A lot of people these days worry about whether other people are going to bring about the collapse of civilization and the end of life as we know it if they don’t perform the proper ritual when various patriotic icons are displayed. But the VA in Leavenworth is going the extra mile to recreate a national icon that will take the breath away from the most casual observer.
See those wossname, things, sticking out at the top of that water tower?
Yeah, those. And here is what is happening:
That’s right! Can you believe that? The VA is creating a replica of the Statue of Liberty out of that water tower!
Three new ones in three days, and I know of two more still to come!
We received two from Jeff Newhook of Newfoundland. This first one includes the Chinese character for “Read.”
The second one was made to promote Johnson County Library’s Maker Space! Thank you, Jeff!
This next one is from Michelle Sherry, in Olathe, Kansas! It’s exciting to see work from Johnson County residents. Thank you, Michelle!
We started to work on the layout for the display pieces last night. They’re moving some of the desks in our main circulation area, so we plan to put the display out when they’ve finished playing musical chairs, hopefully Thursday evening. Here’s a sneak peek at Sarah, my partner, putting some of the pieces on the framework:
I’ll plan on showing you the other items that arrive (in individual photos) as well as the entire exhibit when I post next Saturday! Thanks again…
We had a great mail week here at Lackman Library! Our first card came from Connie Jean in Cocoa Beach, Florida. It features Frances, from Russell Hoban’s books for children, who is one of my favorite characters!
We also got three cards in an envelope from Meral Agar in Istanbul, Turkey. Each card is from a different artist so I will show you front and back from each card. Check out their blog: http://artsin2010.blogspot.com/ It has some really great pieces you don’t want to miss plus a photo of their own mail art display.
First, from Turkan Elci:
Next, from Oznur Kepce:
And the third, from Meral Agar:
Our next 5 pieces came from Moan Lisa , a prolific artist and member of IUOMA, the International Union of Mail Artists, where most of these contributors show and trade their work. Moan Lisa is from Iowa City, Iowa. Moan Lisa, thank you for…
Jeanne’s back reporting to two jobs most days, 0730 through 2100 either in transit to jobs, or working. But believe it or not, she’s barely getting by financially. Next lifetime I’m going to devote some time trying to figure that out. Meanwhile, she’s lucky to have work, I reckons. Jack
Hi everyone, thanks for coming by. I’ve not been in the mood for blogging for quite a while, but lately I’ve considered posting again with less text, sticking to more photos. I’ll see how it feels.
I promise not to post the 1500 photos I took when I went to Washington and Oregon in July, but if the mood strikes, you’ll see a few. I did quite a few collages over my break, and got some really great stuff in mail exchanges, so maybe I’ll show some of that. Instead of trying to showcase my gel pen art, I’ll probably use this blog as a place to post creative work of all kinds.
At the beginning of July, I was invited to show some art work at a friend’s open house. She called it “Christmas in July.” It turned out to be a showcase for party plan products of various…
Jeanne’s Library Mail project keeps growing, it seems. There’s talk in the Johnson County Library System of taking it on the road to exhibit in the other branches of the system after it finishes in the branch where she works nights. Cool idea she had with this. Jack
Four cards came in the mail this week! This colorful card is from Sheila Wright, in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.
Thank you, Sheila!
The next three cards came from Sara Grob in Flauwil, Switzerland. Sara is one of my pen friends, and I have always admired her creativity.
Here’s her second: And the third: Many thanks, Sara!
We still have until August 29th to accept your submissions for the exhibit, so if you have something you’d like to contribute, send it along! (Check the About page for guidelines.) Also, if you’ve mailed something and not seen it on this page, leave me a comment and I’ll double check to make sure I haven’t missed anything.
Thanks again, and I hope you have a creative week!
Jeanne
More Library Mail Art Project came in while Jeanne was off doing whatever people do when they’re climbing Mount Ranier and wasting their lives away in boredom from not being home with the cats. Old Jules
We had several great submissions while I was on vacation, so let’s catch up with more mail art!
First, from Suzlee Ibrahim in Malaysia. I’ll show both sides of the card because I think stamps, postmarks, and air mail stickers are also interesting! Thank you, Suzlee.
