“Mail Art for Art” response by Christy Lum. “Gifts from Grandma”. She writes: (left to right)

[1] Origami ornaments and cranes littered her home, even in the last few days I spent with her.

[2] For Christmas, my grandma remembered I loved dolphins and gifted me this wall print. It still sits in my room to this day. 

[3] A single mother of five, my grandma worked in the Steveston shipyards doing upholstery for the fishing industry. Thinking of my grandmother today connects me to my roots and reminds me of the grit, courage, and bravery she had to survive. That same grit runs through my veins and keeps me spirit alive today.

[4] After my grandma suffered a stroke, one of the gifts she gave me was a shell. Putting it to your ear, you can still hear ocean waves crashing against the sand. 

[5] After her stroke, she could no longer paint, nor speak. Instead she spoke using her eyes and half-smiles. I grew up always wanting to be an artist and dreamed of the possibility through her paintings.

[6] My grandmother was an artist and also left-handed, a trait she passed on only to me.