David Stafford's Blog (209)

Someone in Seattle was kind enough to send me this elaborate overlaid series of drawings plus an angry rabbit. There's a lot to parse here so I gave the viewer three baselines to choose from. Thank you, kind stranger.

Meeah of Brooklyn and points west sent me this droll comic a long time ago but its message is evergreen.  Thank you, Meeah. (I've got a few ideas I'd like to bounce off your Dad when he has a moment).

Keith scored a Hermes 2000, a Swiss-made typewriter circa 1952. Some historical background:

In 1952, Hermes came out with the 2000 model which was a black, glossy typewriter with ubiquitous round keys. The Hermes model 2000 was considered to be the absolute best of the immediate post-war typewriters, and the best looking. Later iterations of the…

Carina of Petsmo sent me these helpful suggestions in case we are attacked by a large green monster. So far, "Buy a Finnish Dictionary" sounds like the solid winner though "Eat some cake" is also appealing. I will mull my options. Thank you, Carina.

The Keys Family Acrobats sent me this game that is sure to catch on (once we assemble all the pieces. Still missing: the Scottie and the Lead Pipe). The premise is simple: Find the outcast in this grouping. Central to that task is the Googlie MandEYEla, (demonstrated below by certified Googlie Eye Handler Fred X ((not his real name)) ). Unfortunately, in the…

A Trump in a Box...less said about him the better for our purposes...but here the artistry is mingled with craftsmanship in a way that communicates sincerity of belief and, in true to life fashion, the T in the Box lies dumbly upon opening. Alicia was kind enough to dismantle the digital sound chip but I'm told…

From the catalog essay by Mikal Fobgrist:

No one does Bar Code art like a Lad in Seine (ALIS). No one has the patience, the fortitude, the drive, the moxie, to nail Bar Code art to the wall and let it sit there wriggling and gasping for breath. No one but a lad in Seine. (cue echoing trumpet solo from Patton).

Just to be…

Don't let the bastards grind you down. The meek will inherit the earth but only after protracted legal battles.

Kerri sent me this haunting painting/drawing with a thoughtful note on the back. Thank you, Kerri. The appreciation is appreciated.

She also sent me an updated magic couch card (mine had expired in October) the flip side of…

As bad as things are, I have received some outstanding mail art including these stamp sets from Keith Chambers' Dada Centennial Collection. Not available in any store they are a lovely achievement in homage to both stamps and dada if a person can pay homage to dada. That does sound like it should be illegal. A coupla close ups.…

Elsa von Freytag-loringhoven, long dead, sent me this instructional manual on how not to draw a cat as well as an invitation to friend this jolly Brooklyn realtor (done and done). Elsa's quotes are reprinted here for the benefit of those who, like me, have trouble seeing: "Why isn't Santa Fe in Arizona?" A very good question, Elsa and one I'm looking into.…

Some of you may have received an envelope that contained a red balloon with instructions? This is my version. I liked how it turned out for the most part though I look more like a hunch-backed Freddy Krueger than I'd like. (My stylist gave me bad instructions.) Anyway, just before I got the assignment I had scanned this wonderful old illustration from a 1937 Popular Mechanic magazine. Suddenly it all clicked. However, in order to make the illustration come alive I had to invest $34 in a…

Remember that old song: South of Waitpinga? Me neither. Vizma sent me this highly caffeinated envelope which I was afraid to open for two days. Finally I got up the courage…

Yes, friends, it's true...she has stolen my…

Svenja sent this amazingly generous boekie filled with her witty collages and all wrapped in an old Kodak picture folder from Tacoma, Washington. That's like gold inside of gold. Thank you so much, Svenja.…

Wasn't it Gertrude Stein who said: "An artist in Seine lives mainly on the Plein"? Maybe not. Anyway, here is our Paris correspondent's latest offering. The caption reads "The Vallée-Francaise seen from Col. Saint-Pierre." That's Col. St. Pierre in the foreground though he may need to turn to see the best view of the Vallée. Thank you,…

Speed blogging continues: RCBz has sent me a forest of great images, each with a through-line of anger at the sorry state of American politics. Of course, there's more to his work than that but that's what jumps out at me. I feel your pain, RCBz and thank you for sharing your precision smart bombs with me.…

Angelica sent me this clever collage along with some great letterpress ephemera. (at least I think it was from Angelica.) Thank you, Angelica.

And after a long hiatus:…

Katerina sent me this overstuffed envelope from Greece, containing two boekies, one chockful of images for a collage yet to be born. (I'll see what I can do). Thank you, Katerina.

How it all unfolded in not quite real…

One of Rebecca Guy Ver's amazing pastoral quilted drawings, possible comment on Brexit. The backside is a Paul Klee-like dance of zippered leatherette. Thank you, Rebecca.

A postcard of textured banners with a somber undertone from…