De Villo Sloan's Blog (1,210)

September 16, 2010 - From the first time I saw his mail art at the IUOMA a few months ago, I wanted to be Ander Morlando's friend. I like the clarity, vibrant color, and his mastery of technology to make art (which is better seen in his IUOMA portfolio). I've also been intrigued by the ideas Ander must have that inform his work. I especially like and ponder about his "Simbolicus erratus" series. In the piece he sent…

September 14, 2010 - Bifidus Jones recently sent me a stunning piece that integrates many vispo elements that have been mentioned in IUOMA discussions, notably layering (or over-laying) and integration of image with text. I like the expansive…

September 12, 2010 - Larned Justin's mail art arrived, along with other pieces by Bifidus Jones (Minnesota) and Jen Staggs (Texas). In this artwork (above), Larned uses a phtoto of the classic U.S. small town upon which to overlay complementary images creating, for me, an overall vintage and ghostly impression. I had seen Larned's work at the IUOMA but until now never looked at it closely. He definitely has a…

(Homage to Arttower by DVS)

September 10, 2010 - Last week I received a packed envelope from the prolific German mail artist Arttower. The set includes postcard-size…

ANIMALS AGAINST ANTONISM

September 7, 2010: Grigori Antonin of Minneapolis, Minnesota sent me mailart in the last several weeks that I am just catching up with now. I've made a pact with myself, in the spirit of the IUOMA, that I'll post all mail art from members I receive. Perhaps agitprop is…

September 6, 2010 - IUOMA founder and artist Ruud Janssen kept up his mail art correspondence during these past weeks while traveling to Athens and Switzerland. I recently received an envelope from him that includes a page of beautiful stamps shown above (drawn by Thomas Kerr and printed by Joel…

September 3, 2010 - Karen Champlin and I joined the IUOMA about three months ago, only days apart if not on the same day. She was one of my first friends, and it has been a joy watching her art evolve and blossom. I saw her earliest pieces as posts on this site. My first reaction was that they were assemblages of…

August 31, 2010 - This photo documents "Solo for Violin," a performance by a Fluxus founder George Maciunas. I posted this last week for a few hours during a discussion on the IUOMA board. I received enough very positive feedback from members who saw it that I thought I'd share it again. Not everybody is familiar. The discussion involved Minnesota mailartist Grigori Antonin. My point was that the photo and the…

August 29, 2010 - This piece of what I am interpreting to be satirical mailart arrived in my mailbox postmarked Saint Cloud, Minnesota. The identity of the artist is unclear to me, although I believe it is from a member of the IUOMA. I've been amused by this and was also grateful to be reminded of the humorous aspect of mailart that can give you a reality check, often when most needed.…

August 28, 2010 - Helene Lagache sent me a very carefully assembled mailart package that represents the continuation of a somewhat fragmented conversation we've been having. When I first joined the IUOMA several months ago, I saw her beautiful mailart collages and was drawn to their vibrant colors, use of repetition, and ripped paper technique.…

August 23, 2010 - Kiera Pannell is producing a series of post-card size drawings at a rate of at least one per day. Many if not all of these concentrate on heads and faces viewed from various perspectives. Perplexed by the identity of these characters I was seeing appear in diverse places, I emailed her and she kindly responded from Prague (she's…

August 21, 2010 - Julian Grant's mailart arrived in New York this week. This is another item I have been eagerly anticipating this summer, and it was worth the wait. Julian is one of many mailartists I have met for the first time through the IUOMA. His blogging to share work he has received with us and his extraordinary talent have provided me…

Visual poet Geof Huth is providing detailed coverage of the events in Ohio on his blog. Many members of the IUOMA are in the mailart show, doing performances, or leading discussions:

http://dbqp.blogspot.com/

Thanks Geof!

August 19, 2010: After the unprecedented failure of "jade ar" followed by the unmitigated disaster of "decadence of jade ar," I am shamelessly exploiting the Ray Johnson is not dead (and he might be Grigori Antonin, Librarian on the Loose, or Richard Canard) mangled urban legend:

Is…

August 17, 2010: New IUOMA friend as well as old friend Ficus Strangulensis sent me a "greatest hits" package from recent years. These show his distinctive adaptation of William Burroughs' cut up technique. His letter explains what he's been doing and provides an authentic portrait of the homegrown U.S. artisitc renegade, right down to the firearms fascination. To provide a little more bio. for you on Ficus, he is also an organic chemist. His investigations into randomness and…