0:00

the prelude to international art post

0:02

came when i was i was learning the

0:04

process of full color printing working

0:07

at intermediate press in vancouver

0:09

and

0:10

they’re two owners one of them was ed

0:12

varney who was already making

0:15

artist stamps and had produced one or

0:17

two additions in which he he invited

0:20

people in the network to participate in

0:22

as the owner of intermediate press he

0:24

didn’t have to charge people for that it

0:26

was like his addition and his gift to

0:29

the network

0:30

but i figured out that if i charged a

0:33

certain amount per stamp for 500 copies

0:37

that i would be able to cover the

0:38

expenses and and also

0:41

eventually i realized i have to pay for

0:43

my own time and labor you know sometimes

0:46

this gift economy is really wonderful

0:48

but at a certain point you sort of

0:50

get worn down by it so i worked out a

0:53

formula by and i started out very

0:55

inexpensive i think i charged 35

0:58

or something for 500 stamps well the

1:00

first edition tom gore

1:03

refused his stamps and he had done i

1:06

don’t know 15 stamps or something he

1:08

refused to pay and he wanted the stamps

1:10

as well so at that point i realized i

1:13

had to cover more than you know more

1:16

than just what it would cost me to

1:18

actually produce the things

1:21

so then i went to the network

1:23

and put out with the banana rag the call

1:26

if people wanted to have their own image

1:29

done i gave and i started out with

1:32

asking them for an image about that size

1:35

which was proportional to what i was

1:37

going to be doing because at that point

1:39

what people were sending me were

1:41

photographs or little artworks not

1:44

digital files

1:46

that sort of process came along

1:49

i don’t know exactly when but and i was

1:51

assembling those things in the computer

1:55

except no i wasn’t in the beginning

1:58

because the pieces were that size i

2:00

wasn’t manipulating them so my layouts

2:02

were huge

2:04

and i pasted them all up and i had to

2:06

paste up the title you know like the

2:08

international art post on layers of

2:11

acetate i mean

2:12

when i think about what i was what i was

2:15

doing and how easy it is by comparison

2:17

like i would walk into the print shop

2:18

with like four layers of acetate with

2:21

the photographs the text you know and

2:23

the color separation

2:26

it was it was amazing that i kept it up

2:29

but i i don’t remember at what point i

2:30

got computerized it was after i had left

2:33

intermedia but

2:35

they were doing a group

2:37

purchase of computers for the press and

2:40

one of my friends who was working for

2:42

the press let me know

2:44

and so i applied appealed to ed and said

2:47

can i be included in this group purchase

2:49

so i was able to get my first mac

2:51

i mean they didn’t pay for it but it

2:53

didn’t cost me the arm and leg it would

2:55

if i went to the you know computer store

2:58

so from that point on

3:00

then became a matter of assembling doing

3:03

the layout in the computer and importing

3:06

the things so then i reduced the size of

3:08

the image people had to send me and i

3:10

also asked for them as digital files

3:13

and so that was the evolution and i

3:15

don’t i really have not got a good

3:17

memory for what year that

3:20

that transition but i do have the

3:22

acetate with the overlays from the

3:24

original issues some somebody told me

3:27

well you know for archival purposes i

3:29

should have all that stuff and i’m going

3:31

i wonder the first i must tell you the

3:34

first issue that the intermediate press

3:36

printed of mine i get a phone call

3:39

from the pressman who’s telling me

3:42

this paper is not very good the image is

3:44

kind of spreading and maybe we better go

3:47

to the high gloss paper i said well

3:49

whatever you better do that and it

3:51

wasn’t until i used the paper from that

3:54

they had run through the press that was

3:56

spreading

3:57

i was using it as make ready and very

4:00

often

4:01

when i’m handling paper i would like my

4:03

thumbs and so on and

4:05

this paper is gummed they printed it on

4:08

the wrong side they printed it on the

4:10

gum side

4:12

so

4:13

so that was an interesting thing then

4:15

the first issue and i think maybe the

4:17

second issue i

4:19

hand perforated on ed varney’s

4:22

