Postcards

I love postcards! Perfect sweet spot between cheap & cheerful and personal & intimate - public and private intertwined.

Here are a few postcard ideas I worked on back in 2020 displayed in reverse chronological order from when I found a bunch of other peoples old postcards in a charity shop.

I revisited postcards somewhat recently for the Donkey Show exhibition in 2024, but I focussed mainly on image / symbol with them and thus wasn't very happy with the outcomes. I'd like to try making some more embroidered postcards soon that I can give to pals. Been thinking about the commerce side of art-making a lot more recently (I'm reading Poor Artists by the white pube) & how I'd like to make some small work that can be sold for cheap or given away.

Postcard Projects

South College Street postcard

September 2020, Edinburgh

Capturing a sense of place via direct material relations - using collected detritus in combination with freehand machine embroidery. I made this just after moving away to uni in Edinburgh so I think I was trying to connect to my surroundings while employing a technique I was familiar with (emboidery over water-soluble fabric). This piece was pretty smelly because of my inclusion of cigarette butts.

Schrodingers Fart

September 2020, Edinburgh

An experiment in public gestures, printmaking, humour & connection. Made while reflecting on local legends & our relationships to foreign bodies following the pandemic. Postcards were distributed on the Royal Mile by myself and a couple embarrased friends, response from the public varied from laughter to disgust.

Fishing boats on the beach at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

Feb- March 2020, Leeds

I recieved an unexpected postcard to contribute to my project from a friend who I really thought I'd never hear from again. The postcard was a Van Gogh print that he'd bought in Amsterdam, kept, then sent to me after seeing my call out for postcard submissions, which was pretty touching.

I took the postcards image and challenged myself to make around 20 new interpretations via drawing, writing, collage and digital manipulation; the results of which I distributed to family and friends.

Leeds postcards

February 2020

Walking has always been an important part of my practice. I decided to make postcards of my walks in Leeds city centre around the Art Foundation building. I did this by photographing small details of places then either making them their own postcard or transposing them on top of pre-existing designs. I wrote small anecdotes or thoughts from the walks on the back & distributed some of them to family & friends. Others I returned to the places they were inspired by - e.g. I left one on a bench outside the Henry Moore Institute & a man sat nearby took it, we talked about his life and my art practice.

Send me a postcard

January 2020

I launched an online callout for postcards - posting it on both my personal social media & broader noticeboards. I got a few responses & letters from strangers, mostly documenting their dreams.

Vintage / charity shop postcards

No idea the date I found them but one summer before jan 2020

I found a bunch of vintage, (written) postcards in some charity shops in the Yorkshire Dales. Gorgeous! The images are compelling but most of all getting a peek into some distant strangers lives, relationships, holidays and obligations. From mundane to scandalous (sometimes even erotic) they seem like little personal treasures that I was honoured to find and collect. I particularly like the ones that have been personalised e.g. the postcard in the first pic has had a scalloped edge cut into it.

I haven't done anything with these yet (other than collecting) - material for a future project?