RECEIVED: Mail-Art Plasticized Trashpo & the Confessional Vispo Concept from Karen Champlin (Highland Park, Illinois, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by IUOMA member Karen Champlin (Highland Park, Illinois, USA)

 

November 12, 2011 - Last week's mail brought an unusual reply piece from dearest friend Karen Champlin. For me, Karen is a master of assemblage and collage. Discovering her work through the IUOMA opened new worlds for me in concrete and visual poetry. This is not simply a matter of the constant innovations she makes in layering and textures.

 

Karen and I took the plunge into asemics at about the same time, and I also looked to her as a guide because she had been doing asemic writing since childhood, whereas I had not, only she did not have an official name for it.

 

Karen's work, which at root is deeply autobiographical, has opened new possibilities for vispo content for all of us. Many IUOMA members are aware of her work that explores her Christian faith; I can only think to compare it to other writers and artists who have used avant garde forms to express the depths faith: Mark Rothko and T.S. Eliot.

 

Karen Champlin also has the courage to explore challenging and deeply personal experiences in her past to make deeply moving and inspiring Confessional Vispo, work that ultimately speaks to many people. Karen's art serves as a beacon for me as well as her unconditional friendship and support. She is a true original. 

 

I know Karen does not like categories, but the recent work (above) is definitely Trashpo, indeed VERY TRUE to the prototypical work of Jim Leftwich (Virginia). Trashpo in its pure form is more than a construct of found material; it requires incorporating elements of text and language. What Karen has sent me here is a wonderful lyric. Plasticizing (laminating) not only addresses practical concern about mailing and displaying trash, it eliminates the distraction of having to provide an artificial background. We can deal with the material directly.

 

Karen Champlin's work is highly aesthetic, but it is not a huge leap to imagine her exploring Trashpo based on her choice of materials and ability to create a wide variety of different kinds of visual poetry. After all: Karen is the first person I know to have received a grocery list from John M. Bennett (Ohio, USA) and to realize its function as art. Here is the reverse side:

 

Always a joy to receive mail-art from Karen Champlin - The Champ of mail-art!

 

 

MAIL-ART PSYCHIC

 

Someone's dirty laundry. Cell stuff.

 

Add water.

 

A long fluffy scarf.

 

More Polaroids from Grigori Antonin

 

Look for God in your jeans, Seth. Jocular. 

 

Sock a secret admirer of your shoes.

 

Nauseous green.

 

[De Villo Sloan]

I'm glad no one is being sheepish in their praise for KC. She's not trying to pull the wool over our eyes. After all, it's lamb-inated.

 

Thanks CP-Bel!

[Jen Staggs]

This is a fantastic addition to the Champlin oeuvre- I'm quite taken by it as well as De Villo's lyrical pronouncements.  My heart is all aflutter, children!

[De Villo Sloan]

Marie is a bit touched, now that you mention it And, yes, we have here the latest Trashion. Geez, did anyone notice Jen Staggs' work?

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Ha, room spinning = fainting-couch need. I said those at different times, but they say the same thing, don't they. I don't know about a laminator for you, Marie--the bits that make up your work really need to be touched.

[Marie Wintzer]

Rooms are spinning quite often on this side of the planet too. It must be a universal thing...

Oh my, now I need to sell the shredder and get a laminator! Are you absolutely sure this is the latest trend?

[De Villo Sloan]

Cherry Blossom can certainly start the room spinning. Maybe I should have added minimalist to all the jargon about KC. Something very simple but extremely effective about this piece. I think the lamination idea is excellent for the people sending hunks of meat, cheese, animal pelts, spit etc.

[Marie Wintzer]

Nancy this is (again) such a nice thing to say. My favorite expression by you is I needed a fainting couch :-)) You made my day with that one.

This is quite a new turn for Karen? I like it A LOT!

[Nancy Bell Scott]

It's easy to see why. Yes, big impressions! Many new works inspire me (very much), it's a continual event here, but the early discoveries really do stick with you. For example, for me it was/is asemics, as you know, and with still so much to learn or explore. The very first piece I saw here was one by Marie, and it literally took my breath away. I think the room started spinning.

[De Villo Sloan]

Thanks Nancy, I'm drawn to the simplicity of Karen's piece too.

 

I won't pretend not to be biased when it comes to The Champ. Remember when you first came to IUOMA and the earliest work you saw made such an impression? I started about the same time as Karen Champlin and Helen Amyes. I've always felt a kinship because we grew together, at least in my mind we did. I've always looked to Karen's work for inspiration.

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Wow, a great trashpo piece by Karen--very impressive, elegant simplicity. And this is a nice, edifying blog, DVS.