Twas the Season

Beautiful work arrived from Mikel sometime in November/December.  I have been remiss in recording dates, but that does not diminish my enthusiasm. 

I see tags, baubles, a landscape fit for the three kings, good wishes, cheer and the promise of the new year. 

I love it all and feel happy to prolong my holiday season.

Thank you Mikel!

 

My awaited copy of Whistle arrived!

 

There are boekies and there are books. Whistle is a book and it cost DVS a lot of money to send me my copy.  I am delighted he did.  This collaboration between De Villo Sloan and Kristine Snodgrass is the story of how two parts become a whole.  They call it a 'journey' and as you travel through the book, you bear witness to the evolution of a collaborative voice - made of two distinct styles and a push and pull between the sexes.

I love the intro by DVS. Sometimes I need hand-holding in asemics and his intro gave me just enough. I could look for things but I could also co-construct meaning just by looking. Krissy's notes are also brilliant. I learned so much about these artists. For me, understanding them made me interact with their work all the more. You can learn more about `krissy here: Krissy's website   and see DVS' brilliant blog here: Asemic Front

You need to get your own copy of Whistle and you can do that here: Buy Whistle

It is beautiful, difficult, sexy and complex.

A duo of mail art from Mikel, lost in the summer madness

 I received two white envelopes from Mikel over the summer. I opened them both today to discover two beautiful postcards, complete with artistamps.  The other white envelope came with an add and pass.  Luckily 'strawmarket' must read as Stowmarket (my correct address). 

 I love the energy and joy in this scultural card with its stamped design that although actual lettering, read as asemics to me.

 This is also sculptural but reads as a person. Love them both!

 and I will try to add to below… Thank you Mikel!

eye spy castles and oeils

I find language you can't read, words that may mean something but stand as graphics on a page alluring. 

Mikel straddles the world of asemics and visual poetry and I am impressed. I am tempted to read the paler yellow sheet and can pick out some words and then wonder if this pattern is meaningful or if the meaning is in the spaces between the words, in the sounds they make. I try to read the words aloud. I can't say them at all. The eye helps and the castle stamp makes me see castles.

It's beautiful stuff. Thank you Mikel

'Out of the Blue' from Cuan Miles

This is my first mailing from Cuan Miles (South Africa) and as he says, it's 'out of the blue'. 

The textures and layers of imagery, handwriting, asemic writing and possibly trash pieces all work together to create mail art that has a timeless density that tells stories and creates meaning!Cuan describes himself as a designer/cartoonist who loves to make collages.  Obviously I'm delighted to have received not just one, but two!  It's possible that there was even more in this mailing as the envelope arrived ripped open on two sides!

When I send Cuan my reply I will be securing all sides.  South Africa is a long way away.

You can find more of Cuan's work here on his wonderful blog: http://curiouscollage.blogspot.co.uk

Doodling in colour: a new kind of doodle therapy from Meeah Williams

Receiving Meeah's envelope was a doodle therapists dream! Meeah's characters appear, converse and asks questions that help us to see what this therapy is all about. It is absolutely brilliant and will definitely shame me into visiting IUOMA to post it on the envelope page. (Shame, because I have let myself slack off a bit with double and triple posting of images…) The colour is intense, vibrant and perfect!

Zoom in, look closely.  Meeah is not just a doodler, an asemic artist, a bird lover, she is also a writer and her words are carefully chosen, or perhaps they are inately brilliant. 

I love the bilingual element in Meeah's work. It makes me miss NY.  There is that cacophony of everything sitting alongside each otherjust being that I miss here.

Again, zoom in.  Meeah is writing to me but in a wonderful non-linear way. weave along with Meeah to see what she thinks about doodling!

These classic pieces have no arrows. I turned them round and round trying to read them and it wasn't until they were up on the screen that it was obvious that I had got it wrong and they should be some other direction, obviously! I love the marks, the tempo the way space shifts to say such different things. 

And finally, she doodled back.  I have a backlog of doodles to 'treat' but it's gonna be fun and some of you will get them before too long! Thank you. thank you Meeah! I am ecstatic that you played along with DKult doodle therapy.  

Meeah has a great blog: http://walkingeyeball.blogspot.co.uk

John Bennett's one of two fat envelopes!

A HUGE thank you to John for a stuffed envelope full of collaborative bookies! I've chosen a page from each to entice you with! I hope to add to this blog when I have a bit more time and scan them in their entirety. Treasures.

John M Bennett  (Luna Bisonte Prods 2014) Page Drain, (nine poems) including:

pollen

snore in shade

wet stone

spill the coffee

was mouth

worm door

box of

cereal eyes

or serialize

moves across

your face h

and cloud

swollen shoe

again

for C. Mehrl Bennett

Loma Lodo John M Bennett & Claudia Garcia (Luna Bisonte Prods 2014)

Juan Orozco & John M Bennett  (Luna Bisonte Prods 2014) REYNO

John M Bennett  (Luna Bisonte Prods 2014) PISO LLAGAS

Vittore Baroni & John M Bennett  (Luna Bisonte Prods 2014) CLAW EATS

Diane Keys & John M Bennett  (Luna Bisonte Prods 2014) DEEP SUIT

John M Bennett Guido Vermeulen (Luna Bisonte Prods 2014)

Fabulous to see the variety of these collaborations as well as the trademark Bennett asemics!