Mail-art for the Tin Woodman from Susan McAllister (Berkeley, California, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by IUOMA member Susan McAllister (Berkeley, California, USA)

May 20, 213 - Susan McAllister is a wonderfully talented and original artist who is also a faithful correspondent. This correspondence art recently received from Susan exemplifies why I like her work so much: She tends to make collages that often reveal street art and popart influences, but those possible influences are integrated into a highly individualized style. I can even make a stretch and think I see some R. Crumb in this.

Sometimes her work has textual elements that qualify as very interesting vispo and/or asemics. Susan does wonders (as in this piece) with red, black and white.  I also like the meditation on induction/deduction that is overlaid and woven in the piece, giving it yet another dimension. Susan McAllister’s message on the reverse side enhances the theme:

I never solicited a heart from Susan, but somehow she deduced there was a need, even if she was not induced to engage in the onerous task; and it surely would have been difficult. This makes me think of the Tin Woodman in The Wizard of Oz. Susan’s work might not contain a heart, yet it clearly has heart, which lets me appreciate it all the more.

As ever, many thanks to Susan McAllister of Berkeley!

[Susan McAllister]

Hey De Villo, Yes, the background is from a poster advertising rock concerts. The day after the last concert I went around ripping all the posters down for mail art. Thanks for the great blog.

Happy Birthday, David.

[De Villo Sloan]

Hey, thanks for pondering & appreciating Susan McAllister's mail-art with me!

David - Happy Birthday dude! & thanks for R. Crumb theory support. After staring at it way too long, I think part of the collage might be a ripped up poster for a band, maybe.

& thanks Carina - yes, sure got to analyzing this one!

If anyone knows the whereabouts of the Trash-&-Pass - please get it back to Susan in Berkeley. 

[Carina]

Lovely collage by Susan. Nice message too.

[David Stafford]

Very cool....I get the R. Crumb / Underground Comix vibe too, DVS

[De Villo Sloan]

Susan's inlaid and overlaid deduction and induction curves add another level to the work, for sure. Is it meant to be some kind of highway map too? Certainly a work one can spend time with and keep finding new things.

I've constructed my own "Wizard of Oz" narrative with it too.

[Rebecca Guyver]

Love this because it makes me wonder whether I would want to take the induction bypass and what the ring road and the round about would be.