RECEIVED: Return of the Human Artist Vending Machine, Ltd (USA) + Tater-Po from Vizma Bruns (Australia) & Asemic Encore from Skybridge Studios (USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by Human Artist Vending Machine, Ltd (Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, USA)

 

February 21, 2012 - Somewhere along the Beaten path, old friend Brent Leopold became the Human Artist Vending Machine, Ltd. I think it was last year during his Street Art phase, and it is an appropriate monkier because many at the IUOMA know Brent as a prolific printmaker.

 

A recent piece he sent me (above) is a departure into collage. I like it a lot, and it reminds me of Ray Johnson's work that focuses on celebrities, entertainers, and popcult. I also like the sequencing of small images. We are definitely seeing some interesting work being produced in this area.

 

Valentine Mark Herman (France) has started a popular IUOMA group, Arty Slides International, that encourages work using 35 mm slides. A number of artists are working with small scale pieces approximately 1 x 1 inch. I think Brent's work is an interesting application of this kind of minimalism, if it can be called minimalism. He also included one of his more recognizable prints that I am very pleased to have:

 

 

On the reverse side is a message inviting the recipient to please take a photo with the print and visit :

 

https://plus.google.com/104475196170224604665#104475196170224604665...

 

I am not sure exactly how the interactive part works, but his website looks great. As ever, many thanks Human Artist Vending Machine, Ltd.!

 

Mail-art by IUOMA member Vizma Bruns (Waitpinga SA, Australia)

 

New mail-art friend Vizma Bruns sent me this first piece in what I hope is the beginning of an ongoing exchange between us. This is an example of envelope art; nothing is inside, or I am fairly certain there is not. Definitely humorous, the image is also a bit surreal. I think of the Mister Potato Head toy, but do they have those in Australia?  The reverse side keep the theme with a potato masher:

 

 

Vizma is a member of the Trashpo group, so clearly a D-Kit will soon be on its way to her!

 

Asemics Encore....

 

My three-part "Asemics 16 Greatest Hits" was a cathartic way to say goodbye to a project that spanned many months. However, I cannot seem to let it go. I have all five editions, am still try to organize them, and found myself spellbound looking at Skybridge Studio's chaper for Edition #5. (As I noted, I think the last two editions merged into a blur for some of us.)

 

Lisa's chapter is a place where asemic writing meets calligraphy, and she produced art that surpasses even the high ideals of the Symbolist School of Subtle Aesthetic Obscurity. I just had to include some excerpts because it shows the beauty and fluidity of asemics:

 

Asemics 16 Edition #5 chapter by Skybridge Studios

(North Manchester, Indiana, USA)

 

 

I am glad someone else used buttons. I used buttons to suggest syntactic structures in my Asemiotics chapter, but the only people slightly interested were the FluxRus culture workers, oh well.

 

 

 Above are the beautiful center pages of the chapter.

 

 

And a single image.... to close...

 

Always something interesting to see at the Skybridge blog:

 

http://skybridgestudios.blogspot.com/

 

MAIL-ART PSYCHIC

 

a muskrat jaw & a button

 

4000 ____holes @ BL 2500 ___holes @___

 

thumbprint on a knob

 

_______ in the fill

 

Yes Junior. They are gone (for now)

 

9-8-6

 

Sling Blade Taters

 

Actress berry's fish egg coucch or a trumpet

 

A moose wearing a blond wig

[vizma bruns]

A D-Kit! I'm so honoured!! I will burn sage inside my letterbox in anticipation of the holy moly arrival!

[vizma bruns]

 Yes we have Mr Potato head in Australia!

I haven't seen Sling Blade, maybe there's a bit of a resemblance?! Maybe not.

Thanks all for the comments, and one of these days spell chick will get my name right! ( you too, Cheryl!) ;-)

[Marie Wintzer]

I meant pick, not pic! It's not the spell chick's fault this time.

[De Villo Sloan]

Hey Genki folks (or whatever Marie calls us), thanks for the comments. I stayed up late adding the Skybridge asemics because, as you concur, it's wonderful calligraphy and I'm trying to document this. John Bennett and Cecil Touchon - asemic masters - ultimately seem to go to calligraphy. The five editions of Asemics 16 are just filled with amazing work.

 

I am taken by Vizma's Tater head too. All I could think about was the movie "Sling Blade" where the guy kept asking for Taters. And she put a potato masher on the back - Ray Johnson has some kind of sacred potato masher.

 

Brent's multi-talented and a good guy - his website is tremendous. But - like - what to send Brent? An Elgin Shroud?

 

Envious? That's human. We're luckily away from the mainstream that's driven by envy, everyone for themselves, and what have you done for me lately? I think with all of us - a rising tide raises all boats. It's a matter of keeping the tide rising.

[Marie Wintzer]

Another great pic from your mail-art stash! Great work. I wonder if Brent would like Japan, land of vending machines, best in the world. Lisa's asemic calligraphy is wonderful....

AWJ good percentages yes :-)))

[Svenja Wahl]

Great works by all three artists!! Lisas asemic writing is so fine and elegant! (always envy your "writing skills", Lisa!)

[cheryl penn]

AWJ - those are good percentages:-).  Great to see Brent back in the mail... Visma - well, she is SO persuasive she has Leonardo writing to me and Lisa - what can I say - beautiful as usual :-) X

[Austin Wills James]

I must've missed Lisa's amazing Asemics the first go round (possibly last Spring/Summer when I was caring for my mother). I'm 70% mesmorized by them, & 30% envious.

-AWJ-