Sickness Sets In — More Correspondences

Called in sick today... I'm sitting in bed with the laptop working on filing things. I've added more people yet again to the correspondence list — another 5. I'm also going to post my address on the website sometime this week to allow anyone to write me. The damn internet is on the fritz as usual. It's been like this since last friday so i've been writing these posts into a text file and saving them away. As soon as i figure out whats wrong with it I'll post these up to the site. I might not be able to post these everyday but i still have to write them somehow everyday.

Barker. Aaron — Dallas, Texas
Buttrey. Kevin — Cleveland, Tennessee
Cotealia. Spring — Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Duran, Dave — Savannah, Georgia
Glasso. Tracy — Atlanta, Georgia
- Harl, Michael — Richmond, Virginia
Hollenbeck. Phi — Dallas, Texas
Kanka. Jaroslav — Atlanta, Georgia
Kidwell. Martha — Charleston, Tennessee
Kutzback. Donny — Kenmore, New York
Newman. Scott — Savannah, Georgia
Olive, Frank — Bethel. Connecticut
Pearson. Olivia — Charlotte, North Carolina
Reynold. Tom — Powder Springs, Georgia
Schaefer. Susan — Grand Island, New York
Sherrill. Nancy — Marietta, Georgia
Skorepa, Dave — North Royalton, Ohio
- Smith, Jeannette — Atlanta, Georgia
Statts. Jason — Savannah, Georgia
- Sylvester, Olie — Auburn, Georgia
Vinson. Chuk — Atlanta, Georgia
Weiss. Danny — Miami Beach, Florida
- Whitlock, Laurie — Chattanooga, Tennessee
York. James — Brighton, Michigan
Zimmerman. Cassandra — Dallas, Texas

Kanka-Blackmon-Drinking-&-Me

I did work on the Schaefer/York correspondences for a good bit of the morning. They are really relaxing ones to work on... just white paint. Done in the same vein as the 'Adds' Series. I got about 5 of each done, but only their fronts... I hope to get their backs done this next week. Each set is about 20, but like other correspondences, they will be stagered throughout the mailing weeks.

Kanka called me about 1pm and insisted that I go to El Myr and have a drink... and of course I bent. Had a pretty good time there.. as usual. Another photographer friend of ours was there - Blackmon. She was assisting Kanka earlier that day. They were shooting a yoga class and said it was crazy-funny. Kanka showed me his new Cannon Mach2... sweet little (big) camera, can't wait to use it on our next shoot.



Started to not feel that well so I went home early. I've been kinda ill all week. I think I'm gonna call in sick tomm. and try to beat this with sleep. I just did a little more work on the final 'v.Refuse/n. Refuse' correspondences for Zimmerman, but had to cut that short because of this headache. I'm gonna go to sleep now.

Folks Helping Folks With Folk

Well the weather man was right. Ice everywhere... I mean everywhere and thick too. I had over a 1/4" coating my entire car. The streets were frozen.. man everything. the best part was getting it off the car. you could actually roll down your windows and be left with a fully intact sheet of ice... kinda like a second window. the funniest was smashing that... hmmm good stuff.

We finished building out the under-structures for all of Sherrills bio panels. They should be really sturdy. She had all of the bio printed on chip board and skilled in black ink. Standard Deluxe out of Alabama did that. They look really good. I'm truely interested to see how everything looks when the show is hanged. She also had poster printed up by Hatch Show Print... they look really cool... very Hatch'ish.

Stayed up until the wee hours with Kanka drinking martinis... gin of course. Most of the night I spent looking at this mammoth door Sherrill had. She was wanting to make that into the title panel for the show... something you'd see I guess when you wanted into the door. We had tried silkscreening onto earlier that night but it just didn't work. I don't know what the hell she'll do with that door. i wish i could have helped her with it but she'll figure it out I'm sure. I think it will be best for her to do that kind of thing... she already has the show in her head I know it. I'd just screw thing up.

Ahh Fridays Again

Not to much happened today. I did talk to Weiss He's been pretty excited about all of the cards I've been sending him. He was asking who they were supposed to go together. I don't think I told him though. Bahh ha ha!! Going over to Sherrills tonight to help her with preparing materials for the Folk Art show at the Woodruff. I think we'll be assembling all the backing materials for her bio panels. I want to make sure that we build these things sturdy... the show travels for 2 years. So the better we make them the longer they will last of course.

