I joined the Modern Letter Project to practice the art of letter writing and to see if I could learn to connect with other people purely through pen and paper. However, I have to admit that letters have long fascinated me for other, less noble reasons. Reading through the correspondences of other people, even complete strangers, is one my most indulgent pastimes. This might strike some as an unsavory practice, but please bear with me.

As a child, I discovered love letters between my grandmother and grandfather and I could not help but take a few peeks. These furtive glances illuminated their relationship for me and taught me that reading a person’s writing can provide extraordinarily revealing (and moving) glimpses into the most private and guarded aspects of their identity. Reading a letter can often disclose how and to what extent the letter writer makes himself or herself vulnerable to their recipient. As someone who has always been interested in human stories, letters provide a way for me to see many facets of a person’s character that they may ordinarily protect and guard. Oftentimes, the letters are actually full of great stories—though you might have to use your imagination to fill in a few gaps.

One book that I have recently discovered promises to provide great guilty-pleasure reading for the month of October: The Oxford Book of Letters, edited by Frank and Anita Kermode. This unique compilation of letters, presented in chronological order, includes entries from writers as varied as immigrants to America, famous writers, Presidents, anonymous lovers, and royalty. The editors provide very helpful context for the letters-- having relevant background and biographical information helps you to gleefully and effortlessly jump right into these intimate dramas. The editors hope that the book will “celebrate the glories of the written word and what may well be a dying art form.”

The Oxford Book of Letters is available at Amazon.com for $17.95

Fall is here and we promise, your October addresses are on the way. We're sorting out addresses and dealing with some technological bumps in the road, so please be patient, they should be in your inboxes in the next day or two.

*Note! If you do not receive your address by the end of the week, please check your spam or junk mailbox. If it is not there, email us at themodernletter(at)gmail(dot)com.

It is thought that Vincent Van Gogh wrote over 800 letters in his lifetime, mostly to his brother Theo. But of this collection, 22 were to the artist Emile Bernard, a colleague of his fifteen years his junior, who he is thought to have met when he himself was 33. Nineteen of these letters, and one additional, alongside 22 related paintings, drawings, and watercolors by both artists are the subject of the newest exhibit at The Morgan Library & Museum titled Painted with Words: Vincent van Gogh's Letters to Emile Bernard, which runs through January 6, 2008.

Van Gogh's words inspired Bernard artistically--introducing Japanese prints, discussing artists' issues--and was often critical of Bernard's paintings, which are widely considered to be mediocre. What's interesting is the expression of Van Gogh's thought process during a time when he, often considered to be emotionally volatile and indecipherable.

From the NY Sun:

"Van Gogh's letters, like his pictures, reinforce that art is visual, expressive, and intuitive; yet they also emphasize the fact that art is ordered, logical, and rational. The making of art, like the experience of art, is a titillation of the mind no less than the senses. Van Gogh's writings cannot explain or replace the experience of his paintings and drawings; but there is something reassuring about the power of the artist's word when, standing before a work of his art, words fail us."

The Morgan Library & Museum is located at 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, (212) 685-0008. Click here for information about visiting.

Even though the temperature here in New York is supposed to reach 90 this weekend, we're still gearing up for fall. Apples and foliage are on the mind, and evoke lots of memories of fall, family, and food that are great for fall letter-writing. Here's a few themes that come to mind if you're finding your pen stuck for ideas:

+ Favorite fall memories from childhood
+ Halloween (best/worst costumes, best haunted memories, that time you dressed up as a ______ and ________ happened).
+ Back to school stories (Did you just head back to class in September?)
+ New projects: start a business? a new art project? start writing your thesis? Renovating your house?

Happy writing, and happy fall!

We came across the piece on NPR last week about famous authors' rejection letters. Are you an aspiring writer, miffed about all those publishing houses turning your best seller down? Listen to this piece:

"Jack Kerouac, George Orwell and Sylvia Plath are just a few of the authors whose books were turned down by the Alfred A. Knopf publishing house. Researchers going through the Knopf archives have come across their rejection letters, as well as a few others.

Liane Hansen speaks to Richard Oram at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, where the archives are held."

Hear it HERE on NPR.

