RECEIVED: Hand-Painted Envelope & Mail2Maastricht Call from Ruud Janssen (Breda, Netherlands)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art from IUOMA founder Ruud Janssen (Breda, Netherlands)

 

April 4, 2011 - This hand-painted classic from Ruud Janssen, created at the close of 2010, came with information about the MAIL2MAASTRICHT call, which is ongoing in the Netherlands. This is the third addition to my collection of Ruud's envelopes (not to mention the varying contents). These pieces, I'm reasonably certain, are done with acrylics. They are spectacularly colorful. I cannot even begin to imagine what postal workers must think.

 

This piece shows some slight distress, which is after all part of the mail-art process. I am starting to wonder how they arrive so well-intact to locations across the globe. I have yet to see appreciable wear or flaking on the envelopes people have received and posted. To me, one of the most interesting parts of this particular envelope is the brown brushwork at the top. You can't see it well in the scan at all, but it flows beautifully through subtle gradations of brown and gold. Here is the first Ruud Janssen envelope I received in Summer 2010:

Here and in the work of this type others have received from Ruud Janssen, there is often a symmetrical pattern. You find these expressionist-cubist mirror-image faces on either side of the envelope's address side. Probably others have caught on more quickly, but it took me some time to finally decide (for my own personal interpretation anyway) that this is about communication involved in the mail-art process itself. The subjects are eye-to-eye. I can't help but respond that, in both cases, what is really important is that they seem to be engaged in a dialog. You can see more Ruud Janssen envelopes as well as stellar work from mail-artists all over the world at the IUOMA blog (do members know there is one?):

 

http://iuoma.blogspot.com/

 

A different type of envelope that is much in evidence these days is the Fluxus Word series. I did not receive the now mythic Zalop, but I do have a Fluxus Word envelope by Ruud. (The truth is, I also have another. That is the topic of a future blog.) Here is Lif Pup:

I've weighed in on my interpretations of both Lif Pup and Zalop elsewhere. Fluxus Words are already a galaxy in the mail-art universe. Luckily, there is also an excellent blog for those where you can learn more and even become involved. Eduardo Cardoso of Portugal has made Zalop a kind of personal crusade. The same Fluxus word has inspired Cheryl Penn of South Africa to become a musical composer releasing performance videos. The scans on this blog are beautiful:

http://fluxuswords.blogspot.com/

 

The signature of authenticity. Accept no substitutes:

 

 

Last but certainly not least is the MAIL2MAASTRICHT information. This call has been underway for some time and is receiving a great deal of attention at the IUOMA. You can even join the group, if you haven't already. The call is open through May 15, 2011, according to the info. Send your work! I just managed to complete my own submission, finally. Also note (marked at bottom) that there is some great on-the-ground activity in Maastricht May 27-29, if you arelucky enough to be in the Netherlands. This includes lectures and performances by Anna Banana (!!!!), Ruud Janssen, and Niels Lomholt:

 

 

As ever Ruud, thank you for hand-painted envelopes, Fluxus Words, and the IUOMA itself.

[De Villo Sloan]

SPOLICE - could be sandpo related

[Ruud Janssen]

p.s. see: http://iuoma.blogspot.com/2011/04/mail-to-de-villo-sloan-usa.html

[Ruud Janssen]

thanks for the kind words De Villo!

Ruud