OOB OOB OOB OOB OOB OOB OOB

[Thom Courcelle]

Say that a bunch of times fast and you begin to wonder if there's a subliminal message in there somewhere!

This piece is the first work that has come to me from newish IUOMA member Nancy Bell Scott. It kind of shocked me in its wonderfulness -- not that I wasn't expecting great art!  Unfortunately you can't tell in my poorly taken photograph, but the streaks of paint are enlivened with gold and some of the thicker paint (in little ovals imitating the letter "0" of 00B) retains its reflective gloss, giving this miniature masterpiece an amazing array of texture set against the yellowing paper it's painted on--a torn segment of a scientific textbook(?)  The front--with address--is also painted on an old torn text--from a religious hymnal.  Thus front and back would seem to be forever fixed and diametrically opposed viewpoints facing different vantages of the world: religion versus science.  Go figure!

I love the way the text lines of "OOB" mimic some of the lines of paint--so that the whole of it creates a mesh of threads interweaving--not unlike a woven textile piece!

 

I'm a HUGE fan of mixing visual-theme art with text.  So the "OOB OOB" incorporated into this piece appealed to me right away.  With its teeny-tiny jotting script and relentless duplication throughout the piece, not to mention its three-letter monogram, one can't help but mentally associate it with another three-letter abbreviation: OCD.  I don't mean that in a bad way, Nancy!!  I think all artists--including myself--use that psychological prognosis to our ADVANTAGE. I might go so far as to say such intense focus and repetitiveness helps us create our work, as we dive below the surface of conscious awareness of our surroundings and drill our attention on the canvas or artwork with only the mental-vision end-result pushing us onward and onward until-- viola --there the mental-vision is in reality staring back at us.  Like we just reached into another dimension, pulled our arm back through the vortex, and forced the artwork to live in this world.

 

I'm very happy to be living with your artwork, Nancy.  Thank you for sending it through the vortex of the postal system into my world! I hope it's the first of a long postal art friendship and conversation.  Cheers!

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Well I'll be.  You saw plenty without realizing what it stood for, so you didn't need it!

Yes to Cob, it gets my vote ~ maybe I'll take it as an official mail-art name.

 

[Thom Courcelle]

Good gracious! ...It didn't even hit me that it might represent Old Orchard Beach! Of course!!!  Well, it's good to be in love with the place where you live. Inspiration from place.  MAYYyyyybeeee we could take your anagram one step further...  just reverse the subject signifiers in front to "Compulsive-obsessive," so that we can call it "COB!"  Perhaps COB will be the new FLUXUS!  I've been called a lot of things in my time, Nancy.  Cob would certainly not be the worst.

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Thom, your blog posts are works of art by themselves.  Honestly, you articulate your astonishingly many reactions and perceptions to a little piece of art so well.  Can I hire you?  All your thoughts are much appreciated, including the OCD one.  I was thinking, couldn't we alter your OCD version of OOB back a bit?  Given the subliminal mention above, maybe it could be OCB, for obsessive compulsive boob.  Then only one slight curve (in the middle O) would be missing.

I've never been that repetitive in my life and will never know what caused it, except that I do love my town of Old Orchard Beach (in the winter).  Even my license plate says OH-O-BE.

Thanks, Thom, and tonight I will be posting your own sterling packet received yesterday, as well as a delightful piece from Alicia.

Thanks for making my day.