greeting card back and forth / carte de vœux aller-retour

artistamps from Chuck Welch

to Chuck Welch

big post card from Chuck Welch

about Viet Cong stamps with Chuck Welsh...

CW
Here's an interesting anti-US, North Vietnamese stamp that I received from Jean-Charles Boilevin, Montbazon, France. Couldn't find the image in a Google-Reverse-Image-Search. Maybe some stamp art/philatelic friends can help.

JCB
I was sure you'll like it. It's an old stamp I bought in a package of old used stamps. This one is "interesting" as you say...

CW
Jean-Charles, It's a provocative stamp, especially if one survived the war as I did. I'm writing a book about artists' stamps and have researched anti-US  Viet Cong stamps. Quite a few were issued, but the one you sent has been difficult to locate. Are you a philatelist?

JCB
Chuck, I'm not a philatelist. My purpose was not to provocate, especially you. I'm sincerely sorry if you was hurt by this stamp. I apologise.

CW
Oh, not at all. I'm NOT offended. The war made me a devout pacifist. I'm really very happy that you sent the envelope to ERRORS, FAKES & ODDITIES.

JCB
I have a few others stamps from viet-cong

CW
Mail art was a young animal during the last half of the Vietnam War. One of many topics I'm exploring in my manuscript concerns the lack of US  artists' stamp condemning the Vietnam War. There were many thousands of posters and protest placards that were created, but none of the artists saw the inherent power of a tiny propaganda stamp. The Viet Cong and North Vietnam government issued official anti-war postage stamps. Perhaps it was too risky to do that on envelopes circulating in the US.

Oh yes! These are great. I'd like to consider using them in my book.

JCB
You can use it. Do you want I sent them to you ?
I send (sorry)

CW
By all means.
Can I exchange something for them, or would you like them returned?

JCB
I'm not a philatelist, but I'm a mail-artiste for some years. (...) In the 90's, I practiced mail-art. (...) During years 2000, I practically stopped practicing mail-art, because I had children, and also I was unumployed, so I was looking for jobs and it took my time.(...) I re-started practicing mail-art 6 years ago, and I discovered Ray Johnson and "fluxus" spirit of mail-art. (...)
Well, if you want, I can exchange warmonger stamps with artists stamps from you...

CW
We shall trade war for peace. Love it! I have some love/hate stamps I should send to you.

Btw, I too was out of the mail art network - for a decade - while raising my 4 children. During that time, however, I created three CDs of songs I had written.

JCB
I'll be curious to hear your music.

CW
It's singer/songwriter - contemporary folk. It seems a lot of my friends tend to like Jazz, which isn't on my CDs. I wrote a song about Ray Johnson when he died. It's a blues song.
I play guitar and piano, but not so much now.