David Stafford's Blog (201)

Kerri, Meeah, Brooke, RCBz and A Lad in Seine

Kerri sent me this haunting painting/drawing with a thoughtful note on the back. Thank you, Kerri. The appreciation is appreciated.

She also sent me an updated magic couch card (mine had expired in October) the flip side of…

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Added by David Stafford on December 6, 2016 at 1:28am — 2 Comments

Keith Chambers, Nancy Bell Scott, Jay Block, Carina Granlund… Plus More!

As bad as things are, I have received some outstanding mail art including these stamp sets from Keith Chambers' Dada Centennial Collection. Not available in any store they are a lovely achievement in homage to both stamps and dada if a person can pay homage to dada. That does sound like it should be illegal. A coupla close ups.…

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Added by David Stafford on November 30, 2016 at 12:27am — 7 Comments

Elsa von Freytag-loringhoven and The Keys Family Experience

Elsa von Freytag-loringhoven, long dead, sent me this instructional manual on how not to draw a cat as well as an invitation to friend this jolly Brooklyn realtor (done and done). Elsa's quotes are reprinted here for the benefit of those who, like me, have trouble seeing: "Why isn't Santa Fe in Arizona?" A very good question, Elsa and one I'm looking into.…

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Added by David Stafford on October 12, 2016 at 8:22pm — 2 Comments

The Red Balloon Assignment

Some of you may have received an envelope that contained a red balloon with instructions? This is my version. I liked how it turned out for the most part though I look more like a hunch-backed Freddy Krueger than I'd like. (My stylist gave me bad instructions.) Anyway, just before I got the assignment I had scanned this wonderful old illustration from a 1937 Popular Mechanic magazine. Suddenly it all clicked. However, in order to make the illustration come alive I had to invest $34 in a…

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Added by David Stafford on October 11, 2016 at 10:19pm — 5 Comments

From Down Under

Remember that old song: South of Waitpinga? Me neither. Vizma sent me this highly caffeinated envelope which I was afraid to open for two days. Finally I got up the courage…

Yes, friends, it's true...she has stolen my…

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Added by David Stafford on October 11, 2016 at 10:11pm — No Comments

A Tour de Force from Svenja Wahl

Svenja sent this amazingly generous boekie filled with her witty collages and all wrapped in an old Kodak picture folder from Tacoma, Washington. That's like gold inside of gold. Thank you so much, Svenja.…

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Added by David Stafford on October 11, 2016 at 9:49pm — 4 Comments

A I S, Jon, Jude, Nadine: Your Love Bombs Have Landed

Wasn't it Gertrude Stein who said: "An artist in Seine lives mainly on the Plein"? Maybe not. Anyway, here is our Paris correspondent's latest offering. The caption reads "The Vallée-Francaise seen from Col. Saint-Pierre." That's Col. St. Pierre in the foreground though he may need to turn to see the best view of the Vallée. Thank you,…

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Added by David Stafford on October 11, 2016 at 9:34pm — 1 Comment

Happy Equinox Old World and New

Added by David Stafford on September 23, 2016 at 12:17am — 1 Comment

RCBz, Carina, Miguel, Dean, Jude, Diane, Nancy and Raphael

Speed blogging continues: RCBz has sent me a forest of great images, each with a through-line of anger at the sorry state of American politics. Of course, there's more to his work than that but that's what jumps out at me. I feel your pain, RCBz and thank you for sharing your precision smart bombs with me.…

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Added by David Stafford on September 21, 2016 at 7:18pm — 3 Comments

Angelica, xx Jones, plus a Cast o' Thousands

Angelica sent me this clever collage along with some great letterpress ephemera. (at least I think it was from Angelica.) Thank you, Angelica.

And after a long hiatus:…

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Added by David Stafford on September 20, 2016 at 11:09pm — 8 Comments

Some Assembly Required: Katerina, Elsa, and Le Sticker Dude

Katerina sent me this overstuffed envelope from Greece, containing two boekies, one chockful of images for a collage yet to be born. (I'll see what I can do). Thank you, Katerina.

