Envelopes

Envelopes can be decorated with rubber stamps, painted on, collaged, scribbled, stamped and made out of the most unusual materials. What's inside is sometimes not as beautiful as the container. Most research shows that when it comes to mail, you have less than a second to get somebody's attention. Just like a tiny billboard, it is the envelope's job to do this. If the recipient isn't compelled to open the envelope, the entire mailing package is wasted. If Marshall McLuhan was correct when he said, "The medium is the message",then the envelope is the most important communication in mailart. So go ahead, make your own envelopes from maps, magazine pages, newspapers, computer paper, grocery bags, or anything else that folds into a sort-of squarish shape. Or better yet, forget squares and make circular envelopes! A few examples of creative packages are Bonnie Burton's mailart women and dog from San Francisco, the Envelope Gallery and Ruud Janssen's painted work from the Netherlands.

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This page last revised February 2005. Artists retain full copyright of any and all works he or she has created.
Please contact the artist before using any of the artist's work in any way.