SHADOW AND EVIL IN FAIRYTALES

2009-01-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

"Mail art can be considered the largest underground artistic phenomenon of the twentieth century"

With more than 180 artists from 28 countries participating, Shadow and Evil in Fairytales was a great success! The exhibit received an incredible amount of local attention and the number of citizens who came out to view the exhibit has been phenomenal!

To all the artists who pARTicipated, thank you.

To all who visit this blog, enjoy! And please leave your comments.

Gail

And to the curious check out: http://paradeofanimals.blogspot.com/

2009-01-08T11:32:00.000-08:00

my scrapbook continues:
shadow and evil in fairytales (2006) was followed by parade of animals: a global collage:http://paradeofanimals.blogspot.com

in order to document and showcase the mail art arriving in my mailbox,
i have created another blog: http://gahlilmailart.blogspot.com

if you have something you would like to share with myself or other mailartists, feel free to send - this includes mail art calls, art, poetry, articles, stamps and all other forms of mailart.

thanks for dropping by. enjoy the art.

2009-01-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

POSTCARD READINGS

Theme: open
Technique: free
Size: postcards only
Deadline: September 15th, 2009

Mail to: Gail D Whitter
Unit 7 - 1735 Riverside Avenue
Trail, B.C., CANADA V1R 3Z3
email: gahlil2006@hotmail.com

2006-10-22T07:54:00.000-07:00

"Trail, B.C." art by Kris Whitter (Big K) during opening night. Unforunately I couldn't scan the entire piece, but you get the idea!

2006-10-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

Photograph by Eileen Pederson, Canada. Eileen is involved in the Rock Wall Project (Trail, B.C.) This photo is of the rocks at Smelter Hill.

2006-10-22T07:46:00.000-07:00

Art by Lothar Trott, Switzerland

2006-10-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

Postcard of Wooden Tower sent in by Yuiko Hammer, Canada

2006-10-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

Quoting Leola Walker, who made this beautiful leather ATC amulet bag: "May it bring you Good Luck. Wishing you all the best and hoping the Grand Opening of the Shadow and Evil in Fairytales exhibit is a HUGE success!"

2006-10-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

Art box by Eileen McCaffery, England

2006-10-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

Art by Manfred Heinze, Germany

2006-10-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Envelope by Ivan Zemstov, Russia

2006-10-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

We have received permission from Freedom Quest Regional Youth Services to include postcards from 19 local (anonymous) young artists. The postcards are a youth-driven message about drugs and addiction (a modern day fairytale horror). Copyright is held by Freedom Quest, who ask that you please do not copy and/or print these images. For more information about Freedom Quest, contact Gail, Shadow and Evil in Fairytales Coordinator.

2006-10-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

We have received permission from Freedom Quest Regional Youth Services to include postcards from 19 local (anonymous) young artists. The postcards are a youth-driven message about drugs and addiction (a modern day fairytale horror). Copyright is held by Freedom Quest, who ask that you please do not print and/or copy these images. For more information about Freedom Quest, contact Gail, the Shadow and Evil in Fairytales Coordinator.

2006-10-02T14:44:00.001-07:00

We have received permission from Freedom Quest Regional Youth Services to include postcards from 19 local (anonymous) young artists. The postcards are a youth-driven message about drugs and addiction (a modern day fairytale horror). Copyright is held by Freedom Quest, who ask that you please do not print or copy these images. For more information about Freedom Quest, contact Gail, the Shadow and Evil in Fairytales Coordinator.

2006-10-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

We have received permission from Freedom Quest Regional Youth Services to include postcards from 19 local (anonymous) young artists. The postcards are a youth-driven message about drugs and addiction (a modern day fairytale horror). Copyright is held by Freedom Quest, who ask that you please do not print or copy these images. For more information about Freedom Quest, contact Gail, the Shadow and Evil in Fairytales Coordinator.

