"Wind Ponies" by Allegra Sleep (Taos, New Mexico, USA)

[De Villo Sloan]

Mail-art by IUOMA member Allegra Sleep (Taos, New Mexico, USA)

(May 23, 2014) - IUOMA members might have already received or seen this piece by artist Allegra Sleep. If not, I am thrilled to share it with you now and to take this opportunity to thank her. Allegra Sleep is, in my estimation, a splendid painter. I have perused her work further and you can too:

https://www.facebook.com/allegrasleepfineart

Engulfed as I am in vispo, asemics, cut-ups, haptics and other verbal-visual explorations into deep abstraction, it is indeed refreshing – even novel – to experience art that is representational and pastoral, even if expressionist.

And a great cat stamp as well! “Wind Ponies” is a postcard version of an Allegra Sleep’s painting, and her approach to this mailing is worth noting. Many artists deeply engaged in work not suited for the postal system but who wish to participate in the mail-art network do exactly what Allegra Sleep has done: Reproduce paintings, sculptures, photos, etc. on postcards with correspondence and, as in this case, stamps.

Some mail-art purists might object. I note that Yoko Ono and Ray Johnson have used this method, among many others including Fluxus artists. I note also that others do take different approaches. For instance, Cheryl Penn (South Africa) has been know to cut up canvases and mail the pieces to different recipients.

This was a wonderful introduction to work by Allegra Sleep, and I look forward to more correspondence in the future.