I am wondering how you are

It is now fall and the pandemic wears on.  I continue to stay home to stay safe, I wear a mask whenever I am out in public (I do not go very much at all), and I miss being with my friends.  While I may be weary from staying home and wearing a mask when I do go out, the thing that wears on me heavily these days is not being with my friends.  I am wondering how you are.

When I do talk with friends these days, asking "How are you?" or "What's up?" feels a little superficial.  Those questions are too easy to answer quickly, and offer a way to skirt or avoid addressing what I imagine are bigger concerns and longings.  I want to convey my sincere interest and care in a way that will  invite a more authentic response and start a conversation.  I am wondering how you are.  

As time passes I see and hear from friends and acquaintances less often.  I fear my memory may become colored or clouded.  Will I remember your voice when I hear it again?  Will my pandemic-long isolation cause me to forget your smile?  Will we all age in ways that make us unrecognizable?

While organizing my bookshelf recently, I discovered my college yearbook.  Not feeling an attachment to the object, I was ready to sent it to its next life.  That next life is this mail art project, where the faces of my peers from those years at the university become a vehicle for me to explore what it means to remember, what it means to forget, what it means to long for connection, and what it feels like to wonder how my friends are doing.

I am wondering how you are.

I would love to hear from you.

This mail art project is the eighth in my COVID-19 series.  The project includes 180 original postcards made with mixed media collage, acrylic paint, and rubber stamps on water color paper.  

Summer of COVID-19: Long and Hot

As the summer begins, Dallas is experiencing an alarming rise in the number of COVID19 infections. There is unprecedented strain on our healthcare system and confusing messages from the many voices that speak about the pandemic. Public health is mixed with politics as election season approaches. It will no doubt be a long and hot summer.

I continue to shelter in place, going out only to shop for necessities. Occasionally I go for a drive just to get out of the house for a change of scenery. I miss going to art museums, dining in restaurants, being with my friends, and events that allow me the opportunity to get dressed up or a reason to buy new shoes. I do enjoy planning meals at home, cooking, and using this opportunity to eat a little less and loose a few pounds so I can be more healthy. I have re-discovered the joys and benefits of stretching and yoga. I center my thoughts and focus on my breath during the time I spend watering the young plants in our yard. This summer I am experiencing a new combination of familiar activities and experiences. It seems the same is true for most people I know.

The "Summer of Covid-19" mail art project is born from my anticipation of the sunny and hot days this season will bring and the still-present and ever-growing threat of the coronavirus. The project also marks the beginning of a new acceptance of the fact that the current pandemic will not end soon or without more changes to the way I live my life.

I want you all to be safe and to stay well. Please wear a mask when you are out in public, maintain social distancing, wash your hands frequently, and encourage those around you to do the same.

Summer is only beginning and it is sure to be long and hot during this COVID-19 pandemic.

The 4" x 6" postcards in this project are painted with acrylic paint on watercolor paper, and given a gloss varnish. The reverse is printed with custom rubber stamps. There are 215 pieces in this edition.

Everyone deserves to get art in the mail during a pandemic. #MailArtSalon

Summer of COVID-19 - 101 of 215

Summer of COVID-19 - 103 of 215

Summer of COVID-19 - 104 of 215

Summer of COVID-19 - 107 of 215

Summer of COVID-19 - Reverse

Stay Home - Be Safe - Send Mail

In March, my employer told me to take my computer and go work from home.  It’s been an interesting experience staying sheltered and distant these past months.  Some days are pleasant while others are filled with anxiety and frustration over a circumstance that is beyond my control.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and I spend all my time at home, I notice things about my environment that I never noticed before.  Other familiar parts of my surroundings take on new meaning when seen from my new stay-at-home vantage.  The way the shadow of our house crawls across the patio; the clouds that fill this pollution-free urban sky; and the unusual beauty of food packaging.  

This mail art project uses recycled art papers and cardboard waste in the shape of our house to reflect on the beauty that surrounds me and the warning from healthcare professionals that the pandemic is not over.  I choose to limit my contact with others and practice social distancing, wash my hands, and wear a face covering when I do go out in public.  

I encourage you to stay home, be safe, and send mail.