We have to admit, we’re online shopping addicts, especially when it’s great cards, paper, and stationery for sending letters. Another great source of cards, stationery, and papergoods of all sorts from “emerging design talent from all over the world” is Poppytalk Handmade, an “online street market” featuring a gallery of great goods.

photo by Sean Gosse

I got hooked on writing with fountain pens a long time ago. I went to elementary school in Montreal in the early 1970’s when penmanship was still part of the curriculum and remember being told we were told we were going to learn to write with a pen. My first thought?: “Cool, I can write with a ballpoint like dad.”

My teacher quickly put an end to that thought, giving explicit instructions that the only pens allowed into class were Sheaffer cartridge fountain pens with a fine or medium point. Black ink was a no-no and only Skrip Royal Blue and maybe Blue-black in emergencies were considered acceptable ink colors. It was a messy way to learn how to write and when my family moved to Toronto, I switched to a ballpoint.

Jumping ahead to the late 1990’s, my girlfriend at the time collected fountain pens and let me try one out. I was hooked. Now, ten years later, I have about 30 fountain pens in my collection.

So why write with an obsolete piece of technology, you ask? Especially when we live in a world addicted to instant messaging?

There are a couple of reasons:

First, I remember the feeling of comfort I got after filling up a couple thousand 8x11 notebook pages with notes at university. My hand hurt from all the writing, and boy was that satisfying.

Second, after I tried my girlfriend’s Waterman I experienced a surge of nostalgia that took me back back to grade three, the nib gliding across the page with almost no effort. I picked up a Waterman Expert pen two weeks after that and taking notes in meetings has become that much more of a joy.

Third, fountain pens are life long personal accessories, tools to express yourself on paper. You refill the ink as opposed to going to the office supply cabinet stocked with disposable pens for a cheap ballpoint made of non re-newable resources. I have couple of pens in my collection dating to the very late 1930’s that I still use on a regular basis. They are comfortable to write with and guaranteed conversation starters.

Fourth, but not lastly, fountain pens force you to slow down and think about what you want to really express. Think of it as rebellion against the 24/7/365, instant message.

These days, I am usually seen with a Pelikan or a Parker pen in my hand be it working on a project, writing in my journal, or taking notes in meetings or night class.

Here in New York, it still feels like summer, but in our heads it's definitely Autumn. We're thinking: sweaters, apples, pumpkins, and changing leaves. This can only mean one thing for letter-writing: fall notecards. We hunted down some of our favorite autumnal patterns on Etsy -- 'tis the season for reds, oranges, yellows, and browns.

Pumpkin Patch blank notecards by pinkbathtub (upper left)
Autumn Pomegranates by uccellocurioso (upper right)
Autumn Leaves by CardZoo (bottom left)
Fall Leaf Pack by twohanddesign (bottom right)

(Click on names of each card set for information on price and how to buy)

As kids we were huge fan of children's book author Beatrix Potter's endless tales of mischievous animals--Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and many others. Most know of her work as an author, but few know that her stories were first told as a series of picture-letters written to Noel Moore, revealing the tale of Peter Rabbit over the course of correspondance. In the letters Potter reveals the elementary stages of a lifelong love for animals and the ways in which she lived inside their heads, and theirs inside hers.

Read more about Beatrix Potter on wikipedia and her picture letters.

In a recent article published in the UK Guardian, journalist Simon Jenkins ruminates on the 25th anniversary of the emoticon, the nature of email correspondence, and the importance of old-fashioned letter-writing. Jenkins contends there are nary an email whose sentences are carefully thought over, rarely a perfect sentence. He argues, "send is always pressed to soon," and mourns the day of emoticon-free correspondence, that which used the dictionary and pen as tools, a sheet of paper and the time invested into the letter to convey meaning.

Jenkins writes:
"I have seldom sent a personal email or text message which I have not afterwards, in some degree, regretted. The old-fashioned pen slowed the transition from natural spoken word (and intended meaning) to unnatural script. It gave time for consideration, as did the manual typewriter. Writing involved effort. A word was pondered before being put to paper, packaged and sent through the post. I remember the ancient sandbox calligraphers in Chen Kaige's film, The Emperor and the Assassin, and became more careful when I handwrote anything. There was poetry as well as prose in those glorious characters. We should treat letters and words with respect."

...and then asks, "Why is email so lacking in feeling and nuance as to require its own additional alphabet? How much sincerity really is conveyed by?"

