Erni Bar: Great Friend to me + rust : The latest batch, plus India comic books

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Not many people actively encourage a passionate love of rust, but Erni does:

Some of the above are, of course, smashed cans, which are thrilling trashpo even if no rust has occurred yet. Exactly why the rust, iron, smashed cans, and number plate (3) are beautiful I cannot say, but they have been so to me my whole life. Maybe it's that they aren't afraid to show the effects of nature and decay; they wear them willingly and in fact flaunt them ostentatiously to people like me, and apparently to Erni, who picks these items up on his famous Urban Explorations in Hamburg and now, luckily, occasionally shares some with me. Smashed cans lying on the side of streets and in ditches may not seem nature-affected, since they were run over by 1 or 274 manmade cars and trucks, but things run over by automobiles are affected by human-nature, with all its quirks, flaws, and glories, and that counts. And then there are the natural elements that add their marks in tiny ways and, in the case of deep rust, over long periods of time. Rust produces wondrous colors; it also serves as a wholesome reminder of the impermanence of life. It's a rich offering, in both ways. Rust even comes off on your hands if you pick up a rusty object, so the rust itself is never solid. The impermanence of impermanence.

This batch sent by Erni (incredibly, in an ENVELOPE, not a box!) weighed something like 6 pounds, and our mailman struggled mightily to smush it into the mailbox. Good thing some good friends from the trashpo group softened up this mailman with mail-art specifically for him over the holidays--that effort paid off, people. Then I dragged it inside, laughing all the way. Erni had done it again, but this time at least sixfold in weight. It wasn't a bargain while paying for the sending at the post office for him, either! But when packages arrive from Erni now and then, they never disappoint, no matter what he decides to send. It's one reason Ruud began a fan club at IUOMA for Erni. Wisdom, knowledge, and humor must have factored into Ruud's decision also. In any case, Thank You In A Big Way, Erni!!!

In a comment a few more pictures plus ones of the fabulous India comic books included in this batch will appear.  

[Neil Gordon]

Looks like some great specimens for the Rustorium Nancy! 6 punds of Erni -Po WoW!

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Here's a an overall photo of this whole batch taken soon after opening (it's all in the foreground):

And last but not least, here are some Erni favorites from an earlier batch or two that have been leaning on a studio shelf for many weeks:

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Very beautiful and artistic

India comic books, published in the 1970s and '80s, reprinted in the '90s and 2000s:

One cover (I chose this one because Erni might like the girl): 

(Of course, most of them show beautiful ladies like that one.)

The first page of "Ganesha":

I like "DO NOT LET ANYONE ENTER AND DISTURB ME" --