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To Jay De Feo

(15 December 1974-Dear Jay-after talking [[strikethrough]] w [[/strikethrough]] you on phone I got the impression you might have been somewhat irked w/me, so I decided to follow up with a letter instead (on back of photo Viw From The Hill-1962)

[[Crossed Out]]

Anyway, after I talked with you I talked with Bob Johnson and Paul Karlstrom. Bob was saying that perhaps he might be able to come up with some money to get your negatives printed. He feels he owes you something from the past. And although Bob and I really don't have much money, I have been trying to stash away enuff from my paychecks to pay Bob for mounting the phtographs for the Focus show, and maybe we could put enuff aside for your works. He feels that you really have been burned in the past by people taking advantage of you, I know that others are always making demands upon an artists's time, which is their most important thing. 

Also Bob feels that if we can convince you of the importance of what we want to do, since you don't really know me, then perhaps, we can eventually get together at a moment in time.

I sould love to get together in the daytime, but right now it's awkward. Come the depression, the city is the best place to work, but one is on probation for six months. So it's sort of work like hell, be good and once I get seniority civil service wise, one can goof off, whatever, and unless one socks one's boss, it's almost impossible to get fired. 

Actually one of the reasons I took the gig is I am supposed to eventually work evenings and weekends, which would give me some days free. I thought it would happen by now, but it will perhaps next month. 

If you feel that what you have is valid today and perhaps makes a statement about that world back then, then it's not necessary that we get together right away. Perhaps, after the holidays or when I switch work shifts. If I can have a minium of three weeks to work with the materials to make up fresh prints myself from negatives (although if you have existing prints, that might be all right,) or if you so desire I could provide you with photographic paper and chemicals, if you want to do darkroom work yourself. 

It was just that I have been obsessed with the Focus show for about six months, and am anxious to see what exists. Also altho the Rolling Rennaissance was my idea, Bob really put it together. The Focus thing is really my first attempt to put things together myself. Both Bob and Tom Albright have volunteered their help. But Tom has been so great for so many years. He arranged my first one man show, and he and his wife hung it for me. I would sort of like to surprise Tom and just have it hanging on the walls at Focus for him to see fresh. 

The photos at Focus can be for sale, at the option of the photographer. But collecting photographs is relatively new, and Focus really makes its money from the sale of phtographic books, rather than prints. But there is a possibity because of the unique artistic and historic validity of the show, that some prints may be sold. 

(more)

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-07-31 10:19:17