THE POSTCARD PROJECT (AKA: Overstamped): 1992 - Onward
In 1992 we began a mail art project in the form of hand–made postcards. We had met and become friends while both were living in Boston in the 80s, and after Cynthia moved to Cincinnati in 1989, we maintained our friendship through letters, visits, and a road trip to Mardi Gras.
We started the postcard project on a lark, sending small mixed–media pieces of artwork back and forth to each other in the mail. Our initial goal was 1000 cards. The batch of cards shown here is 3 layers deep.
Once a card is mailed, it is considered in circulation. The recipient can work on it some more and mail it back, or take it out of circulation if she considers it complete. We have long surpassed our goal of one thousand cards, estimating that we have sent over 1800 postcards to date.
About us
Cynthia Ryan Kelly is a native of the architecturally progressive prairie town of Columbus, Indiana, and was formally educated in art. Her mother ran the art gallery at The Commons, which was positioned in view of Jean Tinguely’s Chaos sculpture, a working masterpiece. She has been the recipient of several grants, the funds of which have enabled projects such as Stories About Mountaintop Removal, The Counterpane, and Freedom Summer Paintings: A Mississippi Season of Harassment, Terrorism and Progress. Visit her website here.
Leslie Keats is an artist, graphic and textile designer, living in San Francisco. As well as participating in The Postcard Project, she also collaborates with Stephanie Mesner on Princess Doraldina Designs.
A note on this website: Wrastling 1200+ images onto a website is a colossal task. There is some catching up to do, especially on years between 2024-2014...
Themes & Styles & Series
Over the years, The Postcard Project has allowed us to explore all kinds of themes and styles. We’ll sometimes work in a sequential series which could be a spin-off from our individual artwork, or be a standalone series.
A recent example is this four-card set, Cold Blooded Horses, sent by Cynthia to Leslie in October 2025.
See additional sets of series here.
Narrative Scenes
Many of Leslie’s postcards feature landscapes or interiors made to look like miniature stage sets, with a theatrical or operatic narrative.
Sent, Received & Returned
One of our main rules is that all postcards are fair game for additional work. We have to trust each other, especially when we send pieces that have become precious to us. And we have to trust that the USPS will do its part to get them there.
Here, Leslie worked on and returned one of Cynthia's cards, two years later.
