Over the past few months, I’ve been enjoying the chance to meet with a friend and make collages in response to The Druid Animal Oracle Deck by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm. Last week, I selected Frog, whose key words are Sensitivity, Medicine, and Hidden Beauty and Power (page 19, The Druid Animal Oracle Deck booklet).
Frog card illustrated by Bill Worthington for the Druid Animal Oracle Deck
I started the collage at a coffee shop with a large wooden table and completed it at home. The resulting piece emerged with the help of paper, stickers, paint pens, and watercolour.
Frogs’ Mosaic Green Room, Catherine Raine, 2013
Carr-Gomm’s booklet states that Frog is “a companion of the rain spirits” who can “help you develop your sensitivity to others, to healing and to sound through your skin and your whole body” (19).
Frogs’ Mosaic Green Room, Catherine Raine, 2013
Frog also encourages us to “look for the beauty and the magic behind appearances” (19).
Thank you, Frog, for your wisdom and artistic inspiration!
As an ESL teacher at a college, I’m always searching for interesting images to discuss, and these cards for the storytelling game, Dixit, struck me as richly imaginative. Recently, I asked students in my communication class to choose a picture from the deck of cards and give a short presentation about it. I was delighted by their insightful responses and asked permission to share their descriptions of the cards on my blog.
Sometimes life is so difficult, but you should always have hope and life. For example, look at the air in her hair. You need to fight all the time against air and the weather, but I think it’s worth fighting for life. And sometimes the world is cold, but there is still a flower growing to give you hope. (Karen)
They are playing chess.The warm light is shining on the couple. There is a loving feeling. . . Love is like playing chess. Regardless of the outcome, everyone can enjoy this process. In simple terms, just I want to find a girlfriend. . . The picture is very sweet and can give me a deep impression. . . Love is a wonderful thing. (Edward)
There are two fairies and a monster. The monster is trying to eat one fairy, and the other fairy is helping the fairy to escape. The monster is thinking, “I will eat you.” The fairies are thinking, “We want to leave.” I’m worried about the fairies. I chose this picture because it looked like the fairies said, “Please help us!” (Alvin)
Long, long ago, there was a rabbit kingdom and wolf kingdom. The rabbit king had to kill the wolf king. In the picture, the rabbit is holding a sword. To kill the animal, he has to slip into the bedroom of the wolf. He sees three doors. He doesn’t know which door to choose. He thinks a king lives behind the flower door because it is beautiful. He goes in to kill the wolf. He stops the war. The rabbit kingdom’s citizens call the rabbit an iron man. He is very brave. (Jian)
One day a boy is standing in front of the tree. His hand is holding an axe. He’s hesitating. Will he hack the tree or not hack the tree? I think he will hack it because the fruit of this tree is imagination. . . . Everyone has an imagination. (Teo)
I think this is a comedian. I think he’s crying. The comedian has finished his work. In fact, he’s facing his life. He’s an ordinary human being. I think he may have run into some trouble or a sad thing. When I see the picture, I feel very helpless, sad, and very lonely.
I chose this picture because it is very realistic in our lives. Sometimes many people show their glamorous side to everyone and keep the sad side to themselves. Their heart is very strong. A lot of people are like this. He can make others happy but not make himself happy. He has a strong heart. (Jerry)
A boy is planting seeds. The boy is thinking about a good harvest. When I see this picture, I feel hope for the future. I think the boy is not just planting seeds. He is planting hope. In the future, his dream will come true. (Annie)
For the past four years, I have been attending programs in honour of Holocaust Education Week at the Toronto Public Library. Last Tuesday, November 5th, I went to Sanderson Library to hear Joe Leinburd speak about his experiences in wartime Romania.
In 1939, Mr. Leinburd was only 17 years old when he heard the news that Germany had invaded Poland. The news interrupted a volleyball game he was playing with his friends, and at that moment he realized that his “plans and dreams were shattered.”
