluna in sweden

German postcrosser Kristina took this image of her favorite heather while on a canoe trip in Sweden. It's a great image and I thank her for sharing it.

ingmar bergman

I also love this stamp of Ingmar Bergman, which was on the card below. Thanks, Anette!


I very much like the fresh design of this card sent by Swedish postcrosser Anette, with its elk crossing sign and strawberries, blueberries, and (maybe) lingonberries.

bodensee greetings

German postcrosser Tanja sent summer greetings from Bodensee, where she was vacationing with her family.

slow show from bulgaria

My German-Canadian friend Inga has been back from Europe for almost two months. Today's mail brought this card she sent from Nessebar, a resort town on the Black Sea.

mike & ike

Here's another upside-down image from Mrs. October. When I see her late next month, I must ask about these.

Hollywood via Sao Paulo

A fabulous cigarette card arrived from a postcrosser in Brazil. He writes, "I don't smoke and I hope you neither!" Thanks Mauricio for this wonderful card!

two for one

Isabel Y. sent this "very very (not to say) very" sweet thank-you note from Australia, on the back of the card below. She incorporated an image of the owl bookmark I sent her in her drawing. The pink/green/white remind me of the hishimochi set out for Girls' Day. A great surprise, a priceless card!

This is the lovely picture on the 'back' of the card, showing Isa's home in Mudgeeraba. Her mom, Margaret Price, an old friend from Tokyo, teaches Japanese tea there and runs an art gallery. Check it out at www.gallerytokonoma.com.au.

National Treasure

A postcrosser from Hokkaido sent this chatty postcard. She has never been to Kyoto and this is her very first handmade card! I like the way she filled in the front of the card with words - a Japanese tradition where content is written on the front, the address on the back.

red phillies

It's hard to beat Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, and the Phanatic. Another card from Mrs. October/Jessie F.

happy frogs

Sometimes Jessie F. makes cards that do not have a baseball theme.

"the night of the arts"

There were lots of fingerprints all over this Kaj Stenvall image, sent by Finnish postcrosser Anu. Anu has a young son and a Tibetan spaniel, works in a laboratory, and runs in the forest. Sounds like a full life.

"une loge aux italiens"

Mrpotani sent this image by French painter Eva Gonzales, from a show of women Impressionists. Gonzales studied with Manet but died young in childbirth.

many attend

I made this card for Mrs. October. Maybe she'll pick up on the reference, which is to a local brouhaha in Philadelphia.

Big Gushing Heart

Bonzour! Postcrosser Satanik-skull sent this non-satanic looking card from Mauritius. The card brought back memories of a young rock and roller from that far away island. He was the lead singer in a band comprised of two Turkish guitarists and a female Tunisian vocalist.

Kesaterveiset Suomesta!

This sweet card & stamp were mailed by 3-year old Emilia's mom in Lappeenranta. The title of this post translates to "Summer Greetings from Finland!"

call me

Mrs. October made this amusing request to call.

Luscious Papaya

This lovely hand-drawn/painted card was sent by Jean C in New Jersey. It echoes the papaya stamp on the other side. She's also become a Postcrossing addict!

Korean Postcrossing

This wonderful penguin stamp came with a colorful card depicting Chinese letters written by Kim Jeong-Lee.

Pick Up

This year's Artspan postcard features lipstick kisses in a rainbow of candy colors. I will be exhibiting on Weekend 3.

Tasty

Delicious art is on display at Creativity Explored until October 1, 2008

Environmentally Friendly

I received this great collage card from Finnish postcrosser Eija. She taught me the tongue-twister Finnish word, ymparistoystavallinen, which means environmentally friendly. Thanks Eija!

stamps from slovakia

Bratislava designer Julia Kunovska sent me images of new work with these stamps on the envelope. One shows Slovak composer Eugen Suchon, in a pensive mood, the other a puppet much like one I bought in the early 1990's on a visit to then-Czechoslovakia.

