 Some mail artists cringe at the mention of Add & Pass sheets. Others are delighted to receive them, and at times may even volunteer to take some from mail artists who are burdened with piles of them . A&Ps are okay by me - they're fun, but my turnaround time is pretty bad. I tend to let them stack up. Months may go by until I get around to adding to and passing them on. I also enjoy creating my own a&p sheets, collab. books and faux money to circulate throughout the network. I haven't kept track, so not sure of the number of pieces that are floating around out there. To follow are photos of a few that have made their way back home.  A&P Sheet "Photos" by Jayne B. Lyons, with adds by Mike Dickau (Sacramento, CA) and Mike Goetz (Rockford, IL).
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In November I made 15 mixed media tags to send to fellow mail artists. It took a few weeks to complete the series, and I mailed out the first batch on November 26. The remaining tags were dropped in the mail box this afternoon.  To achieve the look of these cards, I did the following:
The tags were mail to the following mail artists:
Recently over at IUOMA-ning, Mary Anne (United Kingdom) has renewed the Yoko Ono Artistamp project. The project commenced a couple of years ago, but got put aside when Mary Anne had to take some time away from mail art.  "Yoko Ono: All Grown up" artistamps set by Jayne B. Lyons (Lakeville, MN). I decided to throw my hat into the ring, and I made a two-by-two artistamp set. My stamp set features younger Yoko and older Yoko, and is titled "Yoko Ono: All Grown Up."
I'm always game for trying something new, so I recently made a sheet of artistamps. Artistamps are faux postage stamps - artist created stamps, which are often made for decorating mail art or for trading with other artists.  "Vintage Badass" Artistamps. See a close-up of the image below. I used a vintage photo from my personal collection for the stamp image. The photo features a woman outdoors; wearing a newsboy cap and sitting with her stocking legs exposed. A cigarette hangs from her mouth. I decided that VINTAGE BADASS was an appropriate title for the stamp - 56 cents denomination, Issued by Barkie Post. (Why Barkie? My maiden name, which became my official middle name after marriage is BARKET. Close friends call me Bark or Barkie).   A total of 15 stamp sheets were made for this limited series.
Four more original Add & Passes (from the Lyons' Den studio) are making the rounds. Made in January, I used ephemera from my personal collection.  Add & Pass: "Vintage Travel Ephemera"  Add & Pass: "Vintage Travel Ephemera 2.0"  Last June I joined the newly formed Decos - Do you miss them? group on IUOMA-ning. Bonniediva, a fellow Networker and talented mail artist, created the group. I had never heard of Decos, but the concept seemed interesting. I've since participated in a bunch of them.
So what is a Deco? In snail mail circles, friendship books are a popular way to learn about people, and a terrific way to get new penpals. They are usually very basic, not-so-fancy books.  So over breakfast today I happened to mention to my hubby, "You know, two days ago (February 22) was the one year anniversary of my involvement with mail art!" After a moment Ed said, "Ahhh...so I guess you earned your union card!" We both chuckled at that.
Anyway...one year under my belt doesn't get me a union card - nor does it get me a blue ribbon, a pat on the back or an atta girl. What I do get though, is far more valuable. Over the twelve months I have made many new friends across the miles. For the most part, the people I've connected with (via the mail, IUOMA-ning and Facebook) have the same wacky and witty sense of humor as me. It certainly makes things fun! I have come to realize that a number of mail art folks are very talented artists, and some are downright brilliant. The talented artists have inspired me to try new techniques, and to think outside the box. The brainy artists have shared their knowledge of the Eternal Network, and have giving me a great deal to think about. (Those who are both talented and brilliant?? fuhgettaboutit!! - they just blow my mind!) Early on I was all about the envelope art, and sending lengthy notes. As I joined various groups and started interacting with others, I discovered that m-a was much more than that. My vocabulary now includes: fluxus, dada, asemics, vispo, pataphysics, etc. Not to say I fully grasp these things...but I'm getting there. What I've learned this past year is just the tip of the iceberg. Anyway... SCAM CLAMS - similar to Fluxus Bucks, but more clammy! Something new from The Lyons' Den. Currently outgoing to other mail artists.  Fluxus Bucks is an artistic project within the Eternal Network. Mail artist, ex posto facto - a.k.a. Julie Jefferies (U.S.A.) started the project in 1994.
A Flux Buck is an artists' banknote which is distributed through the mail system. It makes the rounds to other network artists, who add to it and mail it out again (much like the traditional 'Add & Pass' / 'Add & Send'). I enjoy mail art collaboration, and Add & Pass activities are a fun and easy way to participate. I've received a number of A&P pieces - many of which are so clever. It's neat to be the first artist to change a piece, but just as thrilling to add to one that's been in the hands of several artists before me. I've decided to try my hand at creating a few A&Ps, and here are four:  Add & Pass: "School Days" / © 2018, Jayne B. Lyons |
AuthorJayne Barket Lyons, Mail Artist and Collector of Stuff. Categories
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