Heebee Post #1042 - Art Tower (Gunter Schwind) - Aschaffenburg - Germany

 "Phase #5 - 99 Days Fire", Gunter's ongoing "Head Project" is a large postcard for the exhibition that took place in the "Old Village Church" in Ascaffenburg. Gunter constructs a huge wall of these heads and it towers before his audience. This fellow looks hot and melty.




I have made a few Artistamps of good ol' Art Tower (Cousin Arty to me) over the last few years - from snaps I took when he visited me here, in the 4th Dimension.   Here, he seems to be bubbling with joy (Opti-Flux).

I hope your show was a successful one.  I sure wish I could have attended.  Ah well, anyway, thanks for the card my old friend - I miss you and I'll see you in the mail. Arttower's Mail Art.

Heebee Post v#1041 - Otto D Sherman - New York, New York - USA

 Ladies and Gentlemen, the longtime illustrious Fluxist, Bill "Picasso" Gaglione in a blaze of faux finery.  Otto sends in a large decorated envelope containing various artistamp sheets and these three fantastic portraits of this popular mail art legend.  These three 6" x 4" cards are actually from a set of 7 made by Otto.





In the Mid 1960's, Bill and friends ( including Ray Johnson) created the New York Correspondence School

 Gaglione currently runs Stampland in Chicago and is still deeply involved in various Dada and Fluxus events.

 Several spectacular artistamp sheets were included.  The clarity of printed image of the stamps is exquisite - even if you don't agree with some of Otto's political leanings.    He can often be rather sardonic.

Each individual stamp is a peculiar, sometimes even confounding, observation by the artist - very nicely done.

 On the other hand, Otto is quite whimsical and downright playful

This one from that wonderful "Beasties" stamp sheet.

 I'm not too sure that there is anybody more prodigious at stamp creation than Otto. Set after set of marvelous work.







A close up of his "By Special Appointment" set.

 This deluxe stamp sheet is perforated, as opposed to the "cut apart" style seen earlier.

Thank you very much Otto. I have received an enormous quantity of Otto's various art endeavors and really can't figure out how anybody can create that much stuff - and so I remain impressed with his work ethic. See you in the mail! Otto Art.

Heebee Post #1040 - Nico Van Hoorn - Nijmegen - The Netherlands

 Very kind of Nico to provide this soothing, "Happy Tonic" visage for the troubled minds of the International Mail Art Universe. Very nicely served up as well.  Well, I know a cup or two will go down well here in Heebee Jeebeeland.  In fact, I'd probably be glugging it down with the thirst intensity of a sober person at an Oakland Raiders tailgate party.  Yes, another glass of the tender offering please!




I love any of the many commemorative artistamps depicting the 25th anniversary of IUOMA.

I hadn't been to Nico's Mail Art site for a while and so I was surprised to find it declared inactive since Apri - although, he also says he is still , obviously, sending out stuff. Sorry to see that intelligent site done for.  Thanks for the card and that refreshing cool "Happy Tonic".. Nico Van Hoorn Mail Art.

Heebee Post #1039 - William L Philyaw - Shawnee, Kansas - USA

 William's "3 Princess" certainly has a mystical appeal to it. The steadfast gaze of the princesses is like a 3 pronged tractor beam, inexorably hauling you into their secret universe.

 Side B of the "New Age Druids" card features a splendid Mongolian Balloon Airship postage - Oh no, not again.  Is there no end to Fluxus Girl's shenanigans?  I must apologize for her petulant behavior - it is always a question of her ill comportment around here.

 The beautiful "Phsycic Sirens" arrived within this semi-transparent envelope that is adorned, as usual from William, with a host of splendid U.S. vintage postage and - wait a minute - something peculiar about that stamp second to the right. Lets just have a little closer inspection.......




Not that Fluxus Vixen again! Ah well, what can an ordinary 4th Dimension do about her renegade demeaner? Not too much, evidently - After all, Fluxus has a mind of it's own!   Anyway, thanks William - Loved that card! Addressee. 