To help us visualize the horror of heavy forces of history pressing down on innocent people, invading their lives without consent, our speaker held up a piece of black construction paper. It resembled a shroud with menacing scallops that showed the arbitrary curves of political borders. When he placed the black cape over a map of modern Europe to indicate areas occupied by the Nazis during World War II, the effect was shocking. Very few countries evaded the reach of that twisted blanket of death and hatred.
Two years after the start of the Second World War, the “Romanian Fascist Regime, collaborating with Nazi Germany, deported the entire Jewish population of Northern Bucovina and Bessarabia to Transnistria, an area in southwestern Ukraine” (Neuberger HEW 2013 information booklet, page 40). Mr. Leinburd told us that the authorities only gave them 24 hours to leave. Then the nightmare journey to Transnistria began, in which Leinburd and his family rode in a cattle car for two and half days “without food, water, or medicine.” They were in “total darkness with no space to move and little air to breathe.”
In response to a question about whether he had a numbered tattoo on his arm, Mr. Leinburd said that the “Jews in Romania died of starvation and sickness instead of being gassed.” Later, one of the middle school kids in the audience asked, “If you had had a tattoo, would you want to remove it?” Leinburd’s short, emphatic answer was “No.”
Suffering drew no distinctions between concentration camps or starvation and sickness in the open air. Joe and “his entire family survived a death march from Moghilev to Murafa and was liberated in 1944” (Neuberger HEW 2013, page 40). The forced march lasted two days, and “nobody dared help the elderly, sick, or children who fell behind. The helpers would be shot.” However, during three years of forced labour and unspeakable privation (including eating grass), Joe recalled that everybody helped each other to survive.
As Joe Leinburd’s talk was coming to a close, a young girl wearing a headscarf asked, “What is your wish for this generation?”
“My wish is for them to remember what happened and to distinguish between right and wrong.”
I’m thankful for the courage and fortitude of our 92-year-old speaker who shared traumatic memories with us so that we can remember the past into the future, pushing against shrouds of hatred the moment we recognize them in ourselves, our communities, and in our governments.
A circular postmark dates the seventh letter as April 5th, 1989. Eric writes:
Catherine,
It is great to hear from you, as always. I’ve been thinking of you too recently and I almost started a letter. However, my physics lab class doesn’t allow for such frivolous behavior.
Lonely and Frightening Thought, Catherine Raine 2013
Yeah, my class really sucks this block, but to answer your questions — yes, I would say that I am happy in my “pleasant by not idyllic existence.” In fact, I’m somewhat sad that I only have another year here after which, I’ll have to enter the “real world” — no more free time and lots of neat people around like the 15 years of school I have had. Of course, if I go to grad school I’ll a have a few more years — sort of a temporary extension. But I know that the Grade School – Junior High – Senior High – College cycle has been completed and from here on, I will have to make a life for myself. Its a somewhat lonely and frightening thought.
Lonely and Frightening Thought, Catherine Raine 2013Lonely and Frightening Thought, Catherine Raine 2013Lonely and Frightening Thought, Catherine Raine 2013Lonely and Frightening Thought, Catherine Raine, 2013
I was very disturbed to hear that you are unhappy. You are one of the neatest people I have ever known.
Feelings of Alienation, Catherine Raine, 2013
I understand your feelings of alienation — everyone is basically alone and if you choose to explore this reality rather than drown it in social activity or religion, you will only increase the feeling of alienation. It’s worth it though.
Feelings of Alienation, Catherine Raine, 2013
Make friends when you can but never forget that you are alone. I care about you a lot but you are still alone. You may fall in love and forget for awhile, but I promise that sooner or later you’ll realize — you are still alone. So is everyone, whether they realize it or not.
Two chinchillas are spending time beside a still pool. The word “still” comes from an old letter from a friend.
Chinchillas and a Still Pool, Catherine Raine, 2013Chinchillas and a Still Pool, Catherine Raine, 2013Chinchillas and a Still Pool, Catherine Raine, 2013
This rare species of knitted eagle feels as at home in the water as it does in the sky. Much less predatory than its non-textile cousins, the knitted eagle enjoys a quiet life of introspection.
