Cheryl penn's Blog (159)

Asemic writing – it belongs to the post literate genre, right?  Free floating, mind unbound,  experimental, abstract. It hints at meaning, whilst denying specific content.   It may use visual language structures whilst negating language concepts in its illegibility.  It certainly free floats in the avant-garde, rooting itself (sometimes) in the earliest forms of writing.…

Mail art received 1st week of May, being officially Autumn.  It was my lucky day that I welcomed Frieder to the collaborative book group.  He sent me a Leperello. 

Leporellos are  small folders almost,  which open out  to a large format.  An accordion bound book is a typical example of this type of book .  Frieder wrote in between his drawings that he uses paper as…

Another sucessful Conceptual Work from Marie In Japan.

Most of the time we think of books as modular entities. Neat pages, filled with images and text.  Legible text,  a language system encased.   When one is confronted with shadow writing, it needs another sort of book then, not so?…

FROM LESLEY WITH LOVE - a home for the mail I have received from Lesley from late November 2010.  Lesley was one of the founder members of The SA Mail Art School. Many of her Mail Art pieces have been incorporated  into my diary books and have been on numerous exhibitions.  Its was time for Lesley's mail to have its OWN home!…

 The Tale of The Cave of Crowetjie Fistak

 Karen’s instantly recognizable fantasmical winged creatures are very familiar to artists who have corresponded with her.  As a recipient of Karen’s meticulous, well crafted work for over a year, I was so pleased to  receive an answer to my request for an alternate fairy story.  The invented world of Karen is presented from her envelope right through to  her title page – The find of a cave begins with what’s in there.  For SURE!…

Ancient Asemic Text.

Heather always sends thought provoking artworks – this is no exception. An asemic textual fragment, aged and shadowed.  I am reminded of Phoenician Alphabet scrips from the 5^th century, the marks here embedded in paper instead of basalt.  Maybe its not paper. Its feels like a coating, the skin of a wall. 

 Overleaf –…

Frightened Bird.  This is the first mail art correspondence  I have received from Guido – and the first from Belgium.  He describes his expressive painting on the envelope as his “4^th painting  on the haunting situation of Fukushima".  

I used ‘expressive’ to denote Guido’s use of exaggeration and distortion because I am reminded of van Gogh who used…

Jen asked me a VERY difficult question last year.  That was to write to her about the processes I use in my work.  My  reward – this boekie. And a Key. 

A key to unlock Jen’s block.  The very kind note reads “Dear Cheryl, Here is a wee boekie you inspired me to make – the quotes are from your letter about your processes.  Thank you for helping me out of my…

David sends fantastic fold books – copies of them.  I asked for some MARKS.  As he thinks I’m very unclear with instructions (I DON’T think you’re the only one :-) - (but then again maybe it’s a semantics thing???) I clarified – I would like (phrased as I WANT) ORIGINAL Stafford marks.

Marks by definition – for me – being the original inscriptions, pencil…

I received this FAB contribution to The World is a Town project from Angie.   Going in Circles.

She’s right you know.   Even the world is a circle from which there is no escape.   Circles carry  iconic coded messages all of their own. …

I receive alot of mail from Katerina - thank you for always thinking about me :-) I have chosen 2 favorites - The exclamation!!!! OF COURSE!!!! And the Pennsylvania Asemic Boekie - another OF COURSE!!! :-) I am still learning my way around the intricacies of an apple - so this takes fortitude let me tell you!!!

And, those of you who correspond with me KNOW THAT I…

Toxic Riding Hood - the Font! I love the font.

Marie was feeling stuck, clutching green hand-made paper in hand and I had just completed an alternate version to the Trojan horse.  I could just IMAGINE what would happen if experts were confronted with evidence that historic ‘facts’ as we know them were proved to be undisputedly false? What then?  So I said to Miss Stuck (but only for a moment let me tell you!) – send me an alternate version of Little Red Riding Hood.

 …

Unmailed Art received Second Week of March 2011

I received this very interesting asemic  piece from Lesley which includes fragments of ceramics, frottage and pictograms.

Les said the ceramic pieces were part of a broken plate she had made, so although not strictly asemic in origin, they have  now been ascribed that meaning by the artist. This adds an interesting…

Mail Art Received 1^st Week of March 2011

In full understanding that she is just the messenger, when Marie told me she was getting me an uncookie fortune, I confess I was a trifle nervous, bearing in mind the No. 63 of a fellow IUOMAian.   Lucky it was just a regular, very vague fortune…

BUT its beautiful home, that was no regular place – it is a…

Marie and I have been swopping work for a few months.  Her work which is aesthetically fantastic WANTED a home. The Book as Vessel.  She sent me a bookmark which I made into a cover for an artist's book titled A Book for Marie.  The colophon reads :

A Book for Marie.  Unique Artist's Book made by Cheryl Penn to hold the artwork of Marie Wintzer, Japan. (Mail Art Correspondence from fellow IUOMA member). Pocket Book, collage binding, including 3 hole pamphlet stitch, size A5, 36 pages,…

Mail Art Received Last Week of February 2011

I dont know how Onward John knows he sent an avid insomniac a package of sleeplessness. But he did. Never mind all the Vispo theory attached to John's work, it struck a chord.

All the lucky ones who have received a John package know how full they are :-). My favorite:…

Mail Art received Last week of February 2011.

Confess I am sorry I did not make it to the evening of the book launch :-(

Woman at Sea.

HHHMMM!!! Selkie’s (seals that can shed their skin to become women) – not too bad to meet one of these if you’re THE ONE!!  Sirens (avoid these they cause shipwrecks). Loreley.

THALASSA primeval spirit of the…

Mail Art Received last week of February 2011.

What an excellent way to end the last week of February - an asemic tablet from Karen :-) the fraternization of letters and symbols and asemic writing to create a palimpsest of complexity.

Thank you Karen - you now have your own red box with white spots :-)

Mail art received second week January…

Mail Art received third week of February 2011

In his discussion on  letter A, De Villo Sloan wrote that  “Chapter A is about artifacts and archaeology. Many of the images come from out-of-print books about New York  State Native American artifacts. Most of them were made by the Iroquois or related cultural groups. So the real contributing artists here are prehistoric Native Americans".…

Mail Art Received Third Week of February 2011

This I think is one of my all time favorite pieces from excellent mail art friend Katerina.  The paint quality is fantastic - high gloss on white interspersed with Katerina's now signature tracing paper. 

My second favorite set of lyrics in the whole world - well, for today that is - as a woman, Katerina knows we are…