2006-10-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

"One pill makes you LARGER
one pill makes you small
& the ones that Mother gives you
don't do anything at all -
go ask Alice ... "

Postcards by Gail D Whitter, Canada

2006-10-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

Art by Luther Blissett, Italy

2006-09-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

Postcard by Amarie Hill, USA

2006-09-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

Art by Nastya Klukina, Russia

2006-09-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Art by Alexey Klukin, Russia

2006-09-22T20:58:00.000-07:00

Postcard by P.T. Freund, France

2006-09-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Postcard by Jenn Hamm, Canada

2006-09-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

Postcard by Linda Thomas, USA

2006-09-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

Two postcards by Deborah, Canada

2006-09-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

Envelope sent in by Nicole Eippers, Belgium

2006-09-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Postcard by Grace Tsui Mun-Kam, Canada:

"This is about a poor, tired and hungry pony finding its food. However, it has come to a misery area that it does not know the way out. It may have something strange that may come out at a sudden. The curvy back of the pony bends like a hollow to indicate that the pony has carried a very heavy load. After a hard time, it was lucky to east the burden but had to find its way out. It was really a horrible time for the pony."

2006-09-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

ATCs by Karen Gorrell, USA

2006-09-05T23:41:00.000-07:00

Art by Orfee Swerts, Belgium

2006-09-05T23:05:00.000-07:00

Postcard/envelope by Pascal Minart, France

2006-09-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

Collective Collage from the Project Brain Cell (#655) by Ryosuke Cohen, Japan

2006-09-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Fotografia by Angel Bortot, Venezuela

2006-08-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

ATC by Melissa Langer, USA

2006-08-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

Double-ATC by Patti Bristow, USA

2006-08-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

Original print by Loney Lem, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

Original print by Louise Turner, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

Original print by Greta Gramazio, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:30:00.000-07:00

Original print by Jonathan Thorpe, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

Original print by Stig Kise, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

Original print by Amy Hicks, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

Original print by Suzanne Gregor, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

Original print by Sophie Kaden, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

Original print by Megan Moriarty, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:20:00.000-07:00

Original print by Phoxai Photsavatchy, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

Original print by Kate Haller, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

Original print by Laura Haigh, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

Original print by Anna Spilsbury, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

Original print by A.S. Trower, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:12:00.000-07:00

Original print by Shannon Midgley, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

Original print by Robert Miller, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

Original print by A. Dickson, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

Original print by Petra Troyn, South Australian School of Art: Printmaking Studio

2006-08-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

Fotopainting by Iara Simonetti, Germany

2006-08-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Art & artistamps by Ruggero Maggi, Italy

2006-08-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

Concrete/Visuals by Jim Leftwich, USA

2006-08-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

Art by Carlos Flores Rom, Mexico

2006-08-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

Kajutaijuq

Legendary female spirit of the Inuit, Kajutaijuq is described as having tattoos on her face and a breast on each cheek. She is said to eat the Eskimo people and to create thunder when she walks. Kajutaijuq is large and she is clumsy. She has only 3 toes on each foot, a big head that rests on her stumpy legs. She has no body.

Kajutaijuq is a troublemaker. She causes knocks and creaks and unexplained sounds.

Watch out for Kajutaijuq!

- Dominic Fetherston, Canada

2006-08-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

Art by Meg Lauder, Canada (Meg also sent in a fabulous 3-D piece!)

2006-08-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

Sample of ATCs by Eileen Korponay, Canada

2006-08-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Postcard by Francia Bouzy, France

2006-08-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

Mail Art Call & envy sent in by Valerie Rouch, France

2006-08-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

Artwork by Thomai Kontou, Greece

2006-08-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Art by Serse Luigetti, Italy

2006-08-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

Postcard from Daniele Davalli, Italy

2006-08-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Postcard from Norbert Venzke, Germany

2006-08-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Artwork from Gail Anderson, USA

2006-08-15T20:33:00.000-07:00

Postcard from Vicki Angel, USA

2006-08-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

Postcard from Steven Renald, Canada

2006-08-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Envelope from K. Kaillerie, France

2006-08-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

Image from Nell Cavasin, Canada

2006-08-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

"When the book closes, when the tale ends, do they live happily ever after? Does the castle burn down, the gnome rescind his bargain, does the firstborn die in servitude? Where does the story go when the story is done?

Tawdry Rose knew there would be no fairytale ending."

Textile Art & writing by Arlee Barr, Canada

2006-08-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

"Then you will part with your own life", the
little man squeaked. "You either give me the
ring, or I won't turn the straw into gold."

There was nothing the girl could do. She
took off her ring, stared at it through tear-
stained eyes, and handed it to the dwarf.

He quickly dropped the ring into his pocket,
sat down at the spinning wheel, and again
began spinning the straw into gold. The wheel
spun so fast it made the girl dizzy to watch it.
She closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes hours later, the
little man was gone. The entire room was filled
with gold, all the way up to the ceiling.

