Overview

A compilation of chronological written correspondence can provide valuable insights into the growth and development of an individual. ""When Letters Still Mattered"" is a 137-page autobiographical portrait by California artist Marques Vickers. Each profile candidly summarizes the effect of thirty writings and individuals that distinctly influenced his life. His early writings reveal glimpses of his immediate family relations including several humorous and touching accounts of his Alabama raised aunts, beloved grandfather and his most remembered letter from his mother recounting the separate and unexpected deaths of three acquaintances. Drawing from his formative years correspondence, Vickers recounts the exploits of an ethically straying local minister, his close relationship with his freedom-obsessed dog and his reaction to a greeting card delivered on the morning of Christmas Day by the postman. Subsequent chapters address his earliest failed encounters with intimacy and romance, a fortunate near-miss and his ongoing resolve to achieve equilibrium with a partner. He traces the labyrinth that defined his first marriage, initially fueled by a tenderly composed poem. Vickers shares lessons and disappointments culled from an often dehumanizing workplace and a noble gesture of fidelity that transcended his own humiliation of being very publicly fired from a high-profile job. The author details a twenty-year friendship with a mentor, Marshall, once a renowned public personality. Marshall had formerly managed the swank Los Angeles Coconut Grove nightclub, Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel and dated actress Marilyn Monroe during her prime. Marshall's own fallen acclaim due to his 1950s Las Vegas association was accompanied by an admirable loyalty that he maintained until his death with formerly renowned actors, prizefighters and celebrities that had endured their own reversals of fortune. For the author, Marshall's insight and experiences provided an enlightening glimpse of the tenuousness of fame. Weaving through various accounts, Vickers encounters a variety of diverse personalities, acquaintances and friends, ranging from a perverse travel agent he encountered in Rio de Janeiro to a counseling therapist seeking to sort out her own passionate and wordy nature. His final chapter concerns a book inscription sent to him by painter Andrew Wyatt's famed muse Helga Testorf as a notable gift of friendship. Her ordeal and the accompanying controversy and public condemnation she endured were overshadowed by the dignity she maintained throughout in his eyes. The passages from each correspondence are concise with the focus oriented primarily on Vickers' interpretations and storytelling. The cumulative effect of his analysis is that of an artist looking inwardly and coming to terms with who he is, how he arrived there and why he actively creates. This mirror of one's past and the resulting conclusions become a reference guideline. The author discovered these illustrative samplings shaped his present behavioral patterns and decision-making priorities. The texts provide tangible and enduring time capsules of thought and expression by individuals who mattered most for diverse reasons to the author.

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9781530599141

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Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers re-established his Pacific Coast art and creative operations following a five-year residence in southern France between 2005-2009. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986 (MarquesV.com). Born in 1957, Vickers grew up in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Executive Director of the Burbank, California Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He later served as Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood, California between 1984-86. Following a brief residence in Dijon, France, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987 until 2004 in northern California. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations and fine wine brokering. In 2005, he relocated to southern France where he refurbished and flipped two different 19th century stone village houses. Returning in 2009, he began the Marquis Gallery (ArtsInAmerica.com) and (InsiderSeriesBooks.com) focused on reselling rare books, collectibles, fine art and wine through online marketplace stores and barter trade exchanges. He has published numerous e-book and paperback works on the fine arts and auction industry, Southern France, notorious murder crime sites, wine, architecture, his poetry and short stories, phobias and obsessions, photography themed editions and photojournalism projects. He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.

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