line perforator which is a device that’s

4:25

like an old sewing machine with a

4:26

treadle on it and you simply put the

4:30

sheet

4:31

three or four sheets at the most because

4:32

his pins were dull because they were

4:35

very old

4:36

so you put it in line you stomp on the

4:39

treadle and the

4:40

row of pins comes down and up and that

4:43

hole is punched in one row on say four

4:47

sheets of paper so imagine an addition

4:50

of a thousand which is what i did in my

4:52

first couple of additions

4:54

to do

4:56

there’s 36 stamps on a sheet so there’s

4:59

like six

5:00

rows of three or something i can’t

5:02

remember exactly what the layout is but

5:04

a lot of time perforating those stamps

5:07

and then of course once their sheets are

5:09

perforated the individual orders have to

5:12

be separated by hand

5:14

fold and tear fold and tear packaged

5:17

packaged package

5:19

it was an enormous labor of love which

5:22

is why it kind of burned out very

5:24

quickly because it was just too much i

5:27

mean i still do the hand separation

5:29

but after

5:31

the first or second edition

5:33

ed reported that this

5:36

rotary perforator was available through

5:38

vancouver book binders and we decided we

5:41

went in on it together and bought it

5:43

well then he had it at his house under

5:46

the deck and he wasn’t doing anything

5:47

with it and i said well because i would

5:50

going over to his place to do this

5:51

stomping business

5:53

and he said well i really don’t want it

5:55

and i said well i do so i bought him out

5:58

and had it unfortunately where i was

6:00

living there was a garage that i could

6:01

keep it in because i was upstairs you’d

6:03

never get the thing upstairs it was huge

6:06

so

6:07

then a friend of mine helped me

6:09

basically refurbish it we re-pinned it

6:11

each wheel each perforation wheel has

6:14

500 pins

6:15

that go into a

6:17

die wheel that’s below and so there as

6:19

they rotate

6:21

together that’s where the where the

6:23

little holes are popped out anyway my

6:25

friend douglas was active in

6:28

going over the machine he he was really

6:31

great he really you know i couldn’t have

6:33

done it myself and he took it apart took

6:36

the wheels off the off the rod that then

6:38

and i took them out and we together we

6:41

put these 500 pins back in the wheels

6:44

and then he put it together again and it

6:47

and it worked

6:48

so then it was okay that was how to

6:52

learn and of course i had a lot to learn

6:53

about paper handling because

6:55

i wasn’t print i wasn’t doing one sheet

6:58

at a time now so i jog the paper both

7:00

ways and then take maybe

7:02

four sheets

7:04

and spread them and push them into the

7:07

machine and there was lots that went

7:08

astray one way or the other so i had to

7:12

print more than the 500 that i needed to

7:14

supply the orders but anyway that was

7:16

the process and then once they were

7:18

perforated four times through the

7:20

machine because

7:21

you only had five wheels and i needed

7:24

more for each direction so so a lot of

7:28

this feeding feeding the machine i did

7:30

get a few people learned how to do it so

7:32

i could job it out not too many

7:36

and so that was

7:38

and then from that point then comes the

7:41

hand separating and packaging and little

7:43

plastic things on cardstock you know

7:45

like it looks like a looks like a really

7:47

produced item when the purple will get

7:50

their orders

7:51

and then addressing and mailing

7:55

it wasn’t exactly a big money maker but

7:58

it did cover its

7:59

its expenses

8:02

and people loved it people loved having

8:04

their own stamps that they could lick

8:06

and stick on

8:07

on their mail

8:08

well there are quite a few stamp artists

8:10

who have their own line perforators

8:13

and i know steve smith is one of them

8:15

who did a very great

8:17

passing the flame

8:19

stamp sheet of stems and he base he

8:22

often bases his stamp imagery on us

8:25

postage and he just does these little

8:26

twists to it he’s brilliant

8:30

so there may be stamps from my editions

8:32

but there’s probably many that people

8:34

have done using either their printer

8:37

from their computer and then they have a

8:39

line perforator that they stomp them and

8:42

they might do an addition of 25 or 50

8:45

sheets or something they’re not doing

8:46

500.