The king and his men burst into the room.
"magnificent!" the king roared. "There is one
more room filled with straw. You will turn it
into gold tonight, and after you have done that,
I shall reward you."

"How?" asked the girl.

2006-08-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

Postcard from Taraka Tee, Australia

2006-08-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

Sent by Patricia Kambitsch, USA

2006-08-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

Pandora's Box from Maidie Hilmo, Canada

2006-08-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

Found Art/Graffiti, Canada

2006-08-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

She's still protesting ... Gail D., Canada

2006-08-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

ASHES

The house smelled like granny smith apples:
Nonno at the woodstove downstairs
throwing in more birch, searing
the cast iron top.

Upstairs, Nonna showed us
their first son's headstone, cut
in 1999:
Giovanni Bozzer
Gianni
1954

The plan had his name on a sash
held up by doves
shimmering under murkey red and green
Christmas lights. The stone was drawn to
scale, vast compared to
Uncle Gianni, cremated
3 days old.

Artist Statement:

Mail is a form of travel. Contributing to this call, is the same as my being there. The dark side of some fairytales is clear to us. But I took this opportunity to recall the stories passed down to me, or learned through artifacts. My artwork is meant to capture the spirit which exists in correspondence mail: time travel, earth travel and emotional travel. Much of my family continues to reside in Trail, and though I grew up in larger cities, the concept of Trail was close by. It was the perfect fairytale place, a place we wished was closer by. It represented what Italy could no longer provide for my Grandfather after World War II when many thought Canada would be the best place to raise families. Trail was perfect, yet there was always going to be problems: English as a second language, occupational hazards for hard labourers, fear of poverty and disgrace to family, to name a few.

Another problem was the road. I was told of school kids, right out of Grade 12 who drove off a cliff coming into town. Then I found a memo, tucked into my Grandfather's brake technician manual. The memo was dated February 20th, 1978 when 3 men were trapped in an old wooden bridge. My Grandfather drove down and dug them out at 4:30 a.m. before taking his shift. He saved their lives.

Grandmother, who had been reluctant to come to Canada, had their firstborn child, a son, within the year. The baby died after three days and was my Grandparent's only child to have been given an Italian name. Grandmother used to take me and my younger sister and a bucket of flowers to the cemetery. There was no headstone back then, but Grandmother called the place under a tree "my baby". In 1999, (45 years later), she was ready to finish grieving and had a headstone drawn up.

There isn't much written correspondence between my relatives in Trail and Italy but there are many photographs which I use along with poetry to illustrate the good superimposed on the bad.

Danielle Walker, Canada

2006-08-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

Altered Book spread by Gail D, Canada

2006-08-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

This piece was done by Tyreece (Canada) who says: "I just turned six, but I painted this when I was three".

2006-08-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Mayworks plans to hold another mail art exhibition
in its 2007 festival, titled WORK, WORK, WORK.

Send a handmade postcard
- 5 x 7 inches/12.5 x 17.5 cms -
exploring the general theme of work to:

Oceanside Community Arts Council
P.O. Box 1662
Parksville, B.C., Canada V9P 2H5
attn: Ed Varney, curator

Deadline for submissions: April 15th, 2007

Unless otherwise specified, the curator will trade
all cards and return trades to participants.

All participants will receive documentation.

For further info, email: evarney@shaw.ca

2006-08-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

CIRCULAIRE 132

Mailart zine on general issues for mailartists
to share ideas, advertize new projects, etc.
To participate, just send 20 originals - artist
stamps, ATCs, small 8cm x 8cm artist
works, postcards, poems, etc... Signed and
numbered. A copy will be sent to every
participant that has sent 20 copies. Any
languages. No deadline.

CIRCULAIRE 132
12465 Avenue de Troyes
Quebec, Q.C., G2A 3C9
Canada

2006-08-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

Sample of ATCs by Danielle Walker, Canada

2006-08-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

Sample of ATCs by Jeffrey Errick, Canada

2006-08-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

ATC by Isabel Sturgeon, Canada

2006-08-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

WMD

Stock pile Weapons of Mass Destruction
proved to be a fairytale though
Iraq invasion and massacre were justified
by the Godfather of the state-run global terrorism.
Tens of thousands of children and innocent civilians
shot, bombed or tortured to death
by the pack of coalition gun-animals.