Heebee Post #1038 - Jennie Hinchcliff (Red Letter Day) - San Francisco, California - USA

 I have to say, this is an extraordinary treat for the Mail Art world and it is occurring in my favorite city, San Francisco!  Ex Postal Facto in Feb. 2014 should prove to be an extremely satisfying event - three days of getting together and wallowing in a wonderful, refreshing  Mail Art and Faux Philatelic (Artistamps) lifestyle. I can hardly wait for the chance to blab mail art blab and meet as many artists as I can there. I hope you, dear reader, will be among those that I do meet.  San Franciscans, Red Letter Day's Jennie Hinchcliff and the legendary John Held Jr. will be hosting and curating the curious affair and this all seems almost  too good to be true.  3 days! I smell a big special party on the horizon for everybody that digs the popular world-wide art genre.

It really doesn't get any better than the above proposition.  Click on the image to see the soon to be enjoyed details.  I know I'm going to be having a super time next Feb. in SF -  Check out Jennie's Red Letter Day for more info. and let's all have some fun!  Thanks Jennie and looking forward to meeting up with you in the City by the Bay in 2014.

Heebee Post #1037 - Norbert Koczorski - Diepholz - Germany

 Norbert sends in this remarkable Swedish damsel washing her "Fuzzy" postcard.  This country gal sure seems to be amused with her own antics. Not only does she thwart uncleanliness, disease and infirmity but, she creates a grand sense of well being. This seemed to be a funny ritual in which to create an interactive postcard.







Well, I couldn't resist trying it out.  This card has such a great novelty feel to it that it was difficult to put back down!

The reverse side of Norbert's hilarious "Bathing" postcard features a green Koczorski artistamp that just defies the ascertainment of what the subject is doing. Eating his shoe? And this little guy:

Love this jovial mustachioed Wizard with his magic mail.

Kutterfarht = Cutter ride or boat trip.  Norbert doubled down with this second of his postcard fun. And lo, there is sailor Stickman in all his splendor waving to us gloriously. Lust auf Meer? (Love the Sea?) - oh yes,  especially with that mail art tart Fluxus Girl riding the waves with him.  Sorry folks, there is just no controlling  the headstrong Fluxus Girl - she just jumps into anybody's postcards and we here in Heebee Jeebeeland are powerless to stop her.

Thank you very much Norbert - I enjoyed the two cards immensely.  I sent you something to you a few days ago - see you then!

Heebee Post #1036 - Joey Patrickt - Oakland, CA - USA

 The mysterious syrupy yellow concoction being glugged down by the merry skeletal x-ray seems to be furnishing an interesting vision of the popular Japanese Mail Art genius Ryosuke Cohen inadvertently walking into Joey's "CXC Propane Pantyhose card".  To me, the vision seems to have Ryosuke thinking about the eternal Beach Boys classic line "Wish they all could be California Girls".  Being from California myself, I must admit this song has rung my bell from time to time over the years. I like your glugging vision Joey!  

I see Joey the Pontiff presiding over the reverse side of the "Vision" - snug and jolly in his ornate window.  Thanks for the card and the brief walk down memory lane. Be seeing you in the mail old boy!

Heebee Post #1035 - Lotro Poku (Lothar Trott) - Zurich - Switzerland

 Lotro's  'wanted' poster cleverly hides the visage of the subject that is the one actually 'wanted' - Therefore rendering the 'wanted' person uncatchable. Huh? Wild West Dada is a splendid departure of summertime whimsy and I really would like to explore this notion further.  Nice enigmatic stuff from Pokuland!





Lothar's self portrait artistamps are always a gas and he is quite prolific in his own creative universe  - I have quite an assortment of the well known Fluxist's works and it is always apparent to me that an enormous amount of love for the genre is being enjoyed by him.

I might also mention that Lotro's good nature, zeal and peculiar humor has been a real spirit booster for me over the years.  Thanks Lotro and see you in the mail my old friend.

Heebee Post #1034 - Frips - Ghent - Belgium

 This wonderful folkie artistamp sheet does a good job of  pleasing the eyes and mind. Frips really captured this beach scene in a perfect sense. Hard to take your view away from the warming feeling of an old photo that you are fond of.  Her carved prints, enhanced accordingly with paint and perforation, seem to exist in the ponderous world of distant memory.

