Mr. Twig and his Big Step, the Mr. Twig Studies, his artist's vision, and his artist's as-yet fruitless instructions: by David Stafford, who has the patience of a saint

[Nancy Bell Scott]

David sent me a huge box with the incredible following items back in March. The tale's main subject, Mr. Twig himself, reveals a tentative but brave grace as he starts up David's watercolor-painted stairway into a cave marked The Secret of the Ages: 

The painting is 14"x14", and Mr. Twig is haptic. He is real and strokable. And he is on his way up into something many of us seek but who would tremble in the face of this most profound of opportunities. David's note describes his vision of Mr. Twig's past (stuck in a Gap box in "Nancy's Garage," quietly gathering dust) and Mr. Twig's future (immolation, at the unlikely hands of myself). The Gap box and the note: 

(The Oil Painting book, from 1943, that David also included is wondrous--I love it and posted a full scan of the cover in a past blogjam.)

Before discussing Mr. Twig's fate (yes, I have had wine and had a friend over), here are the intimate, glorious, and well-thought-out Mr. Twig Studies: This mail art made the month of March. It just...made it. It's so inventive and far out, and caused laughter and trepidation in the household for many weeks.

However, I have not set Mr. Twig on fire. Yet. Why not?

1. Something like Superglue is sticking Mr. Twig to the watercolor paper, and explosion is a very remote possibility.

2. Do we really want a fiery exit to be the result of our search for The Secret of the Ages? What example would that set? (Really, David, maybe you should try MY meds.)

3. Possible fear of fire, from age 9, when I leaned over the stove in flannel pajamas to get the Cheerios for breakfast, sat down at the table, and saw + felt my pajama top burst into flames. Great place to keep kids' food, but that's irrelevant, although it did mean inability to use the Bunson burner a few years later in science class, so ... 

4. Mr. Twig has found his way into my heart. How many people or creatures you love do YOU set on fire?

In a holding pattern for many weeks, not yet willing to dispatch this guy to the ether and therefore also unable to blog the art of the fiery exit, I sent David two cool old matchbooks, and asked him to keep one for himself. The other he was to send back to me as the chosen sacred one with which Mr. Twig's time on earth would end--a pretty cheap throwing the ball unfairly back into his court, in my own opinion!

David hasn't yet sent back a matchbook, probably because he was just about to take off on some dizzying trip to the Continent. Or maybe he got tired of waiting for me to do my duty and then blog it. Maybe he isn't even speaking to me! :--} (We know that's not so.) In any case, it is in fact the plan to carry out his wishes, and if and when that happens it will be documented in a separate blog. I just don't know when.

Thanks again, David, for this stupendous mail art, one of my top all-time favorites!
 

[Nancy Bell Scott]

That all makes sense, David, and sounds similar to Buddhist discussions that go on at IUOMA at times and with the other person in my house. More than ever our society in general has a great "fear of the gap" (Gap!). Stuff Is Everywhere. The philosophy of not fighting the gap and accepting the temporariness of all things is one about which I tend to talk a good game, but the way I live+work makes my words a complete joke. I can hardly throw out anything, but when it manages to happen it tends to be manufactured crappola that was no good to begin with (unless it gets used for art). Your space looks clean and organized, when we get a glance at it, so you probably live up to your words well.

The sound of "an art that's about subtraction" has a lot of appeal (and I agree that TicTac's description of what Roland did is really great). Sort of like how the idea of eliminating life chaos has a lot of appeal, but do some of us have a problem accomplishing that? Yah--a BIG problem. Maybe we just don't want to enough. I don't know the answer but am very glad you're getting to work on it immediately. Now I'm trying to remember what "it" is. ... 

[David Stafford]

Okay, okay...Mr. Twig may live to see another day but this discussion does strike a chord for me. A chord I've been striking for some time: and that is: (Double colons means serious business): (Triple colons!) Okay....Art, for me, is about the process of creation but that, by definition, means you have a end product. Which is good for most artists because that's how they make a living. But in a world stuffed to the gills with stuff shouldn't there be an art that's about subtraction. (Tic Tac, Roland's on the right track). Of course, I'm at odds with myself here because like most of you, I prize tactility, three dimensionality, texture and smell. So...the answer is something that arrives in the mail, you hold it in your hand, commit it to memory and then poof it disappears into the ether, leaving only good thoughts. I'll get to work immediately.

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Oop, just rethought that--will cut up the Gap box and use it for m.a. There's an unsorry end!

[Nancy Bell Scott]

This does it, good comments all, and Mr. Twig will stay on the wall for a long time to come. Even though it's thoughtful of you, David, to give me an out for the space he takes up, it's not much really and, as I wrote, Mr. Twig has found his way into my heart. You don't need to send any matches after all...unless it's to burn the Gap box, which doesn't quite fit in with the other boxes...not that the whole place isn't eclectic to the max anyhow.

[cheryl penn]

SO FAB!!! The Narratives of David (I think I'm making that some sort of Official Title) are a delight! While away, I received the story of Publius, Caius of Spatula and the giant squid. I'm relieved there were no instructions to burn.  Love the wall Nancy :-) XX

[Ptrzia (TICTAC)]

love your work David and the concept with the discussion/interaction that generated over burning the twig or not. this reminds me of a fire performance "Give Fire A Chance" years ago by Roland(Halbritter) when he was in iuoma..we would send him mailart to burn and he would make a video of it and then send the ashes with some burnt bits and pieces in a plastified card back to recipients chosen at random among the senders. 

that was mailart to burn but Mr. Twig is one-of-a-kind!

[Marie Wintzer]

I am, a bit :-)) and those stairs aren't all that bad ;-))

[David Stafford]

Okay, I have to clarify. I have nothing against Mr. Twig but it turned out rather large and I just didn't want Nancy to feel that she had to hold on to this thing forever. I thought a pyre might make a good exit.

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Ah Marie, you must be psychic. With real words to back it up, of course. :--}

[Marie Wintzer]

Love it! Nooo, no burning! Nancy would never do that anyway.