Based on a fairytale of WMD
piercing bayonet through the UN
the genocide committed by the occupiers
must be brought to justice.
If not, future generation of mankind
will bear the legacy of the Law of Jungle.

- Rezaul K. Talukdar, Bangladesh

2006-08-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

Clemente Padin, Uruguay

2006-08-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Artist stamps from Rafique Sulaymen, Bangladesh

2006-08-09T23:19:00.000-07:00

Textile art by Judy Ross, Canada-USA

2006-08-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

Cry wolf! The old story of the shepherd boy who thought to terrorize his friends by pretending a wolf was in the vicinity is still a standard by which people judge the personality of this animal which has been a part of our lives throughout history. Even though ancient men bred wolves with wild dogs to create an efficient hunting companion in the northern world as the Ice Age retreated, and in doing so gave us a friend sometimes more valued than our own family, we have strangely preserved a unique kind of hatred for the wolf itself which has haunted us for thousands of years. If we love our dogs so much, why do we hate its nearest relative? It is not a logical thing to be sure. It must then be something else, but what?

In the dim past, when men hunted each other on a regular basis as a summer pastime, or more recently as part of empire building, they left battlefields littered with dead comrades from whom they stripped clothes and weapons to take home to bereaved families. Of course, all these human corpses became food for a myriad of scavengers which included wolves, foxes, crows, ravens, eagles and insects. In fact, these creatures got quite used to this free and easy food supply to the point where they would follow marching armies and wait for the inevitable bounty!

It has been said that soldiers in these times were less fearful of their human enemies than they were of being eaten by wolves, especially if they were not really dead but either unconscious or left behind mortally wounded. Imagine the horror of feeling oneself being torn apart by a wolf pack just before death ends it all! It is from such fearful experiences that the horror of wolves evolved.

Our ancestors gave us Little Red Riding Hood ; The Three Little Pigs and more recently, Peter and The Wolf as entertainment for children which of course was meant to perpetuate our fear of the wolf right from childhood. Exaggerated tales of wolf attacks, perhaps not without some foundation in the Old World, have proliferated our recent fiction until the wolf has become the most universally maligned wild creature in existence. Very recent research and scientific observation is slowly teaching us that we have been dead wrong about the wolf. But because it is difficult to erase opinions that have gripped us for centuries, it will take a while to see the wolf as a beautiful, necessary part of existence.

Through education, research, the arts, and a re-awakening of our sense of balance in nature, the wolf may one day soon become a source of joy and satisfaction because it will reveal even more, the beautiful harmonies that make the world such a miraculous place to live in.

Owen R. Neill, Canada

2006-08-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

Art by Vivien Broughton, Canada

2006-08-09T22:59:00.000-07:00

Homage to Ray Johnson & more sent in by Silvio De Gracia, Argentina

2006-08-09T22:56:00.000-07:00

Art by Makarova Tatyana, Russia

2006-08-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

Art print by Paul Paiero, Canada

2006-08-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

Altered photograph (s) by Dale Roberts, Canada

2006-08-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

Two postcards by Bridie Knight, Australia

2006-08-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

THERE WAS A LITTLE GIRL

There was a little girl who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
And when she was good she was very, very good
But when she was bad she was even better
She loved to party and smoke a little pot
And screw her little brains out
With anyone she caught
Until one night
The one she took home
Smacked her hard across the head
As soon as the door was closed
And because she was drunk
And not a little stoned
She couldn't get her head around
What was going on
He hit her again and threw her on the bed
So she told him to put a condom on
Knowing what came next
Instead he punched her in the mouth
Broke her teeth and lips
Said he didn't do condoms
And if she didn't shut up he'd kill her

She was terrified he'd give her AIDS
Or worse yet, get her pregnant
The thought of having his baby
Made her puke, literally, all over him
And that's what finally made him get off her

She did get pregnant and had his baby girl
Alone in her apartment one winter afternoon
She pressed her thumb against its little throat
Wrapped it in a garbage bag
And went to get her coat
In the middle of the night she walked to the bridge
And dropped it to the river below

Every so often throughout the years
She tells a story about how once upon a time
There was a little girl who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
Who grew up to hate men
And has never been with another one
Since

Mary Billy, Canada

2006-08-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

Art by Mike Ellison, USA

2006-08-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

Art by Suzlee Ibrahim, Malaysia

2006-08-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

Sample of ATCs by Vivien Broughton, Canada

2006-08-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

Sample of ATCs by Mary Croley, USA