Her creative Philatelic variations cover a wide spectrum of experimentation and fun.  These red duo-portraits are printed with a glossy surface that, seen in person, gives them a sort of  "Special Edition" appeal.

    A closer look at one of the duo-portrait stamps.  Are these lovely stamps demonstrative of the nature of political correctness that is so common these days?

More of the Fripspost artistamps.  I like the austere feel of the common items she often depicts - this one, a simple avocado made noble by it's appearance as a handsome stamp.

Frips most likely will fit in at least one of her trademark Felines, usually napping royally or luxuriously stretching - blissfully oblivious to worldy matters.

Here, the artist admits to her "Take the Bull by the horns" demeaner. I have had the pleasure of knowing Frips for a long while now and can concur with this outlook - particularly with art.  

Another superb carved block print. This fellow reminds me of Chinatown in San Francisco.  My children were always enchanted by the ancient man deftly playing his happily complaining Erhu.

I would like to mention that a warm note of friendship was graciously included in this batch of goodies.  Thank you very much my dear friend, you made my day (again!). I have just sent something out to you a few days ago - Stand by for Mail Art! Frips Mail Art.

Heebee Post #1033 - Uli Grohmann - Munster - Germany

 "Friends, Romans, Countrymen..........".  Uli takes another kind of look at the illustrious Caesar Augustus - the successor to Julius Caesar, whom that actual speech was about - spoken by Marc Antony in a play by William Shakespeare.  The altered Caesar is sporting quite a pair of bat-like ears and Uli wants to know why. I can only speculate that it is to listen closely to the heartbeat of the Senate - that he may avoid the fate of the previous Emperor.



Uli's sense of Fluxus humor is clearly on display with this subtle alteration of another Shakespeare speech - This time Hamlet.  For some reason, this really cracked me up

Great to have Uli back in the 4th Dimension.  Hope he finds the answers he is looking for - life can be so confounding.  Thanks very much and see you in the post.

Heebee Post #1032 - Arac - Huntsville, Alabama - USA

 I thought I might display this hilarious detail of Arac's fanciful "Ray Johnson's Bad Breath Contest" postcard. It really says it all.  Arac's sense of humor is wickedly funny and is often executed nicely, as you can clearly see in this simple, yet stunning example.

 The "R.J. Bad Breath Contest" is certainly a volatile reassessment of what Ray was accomplishing with his experimental brand of Postal Dada antics.  Heralded as the Papa of Mail Art, Ray Johnson is still regaled for building a network of correspondents that exchanged art and peculiar objects in the 1950's (New York Correspondence School") and getting the Fluxus ball rolling.  It hasn't stopped since - and is, inexorably, still gaining momentum (The Eternal Network). Nice one Arac!

The reverse side of the card shows the result of Ray's fiery effect - Mail Art around the world! - It really caught on!  Thanks Arac, for this wonderfully visual analogy of the culmination of Ray's efforts.  Love it! See you in the mail.

Heebee Post #1031 - Reed Altemus - Portland, Maine - USA

 This card arrives in a curious set of circumstances.  Evidently, the card was published by Carted, (France) - created by the busy imagination of Susanna Lakner from Planet Susannia (Germany).  Finally, it was actually sent to me by Reed in Maine (USA). Interesting how the Eternal Network functions, while it is most often that connections seem so random, once the dots do get connected, the networking can operate to any of the rather vast amount of points within that universe, enabling it to constantly expand.  Hence, the Eternal Network.

The reverse side of the dream-like postcard is this declaration of Reed's Mail Art project regarding  Hannah Hoch , an artist influenced by the Berlin Dada movement (1915) and recognized as the only woman participant of Dadaism.  Making that a grand achievement for feminism.

Her experimentation with graphics, photography and painting, led to a style to become known as "Photomontage".  This art form was an accepted and celebrated medium during the 1920's and Hoch is attributed as the great pioneer of it.  The social commentary within her work largely combated the stereotyping of women and celebrated her opinions of the power of her gender. Her piece shown here, "Tamar" is a splendid example of her technique.  Thanks very much Reed, I'll be sending something in for the worthy project.  See you in the mailbox! Hannah Hoch Fan Club.