8:48

robbie rudin also known as dogfish he’s

8:51

in seattle and he has an artist stamp

8:53

museum that is unbelievable he has i

8:56

mean everybody that has a perforator is

8:58

a stamp artist

8:59

buzz blur is another guy he’s he’s the

9:01

one who does these portraits

9:04

from photographs that he cut he i don’t

9:08

quite understand this process but he

9:09

takes polaroids and then he uses the

9:12

back and carbs and so

9:14

you know they’re they’re outstanding

9:16

portraits and very black and white

9:19

um

9:20

jim felter is another one who’s you know

9:23

written a book oh i helped him write the

9:25

book but anyway

9:28

he um he has a very extensive museum of

9:32

artist stamps himself and has done a lot

9:34

himself so you know so there’s quite a

9:37

few people

9:38

that

9:39

are specialized in artist stamps as part

9:42

of their their way of doing mail art

9:44

so i just want to you know let you know

9:46

that it’s not just me that’s doing

9:49

the stamps it’s really and even people

9:51

who don’t have perforators like ed

9:53

higgins is an old stamp artist out maker

9:56

he did paintings and then he’d reduce

9:58

them down

9:59

but he doesn’t have a perforator so he’s

10:01

always bugging the other people if they

10:03

will please perforate 25 sheets for him

10:07

the celebration of mail art

10:10

and the passing the flame is an

10:11

important addenda to that statement

10:13

because

10:15

for one thing i think male art has

10:18

within the circle of male artists well

10:21

known and well established but outside

10:23

of this particular network it’s it’s

10:26

still not

10:27

hasn’t really reached

10:29

you know

10:30

general public awareness that this is a

10:33

phenomena that’s going on so

10:36

the celebration is because it’s been an

10:39

amazing influence in my life

10:42

and that the passing the flame is my

10:46

hope that by

10:48

showing the works that people are doing

10:50

here in this show that i will get a few

10:53

people at least

10:54

fired up as i have been fired up about

10:57

mail art

10:58

and that they might

11:00

take on some of the new people that are

11:03

involved because you know there’s a

11:04

website in holland called the

11:06

international union of mail artists and

11:09

a lot of mail art information has

11:11

gravitated to that site and so

11:15

then the show was advertised on there or

11:17

was was was posted on there so so that

11:20

it what it does is extend the network

11:23

beyond mailed art

11:25

and

11:27

i think many of the people that

11:28

participate in that network

11:31

do mail things but there’s also a lot

11:34

that’s online that i’m just i just don’t

11:36

have time for and again my luddite side

11:39

is just saying i want the real thing and

11:41

if you’re not going to send it well too

11:43

bad

11:44

it’s like

11:45

i send the real thing i don’t send out

11:48

you know look at my website or see me on

11:51

facebook or whatever

11:53

so

11:54

so um right so the so then that’s the

11:57

idea was that i can hopefully get a few

12:00

people that will be

12:01

super turned on and get the pleasure

12:04

that i’ve had out of having these

12:06

international connections because it

12:07

really has been

12:09

an amazing opening up for me of

12:12

especially in europe

12:14

you know there’s a lot of people in the

12:16

states

12:17

but the opportunity to

12:22

it seems like the european male artists

12:24

are better connected within the art

12:26

structure and are able to arrange or

12:29

have affiliations with galleries and so

12:31

on which many of the north american

12:34

people don’t have because the galleries

12:36

just haven’t been interested so it’s

12:38

been it’s been very

12:40

interesting and connective and i you

12:42

know i’d like to see people

12:45

get a charge out of that more so than

12:47

they do out of facebook or you know

12:50

linkedin or texting texting

12:58

i’m going to try not to be too

13:01

critical of that in the workshops

13:03

because i’m sure well especially with

13:04

the youth group i mean i’m sure they’re

13:06

all going to have their cell phones with

13:08

them and the first thing i’m going to

13:09

say is please turn your cell phones off

13:11

so we’re here and we’re now and this is

13:13

what i’m interested in

13:16

the workshops are coming out of the call

13:20

for

13:22

work for the celebration of mail art in

13:24

other words the invitation went out long

