DKult research Issue - Borderline Grafix

Whoopee, I got my own copy of the latest DKult zine: the DKult Research Issue (Scientific Inquiry), from Borderline Grafix!  This haptic issue contains examples of had carved artiststamps, stickers, ironic photos, scientific symbols arranged asemicly, propoganda, DKult lexicon, pop culture, handwritten additions and images and language to make one feel inferior, in the know and part of the club simultaneously.  It's brilliant! I can't wait to see the Dkult Poetry Pamphlet that I'm sure must be the best edition to follow! Huge thanks Borderline.

Matisse from Diana Hale

Diana Hale found a bunch of postcards and used them to invent the Philpott Lake Project http://philpottlakeproject.tumblr.com

The way that worked was that she sent all the people who agreed to alter postcards each a postcard.  Mine arrived just before I went to Maine and I lost it… I had taken a photo of it so I used the photo to make a print and began from that.  I was thinking about a lake that spawned life, somewhere off the map.

Diana sent me back the above card.  It was folded and closed with two stickers. I presume there was nothing more inside. Nothing beats Matisse!

Keiichi and the Lion and shapes

I love receiving mail art from Keiichi in Tokyo! these pieces are on super smooth paper and although quite different from each other, they are certainly related. I love the juxtapostion of abstract and surreal. Keiichi is interested in energy and stillness.  Beautiful stuff!  Apparently it is very hot in Tokyo. It was here too but then we had rain and how I worry that my tomatoes will never ripen!

David Stafford's invitation to Toxis

I forgot, I did send something to David.  when I was in America, doling out the Maritime Mail Art catalogues, I sent one to David.  How could I mix Wendy up with David?  There handwriting isn't really that similar.

The view from the bridge over the Taos gorge (acccording to David)

David tells me he is happy to be included in the Maritime Mail Art catalogue.  He doesn't remember an 'entry'.  It gets confusing when you have a  mail art call… stuff comes.  It's unlabelled and you need to use your imagination to make it fit because whatever you might expected, they always send the unexpected.  Sometimes people send you stuff that they mean to be for the call and you don't figure it out.  Sometimes it goes the other way.

As you can see below, David's fisherman sweater certainly qualified for maritime mail art, so I included him. 

As far as big shot art curator types, they don't take me seriousy so David, you need to make OUR luck, I just can't do it!

Tofu thinks I'm a peach

Tradition dictated that I make a Maritime Mail Art Catalogue after last year's show.  It took me nearly a year to get the file to the printer and when I went to Maine I took a handful of catalogues to send to key people who live in The States.  One of those key people was Tofu.  In reply he sent me this fab postcard. 

Haptic therapy and advice - Diane Keys

In no particular order, the contents of another stupendous packed envelope from Diane Keys.

Beautiful tie-dyed envelope and fancy writing paper

OOPS, I forgot what I was doing and reached in during the scan, (pardon my hand, scannerpo)

Love this gloriously haptic and aesthetic trash book 

This is P1 of life suggestions compilation!  I have read it repeatedly and think  it would make a good list to breathe while I do my DKult exercises. It is full of so much sense, gathered from DKulters worldwide!

As ever Diane has left me with raw materials, open-ended gifts and lots of ideas!

For the love of Avocados! Hudson Guyver

I have to tell you a little story about a house with running water, electricity and an avocado tree that sat just above the malarial line up a dusty track from the Kerio Valley in Kenya.  Although I had eaten avocados before, it was here that I was introduced to avocados on buttered toast with pepper and a squirt of lemon.  Where I lived, down the valley, I had a jiko and gathered water from my roof and only ate sukuma wiki and ugali, so those avocados were a pleasure I can vividly remember. Back then I made mail art, nightly, by lantern light and once the guy with the avocado tree left, I sent them all to him.

Roll on almost 25 years and our son is in Africa,  Malawi.  He's not interviewing farmers or teaching agriculture but at a hospital in Mzuzu learning about the tropical diseases we tried to avoid and at night when there isn't a fabulous band playing and he's finished cooking his sukuma wiki, it turns out he does what I did, he makes mail art and sent one to us! FABULOUS.

Carmela Rizzuto - Eco-print

Always a pleasure to receive mail art from Carmela.  Her natural aesthetic seems so effortless and yet it would be impossible for me to restrain myself and create something so satisfying with a limited palette!

The postman seemed to go to town stamping, and restamping which adds something unexpected to the simplicity that I think Carmela intended.  I love the way Carmela chose her stamp to nod to that charismatic leaf!

Jay Block graffiti and Trashpo icon

Love this whimsical card from Jay Block.  Look how the stamp relates to the image on the reverse of the card!

This man looks like a Sienese characterof someone who I should know from the Uffizi but his gesture and that striped apparatus make me wonder… In fact, I'm sure those are the uniforms Diane requested for street cleaning and he is our trashpo icon.

Wendy on How to watch Television: a Primer

On first glance I think this is from David Stafford.  I haven't replied to his last mail art and no, the postmark is Tacoma Finland no, Tacoma MD. It is an American stamp.  I make out HELLO IT'S ME WENDY underneath the white writing explaining how the mail art was dreamt up, that it is from a book of some sort.

Who is Wendy? Is she someone I know from IUOMA or is she the woman who visited me in my studio and fell in love with mail art.  Did I meet her on Cranberry Island? Why didn't she put her address on the postcard/  How will I find out, how will I reply?

I check the Island Mail Art blog to see if if someone named Wendy joined.  Every so often someone sends me some errant mail art from a call that has expired.  Maybe Wendy fell in the mail art time warp?

It doesn't matter, what matters is the aesthetic of this piece.  The writing is beautiful, little islands of words.  The words are pleasing to the ear.  I am interested in these inhabitants and who decided they needed to know about hair follicles of booby chicks?The colours, robins eg blue, cardboard brown, black and white and the rainbow of a stamp feel just right.

Thank you Wendy and hopefully I will solve the mystery soon and reply in due course.

Allee Verte - could it be Dave the Rave?

I am going to take a wild stab at the provenence of this artist envelope from France.  I am led to this conclusion simply because I think he is the only person I know who went to France during the period of its arrival. Another reason is the relevatory mood and the mention of the weather, Very english! If I am wrong and you know more, please let me know!

Collage starts from Svenja for Der kleine Tierfreund

Svenja has a new project and I enthusiastically agreed to take part. It was just before I went to Maine that I said yes and then I wasn't here when it arrived and now I am slow to get started again and I certainly hope Svenja isn't waiting for my contribution! It will come soon!

The new project is called "Der kleine Tierfreund“ (The little animal lover).and Svenja sent me one of the covers and she hopes I will add, modify and collage onto it.

Svenja's start has given me ideas and I am itching to let them express themselves! I feel like I have just entered a Hannah Hoch time machine.

Genus genius doodles from Lucky Pierre

I am slow at blogging these days.  It seems to be the way it is for the moment. This wonderful piece arrived while I was in America and I am only getting to it now. SHAME. I have seven more wonderful things and some pieces that I'm meant to add to and return. I will. I will. But today (and in fact lots of time lately) has been about wildlife.  We hatched nine chicks at the 'chicken ranch' earlier in in the summer and today we built a fort knox of a chicken run to move the hens and their progeny from their makeshift accommodation. Last night we were owl spotting.  We have a pair who have taken up residence in Hudson's owl box and hatched three owlets.

That takes us seemlessly to Lucky Pierre's doodles.

Brilliant and can't wait to fashion them into a doodle book, one day soon. and that is a glorious envelope with wonderful artistamps!