This print from a wood cut, #1/21, by Leslie Van Houten is currently for sale on eBay. It will be up for bid until May 8th unless someone gets it at the buy-now price of $5000., the starting bid is $2,500. I bet a psychiatrist would have a field day interpreting the imagery on this piece by Leslie.
The price includes wood cut prints by other prisoners, too, as well as one by the prison instructor.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Portfolio-of-Wood-Cuts-1-by-Leslie-Van-Houten-1-21-Charles-Manson-Murders-/330915368581?
I am struck by how artistic some of the Family members actually are/were, whether it be drawing, writing, embroidery or music. I can't say that all their endeavors are great works of art but they do show talent.
The arts, being less dangerous than some other endevors, people in prison probably have greater opportunity to practice as artists. They get good at what they practice.
ReplyDeleteLeslie wrote an essay called " Ima fibbon" which is actually quite a good read in my opinion
ReplyDeleteI think that they all had time, as orwhut says to perfect there crafts- but, no doubt some of them show some serious artistic potential...
which is another reason why it so sad they tossed life away.
Bobby- in particular comes to mind when I think about this subject. He had the smarts to not only make music and records from jail- but the ability to make/build some of the equipment he used to do it. That is pretty impressive to me.
What could a guy like that have accomplished on the outside??
but again one must wonder if he, or any of them, would have had the same focus and patience to learn with all the outside distractions the free world offers????
another great question for debate
Prison likely saved Bobby's life. The way he lived he was headed for an early death anyway, IMO.
ReplyDeleteThought it might be fun to look up in the Dream Dictionary how the symbols in this artwork are interpreted:
ReplyDeleteTomatoes
To see a tomato in your dream symbolizes domestic happiness and harmony.
Door(knob)
To dream that you are entering through a door signifies new opportunities that are presented before you. You are entering into a new stage in your life and moving from one level of consciousness to another. In particular, a door that opens to the outside signifies your need to be more accessible to others, whereas a door that opens into the inside, denotes your desire for inner exploration and self-discovery.
If you are inside the locked door, then it represents harsh lessons that need to be learned.
You are hesitant in letting others in and revealing your feelings. It is indicative of some fear and low self-worth.
Birdcage
To see a birdcage in your dream represents a loss of freedom. You are feeling locked up and unable to fully express yourself
Lock
To see a lock in your dream signifies your inability to get what you want. You are being kept out of some activity or situation. Perhaps an aspect of yourself is locked up inside and it needs to be expressed.
You feel that you are taking a major risk in letting your feelings known.
Pipe
To dream that you are smoking a pipe denotes knowledge or contemplation.
Paintbrush
To see or use a paintbrush in your dream represents harmony and creativity. It is also symbolic of your artistic talents.
Mirror
To dream of your own reflection in the mirror suggests that you are pondering thoughts about your inner self. The reflection in the mirror is how you perceive yourself or how you want others to see you.
To dream that you do not see your reflection in a mirror implies that you have lost your self-identity. Perhaps you have changed for the benefit of others that you don't know who you are anymore.
What you see is related to your persona and subconscious. Seeing images through the mirror may be a safe way for you to consider and/or confront material from your subconscious. Mirrors symbolize the imagination and the link between the conscious and subconscious.
Purse
To see or carry a purse in your dream represents secrets, desires and thoughts which are being closely held and guarded. Alternatively, a purse symbolizes the female genitalia and the womb.
To dream that you lost your purse denotes loss of power and control. You may have lost touch with your real identity.
Maybe she feels like a vegetable under lock and key?
ReplyDeleteWhat would the psychologist say indeed?
ReplyDeleteThe name caged tomato is puzzling since the tomato is in fact not caged at all, but running freely.
I would hope the psychologist would take note of is the medium which Leslie chose to create her art. Was it a delicate brush to assist with the application of water color? Her own hands which gently crafted a set of demitasse cups? Or perhaps sand which was meticulously sorted for size and color before being cast into a rendition of a sunrise, signifying a new dawn and new birth?
Nope. Wood cutting. You bet Freud would have had plenty to say about this subconscious return to using a blade to express her inner self.
