In PetrolPetal's heart Richard Canard is always first (South Africa)

Mail art by PetrolPetal (Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa)

 

 

Our hearts fluttered when we spied in the Glam Faction post office box this beautiful envelope from the FAB PetrolPetal in sunny South Africa.

 

Do Glamsters know South Africa is one of the happening places in the world for mail art? Cheryl Penn's South African Correspondence School seems to have launched the SA New Wave a decade ago. Since then, many artists have distinguished themselves. PetroPetal is certainly among the faves.

 

The prolific PetrolPetal (PetPet?) is less familiar to us than old friends like Cheryl Penn, Lesley Magwood Fraser and Cuan Miles (to name but a few). We have admired PP's work from afar. And this piece is purr-fect for the Glam Faction. Welcome PetrolPetal! Thank you so much!

 

We adored the outside of this piece and discovered it is essentially a wonderful example of envelope art. (Nothing inside.) During our investigation we discovered an address underneath our address like a magic door:

 

 

 

Mail art by PetrolPetal (Wilton, South Africa)

 

Oh dear, PetrolPetal seems to have intended the piece for the grand Richard Canard! (Must we be condemned to dwell in his shadow?) Then due to a change of heart or a spell of shyness (we can only conjecture) our PetrolPetal changed her mind and sent the piece to Glam Faction.

 

Well, we feel fortunate to have the work. But we feel like the prom date who discovers s/he was a second choice. A "valuable life lesson" to you Glamsters: Sometimes mail art can feel like a popularity contest; so hide your tears and smile. Those awful MinXus folk said, "It's all about who has the best hair." Now we understand. You see, the piece has a romantic theme. Here is the reverse side:

 

 

Mail art by PetrolPetal (Wilton, South Africa)

 

Beyond the broken hearts, party invitations and dance partners - it is about the art! And this work by PetrolPetal is great!And even more confusing (is this some kind of a&p?):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Cryptic Trashpo, Post-Pop & more! by Julie VanBortel Matevish

Mail art by Julie VanBortel Matevish (Rochester, New York, USA)

 

 

We are thrilled to introduce you to Julie VanBortel Matevish for this, her Glam Faction debut.

 

Julie VanBortel Matevish has participated in mail art previously and has even done some homework in Trashpo and apparently MinXus as well, although we have only encountered her work very recently and do not recognize her from the "long, dusty trail" that emerges from yesteryears. That's okay.

 

We do know she is an excellent visual artist and graphic designer. The material she sent is not what we expected, but mail art should be a surprise! And let us make the point now lest Glamsters think us "mean" or "grumpy" that we very much admire what the Julie VanBortel so kindly sent.

 

In our memoirs of how we "broke in" to the Eternal Network we have on other occasions and on other venues described how in youth we began receiving bags (not envelopes but bags!) of mail art from New York City. Via Dick Higgins' Something Else Press, our name had been added to some mailing lists connected to classic Fluxus circles.

 

We have also described how in our youthful innocence we were not so much intrigued as shocked and fearful that somehow the inhabitants of a very populous lunatic asylum had obtained our personal address. We began to accept and understand mail art quickly. Yet that initial shock is etched in memory. We have only experienced  that feeling - upon opening thousands of envelopes and packages thereafter - a very few times (mostly during the nascence of Neoism).

 

We take this circuitous trail of explication in order to help inform you, dearest Glamsters, that we cannot offer you much help in understanding what Julie VanBortel Matevish is trying to communicate, although we deeply support her in her artistic pursuits and assure her she mailed this work to exactly the right place. We have found a new Kryptic Kween?

 

Eternal Networkers tell us we are experts at decoding cryptic mail art. Alas, please tell us if you have any idea what JVBM is saying. Perhaps over time all will become clear as an azure sky in summer. Until then, deepest thanks to Julie! 