R_enaissance Postcards

These are the two cards I submitted to the mailart show in Miskolc, Hungary.
The top card is made with aqua vellum, lace, velvet ribbon and luminous silk. The bottom card is made with lush fabrics.

R_ENNAISANCE Mailart Call

I received this email from Hungary. The deadline for submission is coming up very quickly - August 29, 2008 - so send your submissions right away! The postcards I sent are displayed in the blog above.

The 2nd International SpanishFlu Mail Art Biennial
Miskolc, Hungary
Ifjúsági és Szabadidõ Ház, October 2008

The SpanishFlu NetJournal of Art presents
The 2nd International SpanishFlu Mail Art Biennial
entitled
R_ENAISSANCE
on the occasion of the Renaissance Year 2008.

Co-Directors:
The Hungarian Electrographic Art Society
The Department of Economics and International Affairs at the University of Debrecen
The House of Youth and Leisure, Miskolc

This exhibition is the second element of a three-parts biennial organized in the framework of the SpanishFlu NetJournal of
Art's project called 'The Cultural Webroom of Europe 2010'.

We would be honoured to see you among the participants of the exhibition.

The exhibition is exclusively held for works of the theme concerned, created for this occasion and sent by conventional post.

All the art works will be displayed independently of its form, size, material, technology, if it arrives as a postcard, a letter or a package. Any other type of work delivered in an envelope or in wrapping also will be exhibited if it not only has a link to the topic of R_ENAISSANCE but refers to the mail art as well. Number of works is unlimited. Mail art can be two or three-dimensional works of art posted 'uncovered' and those put into an envelope (or other 'cover') whether they are drawings, graphics, photos, paintings, art stamps, seal prints, art books, objects or other works of art connected to the topic stated. Feel free to use the most postal elements or extra services possible (spectacular stamps, registered letter, special delivery) in order to decorate your mail art work.

The digital catalogue of the exhibition is expected to be seen at www.mailart.hu in English in the 9th October, 2008, the day of the Word Post Day.

Beside the pictures of the collection, a photo and the biography of the author will also be included. You are kindly requested to visit www.spanyolnatha.hu/reneszansz, fill in the Information Form and forward it to us by pressing the 'Send' button, on 1st September 2008 the latest. Information Forms are only accepted via Internet. Only those authors' pieces of works will be included in the catalogue whose photo and biography is also attached.

For more information on the Rennaisance Year in English visit www.spanyolnatha.hu/reneszansz.

Mail art works sent to the exhibition comes to the property of the Marcelland International Art Collection.

Organizer institutions establish an International Mail Art Award. Each Award-winners are given a diploma and have the opportunity for an individual web-exhibition of their works in the SpanishFlu NetJournal of Art in 2008.

Award-winners are to hold the opening ceremony of their exhibitions in the House of Youth and Leisure, Miskolc, on the occasion of the premieres of the SpanishFlu editions.

Mail art works are to post to the address below:
Spanyolnátha, 3504 Miskolc, Postafiók: 77.
Hungary

Deadline of arrival: 29 August, 2008.

(Art works arrive over the deadline can be participated in the exhibition, but will not be included in the catalogue.)

summer jazz

Mrpotani used oiled paper to make this jazzy baseball card. It smells wonderfully like the Japanese umbrellas standing in an old crock in a corner of my workroom.

phillies baseballs

Mrs. October chimed in with another card dedicated to her favorite team.

blue baseball

Anna also drew this cool ball on the back of her card and wrote that baseball is "a great sport!" Yes! Anna's got her own site at www.onyxstrasza.deviantart.com.

autumn river

Finnish postcrosser Anna sent this autumn scene. Hooray for the changing seasons!

stamps from the '70's

Yukiko used stamps from the early 1970's on her Harrison Ford postcard. Very cool!

indiana jones

A Japanese postcrosser named Yukiko sent this card of her "best favorite actor." Thanks!

magic mountains

Xiaozhi, a Chinese postcrosser, sent this magical view of the Gui Mountains.