Here is an article from the Butler Eagle discussing the renovation of the Mars train station. There is no mention of John Jordon's gilding, (in fact you can't see it in the photo) but you can see the enamel signs which were purchased to replace the gorgeous carved signs made by Francis Lestingi. You probably have to log in as me, Jill Welsh, and use the password "weezer" to read it.
Some thanks, huh. They also took all of my meet easels and used them in construction. Just a little rant. They also repainted the flying saucer, took 3 years to hang a pavilion sign, and the mural which was painted on Alumalite to go inside the station hung in a local restaurant for a few years but is now missing. As are a few panels donated to the town for display in the bank and station. Love....Jill
Posted by Catharine C. Kennedy (Member # 4459) on :
Bummer!
Posted by Kimberly Zanetti (Member # 2546) on :
Jill, The AAA magazine out here just did a 3 page spread on Lodi with a bunch of pics. Not a single word or picture about the murals. Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
Tough****, thats just the way it is, all people up themselves and don't always give credit where credit is due.
Welcome to the club Posted by Bobbie Rochow (Member # 3341) on :
Jill, that is totally sickening. That must make you feel really awful. People are people.
You know, I might go to the paper & maybe tell the writer of the article about this, you never know......
Posted by Ken Henry (Member # 598) on :
Hey Jill, Happy New Year to you. I think that you've just re-discovered an old truth, that people tend to value more highly, anything that they've paid for, over whatever they've acquired for free. Also, for the media, the event is "yesterday's news", and they'll move on to what's of more current interest, forgetting the details of what was once newsworthy.
There's probably a lesson here, in how much more your work is respected, if you charge more for it.
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
That stinks Jill. Sadly, I'm beginning to wonder if the projects begun at the Dixie Meet will suffer the same fate. We installed the gold leaf dimensional sign on December 2nd and I have yet to hear a single word from anybody connected to the city.
Although they donated $1000 for the meet, a simple phone call or e-mail would be nice. Maybe we should hold the mural "hostage" until we see some appreciation (or cash) ..........
Posted by Dave Sherby (Member # 698) on :
Reminds me of Mike Meyer's situation in Mazeppa. Posted by Patrick Whatley (Member # 2008) on :
That really sucks Jill and Ken nailed the reason.
I heard Kenny Rogers, the singer, on a radio show one day and they asked him to sing and he said no. He spent the next five minutes explaining that he'd been told by someone, and lived by the saying "DON'T GIVE AWAY YOUR CRAFT."
He said he volunteered his time, donated money, and made appearances for worthy causes but if you wanted him to sing you had to write a check.
[ December 30, 2006, 05:42 PM: Message edited by: Patrick Whatley ]
Posted by Bobbie Rochow (Member # 3341) on :
Wow, thank you, Pat, very good to remember that!
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
The article seems like it is all about the historical restoration, it doesn't surprise me that they are not mentioning the Letterhead improvements. I'd be in there like a dirty shirt asking for the carved signs. I suspect that they are wanting to make the restoration historically authentic, and the stations just didn't have fancy carved signs back then. Hopefully they won't remove John's gilding, but don't be surprised if they do. Don't take it as a personal affront Jill, that will just eat you up. It is just that their agenda is for historicaly correct and doesn't include a love for the craft and the fine people who generously donate their skills and time. Maybe you should find out if they are planning on removing the gilding, in which case I'd ask for permission to remove the piece and have the glass replaced. Heck, I'd love to buy it!
Posted by Nancie W. Phillips (Member # 3484) on :
I recently hear some sage advice... "Don't oversupply the demand". Maybe that could be applied to our craft. I belive in giving, but sometimes it does seem to cheapen the value.
Posted by Jillbeans (Member # 1912) on :
I wish someone in the industry who has more "pull" than myself would call the society and ask that Francis' signs be donated to the Sign Museum before they end up as floorboards or something.
Since the windows are original to the station, I doubt that they'd part with them. But I can imagine the gilding being scraped off, even though it is simple and period-correct. John made sure of that.
My heart was in the right place when I approached the C of C about hosting this meet, but had I known how under-appreciated it would be, mainly by the Historical Society, I would never have brought it to town in the first place. Love....Jill
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jillbeans: I wish someone in the industry who has more "pull" than myself would call the society and ask that Francis' signs be donated to the Sign Museum before they end up as floorboards or something. Love....Jill
This ought to be easily accomplished with a simple request. That, or you can just hold another meet, si will show up as he rarely misses a meet.....send him:)
Posted by Bobbie Rochow (Member # 3341) on :
Jill, what pull do you need, honey? YOU were the one who brought this all to that town! YOU were responsible, & YOU could do it! Go gettem!
