Our Own David Stafford: The Sane Choice?

[Nancy Bell Scott]

You be the judge:The answer is in the eyes, isn't it? They are either very sane or very not sane; no in-between. And yes, this is for real. After he sent it, I asked David several times if this is really him in a campaign poster from the '70s. And several times he said yes. I ended up believing him because at very first sight the eyes looked familiar--yes, they're the same eyes as the ones in his IUOMA profile photo. He ran for president in 1976!!! Google will not cough up this information, so we can only continue to pry until David spills the juicy details.

This poster is a very welcome addition to my studio, not only because of who it is but also because he reminds me of a best college buddy--they're almost lookalikes--who also lived in Santa Fe for years afterward, eerily enough.

David wrote a day's worth of stories on the back:They were written from his long-gone dad's workshop, and in fact this day is pictorially documented in at least one of David's recent photos--we see him perched atop a stack of the Durants' "Story of Civilization" volumes as he was writing these anecdotes, observations, and thoughts. He was visiting his 95-year-old mother, who surprised him in more than one way that day--she sounds most interesting and honest--it's possible the sanity or insanity came mostly from her side of the family. Mere speculation, however.

It really isn't possible to summarize this epistle of a mail art, which is the main reason this blog post is being written two weeks after its arrival. I have read and appreciated it several times, though, and the day's account runs the gamut from poignant to witty to illegal to ordinary. Never dull. The only negative is that he redacted a few lines of his letter (see above, it's obvious), and that is really most annoying. It's so like a presidential candidate, too.

In closing, here are but two of my favorite statements, both toward the bottom:

"A hallmark of my design is noticeably poor planning or even no planning, with a vain hope that meaning will emerge more readily from chaos than from order."

"Normally I would fill this with a 'FOR OFFICE USE ONLY' in large black letters, but this space must instead be filled with the acknowledgment of what a remarkable thing has occurred this day and how, over the course of several hours, you have been a witness to it. If this is not art, then it should be in some simpler alternative universe." (Right on.) A drawing of a "peach or nectarine" then follows. (He couldn't just give it a few fuzzies and be done with it?)

I loved being part of your day, David. Thank You!

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Don't they, though ... And yah, this was a special score. I look forward to more, David ...

[prettylily]

What a score!

[David Stafford]

You're welcome, Nancy. It was great to have someone to share this special day with. The redacted lines were just some pompous writing, nothing that would interest the FBI or anyone else for that matter. I have more to share but I'll mail it to you...