Monday, January 18, 2016

By Post

My family moved to London at the beginning of my senior year in high school in 1967. Suddenly I lived an ocean away from my friends in New Jersey. 

No email. No texting. Expensive transAtlantic phone rates. 

My lifelines? Her Majesty's Royal Mail and the US Postal System.

Even with email and texting now my primary tools of written communication, I've never lost my affection for snail mail. I love telling a story and sending it by post, or receiving a letter with my name written in the hand of a friend. I love the thrill of breaking and entering an envelope.


For the last year or two of my mom's life, I sent her a handmade postcard every few days. Now, I send postcards to my dad. Hi, Futh!


Postcard 3
4x5", acrylic and ink on manila stock
abstract
2016
[not for sale]






14 comments:

Joan's Art Blog said...

Such a nice story! Love the postcard Dotty!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Thanks, Joan! More postcards to come. They make such a great way for me to experiment—good size, nice weight paper that takes paint well, and a completely accepting audience in my dad : )

Gillian St George - Painting with Passion said...

And Bob's Your Uncle too Dotty! Love this postcard and the great story behind it. Is Dad still in England? Gillian

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Glad you enjoyed my postcard and the story behind my love of snail mail. No, my dad is now in Maine. We were transferred overseas twice while I was growing up, to the Netherlands for two years and to London for four.

Sheila said...

This is wonderful Dotty, and such a sweet habit!

Laurie Mueller said...

I love this postcard, Dotty! My Aunt (who is also a sister, a friend, a confidante, etc) still writes and sends personal notes all the time. I love it, and supply her with my art cards all year long so she doesn't have to buy them (and luckily she loves my art!). She is one of a kind. Except maybe for you, Dotty....keep writing! It would be so sad if personal notes (that aren't a text or an email) became obsolete. Thanks for the sweet image and the great reminder!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Laurie, love hearing about your aunt who writes/sends personal notes, love hearing you supply her with your art cards all year long so she doesn't have to purchase any. How could she NOT love your art?

Thanks for all your affirmation above!

I need to poke around your website—do you make/sell art cards? Tell me more!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Thanks, Sheila, both for your enjoyment and for saying the word "habit" which is reminding me to write my next postcard to Futh!

Joany Kendra said...

Once again you've moved me to tears, o gifted one. So happy you're continuing the post cards with Futh!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Joje, said postcard is actually sitting in my (verrrrrrry cold) mailbox, red flag up, waiting for the postman to start it on its journey to Futh.

Thanks for your support and enthusiasm. Your comments to me here at my blog are akin to my postcards to Futh : )

Simone said...

Yes, isn't it a pity that we don't write these kind of postcards anymore?
I am inspired to start doing it again!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

This one just left in the mail yesterday. An extra gift with these particular cards that I write to my dad is that he keeps them all in a pile on a little table beside the loveseat in the nook in his dining room where I've actually sat to create them. I have the fun of making them, the fun of going to my collection to choose one to write on, and then the fun of seeing them all again when I visit my dad!

Unknown said...

oh, the joys of snail mail! Every piece a treasure. So nice to have a physical, tangible piece of art/communication from someone! I am still snail mailing family and friends in Europe and New Zealand. Glad to read your story!

dotty seiter: now playing said...

Corinna, such fun to have you totally get the joys of snail mail! What is your story that you have family and friends in Europe and New Zealand?

Post a Comment