Visual Poetry by Jim Leftwich (Roanoke, Virginia, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail art by IUOMA member Jim Leftwich (Roanoke, Virginia, USA)

June 27,2015 - I am happy indeed to document a group of five visual poems received from Jim Leftwich. They tend toward the text-centric and are composed using a tape transfer technique. This method allows for image-text integration, overlaying, distortion and excellent textures. The pieces are taped on cards with a dimension of approximately 3 X 5 inches.

Jim Leftwich uses appropriated materials in these visual poems. The tape transfer adds the element of chance operations to the process. The result is not unlike what is produced by the cut-up technique as practiced by Brion Gysin, William S. Burroughs and Harold Norse. Both insights and radical dislocations can be experienced. With these pieces, Jim Leftwich is able to achieve stronger text-image synthesis than classic cut-ups that often focus on some degree of linearity and conventional “reading.”

Detail of tape transfer vispo by Jim Leftwich

In the context of mail art, the use of comics makes a reference to popart and thus Ray Johnson, even if inadvertent. On another level, the pieces use the discourse of popular culture and textbook-like discourse. As a result, both standard discourse and logic are disrupted and interrogated. New symbols frequently emerge from the various decompositions of language.

These pieces emphasize the materiality of language as well.

Detail of vispo by Jim Leftwich

All the pieces are signed:

And the envelope:

And the reverse:

Many thanks to Jim Leftwich for sending us this great work!

[De Villo Sloan]

I'm glad you've had a look at these, NBS. You should send some of your work to JL.

I like tape transfer work a lot. Carina Granlund and Jon Foster have done some great tt pieces.

Thx

[Nancy Bell Scott]

Just spectacular ! Each is an inspiration.