RECEIVED: Friday Mail-Art Mystery

[De Villo Sloan]

 

September 23, 2011 - A few days ago, this wonderful piece of mail-art appeared in my PO box. I have pondered over it, studied it carefully, and cannot solve the mystery of who sent it. Am I overlooking the obvious as I am often prone to do?

 

This is a big collage (8.5" x 11" or A-4) on solid cardboard, reminding me of Erni Baer's (Hamburg, Germany) masterful work. I see a reference to concrete poetry of the typewriter era. The collage includes a very nice piece of concrete-based vispo, proving the artist is familiar with this kind of work. Could this be another masterpiece by Richard Canard (Illinois, USA)? The work is definitely at that level of talent. The reverse side offers even more wonder with some great text about e-mail vs. snail mail correspondence:

 

 

This displays the wry humor and wit of David Stafford (New Mexico, USA). Yet Thom Courcelle (Washington State, USA) is a great writer and artist. He is among the very few who could produce a piece such as this, perfection in all areas, faithfulness in detail. Or - Lord forbid - is this part of Grigori Antonin's new wave and I've been fooled yet again by The Grigster?

 

Regardless, a wonderful piece of mail-art worth sharing. And I ask: Who done it?

 

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Now one has to wonder what work actually made by monkeys would look like. Inquiring minds want to know. Sorry to make more work for you, DVS--it could just be my screen.

[De Villo Sloan]

Great detective work, and many thanks to David for this superb work!

 

Like Lesley, the drawing at the bottom of the second page led me to think it was probably David Stafford. BUT the amazing collage on the front is not his style at all. It's most similar to Erni when you see it, only I've never known Erni to get into concrete poetry. And it looks like Thom's work too. I was not certain at all until "C'est moi." A cliff hanger. It COULD have been Grigori, and I would have had to acknowledge yet again he had created a masterpiece. Long ago, unfortunately, I asserted that GA's work looked as if it had been made by monkeys, and I've been eating humble pie ever since.

 

The text! I was horrifed when I realized you can't read it! It's definitely essential to the piece. I'll attempt a rescan.

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Nice job of deducing, DVS and Magwood. And now a tiny bit more drama: I am dying to read the text but it's just fuzzy enough on my screen that most of it can't be made out. Maybe David could send out cheap fliers ...

[David Stafford]

c'est moi....

[Lesley Magwood Fraser]

And I have just seen one of his quirky little drawings at the bottom, a man fending off a shark attack.

[Lesley Magwood Fraser]

I am guessing David Stafford - looks like his writing in your address... sometimes he forgets to sign his pieces, or maybe he does it on purpose.....