Mosaic Dream Waves appears two years after my first public art exhibit, Maps of Loss: Rivers, Ruins, and Grief. On display until July 31 at Runnymede Library, Mosaic Dream Waves has a lighter approach than my previous display. Turning from melancholy to playfulness, the artwork pictured here invites you to visit an inner landscape where waves perform on stage, a mystical ornament shines, a yogini flies on a crazy quilt, and a dancing bird woman keeps company with a raven and a horse on wheels.
Waves on Stage, Catherine Raine, 2011Roll Me to the Moon, Catherine Raine, 2011Disco Pirate Zombie, Catherine Raine, 2010Flying Bookfish, Catherine Raine, 2012. (I learned how to make this altered book at a free workshop at S. Walter Stewart Library).Shine, Catherine Raine, 2012 (This piece was inspired by a guided visualization).Matryoshka Doll on a Stagecoach Ride, Catherine Raine, 2012Yogic Flying on a Crazy Quilt, Catherine Raine, 2012Desolate Yet Undaunted, Catherine Raine, 2012Dancing Bird Woman, Catherine Raine, 2012Abstract Wiseman, Catherine Raine, 2012I love how the staff gathered books about collage and altered books, adding them to the exhibit.
As part of the opening reception on July 13th, I offered a free collage workshop that took place in the program room across the hall from the gallery. My mother, Carlyle Raine, kindly offered to help with the workshop, and the beautiful art that emerged captivated us with its originality, energy, and flair.
Collage by Sehrish Mazumder, 2013Collage by Sehrish Mazumder, 2013Collage by Md. Mahdin Mazumder, 2013Collage by Md. Mahdin Mazumder, 2013Collage by Fariha Fyrooz, 2013Collage by Fariha Fyrooz, 2013“The World Hangs by a Thread” by Ellen Jaffe, 2013
Thank you, Runnymede Library, for fostering community art, learning, and creativity under the eaves of your poetic attic!
The exact date of Eric’s sixth letter is uncertain, but I estimate that it arrived in the late spring of 1988. Accompanying the letter was an application form and a catalogue with “a lot of propaganda” (Eric’s phrase) about Colorado College.
I was thinking of transferring from Westminster College after an unhappy freshman year there, and I appreciated the concern behind his question: “Do you have a Financial Aid Form filled out yet? You should do that fairly soon and have it (need analysis) sent to the schools you are applying to.”
Herd-like Organizations, Catherine Raine, 2013
After letting me know that Colorado College “is dropping one block out of the year in the so-called ‘Eight-block plan’ (and) CC also hasn’t divested (another point they don’t dwell on in the recruiting pamphlets),” Eric responds to a story I had told him in a recent letter. The story was about how I started an Amnesty International chapter at my college and how surprised I felt when one of my fellow freshman approached me to say that she would love to join the group but she could not. She hesitated because she was worried that the CIA would open a file on her.
Herd-like Organizations, Catherine Raine, 2013
I also lamented that I felt left out of social life at my Greek-dominant college because I was not selected to join a sorority. His reply was comforting:
Personally, I think Kappa Kappa Gamma and other herd-like organizations are a greater threat to Democracy than Amnesty International, even if the CIA and K. don’t agree with me.
Herd-like Organizations, Catherine Raine, 2013
The next paragraph continues:
I just started reading a book — Dead Souls, Nikolai Gogol. I think it’s going to be a really good book. I went shopping with a friend . . . who bought a book by Nabokov and a Cheap Trick tape at the Bookstore — quite a contrast.
Herd-like Organizations, Catherine Raine, 2013
Friday night, he and I filled out our Boto Bags* with drinks and got slightly drunk while walking around Colorado Springs. It’s really a shit-hole of a city but it was fun.
Bota Bag, Catherine Raine, 2013
Did you pick up the book by Kafka yet? I hope you like it.
Bota Bag, Catherine Raine, 2013Bota Bag, Catherine Raine, 2013
If you need to ask me something about your appl. that can’t wait for a letter answer, give me a call. Otherwise, write
LOVE,
ERIC
* Do you know what a Boto bag is? It looks like this.