13:27

ago many people are now have sent in

13:30

their responses to this

13:33

call i don’t know what the responses are

13:35

like i’ve seen in some of the envelopes

13:37

but the opening of these envelopes is

13:40

going to be the pleasure of those who

13:42

participate in the workshops

13:45

and within the workshop setting i’m

13:47

hoping to inspire them to

13:50

create responses and take the

13:52

responsibility of mailing their response

13:54

because this is something that a lot of

13:56

people have never done it’s gone to the

13:59

post office especially young people got

14:01

mailed a letter my goodness

14:03

so i’m hoping that you know this

14:05

antiquated way of communication will

14:07

have some appeal and it might not all be

14:10

young people i don’t know what kind of

14:12

and i brought certain projects with me

14:14

that i didn’t get around to finishing

14:17

myself and i had put a call out to my

14:19

network for example

14:21

for the little painter test strip

14:24

printer test strips that are on the like

14:26

when you open up a cereal box to recycle

14:28

it there’s and i asked the network if

14:31

they would contribute these things and

14:33

the deluge has not stopped

14:37

it’s amazing and i’ve trimmed them all i

14:40

don’t think the ones i’m giving

14:42

but i brought a bunch of those so i’m

14:43

thinking well if people don’t know what

14:45

to do which is often the case when

14:47

people are not confronted with actually

14:49

being asked to do a visual artwork i can

14:52

give them the idea for this project

14:54

which was that there would be a postcard

14:56

they could do a some frittage or

14:59

something about a bunch of materials to

15:00

do that and that could be the background

15:02

and then they could maybe just spell out

15:04

the person’s name in these little test

15:07

strips

15:08

that’s sort of the

15:09

you know

15:10

an easy big easy which may get them

15:13

started if they’re if they’re blocked if

15:14

they’re not blocked fine they’ll you

15:16

know there’ll be other materials and

15:18

there will be rubber stamps

15:21

three of them cancellations one from the

15:23

art gallery of greater victoria one from

15:25

open space and my own one that says

15:28

45 years of fooling around with a banana

15:31

so there’s rubber stamps and i’m not

15:34

sure what all supplies i brought but i

15:36

hope that they will and i’ve got some of

15:38

the international art boat steps that

15:40

they can use on their mail if they

15:42

choose or they can draw their own i’ve

15:44

got what i call stamp blanks that are

15:46

perforated gum to paper that they can

15:49

actually draw their own stamps on

15:52

and use on their things so i’m hoping

15:53

that you know my enthusiasm for this

15:56

network will be catchy

15:58

and that some of these people will go

16:00

yes let’s get involved we’ll see

16:04

i’m hopeful

16:05

one of the ways that

16:07

the network has built is that

16:10

people who become involved get the idea

16:12

well there they may have an affiliation

16:14

with an artist run center or the gallery

16:17

or whatever and so there are then calls

16:20

for projects

16:22

and

16:23

there are many of those calls and some

16:26

of them

16:26

originally the rules were

16:29

you you would send

16:31

the call would say there’s no fees

16:34

there’s no jury and

16:37

what else there’s some something else

16:39

there’s no rules you can send what you

16:41

will

16:42

and

16:42

that a catalog is per was promised to

16:46

all

16:47

well then then a lot of that is

16:49

gravitated to the internet so a lot of

16:52

the calls come out on the internet for

16:54

example with the iuoma site

16:56

and also a lot of the catalogs are put

16:58

up on websites

17:00

and

17:01

some people that’s fine it doesn’t i i’m

17:04

i’m a paper addict and an image junkie

17:07

and i want it on paper and i have a

17:09

wonderful collection of you know

17:11

catalogs from shows that i participated

17:13

in in all over europe and usa and

17:17

few in japan it was one in australia at

17:21

one point

17:22

you know so it hasn’t you know um and

17:24

south america there’s been a few in

17:26

argentina and brazil

17:29

so it’s pretty international which i

17:30

think i’m hoping that the appeal of that

17:33

kind of exotic connection will be

17:35

something that gets people interested

17:37

too

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