Tag Archives: envelope

The wind has been taken out of my sails

I have been forced to go into extra time today. I suppose I have got a little casual and assumed that each day my #Letter365 piece would just flow, that the picture I had in my head would get transferred into physical form and be quite wonderful. Alas today’s just turned out to be a crock of proverbial! I have to say I was quite deflated to have produced something that missed the mark quite so badly and which had no discernible redeeming feature! It really was quite depressing. Made worse by a growing headache, the fact Radio 3 keeps playing warbling women and the realisation that I had run out of envelopes and had but a little time to dash in to town and get some. So I have had to take a deep breath and relax to the fact that there was no way I would get No47 would be in the post box before collection time! That’s OK as my deadline is midnight and I have turned things round in my mind and realised that I am working in an OK way on my other stuff and this was just a hiccough that caused an overreaction and loss of confidence.  We will see if all is well when I return to the studio in a few minutes to look what I have done so far!

No46 goes in the box, not the hive

#Letter365 No46 gets posted
No46 gets posted

I was tempted to start trying to make the post box images a bit arty, but when it came down to it there’s only so much you can do with a post box and I was very hungry and looking forward to Cottage Pie for dinner. So this is what you get!

As it says on the envelope we have been busy with bees today. We had a look at two colonies at one of our out apiaries. One was one we had been worried about as they were badly raided by wasps last autumn, but they have bounced back well and are really strong and gentle. The other one is enormous. We left a lot of honey on it over winter as it was a big colony (it’s always been big!) but we has to give then some more room for honey already. I could barely lift the last box full of honey back on the hive as it is about my height! There is probably about 80lbs of honey on there already and the season is only just starting really. The bees are working the dandelions now, so the new comb they are building is stained a wonderful sunshine yellow.

Sunny Sunday No17

#Letter365 No17 gets posted on a sunny Sunday evening
No17 gets posted on a sunny Sunday evening

This one took ages to dry – now there’s a hint: glue or paint or ink maybe – so I am pleased I started it early. I spent part of the day painting in the garden – black paint on a solar wax extractor – not sure that is going to dry properly now that the temperature has plummeted, but I don’t have to send it off to anyone only find it a place out of the weather.

I like the colour on this one very much. Perhaps I’ll stick with it.

Delivering by hand tonight

#Letter365 No15 ready to go with me to BAC
No15 ready to go with me to BAC

As I am going to Bridport Arts Centre tonight to the Story Cafe it seems sensible for me to deliver this by hand. I may not be able to post evidence tonight of me delivering or handing it over so it could be a catch up in the morning.

I love this one too. There will be other work in this vein being done over the coming weeks so I’ll try to post it somewhere as an idea – or not.

That’ll teach me!

Sunny evening posting for #Letter365 No13
Sunny evening posting for No13

Having said that I am now relaxed about #Letter365 I find myself, today, struggling with the first piece I created. I just couldn’t resolve it and ended up discarding it and starting afresh.  There was a very small part of me that was saying “oh it will do” and “possibly no one will ever see this”, but I would not be happy in myself to have included something not up to scratch.

So I still managed to get No13 in the post before the postman came, but I ended up rushing with the photography. I probably only managed it in time because my #Collage365 piece today went like a dream.

No12 has gone in the box

#Letter365 No12 goes in the box
No12 goes in the box – note the changed wording

I had a burning desire to give a hint on the envelope of the contents. It’s sometimes nice to give a little jokey teaser on the gift tag of a present, so people give a puzzled look and the go “aah” and smile weakly when they get it. However, I have my hands full as it is.

Same old post box but another unique and new artwork

#Letter365 No11 gets the Royal Mail treatment
No11 gets the Royal Mail treatment

I am starting to settle down to this project now. I am feeling relaxed and creative about it and I am losing the apprehension I started out with. I am now confident that each day I can create a new, unique artwork to a good standard: something of quality and value that I am proud. But please do not think that it means I’m regaining my sanity for every day I continue proves that something is amiss!

Now I have begun to get into a routine I’m starting to do the planning and thinking and preparing I had hoped to do in advance of the project.

I thought I’d missed the post

#Letter365 No6 handed to the postman
No6 handed to the postman

I have been out all day and didn’t manage to finish my piece before I left this morning. I set to work as soon as I returned and thought I had missed the post. When I got to the box it had already been emptied but the postman was just coming out of the Post Office and agreed to take the letter.

What about cover colour?

#Letter365 No5 goes on it's way
No5 goes on it’s way

As I walked to the post box I considered if I liked the colour I had chosen for the writing on the envelope. I wondered if I should strive to find the most unpleasant colours, the loudest, the subtlist, the best match to the artwork inside, etc. But then I reminded myself that it is enough of a commitment to come up with the artwork each day and I should be concentrating on finding a design for the rest of them so I no longer have to think about the cover each day. Or should I? Perhaps I should do a series where the envelope is the artwork and inside there is just a note saying that!

No1 ready to go

The first #Letter365 envelope ready to go
No1 ready to go

The project is underway. The first piece is finished and sealed in the envelope ready for delivery to Polly at Bridport Arts Center in an hour’s time.

I had originally planned to design the envelopes before the event and get them printed so they would all be the same, but the swift start has meant that you will be able to watch the process towards the final design over the coming days. I had thought I would have this first one just drawn in pencil but I need it to stand out in a photo with Polly for sending to the Press!

I also didn’t manage to find any suitable envelopes in our lovely but small town of Bridport so I am using some old ones where the self seal has gone. So I have used sealing wax to secure this:

Sealing wax
Sealing wax

Of course you also cannot buy proper sealing wax in Bridport so I am using an old stick of not very good decorative sealing wax. The impression is part of our branding iron for beekeeping equipment. I suppose I should make my own sealing wax! Perhaps I will.

Anyway i am really pleased with the piece I created today and will be happy that the future purchaser has got good value!