We ask you, the reader: Is Jenkins' view old-fashioned? Or isthere a disintegration in the value of the email vs. hand-written communication. We here at MLP do love our letters, the tactility of quill (or pen) and ink, the smudge of a runny pen. We love hunting down good paper, good pens, getting that new address in our email boxes, but ay, there's the rub. Email is essential to our project, how we run our daily lives, and we love that it's an effective tool for communication. For that, while we're partial to our pens and papers, every so often we're happy to take a look and see a message from an old friend in our inbox.

One of the emails that first got us excited after launching the Modern Letter Project was hearing that people were sticking little gifts in their envelopes right along with the letters. There were mix-CDs and jewelry, photos, four-leaf clovers, and seeds. Brilliant!

Turns out you don't even have to go and buy separate seeds--you can find great letterpress cards with seeds right in them. Round Robin Press's hand-printed cards come with a pack of basil and chive seeds and a chartreuse envelope.

Cards are $6.00 apiece and can be bought on Etsy.

Last week we were hunting around an old warehouse in Queens and stumbled upon a gem: an etiquette book titled 100 Points in Etiquette and 101 Don'ts, published in 1929 by Grosset & Dunlap. Lucky for us there is an entire section on letter-writing (in addition to instruction on dinner, wedding, luncheon, golf, and bridge etiquette).

The authors write, "For letter writing to friends, simple good paper is in the best of taste. It may have a monogram or not, as you wish, or it may have the address either across the top or in the right hand corner. It should be white or cream in color, or very delicately tinted. Correspondence is divided into three classes: social, business, and personal.

...Remember that everything put on paper may live for years, so be careful what you write, and do not do so impulsively. Never put anything on paper which would cause discredit or mortification even if read in public."

This made us laugh, but on second thought, perhaps that criticism was too harsh. Is this letter-writing etiquette really obsolete? Do letters still fall into these three distinct categories? What is the difference between letter-writing and email etiquette? We'd love to hear what you think! [more thoughts from us on this topic later]

p.s. See some more modern notes on letter-writing etiquette here.

Whenever I make to trip to one of the NYC post-offices, I cross my fingers they'll have released a new book of limited edition stamps. I'm the kind of person who likes to have Christmas-time stamps during the holidays, "LOVE" stamps at Valentines day, and Superhero stamps for cards to friends. (I save the plain old American flag stamps for paying bills.)

Lucky for us, lots of stamps are available for order at the USPS Postal Store online, where you can also search for collectible stamps, learn about stamp collecting, find out about forthcoming editions of stamps, and learn about all terms related to stamps (the Philatelic Glossary).

(I'm also pretty smitten with international stamps. Check out some of the postage at the Swedish Post office!)

When we first incubated the idea of the Modern Letter Project, we set about investigating what letter projects already existed, and how ours could revive letters in a new way. We wanted it to be international, we wanted it to be fun, and we wanted it to be creative. It's important to us to have a dialogue with our letter-writing pals, and the internet allows us to do that--and we want people who are writing letters to experience the give and take of a hand-written exchange.

One of the projects we discovered is Rick Schrager's The Letter Project. The idea is simple--far simpler than the Modern Letter Project: email Rick your name and address, and he will send you a letter. That's it!

Rick writes, "I started this project after listening to an inner and insistent voice encouraging me to encourage you to keep letter writing alive. The project has a hidden plus for me. By crafting these letters my letter-writing skills are less likely to gather moss. Unless you are very specific in your request, I get to create the contents on my own accord. This being the case, your letter may contain things as banal as descriptions of what I encounter on my ride to work, abstruse quotes from ancient texts, or, something as simple (and useful I might add) as my recipe for the world's best cheese-steak sandwich. I might even be inclined to fabricate a tale or two, just to keep things interesting. The letter you receive should be as convivial for you as it is fun for me to write. After you read your letter you can choose to reply, or not, this is entirely up to you. "

Some of our participants have voiced concerns about sending out far more letters than they receive. Perhaps those adding to pad their numbers of letters received can sign up for Rick's great project, and find one more pen pal in this great wide world.

Visit The Letter Project.

(photos by Jennifer Causey)

Jennifer Causey is a talented Brooklyn-based photographer whose work we just adore. She takes brilliant photos of everyday pleasures, from breakfasts to nature, taking note of color, form, and the slightest nuance. Her photos inspire a warm feeling of nostalgia or sentimentality in us, so we're thrilled that she sells her photos as photo-inspired postcards on etsy, $16 for a set of ten.

