more may stamps

Here's the end of May stamp round-up. Enjoy.

julia storrs

Mrpotani designed this card for the Pro Arts East Bay Open Studio. It will be held the two weekends of June 6 & 7 and June 13 & 14.

recycled altered

I recycled a postcard, some paper, and some stickers to make this altered card to send to a friend.

all is golden

Friend Uchida K in the Ayaori post office sent this gorgeous stamp set. It commemorates the 5oth wedding anninversary of the Imperial couple.

performance

Mrpotani sent this card of a Jo Ann Callis print called Performance. She heard Callis speak last week in Los Angeles.

batfish with coins

The Finnish postcrosser who altered this card wrote: "When I hit your profile, I felt I was going to die! I'm not even one bit artistic and have nothing useful at home. So this is what I came up with--with my non-existing skills." What a clever, amusing card! The coins are great touches. I'm so happy she did not expire.

nests by anna divinsky

Anna Divinsky has a show called Nests at the American Jewish Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, through June 30. For more information: www.jccpgh.org/museum.asp.

honda

Tono artist Honda Takeshi is having a show at Gallery Pousse in Tokyo from June 1 to 12. If you are in Tokyo, be sure to check out his stunning works done with charcoal pencil on paper.

butterflies and ladybugs

A German postcrosser sent this altered card.

no milk for children

The Turkish postcrosser who sent this card from Istanbul wrote that it shows two children--one eight and one 10--who live on the street. It says that they never drink milk.

postcards of prague 4

Two takes on Wenceslas Square. That's a statue of the 'good king' himself in front of the National Museum.

Postcard Call for Participation: “Zero Nuclear Weapons, Zero Weapons of Mass Destruction: Create a Culture of Peace Now!”

KIK (Kulturel Information - Koordination), The Ribbon International, and Women’s Caucus for Art invite artists, mail artists, students, children, activists and concerned individuals, classrooms and organizations to create postcards for this year’s United Nations NGO Conference, “For Peace and Development: Disarm Now!”

Our postcard theme focuses on one of the major issues debated at this conference: “Zero Nuclear Weapons, Zero Weapons of Mass Destruction – Why? How? When?”
Lend your voice to this debate. What does a culture of peace look like? How would you resolve conflict in peaceful ways? What does it mean to feel safe and secure? Why must we oppose the creation of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction? How can we remove these weapons? What can happen if we remain silent? What can change look like? Express yourself through words and/or artwork! Make postcards! Send us your postcards!

All postcards received by September 1, 2009 will be documented online and displayed together with The Ribbon International at the United Nations Conference in Mexico City in September, 2009. Afterwards, this exhibition will travel to venues in the United States for further display and dialog.

Deadline: September 1, 2009

Artwork: 4”x6” or Size 6 postcards on the theme “Zero Nuclear Weapons, Zero WMD: Create a Culture of Peace Now!” On the back of the postcard, provide your name and State/Country so we can acknowledge your submission on the blogsite.

Teachers and Educators: We welcome classroom participation!

All Postcards will be documented on http://wcaartwavesinternational.blogspot.com/.

No jury, no fee, no return. Postal delivery only.

Mail postcards to P. Otani, Curator, “Zero NW Zero WMD: Create a Culture of Peace Now!” 263 Laidley Street, San Francisco, CA 94131 USA.

Exhibition Collaborators:

Kulturel Information – Koordination (KIK) is a Danish NGO which works to link people through a network of Art and Culture for a Global Culture of Peace. Website: http://www.kik-kultur.dk/

The Ribbon International is a peace art project. The Ribbon is an ever growing number of meter-by half-meter (or one yard by half-yard) pictures, sewn or painted on fabric, showing what each individual maker loves most and wants to protect by abolishing nuclear weapons, ending wars and preserving the environment. Website: http://www.theribboninternational.org/

The Women's Caucus for Art (WCA) is the leading national nonprofit organization for women in the visual arts professions in the United States. Founded in 1972, WCA has 27 chapters across the country and is an affiliate society of the College Art Association. Website: http://www.nationalwca.org/

yes, stamps

A couple of the new (increased rate) stamps from USPS.

