Sample Mail Art
This afternoon was really a series of firsts, all shared with my grandson Dayan. Last week we spent an afternoon selecting materials to create mail art to send to the Post Memorial Art Library in Joplin. They are sponsoring the Mail Art Projekt, with entries to be postmarked no later than December 1. The art, which is created on large postcards, can feature any subject or theme, as long as it can be mailed in. Completed pieces will be displayed in an exhibit in January 2015. This is just the sort of interesting project that my artistic grandson and I could enjoy together as a first, and we agreed to create mini works of art on oversized postcards.
Today, I picked him up from school so we could begin creating. He’s a growing teenager, so first things first. We grabbed a late lunch to go at the newly opened Orient Express in Webb City. I have one of these amazing little take out cafés near my house. I’m glad to see another one open in the area. Dayan called ahead to make sure they actually had opened. For our first visit, we ordered sesame and general tso chicken and crab rangoons and headed back to his house to eat before we dived into our project.
Dayan had the great idea to pull up Netflix and watch Dr Who while we ate. Dayan is a huge fan of Dr. Who. I began watching the series, starting with season 1 of the new series, so that Dayan and I can discuss the show. We found where I left off with the 9th Doctor and his companion Rose. I have to say, it is more fun to watch Dr Who with Dayan, who knows everything about the series and filled me in on important-to-know info.
We left Dr Who going on the tv while we emptied out sacks of art and craft supplies. Dayan is focusing on a geography theme, with an emphasis on traveling, while I am creating a piece of art that includes this year’s word and symbol and hints at next year’s. Armed with scissors and glue sticks and a plethora of materials, we chatted and laughed and paused often in our work to watch the Doctor and Rose in their escapades. I treasure these times with my grandson. He is already talking about colleges. In such a casual atmosphere, we talk about all kinds of things, from movies to relationships, dreams to the mysteries of life, and the latest funny happenings at school.
Creating mail art is fun. Spending time with Dayan is priceless. I love watching him create. I value his insights and his fresh perspective on life. And he’s got a wicked sense of humor. In fact, I had so much fun hanging out with Dayan today, that I totally forgot to capture our firsts and our art projects in process with my iPhone camera. Oh well. I am grateful for google pics. And I’ll make sure to get photos of the finished mail art next week.
Sample Mail Art
It sounds like you had a beautiful time with your grandson– I’m happy for you! And I haven’t heard of that mail project before, but it sounds awesome.