Some definitions from The Sticker dude

image by Jerry Kerns, art direction by Joel S Cohen

 It's a little late in the day for me to choose the exact words and to put them in the correct order, and Joel's mail art demands (in a nice way) a full communion to get all its potency. As I see this assemblage of mail art from Joel,  I try to coalesce it under a heading. I notice plenty of negatives and an oxymoronic slant  to Joel's stickers. After all, when was the last time you thought shovelling sh***t was affirmative? Antifolk, neo dada, anti fictional, one thing's for sure, we are in protest mode. My takeaway feeling is that the only thing that will get us out of this mess is humour and LOVE FOREVER, mail art and putting that add and pass that Joel sent in the post tomorrow!

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What passeth for joy! (Postmodern) doodle intrusion adventures

I love this report on David's brain and its postmodern ambiguity!  He and I are really quite alike.  Sometimes I come back to a doodle postcard that I made on a train, or somesuch and I wonder where the madness on the card came from.  I think David and I let our pens take our brains on mad excursions!  Hooray!

Braincell 969 - Ryosuke Cohen

If you look carefully in the middle of the bottom... you will find my 'T rump' stamp which to me means Trump is a bum.

"Laughing and crying, you know it's the same release" - Sticker Dude

Like Sticker Dude, I am a sharer.  It's not enough to read the newspaper and think about it.  I like to compare my reading, read out a line and share disbelief, you know.  Here in England the US president has been the top news story since his swearing in, although this week I've noticed that he has slipped down the page and there may not be more than one story.  But I think that's because of the readership not being able to stomach too much more American news.  They must be writing letters of complaint. Here in England, I have fewer people to talk with about what the US president is up to, so it's good to get Joel's mailing with a little blatant Trump bashing, a plea for environmental awareness and a reading from his crystal ball about the future. It is probably even better to hear his (Valentines') love story in the pages of the co-op.

By virtue of mailing me his stickers, Sticker Dude is in conversation with me.  Thank you!

READ Joel's story!  It helps to offset the bad news we are all mired in.

Tribute to Harley - Cascadia Artpost

Sad to hear of the death of Harley Francis, mail artist, artist artiststamp artist and more.  

a piece of one of Harley's images

You can find out more about Harley here:

http://www.terracandella.com/artistamps/index.html

Cascadia Artpost is keeping me au fait with American Values

Nuff said.  Let's just say Cascadia and I are at one and that I spend more time calling congressmen than I used to. And it's a great image and a new favourite word.

Greek Mail Art Moon and more

What a beautiful rising winter moon from Katerina! Is that what it looks like in Greece.  Here in England it is starting to get light enough to walk the dog without my reflective jacket. We had a beautiful sunrise the other day, but so far no moon to compete with this one. Getting so much celebration in one piece of mail art makes me reconsider my belief that February is the saddest month.  this has cheered me up, for sure!

Banana resistance - amalgamated confusion

As ever, Amalgamated Confusion says everything in a few strokes, a few stamps and a few words. The ostrich poking its head out of a banana peel says don't put your head in the sand, RESIST, to me. I know one thing.  If I ever peeled a banana and found a fowl head in it I would be a bit hysterical.  It's a fowl year all around what with the year of the rooster for Chinese New Year and all.

A Lesson in Dystopia from Madrid - Dave the Rave

Dave the Rave looks for meaning wherever he travels. While some of us are content to move towards imagery we respond to, DTR interrogates his art. In this pair of postcards he questions the world we inhabit, stating that 'surreal is reality', perhaps pointing to the current state of politics in the Western world. We are certainly living in a surreal time - there is a surreal mix of fact and fantasy" in out lives. I think in the above David is questioning the intuitve in art making.

And I for one recognise the struggle to make meaning in paint.  Not sure, but beyond the political world, the desire to represent something that doesn't exist and to make it believable is certainly a fight I relish taking, my reality, my utopia, to get all the colours and lines in 'the right place'. Thanks DTR and hope Spain lived up to your expectations!

30 Retrospect Aristide 3108

Aristide 3108 has been a participant mail artist in the eternal network for thirty years! And not only that, he has been keeping track and photographing his work impeccably so he has a remarkable body of work to commemorate with. It's impressive and beautiful in the way only Aristide 3108 manages. He booklet reminds me of a ubiquitous ticket. I hope I have scanned everything.  It is not in order… but undersand that there are two booklets and I suspect they are two of a much larger number! Enjoy looking back through the years. You will find me among the encarted artists. Honoured again! I will certainly send you my best mail art, soon!