These are perfect for when you don't have a lot of time to write a long letter, but want to send a thoughtful note on a unique and beautiful card.

See more at Jennifer Causey's shop on Etsy HERE.

There’s a tree outside of Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois that smells. It really, really smells.

I hadn’t thought much about that tree until I got a response to a letter that I wrote to Modern Letter participant Kathy, in Wichita. In addition to sharing tales of tomato-hungry rabbits ravaging her yard and plans for her upcoming trip to Paris, Kathy also happened to mention that she’s a huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright and has traveled to Oak Park to visit his famed home and studio.

Oak Park--once home to the aforementioned architect, Betty White, Ernest Hemingway and me-- is inoffensive as far hometowns go… though in high school we called it "Kao Krap," and it might be worth noting that Hemingway called it a town of, “wide lawns and narrow minds.” All in all, it wasn’t bad: growing up there we had easy access to Chicago and could pretend to be cool at Smashing Pumpkins shows.

But back to the tree.

In grade school, we took annual field trips to Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio. As our two-by-two buddy system line approached the ginkgo tree growing outside of the studio, there was an impending sense of doom among the female half of the class. We knew we were about to be slimed with the repulsive-smelling innards of the ginkgo fruit strewn about the sidewalk. The boys, usually uninterested in us, developed a keen sense of boy gross-out duty on Home and Studio day and year after year we left with sticky, smelly hair.

To verify and identify the origins of the odor, I consulted About.com’s forestry expert Steve Nix’s aptly titled entry:

Stink-bomb Tree
The female plant, when fertilized, produces the oval, slimy, tan-orange ginkgo fruit. The fruit stinks! The smell's description ranges from "rancid butter" to "vomit.”

Vomit. Rancid butter. Sounds about right. What’s also worth noting is that the ginkgo goo I’m talking about is the very same goo that you find in those ginkgo biloba memory-enhancing supplements, leading me to believe that even if I wanted to forget this, I probably couldn’t.

Kathy’s letter got me thinking about this tree and those annual field trips--a memory that connects me to all of the other kids who grew up in Oak Park. I feel like we share a small secret about a famous place. Are there destinations like this in your hometown? What do you remember when you hear other people talk about them? Have any of your letters provoked these memories?

A few months back, we received a letter from a Modern Letter Project participant:

“I want to let you know how much I enjoy being able to participate in the Modern Letter Project. I have received some great letters, and I love the process of writing a letter each month. I even bought a desk so I'll have dedicated space to write my letters (don't tell--I'm including a picture of the desk in my next letter).”

Well, to say it simply: we were thrilled!

We are in love with the notion of letter-writing spaces, whether it be a specific café, a window seat in your house, your kitchen table, or your office. One of the ways we get in a letter-writing mindset is to retreat to our own special letter-writing places with a good hot cup of coffee and an inky black pen.

When we spotted these two desks—one old, one new—we just couldn’t decide which we wanted more: the sleek, modern writing desk with that cool blue color (but a hefty price tag?). Or, a beautiful old oak roll-top desk, with fifteen drawers, two writing/typing trays?

Do you have a letter writing place or desk? Where is it?

[Left: Writing Desk designed by Michael Young, $2,750.00,
Right: Vintage Oak Crest Roll Top Desk on Ebay, $697.00 (only available for pickup in California)]

At the risk of sounding like a complete geek, I will admit that ever since the third grade, when I envied my best friend's neat, slightly rounded script, I have had a thing for good penmanship. While bored in class, I would practice what in my mind were my ugliest capital letters: A, D, and H; I prided myself on the different ways I could write a M. I used to wince--okay maybe I still do, a little--when the letters on the page don't have the common decency to stay between the lines. I would ridicule--oops, I mean, tease--my brother for his tiny, indecipherable handwriting. But, after taking a look at some writing of the famous authors above, legibility is clearly not indicative of genius.

Handwriting experts (graphologists) will inform you that handwriting can tell you a lot about a person, although I'm not sure that large, looped handwriting equals a boldness of personality, or whatever they may claim. It is fun, however, to see how other people write. To me, that's part of the fun of getting letters from new people every month. As it's been said before, there's something personal about getting a handwritten letter. It's almost like a window, tiny as it may be, into a stranger's personality. Thus the fascination with the actual letters of famous people.