When making a Corn Goddess collage, please secure a supply of thread, handmade papers, and stickers. Once completed, she is ready to celebrate the summer solstice with you.
Turning to a new missive dated March 8th, 1988, Eric opens the letter with a response to a debate we’d been having about Christianity.
Repression, Catherine Raine 2013
Catherine, I think your analysis of the Christian as one who would deny hatred is more than unfair. The Christian knows hatred. In fact, the hatred of the Christian is a brutal form of masochism which denies and hates with more energy than you can imagine. It’s this denial of self which is more cruel than any form of hatred you are capable of.
Repression, Catherine Raine 2013
This self-hatred is linked closely with the key to Christian Ethics — that thought can in itself be a form of sin. This is the root of Christian masochism.
Repression, Catherine Raine 2013
This form of ethics replaces choice in action with guilt over having the thoughts which caused a choice. An ethical system in which thought can be wrong can only lead to unhealthy repression.
Repression, Catherine Raine 2013
I’m taking a class in Biblical Ethics next year. I think the prof. is going to dislike my ideas but maybe not. My minor is “Theories of Ethics.”
Repression, Catherine Raine 2013
Eric’s next paragraph turns to less abstract matters.
Love Exists, Catherine Raine 2012
Tomorrow I leave for a trip to the Grand Canyon. It is going to be really fun, I think. I’ll be gone for about a week.
Love Exists, Catherine Raine 2012
I’m going to be home in two week(s) for spring break (March 23-April 3, I think). I’d like to see you if possible. Love exists, Catherine. Don’t be depressed or alienated. I really care about you.
LOVE, Eric
Love Exists, Catherine Raine 2012
The third page of the letter contains a post-script dated March 18th.
Well, I was rushing to pack for my trip and didn’t mail your letter. It was a fun trip. The Grand (Canyon) is an amazing place . . . I had a lot of time to be by myself and think.
I checked and my spring break does begin March 23 so I’ll drive with some friends and get home late that night.
My library blog project started in 2007, and over the past seven years it has taught me many new skills. One of the most important ones has been digital photography. When I look at some of my earliest posts, their lack of pictures or not-so-great pictures show me how far I have come.
To fully do justice to all 99 libraries, I would like to photograph three branches that have been undergoing renovations (Mount Dennis, Bridlewood, and the Toronto Reference Library) and twenty-two others that need better pictures. These branches include Rexdale, Woodview Park, Victoria Village, Oakwood Village, Swansea Memorial, Humberwood, Black Creek, Weston, Bloor/Gladstone, Northern Elms, Amesbury Park, Gerrard/Ashdale, Albion, Humber Summit, Davenport, Jane/Dundas, Perth/Dupont, Brentwood, Thorncliffe, Locke, Pape/Danforth, and Albert Campbell. Finally, I need to visit the newest TPL branch, Fort York Library.
It will be satisfying to wrap up this project despite how much I will miss it!
This paper doll emerged from the scraps of a previous project. Many of the various elements just seemed to want to be together!
Purple Paper Doll, Catherine Raine, 2013
The metallic paper background is fun to photograph because it changes colour depending on the location of the light source. From shiny to mysterious in two images!
My friends Dan and Tracy love books, gardens, music, fine food, and wine. This collage is for them!
Dan and Tracy’s Collage, Catherine Raine, 2013
The boar with the headdress symbolizes Dan’s connection to Kansas City, Missouri. In that city, a statue of a boar lives on 47th Street, and he brings luck to people who rub his brass nose and drop a coin in a box.
Dan and Tracy’s Collage, Catherine Raine, 2013
It was my good fortune to make soap sculptures and listen to the Chronicles of Narnia with Dan in the 1970’s when we attended the same elementary school in Liberty, Missouri. As teenagers, we played in the symphonic band, wrote for the high school newspaper, and took French together. Dan and I kept in touch by mail, and in 2008 I got to visit him and his partner Tracy in Oregon.
