Riposte Card No. 20: Uneventful Inevitability!

Or, Jack Gardner by Sandi Falconer

There is a duality at play in October’s Riposte Card. You see, the line that illustrator and printmaker extraordinaire Sandi Falconer opted to illustrate was as follows:

“If you wait long enough, nothing will happen.”
— Jack Gardner

But then, if you read Sandi’s Riposte Questionnaire, her favourite aphorism says that something in fact does happen:

What’s your go-to item in a well-stocked stationery store?
Black markers.

Where do you go for inspiration and/or information?
Books, signage, packaging, the record store, tv, movies, Instagram, newsletters. Inspiration is everywhere.

Is there one joke, witticism, or aphorism you live by?
Shit happens.

What’s the best thing to put on toast?
Salted butter.

What work are you most proud of, and how can people support it?
My new series of monoprints called Gut Feelings! They are each inspired by records in my collection and printed in my home studio. Check them out on my website: www.fountainsprintshop.com

So perhaps nothing happens until shit happens, so we might as well enjoy the wait.

The other question raised by October’s Riposte Card is this: Who the hell is Jack Gardner? A British author, aphorist, and in 20 Riposte Cards, the first quipper of quips with whom I’ve ever exchanged emails. What does it mean, I asked him. His response:

“If an aphorism needs explanation it is a bad aphorism.”
— Jack Gardner

He also told me that “A pretty problem can be more attractive than an ugly solution,” and sent along this sketch:

Onward we trudge! Trudge with us and get the above card mailed to your home, office, post office box, or any other address you so desire!