I never really heard of Mail Art until I saw some striking drawings Maria was making in her spare seconds, but never showing or selling.

I loved these drawings and badgered her a bit about the idea of selling them. But you cannot really tell Maria anything about her art, and it’s wise not to try.

Maria is one of those people whose mind is always racing and creating. If we are driving, and I run into a store to get some coffee, she will be  working on a sketch when I get back.

I sometimes sit and stare out the window or scratch a dog, but Maria will take that time and draw some  quite unique illustrations on a piece of cardboard. They are quite original, unlike other art that I have seen.

They have been sitting in a pile and accumulating in the living room for a couple of years now, and I often stop to look at them, but stopped suggesting she sell them.

In those moments, she has been making Mail Art.

Mail Art, also known as Postal Art,  is centered on the idea of sending small scale art works through the United States Postal Service. It began in the 1950’s, developed by artist Ray Johnson’s New York Correspondence School.

Mail Art has since developed into a global movement that continues to the present. Populist art is right in Maria’s wheelhouse, in a sense, all of her art is populist art.

I would surely notice if I got a drawing like this in the mail, a quite original gift or kind of personal letter. Tomorrow, she will be putting up these drawings on her Etsy page.

It’s not my business, really, to tell her what to do and it just annoys her on those rare occasions when I try it. If you suggest she should do something, it’s a good bet she will not do it. Like me, she likes to have her own ideas. I am the same way.

Maria thinks about things for awhile, and when she’s ready, she just goes and moves on them. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen her drawing one of these creations, it happens in seconds while I am reading or checking my mail.

This week, she announced she is ready to sell them on her new Etsy page or on her website([email protected]). The drawings will sell for $10 plus shipping.

I don’t know why she decided to sell them now, but I think it’s a great idea. You can buy them on her Etsy page, starting tomorrow, or for $10 plus shipping or by e-mailing her at [email protected].