Blog post undate for Katerina Nikoltsou - Like the Circles of Your Mind

[cheryl penn]

Mail Art Received Third Week of February 2011

This I think is one of my all time favorite pieces from excellent mail art friend Katerina.  The paint quality is fantastic - high gloss on white interspersed with Katerina's now signature tracing paper. 

My second favorite set of lyrics in the whole world - well, for today that is - as a woman, Katerina knows we are FULLY entitled to change our minds at ANY given second :-)

Like a tunnel that you follow

To a tunnel of its own

Down a hollow to a cavern

Where the sun has never shone

Like a door that keeps revolving

In a half forgotten dream.

You KNOW I was listening to this when I made all those envelopes - right?? Now I'm going to make some more - this time inspired by YOU.  I LOVE it - thank you Katerina :-)

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This piece of mail arrived together with all the others I blogged - but - I saved the best till last :-)

Katerina sent a beautiful boekie of palimpsestic-like pages, made with tracing paper, collage, bold orange textured paper and ephemera.  Although not a palimpsest in the true sense of the word (to rub away),  beautiful images are created by SEEING THROUGH to the other side (yes you know my expression!)

an exploration of the essence of transparency - a compound image.The turning of the nearly transparent pages gives them different backgrounds and permutations of image. A negative and a positive image - there is a residual concept in the use of these materials - thank you Katerina - an EXCELLENT contribution to The World is a Town Project - o I'm smiling - have been for quite a while - and especially now as I revisit this work - thank you.

 

Oh, its been an uptight few days what with loosing important things, including Horizontal Alex. :-( BUT Katerina came to the rescue (AS USUAL) and her haptic boekie arrived :-)

It was in one of her very recognizable envelopes, wrapped in tissue with - is it O Sweet Basil, or Run out of Thyme?

No thorns and nasties with this one - THANK YOU Katerina - AND for coming to Alex's rescue - where would we all be without you???

Mail Art received 17th November 2010

Katerina's Upright Alex arrived. He was Uptight because he was soggy! Rain makes havoc of invasions - ask History!

I dried him off under a warm wind, wiped his tears, ironed his wrinkles and told him not to worry - Mom Katerina said she had made him again - and he wouldn't be Upr(T)ight he would be horizontal, with a hinge! Alex is happy again :-)

Last week I received a beautiful envelope from Katerina. (20th October 2010)

The envelope was printed bright sky blue, in contrast to the redness of the autumn card inside. Spring skies in Autumn days.

I can sense the migration of birds to new lands - the swallows leaving Europe and coming towards Africa - this is beautifully captured in this print. With the building of the new King Shaka airport in La Mercy Durban, all bird watchers are worried about the plight of the marsh swallows. They fly from Europe in their millions to nest in the marshy grounds which lie to the south of the airport. They rise at about 4 to feed and fly, so authorities SAY that there are no flights from 4 - 6pm??? An international airport??? The red sticker? Here it means 'sold' when on an art work - I'm sold Katerina - thank you!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Yay! Windmills has arrived at Cheryl's place! Now why is it that Lesley gets it fast and first??? Who does she know in the post office? And Lauriana? Well, there are only three editions of Windmills, that's all the stamp n' print (with lemons and kiwi) papers I made ;-) Thank you for the blog, glad you like it.
And now the question is:
If "Windmills" is no.2, what is Cheryl's no.1 favorite song? .....("Clouds"?)

[cheryl penn]

Katerina - its an EXCELLENT fever :-) !!  Rice paper here is different - its made from rice and is edible?

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Thank you, Cheryl for the loving remarks...Thess and its White Tower looks good on your blog! I am into that tracing paper (rice paper, as it is known here) addition for little boekies! Coming up: a variation-on-the-theme for "H"! Ah, girl, you gave me the make-a-book-fever!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Why? Why would Alexandros turn back to Greece? to home? To Mama, of course!
(You saw the movie, right? and you KNOW who Mama is? Mama Mia!)

[cheryl penn]

I am looking through history to find a 2010 reason why Alexander had to SUDDENLY veer back to Greece while he was gallivanting around the world - some good stories!!! I am SO using your envelope as a page in the book - its simply too wonderful not to! I haven't looked for him for a day - but still no luck :-( I am waiting for round two... Something in the post for you x

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

well, Cheryl, the Crimson Giant did make a little "splash" through here in Greece...not officially in the project, but he was outta here on November 22...give him 14-16 days to arrive :-(

[cheryl penn]

The Giant was obviously a water avoider!! That story is just amazing - for those of you who dont know - The Crimson Giant took THREE MONTHS to travel from South Africa to Japan - AND he arrived in one piece - Marie and I were wondering where he went in his travels - he aint letting on!

[Marie Wintzer]

Oh nooo, Alexander got soaked? Well, it's a collectable now! I'm still wondering how the Giant arrived without a single scratch after three months.

[cheryl penn]

I'm just glad you're up to sending another one! The plane still leaves on the same day regardless of paying extra - its a swizz!!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Soooooooooo, the haptic boekie arrived today?
Glad it cheered you up a bit! Smelliing of green stuff? maybe oregano?
It was mailed in Thess on Nov.17! 2 weeks!
That's what they told me at the courier service today:"normally
about two weeks or so, but by our courier service, it could be fast. Something sent today might arrive by Dec.14..." Hmmm, ten days or 14? Still a long wait in South Africa. And the courier would "do it faster for 45 euro"...aha, you guessed right: I sent another Alexander, with yarn and stamps and the works...but by snail mail! Sorry, Cheryl, you'll have to wait until around December 20! No boekie/chapter of mine is worth 45 euro! sigh.