Stay Home - 101 of 149

Stay Home - 19 of 149

Stay Home - 49 of 149

Stay Home - 50 of 149

Stay Home - Reverse

COVID Amulet - Protect me from coronavirus

We know all too well that a virus can have enormous impacts in our lives.  For a tiny, not-quite-alive thing, it has shown its enormous power to disrupt routines and upend institutions.  In contrast, I also find images of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus to be beautiful.  This mail art project is about finding a way to express the tension between the beauty of the thing and its power to force changes that are often unwelcome.

Some time ago I did a project in response to another difficult circumstance in my life.  "Nazar Amulet" was an expression of my need for solace and protection in a time when I felt threatened.  It feels like I need another amulet right now.

An amulet is an ornament or small piece of jewelry thought to give protection against evil, danger, or disease. What would happen if the beauty of the virus were turned to protect from the disruption I feel?  Could others find a sense of security and hope that alCaleb1Skyla2
al will be well in such an amulet?

COVID AMULET - Protect me from coronavirus.*


* Fine Print: COVID AMULET has not been proven effective in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.  It may, however, bring the recipient comfort. 

Nazar Amulet - July 4, 2017

Nazar Amulet (reverse) - July 4, 2017

Uncertain Times

These days it feels like nothing is  certain.  There is much information but there is not a consistent or predictable message.  Should I stay away from people or should I abandon my social distancing practice?  Should I wear a face covering or not? Will the economy get better or worse, and how soon will all that happen?

This mail art project is about the uncertainty of the moment.  In days past one could have reasonable expectations and could make plans based on those expectations.  None of that seems possible at this moment because it is not possible to have a reliable expectation about what the future may hold.

In this uncertain time, there is hope that this pandemic will come to an end and society and its institutions will return to some predictable norms.  Perhaps this mail art project can help remind us of that.  What makes today a good day?

Spring in the Time of Pandemic

My neighbor across the back alley has a tall fence that is covered with vines.  Each year, those vines announce the arrival of spring by breaking into bloom and create a visually halting display of red, orange, yellow and the slightest bit of pink.  It makes my heart glad each time I see that curtain of blooms.

It feels odd to be so taken by the beauty of that sight as we "Stay Home to Stay Safe" during this outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.  The uncertainty and anxiety and fear that fills my days exists along side the beauty of nature that seems to be unaware of the pandemic at the same time it is at the cause of this mutation of Coronavirus.

I made this painted postcard edition of 107 cards plus 10 Artist Run cards to capture the feeling of this moment.  I have included a photo of the blooming cross vine in addition to photos of some finished cards and videos of my process for making this edition.

Be safe; wash your hands; cover your mouth and nose; and practice social distancing.  It is spring in the time of pandemic.

Blooming Crossvines

Completed sheet before cutting

Spring in the Time of Pandemic

Spring in the Time of Pandemic

Reverse of card 

Meditation on COVID-19

This week, the World Health Organization declared that an outbreak of COVID-19, a coronavirus, had reached pandemic proportions.  In Dallas, local health officials declared a disaster and a public health emergency.  Large gatherings were banned and events, large and small, were cancelled.  Churches cancelled services.  There was a rush to buy hygiene products, cold remedies, all sorts of pantry staples and toilet paper.  People were encouraged to wash their hands often and practice “social distancing” to protect themselves from an infection.  These are days filled with unusual news and challenges to routines.

I struggle with how best to respond.  Do I hoard disinfectants and toilet paper? Do I despair because the economy has very suddenly become soft and cause for despair?  How do I find comfort when dinners with friends are being canceled and we are encouraged to distance ourselves from one another?

These could be lonely times.

I have little to offer in this time of uncertainty, but I know that I take comfort in making art.  This Mail Art Project is my effort to capture the moment and document the circumstance.  We are vulnerable to a virus with unknown powers and asked to distance ourselves from one another.  Yet there is beauty in the world and wonder all around us.  Making art and creating this Mail Art Project brings me unexpected joy in this moment that could otherwise be filled with panic and despair.  It is a meditation on what it means to live in this moment.

May we know comfort and find connection in these days filled with uncertainty and a call to physically distance ourselves from one another.