Rubber Soul: Rubber Stamps and Correspondence Art (Folk Art and Artist Series)

The seven artists featured in this volume demonstrate the creative heights of rubber stamp and correspondence art. Sandra Mizumoto Posey, an almost fanatical rubber stamper, traces the history of impressed art back to the days of Mesopotamian cylinder seals. Rubber stamps, she notes, have been the tools of such artistic notables as Marcel Duchamp and Andy Warhol. Today the production of rubber stamps has evolved into a multimillion-dollar industry with a customer base that includes casual users, hobbyists, and artistic professionals. Although they live in an age of instantaneous electronic communication, many rubber-stamp artists connect with each other by mail. Their letters and packages - sometimes whimsical, always original and ornate - move through the relatively languorous channels of the U.S. postal service. This book explores the fascinating network fostered by such networking.