The purse was the item in the print that seemed the most out of place. Leslie needs a purse just about as much as the Queen of England.
ReplyDeleteI just tried the eBay link to get a closer look at what the feet might be and the print is no longer for sale! Wonder if it was pulled or sold???
ReplyDeleteI think it means nothing, it's just her version of Mr. Potato Head. She's not that deep.
ReplyDeleteHey DebS. The listing is back up and allows you to enlarge and scan the image. The legs to the birdcage look like spoon handles and the feet look to me like vintage compacts that would contain a ladys' powder/rouge. I didn't see in the tomato face the door locks (eyes) and keyhole (nose). If this be the case:
ReplyDeleteKeyhole
To dream that you are peeping through a keyhole suggests that you do not have full view of some situation. You need to gain a better perspective on things. Alternatively, it indicates that you are overstepping your boundaries and prying into other people's business.
To dream that someone is looking through a keyhole suggests that your privacy is being invaded. Alternatively, the dream means that you are shutting others out.
Makeup
To dream that you are applying makeup suggests that you are trying to cover up or conceal an aspect of yourself. Alternatively, it indicates that you are putting on your best face forward. You are trying to enhance your self-image and increase your sense of self-confidence. The dream may also be a metaphor that you need to "make up" with someone. It is time to forgive and forget.
To dream that you are wearing too much makeup indicates that you are putting too much emphasis on beauty and outside appearances rather than what is inside.
Matt said... Prison likely saved Bobby's life. The way he lived he was headed for an early death anyway, IMO.
ReplyDeleteAm I correct on this? Didn't Bobby impregnate approximately half of the girls who became preggers while he was hanging around with Charlie and Co.?
He has three children that I know of, with three different mothers. Two of those were Family members (Sandy & Kitty). The other was his wife.
ReplyDeleteHe did a lot of stealing, drugs and even a murder.
All this before age 22. If he hadn't been jailed, somebody would have eventually had enough of him.
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ReplyDeleteThanks Matt, I was thinking Bobby was the father of one more child. When I checked, I found that I was mistaken. By my count, that makes Bobby the father of nearly half. He must have had a higher sperm count than the other guys.
ReplyDeleteThe dream analysis info, and Farflung's analysis, were really interesting. And the first thing that came to my mind about the purse was Rosemary LaBianca's purse, that Leslie burned in the back ranch house's fireplace when they got back to Spahn the next morning (the leather purse that Dianne Lake described as burning with a 'terrible smell'.).
ReplyDeleteInteresting that all three of Bobby's (known) children were born within a 7-month span. One on the day in July that Hinman was murdered, one in Sept., one the next February. He is, I guess, the winner of the "Most Fertile" Award. (Or "Most Popular". Or both.).
Trilby, of course, Rosemary's purse! Thanks for pointing out the obvious, which I didn't see. Wasn't a doorknob said to have been found in someone's refrigerator, left there during a creepy crawl?
ReplyDeleteDeb, I love your posts!! The doorknob was written about by Bill Nelson - Alice LaBianca had told him she had found a brass doorknob in the Waverly refrigerator while in the house cleaning up after the murders. Supposedly it came from the door of Frank's room. Matt had posted, several months ago, a blog entry with a link to Watson's "artwork" page on his Abounding Love (aka "Abundant Bullsh*t") website. (I'm posting via phone so can't go FullSite right now to access original post.). Anyhoo, Watson drew dogs. A Yorkie, a Dalmation puppy, & a black Lab... They can all "forget" details and who can even keep up with the calvalcade of ever-changing stories the murderers tell of those nights; but to me the artwork says that their subconscious minds are filled to the brim with memories of what they did. (Or as Atkins said: "participated in." Ahem. :( :( :( :( ).
ReplyDeleteI don't get the whole art thing, Because they got wasted one weekend and were involved in some murders how does that make them artistic? And Bobby Beausoleil's music sounds like somebody having a root canal at the Dentist office.
ReplyDeleteMatt said...
ReplyDeleteHe has three children that I know of, with three different mothers. Two of those were Family members (Sandy & Kitty). The other was his wife.
She was not his "wife" legally.