Next, our youngest contributor, Elizabeth Schwartz, age 9. This one is postmarked San Francisco. Nice work, Elizabeth, thank you for participating! If any other children are interested in sending their art, we would love to see it!
The next one is titled “Book Love” and is from Jill Wiggins, in Austin, Texas. Thank you so much, Jill, and thank you for your description of your process in the message!
Our next artist is Consuelo Debiagi from Campinas, Brazil. Lieratura Literatura. The encaustic technique, using wax, will take a polish to preserve the shine. It’s lovely to see in person. Thank you, Consuelo!
Another great week for mail here at Lackman Library!
“Moment Book” a pencil drawing by Jaromir Svozilik from Oslo, Norway:
From Andre Pace in Phoenix, Arizona, a letter, a card about his book and two more cards with poetry on the backs!
From Peter Mueller in Bremen, Germany, an entire book with a stamped image on every page:
From Dorian Ribas Marinho in Brazil, three signed prints:
And a card and decorated envelope from Eni Ilis, also in Brazil:
We’re so pleased and excited about these submissions! I also made three that I will contribute myself, so here they are. The first one is from a sewing pattern, an old Classics Illustrated comic, and a children’s dictionary:
This second one is a collage I did from a summer reading program log that my mother kept for me in 1963 for the Johnson County Library. In those days, Lackman library didn’t yet…
Hi readers. Thanks for coming by. Jeanne’s about to zoom away on her morning bicycle ride, trying to find something long sleeved to block something just this side of the morning chill. She says she had a lousy dream last night, dreamed Leonard Cohen died. Bummer.
I recall dreaming Al Jolson died sometime a few years ago, but the fact he’d been dead several decades already took the edge off it. Not a good dream, but better than when he actually did it. I was in grammar school at the time and it’s the first time someone I really liked died, I think. He had just come back from a USO tour visiting troops in Korea and went kerplunk. Lousier than dreaming about it.
Anyway, in spite of myself I’ve been allowing my mind to wander into Jeanne’s Library job postcard art project. http://librarymailart.wordpress.com/
Trying to think of something that could be forced down the throat of the post office as a post card and sent over there to be forced down their thoats disguised as art. I’m considering gluing a 78 rpm record to a 33 rpm LP, a 45 rpm single, and a CD and putting address and stamps on the whole shebang. Might do it yet if I can find the 78 and 33.
But I wanted to sneak around and tell you about cats, mostly. That cat documentary at the top got me thinking about Hydrox and might have given me a dream about Niaid last night, or maybe she was just saying hi. A lot better than dreaming about Al Jolson or Leonard Cohen.
Hydrox, by the way, is hanging in there, and I’m including him in my gratitude affirmations numerous times every day. Been spending portions of almost every night outdoors doing what cats do.
And I’m about to toodle off to physical therapy to do what old human guys do when they’re hanging in there day to day, including themselves in their own gratitude affirmations numerous times every day.
I was talking to her on the phone last night, her feeling down and in fairly low spirits about the art she’s worked on all these years and hasn’t sold enough of to balance the cost of entries in art shows, etc. We were discussing other strategies she might try when I suddenly heard the word, “AWESOME!”
I thought the connection and gone bad or I was hearing wrong. Just reaching for the button to hang up when she added, “I sold one off the blog!”
I didn’t hang up after all, though the word awesome isn’t one I usually allow to reach my ear twice in the same conversation.
Can’t tell you how glad I am for her. I honestly couldn’t imagine a blog, no matter how much trouble a person took building it, was a place where original art could be sold.
74 years old, a resident of Leavenworth, KS, in an apartment located on the VA campus. Partnered with a black shorthaired cat named Mister Midnight. (1943-2020)
Since April, 2020, this blog is maintained by Jeanne Kasten (See "About" page for further information).
https://sofarfromheaven.com/2020/04/21/au-revoir-old-jules-jack-purcell/
I’m sharing it with you because there’s almost no likelihood you’ll believe it. This lunatic asylum I call my life has so many unexpected twists and turns I won’t even try to guess where it’s going. I’d suggest you try to find some laughs here. You won’t find wisdom. Good luck.
So Far From Heaven 
