COMPILATION BLOG: "Back in the USA" with Jim SantAmour, Diane Keys, and Jon Foster

[De Villo Sloan]

 

Mail-art by IUOMA member Jim SantAmour (Petersburg, Florida, USA)

 

September 6, 2011 - Jim SantAmour has established himself mainly with wonderful collage work using (what I think must be) his personal archive of amazing photos gathered over a long period of time. We all should have had the foresight to build such an archive, independent of anything that can be found on the net! Many of the photos he uses were taken on of my home turf - Central New York State - so I have been interested and deeply moved by Jim's work.

 

Recently, I was thrilled to see he has ventured, even if briefly, into vispo aka visual poetry. The small postcard-size piece above is solid and beautiful, revealing the mystery of printed symbols and the abstract complexity of overlays and juxtapositions. This piece is rooted in concrete poetry and indicates yet again that vispo is an accessible option for all mail-artists. The results can be fascinating and highly individualistic. Here is the reverse side:

 

Many, many thanks to Jim SantAmour, formerly of New York and now a resident of sunny Florida!

 

I am very fortunate indeed that mail-art legend Diane Keys aka DK - pioneer of roaDKill art, Trashpo, the Junk Mail Revolution, Attitude Girl, among other genres - is an irregular regular mail-art friend. I suppose that's because I was an early fan and am a member of the New York Fan Club - DKULTNY.

 

A recent package (selected material below) contained my D-Koder ring, which I thought was a benefit of being a part of the fan club and insisted on receiving. Unfortunately, the ring is broken and I think it is defective. I will not make public any more of this minor dispute with the D-Kmart wing of the burgeoning DK industry. Also included in the envelope from DK were these fascinating objects in plastic bags:

 

Mail-art by IUOMA member Diane Keys (Elgin, Illinois, USA)

 

DK also included an add-and-pass sheet that has the work of such luminaries as visual poets John M. Bennett (Columbus, Ohio, USA) and Samuel Montalvetti (Argentina):

 

 

 

 

Here is the reverse side with monikers:

 

Make sure to check out DK's amazing blog:

http://dianekeys.blogspot.com/

 

In a little bit more than a year's time at IUOMA (and I think in mail-art), Jon Foster has established himself as an admired and innovative collage artists. I think Jon did some traveling this summer and was absent from the network. He has come back with new work, including the "Lexington" series that has generated praise and admiration. Recently, I received this postcard-size piece from Jon:

 

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

 

Here's the reverse:

 

 

Some of the new Jon Foster work is retro and seems in places to work as an homage to Ray Johnson. This piece suggests that to me, if only because the iconic "Life" magazine logo was used by Richard Carnard (Illinois, USA) in mail-art he sent to me that referenced the NY Correspondence School extensively. Who are the people in this collage? I am not sure. As ever, am I missing something obvious? Regardless, many thanks to Jon as well as Jim and Diane for these great pieces!

 

Mail-Art Psychic

 

http://grigori-nojohnrays.blogspot.com/2011/10/cry-zalop-marie-anto...

[Marie Wintzer]

Ah, it's back alright. One can't hide a thing to that guy with feathers on his head. I cannot guarantee that sweet bean ice-cream will be served, though ...

[De Villo Sloan]

Like magic, the Mail-Art Psychic reveals intrigue!

[Marie Wintzer]

My fingernails are now worn away from searching high and low for Jim's originals. Ahlala...

Thanks for the coffee DVS. I could have done with a muffin too, but that might be asking for too much.

Oh, but I just noticed, no mail-art psychic feature? Which means I can go back to shrines, yey.

[De Villo Sloan]

Jim, gathering the Florida photos could be another piece of an American epic (and the blog theme is "Back in the USA"). You find these shots that always seem to have such interesting composition.

 

Cherry Blossom, I'll make sure you get your coffee. I'll send my monkey errand boy Grigori Antonin Artaud. I hear he's going back to Tokyo to check out the vending machines anyway. I just hope the coffee doesn't get cold.

[Jim SantAmour]

One of my (newer) missions in life, besides spaying stray kitties, growing my own vegies and saving the world, is to try to document pre-Mickey Floridian architecture...it's hard - given the bulldozer mentality of development here.  This is a pre-1940 motor inn located in St. Pete - and still in operation (there's a Starbucks to the north, a Pizza Hut across the street and a small strip mall to the south).

[De Villo Sloan]

Wow - looking through the comments - the Spell Chick must be on vacation in Disney World.

[De Villo Sloan]

Thanks for checking in, Jim. Thanks for settling the zoology. Then there is the matter of your photo archive, that I've probably turned into the level of mythic, but you clearly have access to some great shots from NY that you've used for all sorts of social, cultural, historic-economic, Americana commentary in your work - and validates that your art is rooted up here in the northern climes even though you wisely inhabit FL or perhaps better known to the world as Disney World. Anyway, here's a piece JSA sent me that uses some of the legendary photos:

 

One more time - nice work w/ the vispo, Jim.

[Jim SantAmour]

We have alligators AND monkeys!  That's why we call it paradise... You can follow the Monkey of Tampa Bay on Facebook (he's quite the folk hero...and don't we need more folk heroes?)  or look him up on Wikipedia.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feral_Rhesus_Macaque

 

 

[De Villo Sloan]

florida monkeys = flonkies

SAlligators, what a croc

[De Villo Sloan]

Alabama, I mean