Last year I bought Keri Smith‘s postcard book Everything is Connected. It’s been fun because I decided to send postcards to people when I think of them, and when I do, I just randomly open the book and whatever postcard it ends on is the one they get. Oddly, each postcard that I sent (I think 5 so far) has been perfectly suited to each person. I wanted to share one that came back to me recently in an unexpected way recently!
The postcard above was selected for my favorite college teacher, Michael Bennett. He was the head of the Art department at the Community College I attended, and I took many jewelry and metalwork classes with him, amongst other Art classes as well. It seemed fitting that he got a postcard saying to make a sculpture from the postcard. Of course I just imagined that he might fold it up into a paper crane or something and just set it on a shelf.
A few weeks ago he showed up at my work to visit, tell me about a show he is curating at the local university and to surprise me with this present. He made a joke that he was the teacher but here I am sending him an assignment. He took my postcard and made me a box sculpture from it! So, you can see the original postcard says “this postcard is a sculpture” and he changed it to say “a box sculpture” and that the object should be exhibited at “Robyn’s House”.
He built the box and transferred the images of the original postcard, the altered postcard AND wrapped the edges with a repeated pattern transfer of an Art-O-Mat painting of mine he purchased (from the machine purchased in his honor when he retired). The picture above (left) is of him purchasing from the machine, from Kishwaukee College’s site, with a picture of my painting he purchased.
The inside of the lid has a transfer of the written side of the postcard, stamp and cancellation and all! The back (or bottom) of the box has an image transfer of the original postcard.
The inside is filled with little reproductions of the postcard, fronts and backs!
I was so thrilled and honored to get an original piece by such an important person in my life. Not only that, but it is kind of a collaboration with his, my own work AND the fabulous Keri Smith as well!
edit to add one more postcard that I sent from the book:
The first postcard I sent out from the book was this one in May 2014, which was just an empty sign and I designed the lettering. It was just the beginning of projects that I started using cut up Gelli Prints from and I liked this one so much I’ve been thinking of using the idea for a series of cards or notepads.
I’ve filled a bunch of pages of designs but have just been sitting on them and stalling, not sure what to do next.