How it all unfolded in not quite real…

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Added by David Stafford on September 20, 2016 at 10:16pm — 4 Comments

Rebecca Guy Ver, Brooke Cooks, Meeah Williams, Angie Cope, David Alan Goldberg, Beavers, Alicia Starr Ryan, Stripygoose and Mason Keys

One of Rebecca Guy Ver's amazing pastoral quilted drawings, possible comment on Brexit. The backside is a Paul Klee-like dance of zippered leatherette. Thank you, Rebecca.

A postcard of textured banners with a somber undertone from…

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Added by David Stafford on August 30, 2016 at 1:16am — 3 Comments

Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus sent me this cool "HEADLINES SCREAMED" collage, all pasted on a repurposed pizza box which is soooo Diane. She's now 93 and spry as an elderly chicken. For the past several years she's been working at the Hill Country Barbecue in Manhattan where she runs the register and has a quip for every patron. (Mine was emailed to me).  Worthy of note: Diane…

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Added by David Stafford on August 20, 2016 at 5:56am — 3 Comments

Linda and Carina and Jay

So many people have sent me so many things that, in order to catch up, we'll have to work right through the Republican Convention. I hope that's okay with most of you. Sometimes you have make sacrifices. So Linda has sent me many many things since I departed for California and now upon my return. We'll start with these very cool collages and ATCS that give you…

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Added by David Stafford on July 20, 2016 at 1:31am — 3 Comments

Dkult Boekie

At last the story can be told. I received this complicated boekie that purports to be part of my backpages, the missing Rodeo Years. The boekie itself is a wonderment of found materials including an old kerchief of mine. (see blue thingie above)…

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Added by David Stafford on July 19, 2016 at 3:58am — 2 Comments

Mason Keys: His First Foray into Mail Art

One of the primary directives of the mail art clan is to be helpful to struggling young mail artists. I think you can see that Mason falls under the category of at least one of those things if not three. Certainly he has struggled initially to learn the basics: how to address an envelope, for example. I don't know about you but I think he has achieved mastery…

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Added by David Stafford on May 30, 2016 at 8:15pm — 8 Comments

Bumblebee, Stripy Goose, Bertha G., Susan M., Carina G., Svenja Wahl, Tic Tac

Bumblebee C. Sent me this Pop Up card of the Singing Nun which when opened properly reveals a Brother Superior wielding a dangerous putty knife. (S)he's also exhibiting some transgressive behaviors which makes me wonder if Bumblebee knows Dame Mailarta also from Victoria. Also included in her envelope:…

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Added by David Stafford on March 3, 2016 at 5:14pm — 2 Comments

Meeah, Jude, Nadine, Keith, Rebecca, Brooke, RCBz, Lynn, Dean, Stan, Thom and Angelica

Meeah Williams continues to amaze. Up top is her envelope. Ghostly landscape and Eyeball Guy. And then inside was:

this cool book...as well as……

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Added by David Stafford on February 28, 2016 at 1:01am — 6 Comments

Stan, unKnown, Alicia, Svenja, Bertha (Bee), Patricia, Nancy, Borderline Grafix and Marie Wintzer....a large assortment

Stan sent me this collage which put me in mind of exotic passport stamps, sour La Rana notwithstanding. He also sent me some great postcards (He has excellent taste in ephemera). This one has a charming message.…

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Added by David Stafford on January 31, 2016 at 8:00pm — 11 Comments

Meeah, Borderline Grafix, Stripygoose, Marie, Kim and your host, Glorious Me

Another one of Meeah amazing envelopes arrived last week. I love these desert prophets with hair courtesy of the postal cancellation. (Nice cloakage too. I'm tellin' ya Meeah, ya gotta start doing some fabric design with your creatures.)  Meeah's envelopes are among the finest in the land but this one was filled with stuff too. As in...…

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Added by David Stafford on January 16, 2016 at 11:30pm — 15 Comments

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