David Stafford's Blog (209)

Diane Arbus sent me this cool "HEADLINES SCREAMED" collage, all pasted on a repurposed pizza box which is soooo Diane. She's now 93 and spry as an elderly chicken. For the past several years she's been working at the Hill Country Barbecue in Manhattan where she runs the register and has a quip for every patron. (Mine was emailed to me).  Worthy of note: Diane…

So many people have sent me so many things that, in order to catch up, we'll have to work right through the Republican Convention. I hope that's okay with most of you. Sometimes you have make sacrifices. So Linda has sent me many many things since I departed for California and now upon my return. We'll start with these very cool collages and ATCS that give you a…

At last the story can be told. I received this complicated boekie that purports to be part of my backpages, the missing Rodeo Years. The boekie itself is a wonderment of found materials including an old kerchief of mine. (see blue thingie above)…

One of the primary directives of the mail art clan is to be helpful to struggling young mail artists. I think you can see that Mason falls under the category of at least one of those things if not three. Certainly he has struggled initially to learn the basics: how to address an envelope, for example. I don't know about you but I think he has achieved mastery in…

Bumblebee C. Sent me this Pop Up card of the Singing Nun which when opened properly reveals a Brother Superior wielding a dangerous putty knife. (S)he's also exhibiting some transgressive behaviors which makes me wonder if Bumblebee knows Dame Mailarta also from Victoria. Also included in her envelope:…

Meeah Williams continues to amaze. Up top is her envelope. Ghostly landscape and Eyeball Guy. And then inside was:

this cool book...as well as……

Stan sent me this collage which put me in mind of exotic passport stamps, sour La Rana notwithstanding. He also sent me some great postcards (He has excellent taste in ephemera). This one has a charming message.…

Another one of Meeah amazing envelopes arrived last week. I love these desert prophets with hair courtesy of the postal cancellation. (Nice cloakage too. I'm tellin' ya Meeah, ya gotta start doing some fabric design with your creatures.)  Meeah's envelopes are among the finest in the land but this one was filled with stuff too. As in...…

I received this original Jim Leftwich but the provenance is a little shaky. I think I got this by way of Diane Keys. Is that right, Diane? Anyway, I'm having some art appraisers flown in from Virginia to see if it's real. These guys know Leftwich from …, well, I think you know where I'm going with that…(performs low bow, misses tomato and exits leftwich.) Thank…

Jay sent me this collaged landscape which depicts a wizard who has inadvertently let loose upon the world some sort of infernal knowledge. His cloak of many colors is not protection enough against the forces he's unleashed. That's my story anyway. Thank you, Jay.…

My Seoul Mate Kim sent me this quiet wish for peace. (The numbers are the digits to her Swiss Bank Account). Thank you, Kim

The Aphorist from Carbondale (possible folk hit) has struck again with four 4 (count'em) One, Two,…

Yes, loofahs can kill if they are properly loaded. That sound advice came to mind when I opened RCBz's joint homage to Malevich and Mike Kelley. (I just threw in…

First of all, I am glad that you're not dead, Dean. There were other ways of putting that but that seemed the quickest and truest. The news from Paris has not been good and the repercussions, at the moment, seem to be expediting our path to…

Gü is working on her branding again. I think this could be sort of like a change of address card for her new name: Gü (formerly G___ U______) but still in Norwich thank god. In which case: Duly noted Gü though I may occasionally leave the ümlaut behind to save valuable time. In the cellophane bag a lower case "u," inscribed on side: "What wood u do without G?"…

H/T to Jon Foster

Jon Foster's portrait of Uncle Ray Ray is a wonder to behold and stark departure from Jon's tape transfers. Thank you, Jon. I'm honored that you sent this to me.

A combo platter just because they looked good on my scanner…

I received this petri dish from the Diane Keys Family (I'm presuming it was a family affair because of the team effort implied in the sentence, "We grew a baby 4u: David Jr." I have learned from past experience with Diane's work that it is not a good idea to rush into the opening of packages lest spring-loaded trashpo bounty escape across the floor. So for the…

In compliance with current Vermont mail art statutes, Thom Courcelle has put a cow on his mail art. Thank God. I didn't want to be the one to turn him in. Looks like Thom is working on his hand-lettering. So am I. I'll send you something soon. Thank you, Thom.…

These are ads that have lost their way in my vast collection, orphans with great pedigrees. They are going fast. So let me know. No returns though you are free to give them to deserving strangers.