Handwriting clockwise from left: Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway

Bi-coastal store-owner, jewelry-designer, and notecard connoisseur Rena Tom talks about her new San Francisco shop, Rare Device, stationery trends, and her holiday gift picks for your letter-writing friends.

MLP: Welcome, Rena! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
RT: I am a native Californian, back out west after three exciting years in New York. When I was in New York, I opened a small shop in Brooklyn called Rare Device and have developed a passion for finding fresh modern design and working with independent designers. I used to design wedding invitations and print them on my Gocco, and I used to have a Kelsey 3x5” tabletop letterpress.

MLP: You are opening a new shop on Market Street in San Francisco on October 25th in partnership with San Francisco artist Lisa Congdon. Tell us a little about the new shop.
RT: The second Rare Device location is four times as big as the first! This means we have the opportunity to offer more categories like furniture and lighting, and to host monthly art shows as well in a dedicated gallery space. We will still stock many handcrafted items but the main mission is to bring design-led products (many by NYC designers) that are not seen in every shop in town to the west coast.

MLP: How exciting! How do you select the cards and journals you’ll stock in your store? What do you look for?
RT: Well, we look for many things: humor, great graphic design, nice packaging, or some special feature that makes the product stand out from the crowd. For example, a greeting card is good, but one that is die-cut to convert to an ornament, or can be planted to grow flowers, or has a matching printed envelope is even better.

MLP: Who are some of your favorite card-makers and stationery suppliers?
RT: Oh boy, there are so many! Mateo Ilasco offers printed wood veneer stationery, Studio Olivine has a beautiful sense of line and color, millimeter/milligram makes a range of planners and journals that are filled with optimism and whimsy.

MLP: What are the most popular cards in your store? What goes flying off the shelf?
RT: Apak Studio cards have cute hand-drawn characters and always do well. And the Jill Bliss Native Flowers journal is gorgeous and we always have them in stock. Recently, the 5 Year Diary by Tamara Shopsin is a super gift item, it’s conceptual and aesthetically pleasing at the same time.

MLP: Do you see any trends in cards and stationery for 2008? What’s popular now?
RT: The popularity of illustration and hand-lettering is carrying over into paper goods. There were a lot of hard-edged silhouettes previously but people want something a bit rougher around the edges now. Letterpress is still strong but doing it on colored paper makes the cards stand out even more.

MLP: Your new store is partially an art gallery. Who is curating?
RT: Lisa will be curating the gallery. She’s already booked us through January 2009! We have the same taste so I trust her completely. We’ll alternate between drawing and painting, installations, photography and some group shows with The Beholder and Poketo.

MLP: Any holiday gift suggestions for our letter-writing friends?
RT: Elum is making a gorgeous boxed set of stationery that will inspire you to write. I also think it would be great to get this mini-tote from Good on Paper and fill it up with a selection of cards and paper!

MLP: And, because we have to ask: are you a letter-writer?
RT: Lately it’s been all e-mail, which is so sad, but I used to write long letters to various crushes when I was in college. I still have their letters to me! I think there are certain people in our lives who inspire a handwritten letter, it’s a very lovely and intimate activity.

The BRAND NEW Rare Device will open on October 25th, 6-10 p.m. with an exhibition by Los Angeles-based artist, Kelly Lynn Jones. 1845 Market Street (between Guerrero and Valencia) in San Francisco. 415.863.3969.

Visit Rare Device (NYC) at 453 7th Avenue (between 15th and 16th Street), Brooklyn. 718.301.6375.

During wars before the age of email, letter-writing was the only way for soldiers at bay to keep in touch with friends and family at home. Often writing on the move, they'd write their thoughts and deepest concerns and send them out into the ether, hoping they'd reached their loved ones. The Canadian Letters & Images Project is an online archive of the Canadian war experience--including collections from the Korean War, WWI, WWII, pre-1914 collections, and post-Korean war collections. The letters have been collected, categorized by time period and listed alphabetically by surname, and then transcribed for public viewing.

The collection exists both as historical record and memorial to those who have served, offering glimpses into the personal lives of those abroad. By collecting wartime correspondence, photographs, and other personal materials, from the battlefront and the homefront, the letters tell the story of both the ordinary and the extraordinary wartime experience.

See the collections.

