As an agent I have to find any reasonable means to get in front of potential clients. It's a tough market, but there is also enough business for everyone. One of the things I have to resort to is the infamous and often unpopular mailer.
Mailers are often regarded as recycling bin filler, fire starter, compost etc., but it's how many businesses reach their potential customers. I don't call Pizza Hut to curse them for sending a circular- I just recycle the coupons. Why are agents treated so differently? You would think we were mailing threats with thumbtacks to get some of the responses we receive from angry recipients of harmless mail. We don't mean you any harm, it was nothing personal- just throw it away if you aren't interested. I can relate and I sympathize with the problem of a crowded mailbox if that's the issue, which is why I took the time long ago to remove myself from mailing lists using the National Do Not Mail List. It was once free, but it now costs only a dollar to never hear from the likes of me again. An agent doesn't want to spend money to send you a mailer you don't want to get, any more than you want to get it in the first place. We respect the Do Not Mail List which is in fact tied to the very system we use to pull data for mass mailings. If you are on the list you will not get agent mail.
the list

$249,000 in the North Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle, will get you a dangerous, crumbling box of tetanus. A 6,000 square foot lot covered in sharp, leather-splitting wild blackberries, no stairs or porch of any kind and no front door. You get two bedrooms and a bathroom, but the kitchen has no appliances or cabinets and the bathroom is a Petri dish. Your agent need not worry about bringing a keypad for unlocking the door; bring a cordless drill to remove the curling plywood from the slick and mossy entry. Most of the windows are boarded up and broken and you get a bonus '65 Mustang with a hissing family of raccoons, large from being well fed on berries and rubbish. It would be wise to bring a rope and a first aid kit as well. The rope could come in handy for scaling the steep and muddy scrap pile that covers the only path to the property and the first aid kit for when you fall down and slide into the street. It's being sold "as-is" of course, but it would be a better deal if the house wasn't there at all.

This work utilizes some of the techniques I used in pieces of the "Unnatural Order" series. Instead of using altered, found-images I chose to create it digitally. Somewhere between automatic writing and automatic drawing lies the strange letters I allowed myself to write. I took a sampling of these symbol/characters and inverted them horizontally and vertically to creating a central character, which is emphasized by the red circle. The creature is meant to be a powerful manifestation of destructive possibility and a physical reminder of how mutated these notions are in relationship to the ways we must live or daily lives. The hybrid being encompasses air, water and earth, but lacks fire and lacks balance.



Gallery-wrapped canvas print US$950

This is amazingly bizarre! If you are squeamish I wouldn't recommend watching the last 15 seconds or so (unfortunately, it died in captivity hours after being found).

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I endorsed Schools First a while back and I try to encourage people to do the same. It's very important to note the Capital Bond and Operations Levy are NOT new taxes; they are replacements for expiring levies. The following is from www.schools-first.com:



YES ON PROPS 1 & 2


February 6, 2007

2007 School Capital Bond and Operations Levy

Quality Schools for Every Child

Proposition 1 – Capital Bond ($490m) – 6-year measure replaces and renovates deteriorated schools throughout the city, ensuring the best possible environments for teaching and learning. These schools have not been substantially renovated since originally built – 35 to 80 years ago.
Proposition 2 – Operations Levy ($397m) – 3-year measure provides nearly one-quarter of every school’s day-to-day budget, paying for basic classroom needs (teachers, librarians, counselors, bilingual and special education specialists, textbooks and supplies) and helping keep class sizes down.
Health & Safety First

The Capital Bond addresses basic health and safety issues in schools across Seattle to make sure our children have clean air and safe drinking water.

New and renovated schools will receive seismic upgrades for safety in case of earthquakes, and will help protect our children with new fire alarm and sprinkler systems. Schools will be designed for ADA accessibility.

No New Taxes – Measures replace expiring levies
Props. 1 & 2 are replacements for expiring levies passed by Seattle voters in 2001 and 2004. Average tax rates would remain unchanged.

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On February 6th, Help Every Child Succeed!
Seattle voters have a strong record of supporting our children and public schools. Thanks to previous voter support, Seattle has schools we can be proud of in every part of our city.

Props. 1 & 2 will continue this proud tradition. On Tuesday, February 6, 2007, please vote YES on Props. 1 & 2 to replace expiring levies. Both measures require 60 percent support to pass.

We Need You!
Endorse, volunteer and contribute online - or call campaign headquarters at (206) 652-1433 to find out how you can help.

We’re located at 1051 1st Ave. S., kitty corner from Safeco Field on the NW corner of 1st & Royal Brougham. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 1727, Seattle, WA 98111.

This was the first one I completed in this series and it's from roughly a year and a half ago. The snake beetle is known for its ability to fight while retreating as well as its ability to cling onto prey while it tends to other matters. The chugget is a sad mutation that has created a flightless, defenseless yet tasty bird (?). Another Photoshop creation involving antique field studies, the final stretched size is 42"x57" and gallery-wrapped of course. The price for this item is US$1400 plus shipping.

This is part of a series of larger pieces I've done using found field drawings from the 19th century and newsfeed images as backgrounds. I try to create natural prey and predator pairings when I do this to offer context; their world is "purely mutated." Here, an innocent pocket monkey is admiring the insect specimen he has trapped in a glass. Hanging behind him is the rare and deadly octohawk. It's a silent killer of unsuspecting, tree-climbing animals...or at least it could be.



This stretched and gallery-wrapped 51"x57" canvas print can be yours for only US$1750 plus shipping.