Dan and Tracy’s Collage, Catherine Raine, 2013
Happy Birthday, Dan! May you and Tracy share a joyful day!
Although a century has passed since Vaslav Nijinsky (1890-1950) danced in his prime, his artistic energy flows forward in time, crashing on the Four Season Centre’s stage in a wild wave of visionary brilliance. In fact, the stage holds but cannot fully contain John Neumeier’s Nijinksy, for I still carry the performance with me two days after I saw it.
When I think about the ballet, I am most haunted by the scene set in a Swiss hotel’s ballroom in 1919. There, the title character improvises a solo that turns out to be his final public appearance before symptoms of schizophrenia end his dance career (“John Neumeier’s Nijinsky,” by Michael Crabb, Performance Program, page 8).
In the hotel scene, Nijinsky stands holding one hand outstretched overhead, fingers spread wide, his body tense. Slowly, the hand turns into a fist. He drives the fist into his mouth, and as his arm continues to push down, the force of this movement pushes him all the way to the floor. He lies there with his fist still in his mouth, stunned by this primal act of self-harm.
When my eyes follow the trajectory of that cruel driving fist, I witness a moment of pain so raw and private that I shouldn’t be watching it because the anguish and despair feel real. The fist’s repression hints at a buried scream that it is desperate to silence. Inner struggle literally brings the dancer low, an artist known for his spellbinding leaps now slapping the floor with futile hands.
The second scene that I cannot forget arrives in the second act. Asylum inmates in dove-gray ballet costumes hoist a Broken Boy from their midst. He stands on the shoulders of two male inmates, and each member of the group that encircles him raises one arm straight up in the air, their palms the face of prayer.
When soldiers dressed in green jackets and undershorts storm the asylum, the Broken Boy gets crushed as they stomp around him in unison, their aggressive dance not softened by the presence of a woman with long hair in a body stocking. The Broken Boy tries to run but gets stuck. He is bent over, one of his hands steadying him on the floor while the other flies up. His jacket flops over his head as his legs spin in useless circles, going nowhere.
Looming over the turmoil are two large illuminated circles that tilt oppressively, and the choreography mirrors their shape in a pattern that Nijinsky follows as he twirls with his arms overhead in a perfect circle. At one point, an anonymous dancer circles the still figure of Nijinsky as if he is a Maypole. And during the Scheherazade dance, lines of dancers break off into circles like arcing beads of earth magnets as Nijinsky swoops lyrically, his body and arms creating symmetrical half-circles of constant movement.
The heartbreaking beauty of Nijinsky communicates what human disconnection feels like (hands and arms that undulate in proximity but rarely touch) and the suffering of a person crashing on the rocks of isolation and pain. Nijinsky’s psychological struggle reveals itself in unforgettable images: the fist in the mouth, the Harlequin kicking the stage wall, the Golden Slave with his arms crossed overhead as if bound by a rope, the man in the straightjacket rolling across the floor, and the long lengths of red and black velvet that twine around Nijinsky’s limbs in the final scene.
As a grateful viewer of this powerful ballet, I’d like to thank John Neumeier and the National Ballet of Canada for expanding my understanding of Nijinsky and teaching me through dance what no psychology or history textbook could express with such visceral impact.
Inner Map (Non-Political), Encaustic Painting by Catherine Raine, 2010
After a letterless five months, I was delighted to receive an illustrated missive in November 1987. Eric wrote the first part of it while visiting the Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs.
In the Garden of the Gods, Catherine Raine 2013
Catherine,
Greetings. I am watching the sunset at this time.
In the Garden of the Gods, Catherine Raine 2013
I’m out at the Garden of the Gods which is a large group of rock formations.
In the Garden of the Gods, Catherine Raine 2013
It’s only 4 o’clock but the sun will set soon because there are mountains to the west. I wish you were here.
In the Garden of the Gods, Catherine Raine 2013
Two dark parallel lines frame a simple sketch of Eric’s view. A hill with three sprouted lines is Norad, and Pike’s Peak is labelled, too. I love how he included the precise height of Pike’s Peak: 14,110 feet. To the right, jagged rocks burst out of the informative illustration box with the caption “Rocks obstructing more mountains.”
