Chan’s Con Report: 1992

 
I know you all know by now that, after we lost our precious Chan, JoAnn and I went to Oscoda to help Chan’s family with her extensive Beauty and the Beast Collection. It was during our time there that we found one of the” licensed” Beauty and the Beast journals with Catherine and Vincent on the cover. We were amazed to open the journal and inside find this handwritten report by our own Chan!!  We went from tears to smiles and to laughs and back as we read the words of our budding, premier Beauty and the Beast artist as she talks about her beginning.  The beginning of her all too short time with us. We transcribed her thoughts and emotions about her first days in our fandom, and thought Chan would be pleased to have it premiere here on the Convention History web pages.

For whatever reason, grief, fatigue, or the overwhelming amount of work to be done in just a few days, we did not take a picture of the journal or the pages that Chan wrote on.  We gave the journal back to Amber after we transcribed it. Amber gave us permission to post its contents.

I have taken Chan’s words and whenever possible, added the works of art she refers to.  Due to a computer failure, Chan lost a lot of her art that she had in digital format, so we do not have access to a lot of her early art, but where I could get it ,or where I thought a particular piece of art might be it, I  put it in this report.  The art and the con report here are used with permission and cannot be used or reproduced without permission.

In trying to make it clear where my words ended and Chan’s words began, anything that I have added is in italics.  Chan’s report is not in italics. 

Note that Chan was a teacher, and she is referring to her job at the beginning of her journal.

So, here is our beloved Chan’s Con Report from 1992:

  

June 16, Tuesday

This is a strange thing to be doing at my age- writing a journal.

I bought this book at Tunnelcon II on Sat the 13th to collect autographs and addresses of friends I had made-of stars of the show-of people who bought my pictures-etc.

But I had no time to do any of those things. So now I am using it as a journal-crazy right?, but the way I forget details and times-I figured I might try Vincent’s journal writing to keep my thoughts straight.

It has been a crazy year and I won’t go into a lot of details about that, but I did want to go into details over this past weekend, so I will have it for later, when I come down to earth.  I am going to go as far as last Thurs and start the journal from there. What will come of this Tunnelcon II “adventure” remains to be seen- maybe nothing- maybe everything.  I only know that I have not cried so much in years- and felt so bad and so good at the same time.   How can I classify this weekend? 

 Sept 10, 1992 Thursday

This was the last day for the morning kids.  Tomorrow is a records day, but have taken a “comp” day.  I almost didn’t get it, but Jim Alex took care of it for me.  The kids left at 3:00 and we sent them off with a shower-squirt guns.  (It helps to keep everything “light.”)  I stayed until 1:30 and then hit the road.  The “guys” said they would “toast” me from the meeting at Jim’s house as I fly over. 

I took off from school to Alpena-the car was packed.  Hurman had UPS’d my drawings, stationery, and art last week.  I had to carry one picture and packed 2 or 3 more in the suitcase. 

(Carol Kyne had just sent back the Vincent at the Writing Table picture and we had worked out a trade on zines for the other two pictures I had drawn for the souvenir book.)

Anyway-I went toward Alpena, found a “trekker” at the airport and talked until the plane came.  It was a small plane and was a little nervous-but, oh well.

In Detroit while I was waiting, I ran into Gwen Berger (roommate) who was on standby.  I had hoped we could sit together but I sat with 2 very quiet guys-read some, drew some, had a lot of discomfort and stiff neck.

We got to Las Vegas around 10:00.  Clare was in the room already and talked the evening away. I wasn’t feeling too well-worried about getting my UPS stuff-and if I would be able to get everything up and still enjoy the day on Friday. Clare kept saying there would be plenty of time-that I didn’t need to get up early.  I wanted to get up and go on my own to get everything done then meet with them later.

*Remember next time to do that: go on alone the first day to do your setup- then you won’t be fidgeting and feeling like you’re waiting for everyone all the time.

Sept 11, 1992 Friday

It took me until almost noon (I think, I had no watch and I was upset).  I know I missed the opening ceremony and I have a bad headache.  Took one of Gwen’s antihistamine pills then I went HOT.