 

 

 

 

By Julie VanBortel Matevish

 

 

 

 

By Julie VanBortel Matevish

 

 

 

 

 

By Julie VanBortel Matevish

 

 

 

 

 

By Julie VanBortel Matevish

 

 

Personal fave:

 

 

 

By Julie VanBortel Matevish

 

 

 

 

By Julie VanBortel Matevish

 

 

 

 

Precious inspects suspicious packages that arrive at Glam Faction offices

 

 

 

Oh no, not the feet thing again!

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post-MinXus card by Rebecca Guyver (Suffolk, UK)

Mail art by Rebecca Guyver (Suffolk, UK)

 

 

We are thrilled to welcome dear mail art friend Rebecca Guyver to the Glam Faction! She sent us this "aesthetically correct" Post-MinXus card (done right, as they say). And we, fashionably late as ever, share it with you, our faithful Glamsters! Our dear RG shows you how Post-MinXus is done. (She has also gone a tad political.)

 

Rebecca Guyver is a longtime postal friend to us, but many of you in the Eternal Network will recognize her as a mail art legend of consequence. She is a certified Legend of Trashpo, close associate of DK. Rebecca was a defining contributor to MinXus-Lynxus (close associate of Empress Marie & Captain Tom. She participated in dozens of history-making mail art projects of the last decade.

 

As sometimes happens, our dear Miss Becca has transitioned into the "fine art" realm. In recent times, Rebecca's extraordinary paintings can be seen in galleries and we understand she brushes upon occasion with the London art world. She has moved on from vispo, asemics, Trashpo, collaborative books etc. But we are touched she remembers her old friends out here ever on the fringes. We welcome her correspondence!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zines & add & pass book by Bonniediva

Mail art by Bonniediva (Gurnee, Illinois, USA)

 

How could Glam Faction be "cool for cats" without reigning Eternal Network superstar Bonniediva sitting at our lunch table?

 

We welcome Bonniediva to Glamdom with a peak at the contents of not one but two! mailings she so kindly sent us.

 

Any true Glamster would feel absolutely naked without a fanzine. Bonniediva sent us two precious copies of Bon-Zine! Do any of our faithful glanfams not worship the Bon-Zine? Do you not sit drooling at the mailbox until that next issue arrives? If you do not, you must lead a putrid existence under a rock because Bon-Zine is the hottest mail art zine on the current scene.

 

We always advise new Glamsters: Never reveal too much. So we won't "publish" these two issues. Besides, they're posted elsewhere and those "in the know" have their own copies! Bonniediva also sent a fascinating add & pass book:  

 

Mail art by Bonniediva (Gurnee, Illinois, USA)

 

Glam Faction has already done our bit for Bonniediva, and this priceless treasure is already on its way to some lucky Glamster! SSP (Shameless Self-Promotion) you say? Darling, we invented the term!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gram Faction with Discoflux

Mail art by Discoflux (aka Sally Nines) (Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA)

 

 

 

We are elated to welcome FAB postal artist Discoflux to the Glam Faction.

 

Was there  ever a match, outside of heaven, so perfect? We had to have Discoflux among our dazzling glitterati. Luckily, we found three amazing envelopes from our DF among material left behind by those wretched MinXus-Lynxus folks with their muddy boots. We're sharing only the cream with our faithful Glamsters!

 

We do not use the term Glitterati lightly. Discoflux is, dare we say, the anagram princess of the Eternal Network. (Secret tip: Every Glamnik needs a gimmick. Mr. Burroughs told us that!)

 

We have two DF anagrams to share! So in honor of this occasion we are calling ourselves today (and only today!) Gram Faction in honor of the amazing Discoflux  and her astonishing anagrams. You also might note an interesting use of PopArt (we call it post-pop) in her art and a hint of the occult and mysterious. Purr-faction!

 

Welcome to Gram Faction Discoflux! And don't be a stranger. Here at Glam Faction once you're "in" you're always "in."

 

 

 



Mail art by Discoflux (Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA)

 

 

 

Mail art by Discoflux (Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA)