49. Keep Me Posted

Abstract

Mail can simply be the envelopes and packages sent to and fro via the postal system. However, these ordinary objects can also be vessels for all sorts of emotions like joy, sorrow, anticipation, and even for memories. The contents in the mail reflect the feelings and personality of their sender, as they are the next best thing to physically seeing, hearing or touching said person separated by distance. Therefore, I have taken one face of a mailer box from the post office and adorned it with a drawing of a portrait. Since ink is a universal tool to write letters and address mail in general, I have chosen colored pen as my medium. There are four pairs for a total of eight mailers: 1) The Service Member, 2) The Lover, 3) The Departed, and 4) The Best Friend. For example, The Departed represents my brother and my late father. We received old documents and photographs of my dad from his side of the family after his passing, and it felt like he was with us once again. The Best Friend is inspired by all of those who “wish we were friends in the same place.” So, no matter where we are, the mail helps make the world a little smaller. For this series, I was influenced by local Athens artist, Jeffrey Whittle. His earlier works are of mixed media portraits superimposed on maps, as to have a preexisting, complex ground instead of the standard, plain white of paper or canvas.