Should be interesting weekend Kanka will be joining us. the weather report says we're going to have an ice storm, but I think it's a bunch of shit. Better go buy my bread and milk... yeah right i think I'll be buying a bottle of gin instead. Read a funny story today about a guy who got trapped in his car under huge amounts of snow. He was traveling up to his cabin or something like that and brought with him a few cases of beer. He drank all the beer and used his pee to melt the snow that trapped him in his car. So the moral of this story is... bread an milk won't get you out of a snow covered car but alcohol can.

Drinking With the Kids

Halleluiah... Received another correspondence from Barker today (he's been away for a while) I think he's on a stamp kick this month. Last week I received 'Rough Riders' with a nice little story about a guy trying to get to his cousin's birthday. This week I got one called 'World Refugee Year'... and I must agree, it is very noir.

Spent the evening drinking with Kanka and Sherrill. Basic conversation and sensationalism that I'm always expecting (good stuff). It was a good evening at our usual waterhole El Myr — El Schmere. Drank a few too many black beers with Kanka. The waiter said that they were second best to sex... but I found my eyes googling at every beautiful brunette that entered. Ahh what is it with my hate and love for the color brown. HA!!!

Developed several interesting correspondence scenarios while I was at the bar, but I'll have to work them out more fully before I can clearly explain them here. Going to take it easy tonight and do a bit of organizing and go to sleep early. I think next week Monday I'll be able to start sending correspondences to 3 new people.

- Kanka
- S. Schaefer
- York

Then the next big mailing will be my Valentines and everyone on the list gets a few of those. i will be very busy in the next few days so I'm going to get my sleep while I can tonight. Perhaps I'll dream up some new art schemes... I usually do when I go to sleep early.

MAILING TRANSFERRAL
JANUARY 27, 2005
—————
HOLLENBECK - Left Foot 03 (drawing)
NEWMAN - Magnum Hawaiian 06 (postcard)

Revised 2005 Correspondence List

Barker. Aaron — Dallas, Texas
- Buttrey. Kevin — Cleveland, Tennessee
- Cotealia. Spring — Chattanooga, Tennessee
Glasso. Tracy — Atlanta, Georgia
Hollenbeck. Phil — Dallas, Texas
Kanka. Jaroslav — Atlanta, Georgia
- Kidwell. Martha — Charleston, Tennessee
Kutzback. Donny — Kenmore, New York
Newman. Scott — Savannah, Georgia
- Olive, Frank — Bethel. Connecticut
- Pearson. Olivia — Charlotte, North Carolina
Reynold. Tom — Powder Springs, Georgia
Schaefer. Susan — Grand Island, New York
Sherrill. Nancy — Marietta, Georgia
Skorepa, Dave — North Royalton, Ohio
Statts. Jason — Savannah, Georgia
Vinson. Chuk — Atlanta, Georgia
Weiss. Danny — Miami Beach, Florida
York. James — Brighton, Michigan
Zimmerman. Cassandra — Dallas, Texas

MAILING TRANSFERRAL
JANUARY 26, 2005
—————
BARKER - More Than Three Occasions 01 (postcard)
NEWMAN - Magnum Hawaiian 05 (postcard)
WEISS - Miss March / Miss November 05 (postcard)

Working at Sherrills

I'm gonna take my materials over to Sherrills Studios space tonight to do work. Haven't seen her for a few days and i like getting over there... it inspires me to do nutty things. Last time I was over there I took 2 of Hollenbecks 'Left Foot' correspondences with the intention of using some of her pastel house paints on them. I did... but after i looked at them I decided to set them on fire. they just looked like they need to be set on fire. Plus, I like burning things over at her house. Every time I do it she gets so bent out of shape. Fun Fun

Tomorrow I will be posting an updated correspondence list. I am adding 5 more people, bringing the total to 20.

Have suspicions that the people in my mailroom at work might be stealing my mail before it goes out. I checked with Newman to see if he received any postcards and after saying he didn't know what I was talking about, he added that if he had received anything it would have been at least 3 things (wonder what he's cooking up). This is positive news because I've only sent him 3 so far.

FORGOT TO SCAN MAILINGS AGAIN TODAY. DAMNIT!!!! And today I sent the Weiss the most controversial correspondence yet (only if you look hard at it though) I'm gonna have to stay up late tonight and scan everything.

