In the age of Snapchat and emojis, receiving a handwritten letter often comes as a welcome surprise.
It’s that warm, fuzzy feeling that a Saskatoon artist is hoping to spread in a new project that combines handwritten love letters with one-of-a-kind art.
Across downtown Saskatoon, red mailboxes have popped up on sidewalks. They’re the handiwork of Monique Martin, who wants to collect as many love letters as she can before Valentine’s Day.
Martin plans to create original art on the envelopes and then send them on their way.
“It’s a type of reverence. It’s a real gift,” she told CTV Saskatoon.
The idea was inspired from a trip to Paris, where Martin visited a stamp shop and stumbled upon a series of love letters between a couple from the 1940s.
“So I have their whole story all the way to where their daughter is born. And I think that’s really special. They started out very formal and then became very romantic and close and had all these collective memories that are captured on paper,” she said.
Martin also has a personal connection to the project. She writes letters to each of her children each week, and still has a stack of love letters from her husband.
The love letter box project is part of a larger exhibit, which will be featured at the Saskatchewan Craft Council this spring.
With a report from CTV Saskatoon