A fashion stamp from Finland: 'sex and the city' Suomi style.

Oh, to be in Japan in this season of wild vegetables.

Sweet greetings from China.

more birthday greetings

It's my birthday tomorrow and here are some more greetings. The funky card (top) and cute envelope (bottom) are from Mrpotani and her husband. Happy, happy!

postcards of prague 3

Coming and going, two views of Charles Bridge, one of the most famous Prague landmarks.

happy birthday

A birthday card from Sandy Sapienza reminds me how happy I am to be a beneficiary of her printing class. Thanks!

postcards of prague 2

Postcard 3 shows an idyllic day on the famed Vltava.

Postcard 4 is of Powder Gate with Smetana Hall on the right. The hall, which I remember in blue and gold, ties in of course with the Vltava, also called the Moldau. Smetana's famous work about the river highlights the annual musical festival held in Prague each spring.

13 postcards of prague: part 1

Thirteen postcards of Prague, which I made from an old book of photographs of the city. A friend in Kyoto rescued the book from his landlady's trash there and sent it to me. The ticket from the Budapest transit system symbolizes the end of the story.

Literary Prague with a view of the castle. It all starts with the castle and with Kafka.

Prague the city in black and gold.

bloom, baby, bloom

I altered this card using part of a plastic mesh bag for limes, strips cut from an advertisement flyer, acrylics, and a ribbon flower. Flower fun on a gloomy day.

lesser three gorges

I like the 'snapshot' quality of this postcard sent by a Chinese postcrosser. It shows the Lesser Three Gorges on the Daning River, near its conjunction with the Yangtze. The sender wrote that he was longing for Pennsylvania's tradition of freedom.

pinhole photography

Yes, altered cards are fun. I made this one using old stickers on an art card that intrigued me from the start.

dona turner daisies

Mrpotani sent this card from a recent open studio tour in the Bay area.

grandma's gone

A postcrosser in Canada sent this amusing card (top), which he altered by adding the unforgettable banner and photo of Marlene Dietrich. He backed the card with a super sheet of stamps (bottom), which he made on a science-fiction theme. For more original mail art by wackystuff, see www.flickr.com/photos/wackystuff/

my taiwan

Sophia, a postcrosser from Taiwan now living in Shanghai with her family, sent this artist's rendition of her "beautiful country".

blocks +

I added sticker elements to this art card and sent it to a friend in Japan. The round stickers at left are in fact Day-Glo orange.

stamps again and again

Stamps comic or pretty, from (top to bottom) Japan, China, Brazil, and Japan.

Birthday Food Greetings

Snackie poos do a tap dance - from Frannie


Tastykake - a Phillies Phan Experience from Jacqueline

Tomorrow is my birthday and greetings have been arriving since last week. Frannie's card is made of balsa wood and Jacqueline's from a box of Tastykakes. I wonder what it means to receive so many food-related cards this year? Does it have something to do with my food blog that I started in January (http://mrpotani.wordpress.com/)?

Good n Plenty

Jacqueline sent this wonderful card with a weird fortune cookie statement pasted on. Looking at the Pennsylvania Dutch spread on this card, I started craving some chowchow and pickled beets.

Malfunction

Picked up this great robot card from artist Eric Joyner's studio at Islais Creek studios. It was an old card from a 2007 show but still wonderful.

Recent Alterations from Postcrossing

This postcrosser from Hong Kong added a bookstore receipt, stickers and punched paper to a fireworks card


This Brazilian postcrosser covered card with Brazilian word stickers



This postcrosser from Belarus drew a hedgehog on a freecard. Sometimes simple is fabu.

crazy sao paulo

A proud, happy resident of Sao Paulo sent this frenetic card of her city. She said it's already altered enough, there's no room for more.