As Sofia wrote, a person’s handwriting can reveal certain personality traits, but what does a font choice say about you? When you see a letter written in Times New Roman, do you think that person is old school? What is your favorite typeface? I confess that I liked the cutesi-ness of Comic Sans when I was young, but now I favor the simplicity of Arial.

One font that may be most ubiquitous of all is Helvetica, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Companies that use the typeface in its logos include Apple, American Apparel, and Panasonic. According to devotees and graphic designers quoted in the BBC News Magazine, Helvetica conveys a range of feelings, ranging from efficiency and reliability to blandness.

There’s even a documentary on the typeface, titled Helvetica. Director Gary Hustwit speaks about his interest in the font:

Why make a film about a typeface, let alone a feature documentary film about Helvetica? Because it's all around us. You've probably already seen Helvetica several times today. It might have told you which subway platform you needed, or tried to sell you investment services or vacation getaways in the ads in your morning paper. Maybe it gave you the latest headlines on television, or let you know whether to 'push' or 'pull' to open your office door.

Since millions of people see and use Helvetica every day, I guess I just wondered, "Why?" How did a typeface drawn by a little-known Swiss designer in 1957 become one of the most popular ways for us to communicate our words fifty years later? And what are the repercussions of that popularity, has it resulted in the globalization of our visual culture?

Screenings of Helvetica will be held in England, Georgia, and Denmark in November and is showing at the IFC Center in New York City until tomorrow, October 30th. Click here for listings.

We have to admit: writing in pencil usually makes us cringe. There are the horrid flashbacks to forgetting a No. 2 pencil on the day of a big standardized test, the eraser smudges, the broken tips, the memories of standing at the pencil sharpener and having the device seemingly EAT your pencil. If we do decide to use a pencil--and there are times when it's necessary--it's usually one of those fancy mechanical ones with a clickable tip (Youngna's favorite is the burnt orange Pentel 120 EX with extra fine 0.3mm lead). But then, of course, there is the fear of running out of lead.

That said, when we discovered Bob Truby's pencil collection site, Brand Name Pencils, we had to admit that we never knew there were so many varieties, such history, such a great variance in color, eraser shape, hardness, and manufacturing location. Brand Name Pencils features Truby's intricately detailed collection labeled by brand (134 of them) and type. He includes a wishlist -- either pencils he covets or wants to update with an unsharpened version--and a duplicates list for those of you who are pencil collectors and might be looking for one Truby is willing to let go of.

For pencil collectors, letter-writers, and those generally interested in the nature of collection, Brand Name Pencils is well worth a look-through.

[Related: We highly recommend one of our favorite collecting books, In Flagrante Collecto, available at Amazon.com for $37.80]

Every newspaper and magazine--from the NY Times to your college newspaper -- is subject to its readers' feedback. Letters to the editor are as much a part of your daily paper as the Sports section, and if you're like us you love hearing what your fellow readers have to say. Whether they're lashing back about commentary on the War in Iraq, condemning the government, complaining about misspellings, offering sage advice about everything from baseball to restaurants to how to reform health care, letters to the editors let readers chime in and respond to the news.

Many newspaper maintain archives of "Letters to the Editor" online. Here are a few; take a look:
LA Times
NY Times
Indystar
Baltimore Sun
UK Guardian

We're late on this one, but hope you New Yorkers can still catch The Mailed Paintings, a solo show by conceptual, German artist Karin Sander at D'Amelio Terras Gallery which is up through Saturday, November 3rd.

In the press release, the gallery writes,

"The Mailed Paintings along with Gebrauchsbilder (pictures for use) are projects that are part of a larger body of work titled The Patina Paintings. In Gebrauchsbilder the paintings start out as blank canvases and autonomously create themselves by absorbing the patina of the environment where they are installed for a period of time, such as a coal cellar or deck of a ship. In a similar way, the Mailed Paintings collect patina from handling and the exposure to the elements along their postal route and are considered done when they arrive at the gallery.

The monochromatic white surfaces act as self-writing diaries that record the journey of the work. This process embraces chance and risk and points to the larger conceptual practice of Karin Sander, who always operates in the extended field of painting by putting an emphasis on the environment of the exhibition and the circumstances surrounding it, like in her well-known polished wall pieces. The collected patina exaggerates and mirrors the effect of the passage of time on the surface of the painting, and her installation in the gallery is reminiscent of both Suprematism and the ready-made."

We hope you'll take a look. (525 W. 22nd Street. 212-352-9460)