La Sirena

The amount of coincidences we've been having is pretty remarkable. When I pulled this card out of the mailbox I was shocked. Shocked, I tell you. Here are the things that blew me away: 1. Her cuteness 2. The fact that you call her a "siren", as opposed to a mermaid, which is what so many people call these elusive creatures. 3. Her "substantialness". I personally cannot imagine a siren that isn't a little, ahem, voluptuous.

What do kitties dream of?

This, of course.

Zzzzzzzzz

Flip-side with a small addition from the P.O.

I have a small collection of these bread-ties (bread clips? bread closures? bread twikkies? substitute guitar picks) and I actually use them to close bags sometimes. They do tend to get lost on the counter (even our tiny counter) and often end up on the floor, under things and between cracks. If we had a cat, I could see this being a source of amusement on occasion—fishing one of these out of its hidey-hole, then batting it across the floor like a hockey puck. But I've never sewn one onto a postcard. No sir. This is a fresh new approach to plastic.

More fragments from the past

This collage is totally in keeping with your earlier painting of The White Lady. They have a very similar mysterious, foggy atmospheric quality. You must look very closely at this to see all that is there. I didn't know that wasn't birch bark until you told me. And that woman is also someone to be studied, appreciated. She has a timeless look.

Mistake Man!

Combining the found objects

Found silhouette. Obscure poem fragment. Hidden cable cars. I love holding transparencies up to the sky.

Medium Toothed Whales

Do you sense a small, cute presence?

Yes. Yes you do. It's a Narwhal!

According to wikipedia: The narwhal, or narwhale, (Monodon monoceros) is a medium-sized toothed whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. This is the cutest Narwhal I have ever seen. So unexpected in so many ways! :)

That's right: donuts

Hmm? What's this?

*gasp!* Cute little bag!

Look what's inside...

DONUTS!

That's right: donuts. What happened to the other two? I wonder...

Close-up on my favorites: plain.

And of course, chocolate sprinkles.

Oh, donuts—you are wondrous indeed.

Found Object or A Little Madness for the King

Can you believe this escaped my notice? Our PO is so crazy. It's impossible to know when this arrived. It has no postmarks. I cannot even begin to tell you what they did with our mail when we were on vacation. Suffice it to say, a neighbor came by yesterday to show me the form I'd filled out requesting the PO hold our mail while we were gone. They'd mailed the form to her! That place is out of control. I have no idea what to do since they've basically gone rogue these days. I digress. I hadn't read this one before. It's perfect and wonderful even in the midst of summer. Thank you!

Flight

This one was a long time coming and I apologize. It arrived right as we were leaving on a trip and I, in my nervous haste, was too worried about ruining it and didn't want to open the sheer wrapping. Yesterday, finally, I took the plunge. Here is what I found:

I love origami. It's like visual J. S. Bach. You know, it encompasses so much: mathematics, rhythms, harmony, nature, patterns. This is beautiful. I love the colors and that paper is classic. How is your book going? I would love to see it!

Postcard of mini-painted-wonders

A postcard of miniatures.

Close-ups:

So fantastic. I wish I had a dollhouse and I would decorate every room with these. All the different styles and colors--what a fantastic house it would be. Look how detailed and tiny it all is, with a cowboy and his steed, no less. I never get tired to studying this.

Bonus Trinket!

Menacing, yet cute. With bonus trinket!

 

Button Forms!

Don't be fooled by the packaging, folks. These are merely button forms. You control the fabric that wraps around these metal forms for a completely customized button look!

As I mentioned, my Mom used these throughout the late 60s/early 70s. And so many of my pantsuits had buttons made of matching fabrics. And in those years, that matching fabric was usually very multi-colored. We're not talking muted plaids. No, zany stripes, florals and even smiley faces could make it onto these. It was completely out of control.

Someone should bring these back and just sew them all over the damn place. Everyone loves buttons. In fact, I went to a brunch yesterday in Oakland and my friend had a clear baggie of colorful buttons taped to the wall of her office/studio. I don't know why. Maybe she's doing some sewing. Anyway, it got me thinking: why not decorate with buttons? They're just so nice.

I'm working on some art. Or is it art? It's definitely up in the air. And I finally finished that Alice Neel biography. She got rich, acclaimed, and famous in the last decade of her life. It was like the elevator to the stars! Then she died. Perhaps that's the way to go. So the fame never spoils you. Anyway, she worked her butt off over the years, making trillions of portraits. She deserved every bit of fame and the some. Now I can plow through the new oral history of Led Zeppelin, who did not have to wait long for fame at all.

More mail to come. My landlord made us this crazy stone mailbox mausoleum this year and when it's hot (like it was last week, above 100 degrees every day), the mail gets VERY HOT. These buttons were ON FIRE. Made it pretty exciting.

