Received: Cryptic Collage Mail-Art from Jon Foster (Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

 

Mail-art by IUOMA member Jon Foster (Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA)

 

January 7, 2011 - Jon Foster has been producing what are, IMHO, a series of tremendous mail-art collages recently. Many of them are on display at the IUOMA. He seems to be doing a significant amount of mailing too. Jon most likely did not invent the peeled-paper on tape technique, but he seems to be single-handedly generating a great deal of interest in it among mail-artists. As you can see in the piece above, the peeled paper creates a cloudy effect and opens possibilities for overlaying images and distortions. He restricts himself to the postcard-size format, and this piece I received is sealed with a layer of clear tape: Here's the other side. I like the way he left the NASA attribution on the card:

I have received mail-art from Jon that seems to me to span three distinct phases. Before these collages, which might represent the discovery of the area where he excels, he helped pioneer the Punk Mail-Art Revival. That alone is worthy of note. Across everything I've seen, Jon Foster has stayed consistent with a commitment to the cryptic. Who is Stanley in the piece above? In my interaction with the collage, I feel like I am invited to create a character. The cryptic quality gives the recipient leeway to invent very personal meanings. And I am reminded just how important invented characters are in mail-art. They exist in the work, and they exist in the world as people.

 

Thank you very much for the mail-art, Jon. Something is headed your way.

 

[De Villo Sloan]

I want to try this, but fear it is too technically complex for a lab monkey. Mim Golub Scalin posted a related technique somewhere here at the IUOMA that involves immersing the taped paper in water (soapy water?). The image adheres to the tape and will leave an impression (when the tape is pulled off) on a new collage, if that makes any sense. Apparently you can get some good over-laying effects. Yes, I think Jon's new collage work is phenomenal. I'm going through psychics at a rapid pace, no question. I expect there will be a new one soon.

[Marie Wintzer]

Jon is sending you a lot of great stuff. I like the layering, this tape transfer technique offers so many possibilities, I really want to try. Soon.

(so the new psychic is already gone?)

[cheryl penn]

Great work, great blog. Come home Stanley, all is forgiven.