240 pieces of A5-sized postal illustration were commissioned from artists in 24 countries, organised by Darren, the man behind The Little Chimp Society, the world's biggest illustration blog. Work from illo-superstars to newbies alike was all here in one place, for a few days only.
Mail Me Art is in its third year, and the idea is that a pretty open brief allows chosen artists to flex a bit, and try out some new stuff (or go right into their comfort zones!) People who work digitally can draw; people who work big can go small. Beautifully-produced prints are sold, along with original art work at prices set by the artist, with all proceeds heading straight to charity. This year for the first time the cash was divvied equally between three separate organisations. Joy of joys, my original piece plus that of our friend and Moleaborator Robert Neely (bought by co-conspirator Ed Garland) were sold over the weekend, along with several more on opening night in alarmingly quick succession.
We began by asking Graham to paint the front door with a rude red post box, replete with opening times and letter flap (well that was already there actually). Cakes were baked, and a sign erected to warn the dirty humans off the grass in which hundreds of tiny frogs lurk (the dirty great humans obliged). We deliberately didn't look at the work as it was going up, as we wanted to engage with it fully at the same time as the visitors. So for four days we lived with minute detail, tiny faces, animals, brilliant colours, dark corners and a myriad of faces.
The pictures include some of the pieces we enjoyed the most...along with the cheeky giftastic flyer!
