Doodle Collabs by Rebecca Guyver (Suffolk, UK) and Diane Keys (Elgin, Illinois, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail art by IUOMA members Rebecca Guyver (Suffolk, UK) and Diane Keys (Elgin, Illinois, USA)

March 18, 2015 - Collaborative doodling is a new craze sweeping the network that originated with Diane Keys aka the Queen of Trash. Ever-faithful correspondent Rebecca Guyver – a loyal member of DKULTUK – sent me this TLP (Tacky Little Pamphlet) of doodles she has done with Diane.

I am very impressed with the results and thrilled to share them with you.

I disassembled the TLP to get the best scans, and the doodles are hardly linear anyway.

Which is by DK and which is by Le Becca?

Both dogs and chickens make an appearance.

A wonderful set of doodles for sure!

To be continued…..

[De Villo Sloan]

I appropriated this from FB. It's a DK/Richard Canard doodle collab.

[De Villo Sloan]

I just need to add that I am aware that there were Dadaist collabs similar to the Add & Pass before mail-art, and Ray Johnson was part of the Neo-DaDa revival later on. (I was accused recently of claiming Ray Johnson was Fluxus when I only meant to point out similarities. I know he wasn't Fluxus.So I am trying to be precise in my wording.) RayJo certainly was aware of those DaDaist collabs and likely consciously applied the idea to mail-art, formalized it, clarified it. It's the same thing where people say artists traded art through the mail before Ray Johnson, so he is given too much credit. Well, he was instrumental in creating a self-conscious network. That's the difference. He took the general concept of very open, collaborative work and made it into a specific activity.

[De Villo Sloan]

Hi Richard, the doodles by DK and Rebecca merge seamlessly. I can't tell who did what. We can count on Rebecca explaining at some point, I'll wager. Diane has a talent for starting these things. She has all sorts of people doodling.

I always feel strange answering your questions about mail-art, Richard. You know more than I will ever know on the subject, but you seem genuinely interested.

My view is that Add & Pass is a unique artistic form that has emerged from mail-art and specifically Ray Johnson. (I'll be shocked to learn if the origin is disputed but everyone, please speak up with your views).

A "correct" Add & Pass very clearly states some variant of "Please add, pass and return to...." The page is even often divided designating where contributions should be placed. So for me, a real Add & Pass would follow a form and a progression. Also, shouldn't there be more than two artists involved in a real Add & Pass?

Mail-art produces a spectacular amount of collaborations (most of what I see is between two people). But collaboration is not unique to mail-art and it's often focused on a genre like collaborative collage or visual poetry.

Add & Pass is inherently collaborative but it is a distinct form.

How's that? I must be leaving out something.

[Richard Canard]

18.03.15 Dare DeVillo S., ...one of the best ""simpaticoesque" combinations of drawings( okay, "doodles") I've ever witnessed....enjoyed this series. ...& at the same time, I am sometimes fascinated  by the contrast of different styles in juxtaposition. By the way, what's the difference in "Add & Pass"  and a "collaboration"??? .. Again & again,  thanx for sharing  &  explaining. Richard C.