This episode is a discussion about the very big world of mail art with Jennie Hinchcliff, co-author of Good Mail Day and author of the website www.redletterdayzine.com

Good Mail Day 

Kaweco Sport

Kaweco Lilliput

Parker 51

Schaefer “Lifetime Balance”

Travelling Mail Art Kit:

• Pencil pouch
• Pen 
• Pencil
• Eraser 
• Glue stick
• Postage
• Double stick tape
• Waxy crayons
• Mohawk superfine
• Ink pad
• Rubber stamps
• Date stamper

Ex Postal Facto

Red Handed Rubber Stamps

What is gleaning?

• Having eyes open to ways that you can collect and use things in the world around you
• Collecting bits and pieces to use for mail art, whatever strikes one’s fancy
• Old paper, collage bits

Could you describe the difference between a hand-carved stamp and an Artistamp?

• Hand-carved =’s soft block carving/eraser carving an image of some kind that can then be stamped onto one’s mail art
• Artistamps =’s a “stamp” designed by an artist/mail artist to incorporate as an embellishment on one’s mail art or as a stand-alone work. Some artistamp makers create stamp sheets to send out to people and that is their form of mail art/way of working.

Artistamp makers:

• Carl Chew / Triangle Post: AARPEX event (artistamp conference, old school makers) in Seattle 2012
• Anna Banana: Banana Rag; did the perforations for the Griffin and Sabine series, influential artist, performance artist, maker
• Crackerjack Kid: Eternal Network (mail artist, can download the book for free online)
• Michael Thompson & Michael Hernandez de Luna: The Stamp Art and Postal History of Michael Thompson & Michael Hernandez de Luna (artistamp makers, book title)

 Are there artists that you think are doing amazing work that stationery lovers need to know about?

• Sally Wurlitzer—artistamps : @sallyw3000 (IG)
• Maureen Forys – Herstorical Women Of Oakland, CA artistamps : @mailbait (IG)
• Gina Visione – activist/political mail: @ginavisione (IG)
• RF Cote – Circulaire 132 (assembling zine): @rf_cote (IG)
• #sfcorrespondencecoop (IG)
• “Seeing the World in Minature: Artistamps and Their Makers” at the Ex Postal Facto conference (moderated by Jennie Hinchcliff): https://youtu.be/2iiXfiSRpG0

My mentors:

• Postmaster James (CA, USA) – mail artist, postmaster for Burning Man / Red Rubber Tattoo camp
• Anna Banana (Canada)
• CM Bennett (OH, USA)—fluxus artist, artistampmaker, mail artist
• Chuck Welch (NH, USA)
• Carl Chew (WA, USA)
• Picasso Gaglione (KY, USA) – mail artist, one of the founders of the Bay Area Dada groups (SF, 1970’s), owner of Stampland (rubber stamp business)

 
Jennie on the Internets:

Instagram Redletterday

John on the Internets:
John on FPC

Instagram
@stationeryorbit