MAILING TRANSFERRAL
JANUARY 25, 2005
—————
BARKER - Omitted Jughead 10 (postcard)
NEWMAN - Magnum Hawaiian 04 (postcard)
WEISS - Miss March / Miss November 04 (postcard)

Monday

Not feeling very well today. I'm gonna do a little bit of organizing, but I'm getting to sleep early today. I don't plan on getting anything productive done today. Need rest.. the last thing I want is to get sick and not be able to work for a prolonged period of time.

MAILING TRANSFERRAL
JANUARY 24, 2005
—————
BARKER - Omitted Jughead 09 (postcard)

Hollenbeck 'Left Foot'

Created a lot of new 'Left Foot' correspondences over this past week. Set a ot of them on fire too. It seems that the latest theme for about the past 10 of these has had something to do with burning. Some are set on fire... some have things you light up... and other have actual money (which I obviously have to burn). So far I'm at about 15 of the total 50. It's strange, but I have a tendency to either I guess tell a story or a better way of putting it is following a train of thought. it's the same thing I've been doing with Barker for the past year. All of his correspondences follow some common thread. Come to think of it, this all started with the Newman Media Mail work.... huh. I'll be very interested in seeing where these correspondences are at when I reach the initial 50. Who knows I might never send Hollenbeck anything else ever besides 'Left Foot' correspondences... but I doubt that.

Discovered that the instep of my left foot is the exact height of a dollar bill.... strange proportions... I'll have to use that observation at a later time in this series.

Bits and Pieces

Spent the major part of today organizing all of my small bits and pieces of junk into little labeled boxes. Things like keys, dice, bits of plastic, wood, bits of paper, and bits of metal. All of these things used to be piled together in large shoe boxes... but I decided today that it would be better to separate them into corresponding families. I'll probably use a lot of these pieces for the Hollenbeck 'Left Foot' correspondences.

I'm really enjoying doing these Hollenbeck correspondences the most. Because they have such a loose common theme I'm able to do almost anything with them. Just as long as they fit into that 9" x 12" envelope.

Email to Kanka

On Jan 20, 2005, at 8:57 PM, Jaroslav Kanka wrote:

how was the wing haven.....<05 Track 05 2.m4a>

REPLY:

Wing Haven was good. I busted out the pink paint and made some correspondence pieces for Cassie in Dallas... everyone gave me strange looks. I guess they have never seen anyone paint at the bar... fuck'm... 'I am important'. ( I have finally realized this)... I'll do what 'has' to be done. I do not know any other way.... 2.5 more years before I go for broke and try to make it on the passion.... on the obsession... on the soul... on the conscience... on the chaos... on the Virgin... on the self... and on and on and on. I am tired... so so tired. Not in myself but in the sociological fact that as a person I must earn... .... ..... ....... ..... I am so, so tired of earning my good friend... I simply want to produce... MULTITUDES UPON MULTITUDES... PROCREATE ON PREVIOUS INTUITIVE PROCREATIONS ...... DIVERD... and DIVULGE

Tonight I watched a film... the first film that has ever touched me...... and I can never tell anyone of it... even you.

November 28th, 2004 changed me.... I think I have changed myself again... I am sick... sick and so tired

Things are so strange my friend. I had an amazing conversation with a good friend this morning. I am going to start sending correspondences to his daughter (Olivia - 22 months). I know her likes and dis-likes. Ohh to be at such a tender age. I want to leave everything and start a-new, but alas I am not that naive soul. I can not leave what has already begun.

Why must we carry on..... Do I need to leave something behind for my 'own'... or is my 'own' the every.

I AM POSTING THIS TO THE BLOG

- Thomas Arthur Schaefer

Thursday

MAILING TRANSFERRAL
JANUARY 20, 2005
—————
BARKER - Omitted Jughead 08 (postcard)
HOLLENBECK - Left Foot 02 (drawing)
NEWMAN - Magnum Hawaiian 03 (postcard)
WEISS - Miss March / Miss November 03 (postcard)

Correspondence Sets Complete

Completed prepaing all 15 sets of correspondence materials today.
— 200 postcards
— 20 unique mailers
All postcards are hand cut to 4" x 6" standard postcard size.

