RECEIVED: Asemic Mail-Art Talisman from Karen Champlin (Chicago, Illinois, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by IUOMA member Karen Champlin (Chicago, Illinois, USA)

 

April 2, 2011 - In an earlier blog I jokingly referred to spring lines in the work of mail-artists. Maybe new lines are serious. As springtime arrives in the Chicago-area of the USA, Karen Champlin is sending out art that is fresh, colorful, and in places a distinct departure from her previous explorations. I am the very proud recipient of one of her asemic sticks. This piece shows the spiritual and mystical qualities that are conveyed by asemic writing.

 

Karen is moving heavily into asemics with ever-increasing success, IMHO. You do not need a lot of background discussion to appreciate this piece. I have watched her work evolve for what is bordering on a year now. I do marvel at the evolution of her collage-assemblages that seamlessly have integrated visual poetry, haptic poetry, and now asemic writing. The piece above represents a tremendous synthesis of diverse forms. All the elements are present I mentioned.

 

Karen is a good mail-art friend and always provides nice messages and inscriptions. Here is the reverse side:

 

Another great things about friends you exchange work with on a regular basis is memories of other interactions. Lately, Karen always includes a piece of blue tape in her mail-art to me: A reference to my "blue tape" series that was the beginning of connections with many people. This is on the envelope:

 

This works very well because her asemic stick has nice black tape with excellent textures. Why the emphasis on different colored tape in mail-art? I explained it to Erni Baer in Germany once. It's a good thing to integrate into your work as material, I think. Karen has some nice things in the stamp department these days too:

 

With Karen Champlin, it truly is a case for me that just when I think the work cannot get any better, it takes some new creative turn. This is a great one. Thanks! And I am posting this in the IUOMA asemic writing group too.

[De Villo Sloan]

Dear Erni & Katerina, I'm glad you like this very special piece from Karen. I am not wearing it yet. It does raise the possibility of wearable mail-art. Yes Kat, some of our friends to the south are going into winter. Thank you Sandpo comrades!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

It's an asemic beauty, Karen! and yes, Sloan should carry it with him..it is a talisman..

bringing Spring after a long hard winter for most

(unless you live in South Africa or Australian, then it was a hot, sweaty "winter")!