Blueness

When I opened the envelope, I immediately noticed the jewelry and was like, how did she know?! Then I saw the glasses and I recognized them. I think you wore those way back when, right? I say how did she know because lately I've been doing my usual scheming and decided to start making necklaces out of recycled jewelry parts as a possible new vocation. It's so fun reinventing something, but not so lucrative. Or it could be I have no business sense. That's most likely. Here is that of which I write:

It was a huge adjustment coming back and I'm still adjusting. I wish we could go back there often, maybe even live there. I especially loved Bologna and Hampstead Heath. Is it unrealistic to scheme in those directions?

80s-era Journal Collage - hooray

Yay! Mail art is back. Cutting up old journals is a great idea. I tossed a ton of my journals-of-my-20s--maybe I saved a few doodles and that's it. I had made some conscious decision at some point in my mid-20s to stop writing down every angst-y feeling that popped into my head (little did I know the Internet would come along, giving everyone, including me, a platform for those feelings). Reading through those early journals was VERY embarrassing and I didn't want to subject future generations to them, so out they went. I did save journals of the 90s--they seem more "balanced" overall, and contain some story ideas.

One thing I was really surprised to rediscover on going over old journals recently (we were probably doing this in tandem a couple months ago without realizing it), was that I was very, very serious about being a writer. I had multiple short-story ideas going on for a couple years, and I was sending out a lot of completed work and making note of my rejections (some hand-written notes on them that kept me from giving up), and filing things and being very driven and organized. What happened that changed that trajectory? Was it just giving up, or deciding to try later--probably just working full-time for low pay and survival taking over I think.

Anyway, there was a part of myself I had COMPLETELY buried in my subconscious. My writing side. I stopped journaling altogether for some time, but have picked it up again, along with doing art with you (hmm--interlinked). I still write ideas in journals so I won't forget. They get used for blogging, comics and our limping-along script. Which will be completed--I predict--or at least first-drafted this summer. It must be!

So we can get going on the second script.

Also: thank you for this collage and the nice window envelope. It's weird to have something of yours from a couple decades back when I distinctly remember your work from then. I remember this brown ink, and lovely drawings and your commitment to putting it all down on paper. A huge part of you in these little collages in the mail. The P.O. made some nice stamp-age on the envelope as well. This reminds me of you back in the day very much.

This teeny handwriting--you have such skill with miniature. I love your miniature still-life broaches--I have my bowl of lemons you gave me. Much talent. Much, much, much.

Maybe it's a sound object

This is such an in joke. And it made me laugh.

New Wave Flower Garden

This is a metaphor that sums it all up.  I was way too awestruck by the sheer being there-ness and I was so very stubborn in my obtuseness that I probably didn't pay enough nevermind to the flowerheads.  Over the years, though, I have found this kind of obliviousness has been quite helpful!

San Francisco, the inside story

Fabulous. How did you...? You have such control and a great, great eye. Temp work—who knew it could be inspiring? I love that drum kit, by the way—perfect in miniature.

R.E.M. ushers in the 80s

Two ancient R.E.M. concerts from '81 and '82. They look and sound familiar, yes? I've been listening to old Talking Heads when I write. This brings it back too.

Paper Dolls in The City (with a capital The of course)

My photography skills are leaving everything to be desired.  I hope I haven't made too much of a mess here.  But I digress.  To start off, first there is the envelope.  The City:

Next, the dolls:

And a few outfits:

And now for some nights on the town:

This mail is the best!  The handwritten commentary is also very very appropos.  I know I recognize at least one of these ensembles.  My favorite is the polka dotted coat.   BTW, I made color copies of everything and cut those up so as not to destroy the wonderful original.

Uh-oh.  I'm afraid I am not sure how to follow this one up!  I'm going to have to watch that video below to get some inspiration.  BTW, it's extremely hypnotic. Watching it is like going into a dream state wherein all of the most torpid moments of your most deeply recessed memories are rudely awakened all at once causing them to spring from under their slumbering rocks and slowly and meanderingly float like a school of neon jellyfish to the top of a sea of half cooked blue green jello.  It sounded good when I typed it but I'm not sure it says what I mean which is: yikes.

So, so 80s

I don't expect you'll watch this whole thing (it's long), but short snippets are like injecting the 80s straight into the vein. Take it slow. Build up a tolerance. Don't take it all in at once! Too much 80s—not healthy.

Working on it

I'm getting the mail done. In the meantime, enjoy these fabulous 80s pants! This pattern is for sale on Etsy and the seller promises that these are "The most 80s pants available." Truth in advertising.

LOVE IT

LOVE LOVE LOVE. Combination Dan Clowes/Dee See—so cool. Beautiful. And look—the P.O. stamped Luci's forehead with worry lines. Lord. This is supreme. Thank you. NOW what am I going to do?

Here's my face upon seeing this in the box yesterday (artist's rendering):

Pretty damn happy

I wrote a little more yesterday about their first apartment. I read the party scene. That teddy bear incident—I do remember that. I remember you telling me about it afterward. It was like a nightmare. Love that line. I'm doing another read-through from beginning to...whatever we have and I'll be writing/editing as I go. More to come. Plus mail. Lord.