In the Garden of the Gods, Catherine Raine 2013
Below the box is an apology that holds painful layers of meaning. A five-month gap between two letters in 1987 seems like a brief interlude compared to the stretch of time that continues to expand without mercy after Eric has passed far beyond the world of letters, apologies, and stamps. His silence stretches both backwards and forwards in time.
In the Garden of the Gods, Catherine Raine 2013
I’m sorry it has been so long since I have written to you.
It Isn’t To Be Polite, Catherine Raine 2013
If you are wondering why I am writing though, it isn’t to be polite or because I owe you a letter.
It Isn’t To Be Polite, Catherine Raine 2013
It’s because I suddenly got the urge to talk to you. Why this urge? Well, truthfully, you are the first girl I ever felt really close to and you are always a friend (in the sense of friend much different than a superficial “social friend.”)
It Isn’t To Be Polite, Catherine Raine 2013
The three-page letter continues with news of a break-up and a reflection on how the presence of Norad makes Colorado City “one of the targets for a first strike.” With a wavy line to show a time and location break, he promises to finish the letter back at college.
Tightrope Walker, Catherine Raine 2013
I had a really great Ethics course. I did a lot of thinking. My favorite quote is (in) the class was from Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Nietszche.
The text Eric quotes comes from page 18 of this book: “there is no Devil and no Hell. Your soul will be dead even sooner than your body: so fear nothing more!”
Zarathustra is talking to a tightrope walker who is about to die (he fell.) Anyway, the t.w. is worried because the “pious” people told him he was not a good person and would go to Hell. Zarathustra cou(n)sels him:
There is no devil and no hell. Your soul will be dead even before your body.
Fear nothing further. (F. N.)
Tightrope Walker, Catherine Raine 2013 (I like the text box and how Eric added bold-letter drama to the word Zarathustra. I wonder if the box was intended to represent the tombstone he mentions below).
I think I’ll have this quote inscribed on my tombstone if I have one (which I doubt.) I bet the religious people in my family wouldn’t appreciate the grim humor.
The next letter arrived in April 1987 and introduced me to Eric’s love of Pink Floyd.
The Final Cut, Catherine Raine 2012
I listen to Pink Floyd all the time. I’m doing so right now.The album The Final Cut.
I enjoyed it when Eric told me where he was or what he was listening to while he was writing his letters. It helped me feel connected to his reality even though he lived far away.
The Song is awesome. “Not Now John.” The song is about making a movie.
“Who cares what it’s about as long as the kids (go).”
The opening line is “Fuck all that, we’ve got to get on with these.”
Eric’s next paragraph in the letter turns its attention to another Pink Floyd album, the iconic Dark Side of the Moon. He describes the songs as “very political and philosophical.”
Dark Moon, Catherine Raine 2012
Dark Side of the Moon is a very good album. It’s about death and depression (The “dark side” of human nature.)
All That You Touch, Catherine Raine 2012
One of the songs has the classic line, “All that you touch and all that you see is all that your life will ever be.”
Pink Floyd tends to be very gloomy, but I like it.
A lot of people hear listen to The Grateful Dead. I’ve heard some Dead but I don’t like it too much. Looks like I’m not going to be a “Dead Head.”
Dark Moon, Catherine Raine 2012
By the way, Dark Side of the Moon ends with a faint voice in the background who states, “There is no dark side of the Moon really; as a matter of fact, it’s all dark.” Isn’t that awesome?
I’ve got to go. Love, Eric.
Eric’s next letter arrived a few months later. It’s shorter than most because he was in the middle of his freshman finals. The shape of his letters show his haste, many of them blending together, such as the way the top of the “t” in Catherine stretches to touch the top of the “h.” The calligraphy of swiftness.
Have to Study for My Physics Final, Catherine Raine 2012
Catherine,
I don’t have much time to write because I reallyhave to study for my Physics final. I haven’t done any homework for the class and I’m about 300 page(s) behind.
