Zero Sum #23

Here's Zero Sum #23, a collage made up of an etching, acrylic paint, and two vintage postcards. You can see a larger version of the artwork, read a description of some of my content concerns, and even buy the thing, by visiting this auction on eBay, where you'll also learn why the starting bid is only $11.87.

If you surf on over to the Fiji Island Mermaid Press blog, you will find a little animation of the etching proofs that preceded this collage, which is kinda nifty.

But here I just want to direct your attention to something of very little importance or relevance: that postcard with the cherub spilling the coins from a hot air balloon is a Christmas card from 1911. It's a common gripe to hear that we've become far too materialistic concerning Christmas these days. I just want to point out that it's not exactly a recent development. Here's a card from the second decade of the 20th century in which Christmas is celebrated as a time when money rains down from the sky. Let's face it - we've always been greedy and selfish, it's just us.