Jose, Marie and Janine

[David Stafford]

Out of the blue Jose Nogueira sent me this wonderful package of stuff. This was the envelope. Inside:

Three stencils which I presume are part of a silk screen operation but cool as art in their own right. And...they happen to dovetail with my revived interest in collagraphy (don't watch with the sound on). The drawing in the lower right is a quick rubbing I did from the stencil to its left. Thank you, Jose and I hope I was the person you mistook me for.

My good friend, Marie who lives in Japan and is practicing her Japanese has sent me two pages from her studies.

I think this may be the beginning of what future experts will call "The Wintzer Syllabary" (insert kettle drums here, or taiko if available). Marie unwraps the folk history of kanji like a Keithed Herring. (Possible book jacket blurb). Also shown is the lottery ticket that Marie purchased on my behalf. I came soooo close. The winning number was 784640. For the record: the third prize was two Year of the Dog postage stamps.

Here is the book jacket design that the publishers rejected.

I think it approaches...elegance. Thank you, Marie.

Finally...again...out of the blue swiss wilderness came:

a New Year's feast from Janine Weiss. I lost track of the bottles of champagne, the plates of caviar, the crudites, the luddites, the swirls of raspberry drizzle as well as Charlize Theron, not quite unfolded from her journey and other dreams of Swiss decadence. All of this arrived in

a Klee-like envelope that has what art critic David Stafford has described as "integrity of the surface." Thank you so much, Janine. 

Thanks to all again.