Images of my postal art project made in a mixed media workshop at Fleischer Art Memorial in Philadelphia. An inspiring and informative experience and one that keeps my fuss budget tendencies at bay. Oh, and learned a few truly "magical" techniques from the instructor. Yes, I love art class.But what I do not love is Valentine's Day, well not since the 4th grade. As a single woman you long for the red roses, the romance, chocolate. But once you have the boyfriend/lover you get some sloppy/sentimental Hallmark card, pick up carnations at the grocery store, or they just plan forget about it. A little thought, like an original poem...even a bad poem "your breath smells like rotten cantalope in the morning"...is better than a little red teddy bear. But mostly I hate Valentines Day because it ignores the dark and prickly side of human intimacy. Doris Betts called it "The sharp tooth of love." And even though I am the Valentine's grinch I still expect some small token of affection on THAT day, which makes me feel like a hypocrite. Sigh... So this year I decided to re-frame my valentine's day narrative, turn it around, go off script, or as a writer friend once said, "Shoot your sweet little darlings." That said, yes I made some cards with hearts on them, damn it.
So since these pieces were made to mail and then arrive at some lucky person's home I posted instructions on facebook that the first 10 people to send me their address would receive one. Note to self next time check messages sooner. At any rate, there were 15 addresses and I am a "giver" so could refuse no one. Hard to be a "giver" in a taker wins all world. But this was a most beneficial exercise for me -work fast and be productive. Also no little miss fuss budget. And the extra's I sent to some woman friends...the ones who notice when you're trudging through some inner muck and love you anyway...or have your back even when you're stupid.
