Cranberry Sauce Forever by Rebecca Guyver (Suffolk, UK) & FAB Collage from Erica Durante (Waldwick, New Jersey, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by IUOMA member Rebecca Guyver (Suffolk, UK)

 

September 5, 2013 - Many friends are aware that during the summer Rebecca Guyver visited Cranberry Island in Maine, USA. Indeed, Rebecca's amazingly punctual corespondence as well as e-communications became sporadic for a time. I saw postings where she spoke of primitive conditions and a lack of art supplies.

 

Some of us saw a similar situation two years ago when Marie Wintzer fled Tokyo for Hiroshima when Japan was rocked by a cataclysm. Reduced to little more than pencils and paper scraps, Marie continued to produce mail-art. I would wish adversity on no one, but it has been known to produce good art. So here I post beautiful work I received from Rebecca while she was on Cranberry Island.

This is a wonderful example of Rebecca's work that blends asemics, vispo and collage. The text is very interesting to read. I believe effort and contemplation went into it even if it has a certain harried quality. Found material has been integrated to give it Trashpo edginess.

Sweet dreams are made of these indeed. I am glad to have my own personal souvenir of Cranberry Island.

Mail-art by IUOMA member Erica Durante (Waldwick, New Jersey, USA)

 

Some time ago I expressed my admiration for Erica Durante's colourful and beautifully composed collages. Mail-artists are extraordinarily accommodating. I now have this fantastic work from Erica for the archive.

As always, I am sure I am drawn to the work partially because it has asemic, concrete and vispo elements. Given the elements, Erica might have chosen an emphasis on geoemetry and formal structure in this work. She did not and that is probably why I like it so much. For me, it has a tremendous organic, open-field quality. Here is the reverse side:

Erica, thank you so much for being so thoughtful! And Rebecca, again, I deeply appreciate you having sent me work from the wilds of Maine.

[Susan McAllister]

Both pieces are quite lovely. Lucky you.

[De Villo Sloan]

Suus - thank you and glad you like it. This reminds me I have not seen any of your gorgeous asemics lately.

Rebecca - I thought your Cranberry Island phase was through and this would be as the Rancher might say, via Walt Whitman, "a  backwards glance down the long dusty trail." It's a beautiful piece, as necessity can sometimes be The Mother of Invention. Certainly "on the road" mail-art is a genre.

You DIDN'T give Figgy the Trashpo newsletter, did you? T Do you want a Dark wall on your hands? The child will be damaged for life. (Ask Diane about the D-Kid's foray into performance art.)

As Olson wrote to the Beat Generation: "Poet you should/get a job."

[Rebecca Guyver]

Love the way Eileen or Eva placed the Cranberry Island postmark! Blogs are wonderful for seeing what one sent again with fresh eyes. Feeling quite humbled by this generous blog.  It all seems such a long time ago.

Obviously every piece of mail I send is intended for its recipient and although I am nothing if not responsive (IE I rarely have a plan when I begin) the text was certainly read and selected and I must have stopped when it all felt complete. 

Seeing the postmark makes me think I should make more of an effort to post things from all the places I seem to need to go to, Truro, St Ives last weekend and Edinburgh soon.   Hmm. Delighted my impulses are appreciated.

Your newsletter is still with Figgy.  I thought I'd give her a chance to respond to some modern art as she will be art editor this year.  So far she is proving to be what Patrick calls 'a dirty stop-out'.  At the pub now - making up for spending 3 months in America where she was of an age to order a drink! Youth!

[Suus in Mokum]

like!