A Little Touch of (First) Class

So yesterday I went to my mailbox and was greeted by the regular: bills, bills, and more bills.  Then, something caught my eye.  A postcard!  It was not just any regular postcard either.  It was a postcard from one of my gallery artists, Zuzka Vaclavik, greeting me from Tuscany.  If the image on the front wasn't enough to stir up some nostalgia, on the reverse she had painted a little surprise for me.  It certainly made my day and I am still carrying it around with me.

Postcards have always been an integral part of my life.  Throughout my childhood, every time we traveled my dad would pick up an abundance of postcards.  Then, when I got to college, every week (without fail) a new postcard arrived in my mailbox reminding me of our adventures together over the past 18 years.  I always looked forward heading to the mailbox to find that one treasure amidst the stack of junk mail and bills.  

Coincidentally, as a gallery owner, I send out postcards to hundreds of people every month.  See some examples of invitations above.  These postcards announce shows and invite all of the collectors to join the gallery in welcoming the artists to the city and to view their new collection.  I have been saving postcards that my husband and I have received for years.  They are always a great inspiration.  Apparently the art community in Beacon, NY thinks so as well.  A fellow blogger has begun the "Beacon Art Postcard Archive" which is a catalogue of postcards from all of the local artists, galleries, and studios in the Beacon, NY area over the past five years.  What a great idea.  I would definitely travel to see that collection and maybe pop by the Dia there as well.  Sounds like a trip to NY is in my future.