Envelope Collage #27A by James Edward Scherbarth, Framed

Bright yellow, loops of white, and not a single stamp in sight.

Envelope Collage #27A, by James Edward Scherbarth (1949-2021), is torn envelopes on archival paper, dated 8-20-18 and signed, titled and dated 2018 on the reverse. Tearing rather than cutting leaves a soft, fibrous edge, and collage artists often value that visible accident. A big yellow shape anchors the sheet here. Over it, thick rings of white and putty-colored paper link like a chain, with a scrap of teal at upper left and a patch of pale blue below. A line of handwriting survives in the middle. 12 inches wide, 16 high.

Someone wrote that once, and it was meant for someone else.