Posted by Michael Clanton (Member # 2419) on :
A little "Letter-to-the Editor", or better yet, a call to the paper for someone to come out and interview you for "...the rest of the story". I'm sure very few people even know about your contributions to the community at large and/or the stuff from the events.
Newspapers typically have very little to write about (and seldom get very many of the facts correct, anyway), and a story that might generate a little friction is what these people live for.(kinda sad, isn't it...)
I would bet they would be at your place before you could say "...those no-count, good for nuttin', sign-defacing morons who wouldn't know how to 'restore' anything if there life depended on it!"
Several years ago, a similar group of morons thought it would be smart to knock down our train depot instead of fixing it up-- to this day, it is just an ugly parking lot. Some progress, huh?
Posted by Steve Vigeant (Member # 439) on :
I think the upfront agreement needs to be looked at regarding walldog art. I'm pretty sure that in California all murals and public art are protected. You can not paint over a mural, even on your own building without permission from the artist. Destroying the art can lead to an award settlement. I'm not sure what all of the requirements are, but I'm sure Lodi would qualify. I'm sorry to hear about the Mars work and in the future I hope that maybe we can use this event to secure legal protections in the future.
Posted by bruce ward (Member # 1289) on :
damn typical of the hysterical society. Im not surprised. If it does not innvolve some of the old montgomery names around here, they dont get mentioned. any job that I get and they are to be consulted Im not interested in taking it. They waste more time on a layout and color than a church committee of 50 old ladies.
sad thought that is a shame, no respect
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
I can relate to the feeling, Jill.
At the Looney meet, I'd put a lot of time and effort into having race car readied and brought in to work on. The body was painted the night before the meet and you could smell the fresh paint when it arrived. Nearly everyone at the meet had a hand in the project and we all signed the trunk. 2 years later, no one's seen it since it left the building at the end of the meet. The owner's personal situation changed and it's been parked ever since.
I'll always carry the memories of Si sitting on the floor beveling the numbers, Bill Burris pinstriping under the hood, Dana doing the quarter panel, Rick doing his signature with a brush, Ron Costa & Bill Prescott teaming up for the tail piece, Mike Z, Captain Ken, Bob Kashack and others working on the flames, C-Line lettering the side windows, Harris doing the driver's name...
It wasn't about where it was going, how long it would last or who would see it, but that it was done...together as Letterheads. Rapid
Posted by Jillbeans (Member # 1912) on :
Here is a letter I just sent:
quote: Hello.
I was dismayed to see no mention of the Letterheads in the recent article about the train station renovation. I hosted a sign painter's gathering in August 2002 which was attended by 250 artists from all over the globe. We painted four murals in 3 days, as well as helped to spruce up the train station.
We are known as "the Letterheads" and I am the only member in Butler County. The event was also mentioned in the Eagle at the time, as was another meeting that I hosted in 2000. Here is a link to a description of the Mars meet:
During that meeting, signs were donated to the train station by a New York artist named Francis Lestingi. They were carved mahogany and gilded with gold leaf. The Mars Historical Society took them down, and replaced them with period-correct enamel signs. I actually did not expect to read about them. Nor did I expect to read about the airbrushed mural that was painted for display inside the train station.
What was not mentioned in the article was the gilding of the train station windows. Glass gilding is an old art form that is being rediscovered. The man who gilded the windows was a 74-year old from Australia named John Jordan. He was a master gilder and sign writer who travelled all the way from Down Under to donate his services to the town. Sadly, he passed away this past October. He was a hero to our trade.
It rankled me that the Historical Society obviously has no appreciation of the gifts which were so freely given to them. Many people have asked me when I will bring the Letterheads back to Mars. I smile and reply "Never."
If anything, it felt good to write it. Love....Jill
Posted by Sonny Franks (Member # 588) on :
Perfect........
Posted by Dusty Campbell (Member # 4601) on :
I thought it was great until the last two sentences. Why burn that bridge? I think that's going to make it more difficult to get anything you want back from them. I'd shoot for getting anything they're taking down back from them and either keep around your shop as a memento or donate it to the sign musuem.
Greet your public officials with a smiling countenance.
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Rolling On The Floor]](graemlins/rolf.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Also, for the media, the event is "yesterday's news", and they'll move on to what's of more current interest, forgetting the details of what was once newsworthy. ![[Bash]](graemlins/bash.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I suspect that they are wanting to make the restoration historically authentic, and the stations just didn't have fancy carved signs back then. Hopefully they won't remove John's gilding, but don't be surprised if they do.