MAILING TRANSFERRAL
JANUARY 19, 2005
—————
BARKER - Omitted Jughead 07 (postcard)
HOLLENBECK - Left Foot 01 (drawing)
NEWMAN - Magnum Hawaiian 02 (postcard)
WEISS - Miss March / Miss November 02 (postcard)



OMITTED JUGHEAD 07


LEFT FOOT 01

Stick to the Process

Huge blunder today... I mailed off 2 corresepondences before I had scanned and cataloged them. Very stupid. Hopefully none of them will get lost. I'm not too worried about anything happening to these ones in particular because the content on them is pretty tame, but if I were to do the same thing with something more controvercial, there would be no record of its existance if it dissappeared in transit. I'm going to print a process list to post around my home... just to reinforce it. I will have to get scans of the correspondences when they reach their destination... it's a shame I missed scanning the originals. I won''t make that mistake twice. I suppose I was just excited to get mail out today because of mondays holiday - need to be more patient and follow the process.

MAILING TRANSFERRAL
JANUARY 18, 2005
—————
BARKER - Omitted Jughead 06 (postcard)
NEWMAN - Magnum Hawaiian 01 (postcard)
WEISS - Miss March / Miss November 01 (postcard)

Weiss – Post Office Closed

It's monday and because of the holiday the USPS is closed. No correspondence transferred today. I completed the first set of Weiss correspondences today. I must say I am very impressed by this technique (paper strips). I used to PlayBoy centerfolds to complete this set of 12 - Miss March & Miss November 2004. When you put all the cards together you get a really strage elongated image of the 2 playmates... it looks really gorgeous. The thing I love most about this technique is the way it puts a random order to everything. Shapes and color areas corresponde to other areas in such a way that they almost seem like they were never separate images to begin with.... it's really impressive. I am going to have to try this technique on a larger scale.

I wrapped the excess from the strips around to the other side of the cards instead of cutting it off. I really gives the address side a nice chaotic look. The excess strips are complimented by some tears from San Diego sex ads. I think Weiss will really like these. I will have to send him instruction on how to frame these works... they really need to be seen all together.

Streamline Work Habits

Spent most of today reorganizing and catagorizing materials. I started pulling and sorting old materials for use with correspondences. The objective is to slowly purge all of my old materials that are not currently related with other bodies of work. I hope that in doing this I will be able to clear away at least 75% of my materials stockpile. This will not only help me keep a cleaner shop but also prevent me from starting new series of works. The goal is to limit all production of work down to 2 main bodies and 5 sub-sets.

MAIN:
Retroconsumerism
100 Small Works

SUB-SET:
Splits, Spans, Spreads & Sprawls
Black-Pink-White
Richie Rich
Jughead
Drawings

This consolidation of materials should help me produce more work on a faster schedule. This will help my move into a new space easier to organize.

Schaefer Beer

Began working on correspondences for various people using old Schaefer Beer campaign ads. I think they are gonna look really good. I'm producing 1 set of 30 cards that will be sent to S. Schaefer. The main image is a 60's street corner with a Schaefer Beer billboard in the background. I think I'll paint these in the same way Deiter Roth did his set of street scenes from London. Basically, he painted out certain portions and altered parts of the image. For color I think I'll only use white for these, but I'm still not sure what I will do on the opposite side.

Friday

MAILING TRANSFERRAL
JANUARY 14, 2005
—————
BARKER - Omitted Jughead 05 (postcard)

Ray Johnson 1927 - 1995

RAY JOHNSON TRINITY / HOLY SPIRIT

MAILING TRANSFERRAL
JANUARY 13, 2005
—————
BARKER - Omitted Jughead 04 (postcard)
BARKER - Ray Johnson Trinity / Holy Spirit (postcard)
HOLLENBECK - Ray Johnson Trinity / Father (postcard)
ZIMMERMAN - Heart to Heart Day Alteration AD (letter)
ZIMMERMAN – Ray Johnson Trinity / Son (postcard)

2005 Correspondence List

Barker. Aaron — Dallas, Texas
Glasso. Tracy — Atlanta, Georgia
Hollenbeck. Phil — Dallas, Texas
Kanka. Jaroslav — Atlanta, Georgia
Kutzback. Donny — Kenmore, New York
Newman. Scott — Savannah , Georgia
Reynold. Tom — Powder Springs, Georgia
Schaefer. Susan — Grand Island, New York
Sherrill. Nancy — Marietta, Georgia
Skorepa, Dave — North Royalton, Ohio
Statts. Jason — Savannah, Georgia
Vinson. Chuk — Atlanta, Georgia
Weiss. Danny — Miami Beach, Florida
York. James — Brighton, Michigan
Zimmerman. Cassandra — Dallas, Texas

MAILING TRANSFERRAL
JANUARY 12, 2005
—————
BARKER – Omitted Jughead 03 (postcard)
ZIMMERMAN – Heart to Heart Day Alteration AC (letter)