I feel bad about not writing you. I like you a lot and consider you a very good friend. I hope you realize that. I just noticed that every sentence in this letter begins with “I.” Oh, well.
Do you like The Who? I think they are awesome. The reason I’m writing is because I was listening to “Behind Blue Eyes.” Have you heard the song? It reminded (me) of the conversations we used to have about me . . . . “No one knows what it’s like to be the Bad Man/to be the Sad Man/Behind Blue Eyes.”
Do you know where you are going to school for sure yet? Write back if you want — otherwise I’ll talk to you this summer. Love, Eric
The collages pictured here are the first in a series inspired by eleven letters written by my hometown friend Eric Canuteson. He wrote the first one in 1986, and the last one arrived in 2002 before e-mail took over as our means of correspondence.
Last December, I was devastated to learn that Eric suffered an untimely death at age 43. How could the teenager I had passed notes to during Greek and Roman History no longer be alive? His friendship impacted me immeasurably, and I wanted to honor his memory with an art project that incorporated actual text from the letters and images, people, and places he described.
Love Eric, Catherine Raine 2012 (Eric’s signature from 1987 letter)
Preserving examples of Eric’s handwriting feels crucial. Messy, scratchy, sprawling – I love the way he always signed his name in really huge letters. He also was a great one for circling or putting boxes around important phrases and doodling in the margins. They are the letters of a busy, dedicated person who has taken the time to share his thoughts with a friend. I’ll always be grateful to Eric for that.
Before starting this project, I photocopied the letters because I couldn’t bear to tear up the originals. I also gathered up as many images as I could that seemed relevant to the letters’ contexts.
The next collage, “Eric’s Excellent Intellectual Adventure,” takes its theme from the first letter Eric ever sent me. He had just started his freshman year at Colorado College, and I was in my last year in high school. Postmarked September 24, 1986, it describes his classes, first term paper, and grades. He also asked me to pass on some messages to his former teachers, including a tongue-in-cheek summary of his political views.
 Eric’s Excellent Intellectual Adventure, Catherine Raine 2012
I used the actual postmark from the envelope for this collage. The postmark and the political figures Eric mentions place our friendship in historical context, for his letters are both cherished personal souvenirs and valuable documents that give us a snapshot of an era. It seems an obvious point, but it still astonishes me that Eric’s first letter existed in a world before South African apartheid ended, before the Berlin Wall fell, before Clinton (sandwiched between the elder and junior George Bush), before 9/11, and before Obama.
I am a Liberal and always have been one.
Reagan Sucks.
Rehnquist Sucks (Rightquest)
Death to Fascism.
Daniel Monion is a joke. (It took me awhile to figure out that Eric was referring to Daniel Moynihan, whose name didn’t register in my memory bank of late 1980’s political figures).
Support the ANC!
I hate Republican business majors.
There aren’t any here, thank God.
I really like how he put the title “Mr.” in quotation marks next to his name. At age 18, maybe he didn’t comfortably inhabit the title Mr. Eric Canuteson, so he left the “Mr.” outside the box he drew around his new contact details.
The same letter of September 24, 1986 testifies to Eric’s academic success in his crucial first year of college. With Eric’s ambitious spirit and fierce intelligence, he laid a strong foundation to later complete his Ph.D.
I was impressed by Eric’s go-getter attitude in all the years I knew him, but that’s not to say he couldn’t be laid back, too. I loved the part in the letter where he admits he put off writing his paper to watch an Eagles versus Bears football game.
Eagles Versus Bears, Catherine Raine 2012
I got a B+ on my very first college paper (I wrote it in a very short time because I was watching football.)
An arrow starting from the letter “a” in football points to the words “Eagles v. Bears” floating in the space above the first line of the letter.
The letter goes on to describe how he received an A on his final test.
I got the highest grade in the class — there were only two A’s. By the way, My class is SATIRE AND CARICATURE.
I’m taking Russian (7 hours of it, no less) in the 5th and 6th blocks. (Colorado College’s block program allows its students to focus intensely on one class at a time in a series of eight blocks a year).
