David Stafford's Blog (201)

There's an old Buddhist saying: When a person gives you a dog don't thank them until they give you a second dog. Probably a poor translation but I think the meaning is quite clear: I now have the two dogs. It's time to thank. Above: Dog one. We like to keep him on a lead otherwise he gets carried away. …

Is it a halloween card, a birthday card or just an old photo of cafe society circa 2017? I'm not sure but for our purposes here we're callin' it a Halloween card from Carina of Finland. Thank you, Carina. Below we have placed the card in a traditional "scary" tableau relevant to our national holiday of horror.…

The Family DKult sent a huge package of things (most of which I've returned) (as required by law). As you can see from the Inset Carina G's laughing horse was included in the mix, not once but dos, and, as I discovered somewhat tardily, also in the package was an Anthead Super Collabo-zine add-and-pass which has since been added and passed. Let's take a closer look the…

The allure of artistamps is irresistible. So many mini-canvasses, so many great graphic forms to riff on, plus perfs! Here are four different artist approaches beginning with Borderline Grafix's homage to the classic "good girl" graphics from the Golden Age of comics.…

The stated purpose of the D-Kult Insta-blog was, as established during the IHOP Convention of 1953, to decrease intra-state tensions by getting the gratitude out in real time. It wasn't until June of this year that an app has allowed this to happen. We're extremely grateful to Bob Simms aka StarryStarryBlight for developing this technology. 

D-Kult…

Richard Canard has sent me baskets of stuff, mostly wisdom strained through Richard's over-active spleen. (It is widely acknowledged that Mr. Canard and I suffer from the same splenetic condition). Richard quotes Gore Vidal: "There is no human problem which cannot be solved if people would simply do as I advised." And I wholeheartedly concur though I'd switch my…

Rebecca sent me this lovely sewn muted abstract which I'm not sure I have placed on the page correctly. Also some prints with a familiar theme.

The xmas theme tells you how long it's been since I've blogged. Rebecca has written some…

Two separate postals from Katerina of Thessaloniki. Music and Valentines. No post from Katerina would be complete without…

a dress pattern...though I think the one on the left  looks more like a 45 record label to me....…

tictac sent me some prototypes of her new lemon squeezer which she has helpfully accessorized for American audiences. Also her Xmas greeting. Also her Georgia O'Keeffe stamp. And all imbued with her characteristic wryness and precision.…

The Viz from Down Under where it is just about to be winter, sent me this heavily redacted document whose meaning is still being parsed by our security staff. Also enclosed were some clues and $10,000 in hard cold cash should we need it. All of which were sent in this....…

Wen in Maryland sent this cool postcard which swam across the dusty desert to Santa Fe. In the distance we see the angry maw of the looming surveillance state or it could also be Googly Eye Island, a vacation paradise. The choice is yours. Also from Wen…

Two stunning prints from Carina of Petsmo. Plus...

A boekie which incorporates Finnish ephemera and some of Carina's…

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.