Friday, April 22, 2011

Butterflies Are FREE Mail Art PFF #41

Badly faded Butterfly - still FREE
We recently received an invitation from the Holter Museum here in Helena, Montana, to display OUR envelope art. The reason I say OUR is because I created these envelopes over forty years ago for the woman who would become my wife upon my return from Vietnam. They belong to her. This is one that didn't go to the Holter.
The last four months I was in Vietnam I was stationed at the 1st Medical Battalion field hospital north and a bit west of Danang. I chose to take what was called 'Graveyard', which was the night shift from eleven until seven. It was fairly easy duty, as the ward I was assigned was a surgical ward.  Marines who had come in after three in the afternoon for minor surgery (something requiring sutures) would have to remain overnight, as some could not be returned to their units after five PM - the gates were closed.

My wife, then my fiancé, had been sending me Flair tip pens and a Rapidiograph to feed my creative habit, and I had occasionally been drawing on the envelopes for the love letters I sent to her. As I did last year, I will occasionally post one of these envelopes. They helped me maintain some level of sanity in what was a pretty ugly environment.

Be sure to visit Beth Niquette at The Best Hearts Are Crunchy  as she hosts another Postacrd Friendly Friday.

17 comments:

  1. What a beautiful envelop and the sweet story that ocmes with it. You must be very dleighted to get that invites to show off your artwork.

    My Postcard Friendship Friday

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  2. Absolutely stunning envelope - and sent 40 years ago? Wow!

    How wonderful that you have been invited by a museum to display your beautiful artwork.

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  3. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! What a guy and what a gal! Kudos to you both. Happy PFF!

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  4. Wow that is a lovely envelope. I hope you share some photos of your exibition.

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  5. That is just gorgeous!! What a wonderful way to entertain yourself and think about your love back home. Thanks for sharing this!

    I smiled recently when I saw a package of Flair pens in a local store. I had no idea they still made them.

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  6. Thank youfor sharing. remember you are invited to my blog for Sunday stamps - anything you wish.

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  7. And that's faded?! It must have been stunning and still beautiful.

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  8. Wow, that's a stunning piece of artwork. I also love the story behind it. Good luck on your exhibition.


    Postcards Crossing

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  9. still dazzling piece of work...and thank you for sharing such a personal story.

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  10. As they say, this is "Cool!"

    Here is the comment on the 1950 Buick...
    MrCachet...
    The car has some tappet noise. I guess it isn't run much. The end of the valves are being tapped because the valve lifters are stuck. Otherwise, a nice car.

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  11. What a delightful story! What woman would not love to get something like that in the mail from her favorite fellow! Gorgeous! More, please. Have a lovely Easter with your best girl.

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  12. What a lovely idea to create art on envelopes!

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  13. That is so beautifully colorful. What a wonderful piece of art for your wife to have. :-)

    Hope you've had a lovely Easter day.

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  14. Hello David, just letting you know I'm still alive, ha ha. Life has been busy as heck and I can't see it slowing down anytime soon. Things have really heated up on the non art career front and I'm getting very little time for anything else. So tonight I'm doing a late nighter to catch up with all my dear blog friends! So HI!

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  15. Hi! So glad joni james turned me on to your blog. Love what I see so far. Will have to come back later and get all caught up!

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  16. This butterfly is lovely. My ex husband was in Vietnam so I have a sense of what you went through. What a beautiful way to spend your time in such an ugly environment. I, too, draw on the envelopes I send my daughter who is in the Coast Guard. I just think it's special, and so does she. You do beautiful work., Noah

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