Happy Mail

From an early age I had an affinity for all things creative. I’d swipe coffee filters from the kitchen to make voluminous skirts for my dolls. In kindergarten, I painted and strung a full set of macaroni jewelry for every woman in my family, fancying myself a brilliant jewelry designer. Growing up in a family with limited disposable income available, I would spend hours flipping through my mom’s old magazines, cutting out the prettiest, most appealing images, then gluing them onto little story “books” I had written. At the time, I dreamed more of becoming a writer than an artist. Without realizing it, however, I was already on my way to becoming a paper crafter, expressing myself with those magazine photos, scissors, a little glue, and a lot of imagination.

Fast forward a few (or many) years. I now consider myself a mixed media hobbyist/artist. While I’ve certainly experimented with varying mediums from watercolor to texture pastes, the constants in my creative life are still paper, scissors, and glue. These are the building blocks that allow me to create the miniature works of collage-style art which are my passion. I prefer to work in a smaller scale, partly because I find the diminutive size tidy and pleasing, and partly because the smaller size enables me to trade those pieces with other artists around the world. That is where the true joy of making comes through for me. Creating can be an intensely personal process to most including myself, yet I find that sharing my works makes the process even more meaningful.

Like many artists, I trade my work on social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram. Technology has made it easier than ever to connect with other creative minds in this way. I’ve traded with several artists for many years and have amassed very nice collections of their work. They have become friends to me, although I’ve never met most, and I love to display their artwork in an ever-changing exhibit near my craft desk. It’s inspiring to see so many diverse, unique pieces that have traveled the world to reach my studio.

Some of the items I enjoy creating nowadays include altered postcards, artist trading cards (ATCs, 2.5 x 3.5”), altered Rolodex cards, inkbox cards (3 x 3” square), folios, junk journals, and small canvases. The beauty of mixed media is that there aren’t set rules, enabling an artist to decide what combination of media best illustrates the idea, thought, or emotion they wish to convey. I often find inspiration in nature, but a piece can begin with a simple prompt such as a word, a color, or an art technique. The piece will continue to evolve and develop with each layer I add, until it just feels complete.

The pair of ATCs shown here were made for a trade with an artist from Finland. There was no set theme for the trade, but when I sat down to make the cards, I knew I wanted to incorporate colorful insects into the design. I had been perusing vintage insect bookplates, which inspired this choice. I printed out the insect images then detail-cut them using a very sharp small pair of scissors. I knew I wanted the cards to have a somewhat aged look, so I used various torn papers as a background, adding some vintage foreign postage stamps and rubber stamped text accents. For final touches, I added a wax stamp seal, wax dots, and inked edges for depth and interest.

When I posted the personalized, decorated envelope containing my art and a few extra pieces of ephemera and other goodies to the other artist, I imagined the smile that it and its contents would hopefully bring. That is the ultimate inspiration. I find the entire experience of making, sending, and receiving “happy mail” so uplifting. Who doesn’t love going to the mailbox to find a lovely, art-filled envelope or a handmade card? To me, it’s one of life’s best little joys.