American artist, Clayton Lewis (1915-1995), is primarily known for his work as an envelope artist and jewelry designer. Yet he was also a distinguished painter, sculptor, architect, and furniture designer. His work has been shown in one-man and group shows throughout North America and France, and can be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; Metropolitan Museum, New York; Los Angeles County Art Museum; California Historical Society, San Francisco; French Postal Museum, Paris; and other museums. In Addition, individuals throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan have collected his work.
From 1980 to 1985, Clayton Lewis created well over 1000 works, mostly sent to his mother, Rose Baldwin (1894-1986). Since he was low on funds and wanted to uplift her spirits, he sent her spontaneous, thoughtful, and often joyful creations, sometimes between four and five a week. After finishing each letter, he would row across Tomales Bay to the Marshall Post Office and before sending them through the mail, he would ask the post mistress to carefully stamp the envelope exactly where he wanted it, so the stamp would be incorporated into this envelope painting.
“The letters became paintings, strange, powerful and humorous” -Les Envelopes De Clayton Lewis By Catherine David, Le Nouvel Observateur, Paris, France
