Love Letters is a project documenting a year long, long distance relationship. While we broke up after a year, we both kept the letters and artwork that we had sent back and forth to one another. Years later, we reconnected on Facebook and friendship has emerged. I had the idea of collecting this material and doing something with it. This project is the first endeaver towards that end.
Author: Thomas Type: Homemade postcard Date: USPS postmark September 19 1991 This postcard was made by chopping up a painting I had made on a piece of canvas board. I can’t paint worth shit, but I’ve always believed that the more I did it- and play with the paint, it would help me with the media where I think I have some talent. Oh, and I’m always drawn to using crayons. 🙂 The rubber […]
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Author: Jason Type: Letter Date: January 27, 1992 Artwork: Xerox image and sketches/scribbles This is the first letter that was sent in an envelope together with another behind it, which I posted before, and linked here. Aside from how sweet this love letter is, with a curatorial eye, I look at this now and see more patterns emerge. Look at the crane and the towers in the xerox, and the little sketches. These towers arise […]
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Author: Thomas Date: USPS stamp Febuary 27, 1992 Artwork: Type R and Type C prints Size: 6″ x 10″ In the old days before digital photography, therer were a few ways to print color photographs. If you had a color negative, you would make a Type C print; if you had a positive (known as a slide, or a chrome) you would make a Type R print or a Cibachrome print. The papers and chemistries […]
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Author: Jason Date Jan 27, 1992 This letter was with another single page letter which was dated. The folds align in such a way, I think they arrived in the same envelope. But, I’m saving the other to post on another day. One of the things I loved about Jason was his attention to details and how he would se things that I would completely overlook or miss. I experienced him as “seeing” the […]
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Author: Thomas Date: USPS Oct 5, 1991 Artwork: Xerox, sketch On recycled paper bag Ok, I’ve put off publishing a long letter, and so here is one, and one that shares more personal content about myself. Before I began working on this project, it occurred to me that Jason ‘s letters contained some very personal information, and I asked him about if that was a problem, as I chose what to publish– and he […]
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Author: Jason Date: USPS stamp: December 3, 1991 Artwork: paint/ postcard One of the most striking things looking back at the correspondence from both Jason, as well as myself, is the way issues of love and death are intertwined in our communications. This budding relationship was happening right in the middle of the AIDS epidemic. At the time, it was a primary emphasis in my artwork, and Jason lived in NYC, one of the […]
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Author: Thomas Artwork: Silver gelatin print, rubber stamp Date: USPS stamp- shows March, but the date isn’t legible. My art stamp date is March 6, 1992 The first thing I remember about you were your eyes, beautiful, intense, and I remember standing in the hallway downstairs and I asked what I should do, and you said I should kiss you. And your lips were soft and tender and it felt new but it also felt […]
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Author: Jason Artwork: Mixed media/painting, rubber stamp Date: USPS stamp December 17, 1991 PEACE! I had selected a letter from Jason to post today, and had it scanned and everything ready to go, until hesitation crept in. The letter is fairly telling and personal, and while I asked Jason if he had any qualms about what I shared (and he said he did not), it still feels a little too personal for me. Like, it […]
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Type: Postcard Author: Thomas Date: USPS stamp: Oct 2 1991, card dated 9/29 Artwork included: Postcard was a collaborative project with a friend Mark. I provided him with some photographs and he collaged them into this card. 9/29 Got your “Chicken Vienna Sausage” card today. It’s great. You’re pretty wonderful. I want to peel and stick but am not sure where to stick it too. Had a busy day got a call from Filmmakers about […]
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Type: Hand-made card Author: Jason Date: Unknown, assume early February 1992 Artwork included: xerox of sketchbook I’m listening to Lucinda Williams as I work on this post. There is another singer in my head that I just can’t name, and I thought listening to Lucinda would help me recall her name. So far, no such luck. But as I dig through the stack of letters from Jason, Lucinda is singing “I just wanted to see […]
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