Daily Mail - conclusion of a project

The third week in September brought the final end of Kathy Loomis’ and my Daily Mail project which we both have reported about on our respective blogs in May: Kathy’s prior reports can be looked at here, and mine here. 

The original agreement had envisioned a daily exchange for half a year, but when that time rolled around we agreed that we would continue until Septmber 15 to complete a full year’s cycle. Except that three weeks in April were missing, when my son and I visited the States, spent a week with Kathy and her husband, and Kathy went on another trip right after that. We resumed mailing on May 1^st.

The second half of our exchange saw a deepening of some of the themes we had introduced in the first part. I received a number of mails with color dyptichs, which Kathy finds at various places.

Kathy: Color dyptich

I sent reflections, light art and various instances of found art.

Uta: reflections

Uta: light art

Uta: found art (calligraphy?)

Uta: found sculpture

Uta: found art

Kathy treated me to many pictures from her cruise of the Panama Canal, whereas I sent her quite a number of impressions from my summer vacation on the North Sea Coast.

But we also introduced new themes – Kathy was delighted with shots I have been taking of German traffic mirrors.

Uta: traffic mirror in our street

I was thrilled with her initiative on lions, because these can also be found numerously where I live.

Uta: Bavarian lion

Kathy: lion

And we got into doors much more deeply than we had before.

Kathy: door in Chios

Uta: front door

And many others...

I had originally started the project with a picture-pun on Kathy’s blog-title “Art with a needle”, turning it into “art with a noodle”, and I had even managed to come up with a second picture that I had sent her on the official date of closure of the first period. Kathy got back at me by finishing with a pun on the title of my German blog, “justcolours”, turning it into “just collars”. 

Kathy: Just collars

Gave me a very good laugh, and made me shed a tear.

Now that the project is over it is no real fun anymore turning on the computer to check my e-mail because there are hardly any interesting messages waiting. I noticed that I take slightly fewer pictures than I did throughout the last year, because I won’t be considering sending them as Daily Mail anymore (which will be a relief to my son, he thought I was taking too many pictures anyway, it was definitely getting on his nerves). Though I still 'see' the shots and think “this would be a great opportunity for Daily Mail”. 
But through the project I have found a new way of focussing on the kind of pictures I take, of looking at things and their prospective value as art.

I am still a little sad about the fact that the project is over, although it feels as if it was the right time to stop. It hadn’t felt like that in March, which is why we agreed to  continue until the anniversary of the beginning. All I can say is that this year was a wonderful and enriching time for me, the exchange certainly contributed a great deal to my well-being throughout the time, and I am curious to see how it will have an overall effect on my art-making.

Thanks, Kathy, for the collaboration!