Mary Anne's Blog – September 2019 Archive (11)

I didn't have much of an education.

Our family led something of a peripatetic lifestyle and I was in and out of this school and that; sometimes with long gaps between.  My first employer insisted we all attended college - day release it was called - and there we had three compulsory subjects: English (taught of course by a Welshman), British Constitution and Social Economics. There was space on the timetable for one other subject and so, with some misgivings, we were all enrolled in…

So I am not a great one for creating on the computer but I've been waiting for collage to dry (again!) and, having nothing much better to do, found myself playing with ideas for the documentation for my 'Stamps for Yoko' project.  I found an image of an old poster (thank you google images) for one of Yoko's exhibitions and, working under a sudden inspiration, I have altered it a little . . .

What to do with it now I wonder.  The best I can think of is posting it here where it may…

Last night I found myself watching a Sci-fi film on our (British) TV. 

The film (2016) was named 'Arrival' and the story such as it was concerned the arrival of alien ships and an 'expert's' attempts at understanding their written and spoken language.  It was quite a gentle film and I think maybe anyone on IUOMA interested in asemic writing would find it intriguing . . .

The postie has just brought me the first half of the documentation I am doing for my on-going 'Stamps for Yoko' project (yes it has a fancy name now) and it is slowly turning into a thing of small and modest beauty; you could say, rather like the lady herself!

I can hardly wait to finish it off and send it all out but patience is a virtue (I am repeatedly told) and there is still space for a couple more designs to be included.  Any takers?

I really ought to have put some thought into this posting but it is a spur of the moment thing and maybe it will be the better for it.

Hard to miss the Global (whatever that means) strike being called for today to draw attention to the vast problems facing the world's equilibrium. 

I imagine that most people involved in the Eternal Network are to some extent sympathetic to the causes and have an awareness of the difficulties involved in 'climate change'. yet I can't help…

I have a great liking for artistamps and keep any that come my way in a set of four albums.  Luckily the standard size spring-back album, although a little old fashioned, is just the right size to accommodate full sheets, as well as pages of individual stamps, cards and envelopes,  so the whole thing gets to look better and better with each passing month.

Amongst the pages is this one full, not of artistamps per say, but of imitation air mail labels.  I wish I could find more as they…

I have had a sudden windfall - an embarrassment of riches from the  Postmaster General of Cascadia - enough to warrant a whole blog though I will only post a few images, partly because I am sure most of the stamps and cards will have already been noted and partly because I would rather be away from this infernal machine and busy on more mail.

First, I will post the envelopes because I think most stamp designers (or other mail artists too I dare say) have an interest in seeing how…

stamps from Mark Valentine and Thom Courcelle.

Bruce Grenville sent so many sheets, stamps, first day covers, announcements of issues and heaven knows what else that I don't realy know where to start.  Mark Valentine sent an explanation in a booklet.  I may soon need a bigger suitcase!…

Sorting through the pile of welcome mailart, I find several clusters of artistamps, and it occurs to me that this might be a good time to introduce my Artistamp Projection.

Some years ago, a chum gave me an old spring-back stamp album and I decided to use it for all the artistamps I had accumulated.  the idea (I call it a projection because it is part art project and part stamp collection) now lives in a small suitcase and includes four albums, stockbooks, bundles of envelopes,…

Several years ago I started a little project for no real reason except the fun of it, then I became ill and it got put by.  Luckily it had not been very popular but I have felt guilty about not having finished things off and sent the promised documentation.

Well, being more or less back now I decided that my first job was to bring the project to some sort of end.  this time round I have had more interest and it seems that, now I have the required ten stamps, I can get on with my part…

I'm certain that every one involved with this eternal network has their own way of doing things; that is one of the great joys of the thing. 

I have been busy for the last month doing acres (so it seems) of collage and dozens of envelopes so incoming mail has been largely put by until a more auspicious time.  Today was the day and I have just spent a delightful hour as a sort of island in a sea of post!  Wonder after wonder; generosity piled upon generosity! 

My September is…