Mail Art Project - Zane

        The mail art assignment was a stressful one for me. Not only would people see my artwork, but they would see it without much context as to what is going on within the work. I wanted to use this assignment to practice using a brush pen(which I am not very skilled with) in order to force the graphic intensity of my drawings. I am one who has strayed away from using pure black pigment or ink in anything, but once I really began indulging in its effectiveness, I've been using it for everything.
       With this project I decided to create a series of different drawings, that I only used a brush pen for and only had one attempt. I really didn't plan the poses or ideas, I only made sure that the concept of the character I was drawing stayed the same. I'm not sure what to call him, but he's been appearing in a lot of the digital work I've been producing over the quarantine, and he's my go-to-character when utilizing bold lines and expressions. He's a frightened, yet curious fellow in which you never know what he's really thinking about or what he might be seeing.

       I personally like the concept of mail art since I think it aligns with the type of person I am, an introvert. I'm not the best with frequent communication between my friend groups and when I do communicate, it's usually through a phone call from which I thusly disappear for another month until the next time I reach out. With mail art, it's almost like a little surprise or reminder that someone, they you may know or not, is out there and they put the effort into sending you something. Now, while a personally written letter is very touching, a piece of art work is almost even more personal, or it can be silly, maybe irrational. The interesting thing about sending a piece of artwork out of context, to me, is the intention behind the need to send it to someone; is the artist seeking critique, advice, a "thank you," who knows? When I send my artwork to people through an instant message, I am usually seeking critique and opinions, but there is something liberating about sending physical work through the mail. In this case, I wouldn't really want to hear anything back as it feels more like the mailing of a thought or idea that once it's out is gone. The primary joy would come if the recipient of this thought would have to articulate it in their own way, and express their own opinion by sending me one of their works; a delightful exchange of energy.