A Letter from Bill: The "Nion" Woman

Master of Mud (aka artist) and former Center for Creative Studies (CCS), Detroit,  professor of art, Bill (William J.) Girard Jr., passed away in 2011. The website created to honor him is found at https://girardsvasari.com/

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The letter is handwritten and undated, as you can see, below.

 It was written in 2006 and accompanied by photos of the referenced murals. I still have the hand-made postage stamped, shipping container he made to send them with. 

The spelling in my transcribed version is Girard's.  

In a separate letter, Bill wrote that he prefered 

the lowercase, cursive "i" to the uppercase "I," 

as the latter really looks like a "CL." The cursive "i,"

 he wrote, "Has grace and style, and it makes me feel good."

Dear Glen

Here are the photographs of the Semprevivo murals.

The Vestibule and hallway, as well as the powder room which i fancy in the Indo-Chinoiserie style.

The other photograph of the Banker in the Art gallery is akin the the proverbial "Bull in a China Shop" Came out of an experience that I had a number of years ago. I had been invited to judge an Art exhibit in Downtown Detroit. 

The exhibilition was to be housed in a small gallery aria within the Comerica Bank building (you know how Art is used to give an air of intelectual dignity, social responsibillity and philanthropy, to institutions which are generally the antithesis of all those qualities) in any case, The exhibit was in cellibration of the Freedom Festival which is held each year by the Citys of Detroit and Windsor Canada to jointly cellibrate our freedoms.

My job was to judge the quality of the work in the show and award prizes. one of the entrys was a work exicuted in nion tubing depicting a much simplified female figure running with the words sob! sob! expressing outward from the center of the composition. The piece was a grand explosion of pink and green Nion. it was great Fun. 

The title of the Work was "BROKEN HEARTED"

I though the piece was well exicuted and humerous. I awarded the Artist one of the prizes. 

Then i received a message that the piece had to be removed from the exhibit because the President of the bank felt it to be too!!
controversial. He said that sob! sob! might be interpreted as S.O.B! S.O.B!

isn't the world of grownups fun!

So long for now as as The Brits say "Keep your Pecker up." (Come on get your mind out of the gutter!)

P.S. im returning your check, thank you, your a dear (Not a [ hand-drawn deer icon])

Much Love to you and Norma

Bill

Wanna read more letters from Bill? Find 'em here!

To learn more about the marvelous artist behind this letter, peruse my previous blog post, Girard? Girard Who?

Other Posts 

• DETROIT NEWS ART CRITIC REVIEWS BILL GIRARD (1967)
• GIRARD: THE FAIRY'S TALE. PART I - A PROSE POEM FOR PERFORMANCE
• CONVERSATION WITH AN EARLY GIRARD COLLECTOR: MR. DOUBLEDAY
• ART AS ANODYNE FOR A YOUNG PATIENT: A GIRARD ANECDOTE
• GIRARD'S PINCKNEY, MICHIGAN, MURALS (CIRCA 2005)
• 2 ARTISTS. 4 PAINTINGS. WHICH GET IN THE SHOW?
• A LETTER FROM BILL: THE "NION" WOMAN
• GIRARD LIMERICK #1: THERE ONCE WAS AN ARTIST NAMED BILL
• GIRARD LIMERICK #2: GIRARD FOUND THE KEY TO HIS ART IN THE ATTIC
• A FASCINATION WITH FAIRIES. (EXCERPT)

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Master of Mud (aka artist) and former Center for Creative Studies (CCS), Detroit,  professor of art, Bill (William J.) Girard Jr., passed away in 2011. The website created to honor him is at https://girardsvasari.com/