As I was hanging up my artwork a lady walked by and just stood looking at my artwork.  She didn’t say anything at first-but then she made a comment, I don’t remember-but she ended it with “Chandler”. I flew over for a hug-it was JoAnn Grant and Vicki Thomas my phone friends from the Crystal Rose (N.C.).

After I got my artwork up I went into the dealer’s room to see about the stationery, prints, etc.  I was nauseous and my head was still pounding, face pain around the eyes, and side the head.

Things from the rest of this day are fuzzy.  I know I went around and found Lucy Green and Linda Mooney, Roxanne Koogler, Nan Dibble, Kathy Cox, and a few others. Carol Kyne gave me a lion pin gift and a lovely note thanking me for the zine pictures. 

I could not find Loreen Vanderkraats, but I did see Jeanne Cloud. 

I gave up in the dealer’s room and was going to the room to lie down-but first went to the art room to see what was happening.  Some of my stuff already had bids and one was already going to auction (two bids).  This was my goal for this year-to have one piece go to auction. WOW!

I went up to bed until Clare came by to see if I wanted to eat.  We went out to a restaurant in the hotel mall, Ralph’s Place.  Loud/noisy-but I did meet Rosemarie’s friend Trisha Kehoe.  I felt terrible-went straight to bed. (Forgot to tell about costume ball-that wasn’t a ball).

Sept. 12, Saturday

I felt much better today-spent a lot of time running around.  I drew a picture of Vincent telling Loreen I was looking for her and to stay put (I was looking from behind his shoulder)-left it at her table.  I would love to see this picture.  Anybody got it?

I saw her there later and went to get a hug/sit and talk.

Went back into the art room-there still was a blank wall next to my stuff-so I asked Wendy if I could put up more.  She said great.  When I came back to hang it up, P. S. Nim came around the corner looking at the art work.  She stopped at my section.  I told her to move on, that I was embarrassed to have her see my stuff.  She said her husband had sent her to look at one of my pictures-he thought it was good.
 

“You Can Do It”

She (P.S. Nim) commented that I caught the jaw line right on Catherine in “Moving Toward Love”.

 “Moving Toward Love”

 
Amber told us that after this convention Chan and P.S. Nim kept in touch and Chan used to mail art to her for her critiques and make changes to her art according to the guidance given by P.S. Nim.

Try as we might, we could not find an art piece titled “Moving Toward Love”.  Chan did have a tendency to pull out art, make changes and re-title it or not, or maybe add a 2 behind the title.  We found a “Toward Love” which this piece is titled on Chan’s Deviantart site, which is the picture above that I have put the “Moving Toward Love” title to. This picture is undated and the closest that we could find that “might” be the piece of art that Chan refers to in this report.  If someone knows exactly what the piece of art is and has a digital copy, please contact the batbland.com pages to let us know.

There is a “Toward Love 2” picture on Deviantart that is a totally different picture from this one, but it has the date of 1993 on it, so we ruled it out as the “Moving Toward Love” that Chan refers to.  Here is “Toward Love 2”:

“Toward Love 2”

Chan wrote about this picture, “This was drawn on the back of a placemat in a restaurant.” This picture was obviously drawn a year after the ’92 con, but included it because it is sooo Chan, from the title to drawing it on the back of a placemat.  Whenever Chan got still, she drew on whatever was handy.

Then she (P.S. Nim) pointed out the one she liked.

“Sweet Comfort”

 

I was in shock when she left.  (She is my idol.)  Then her husband came back.  I gave him a hug and thanked him for his compliments.  He said his wife sent him in to look at the one she liked.  I can’t believe she liked my stuff.  That night I drew a picture of Vincent trying to bring a floating “me” back to earth. 

Chan added a picture of this piece of art in her 2006 WFOL interview that sounds a lot like this piece of art.  It is from Chan’s 2006 WFOL interview, but in this picture it is Mouse holding on to the string to keep her from floating away. Even though it isn’t the same piece of art because it isn’t Vincent trying to bring her back to earth, I thought it was close enough to include it here.

 

I now have 4 things going to the art auction- nervous time!

Sat. Banquet: Oh I forgot over the attentions of P. S. I missed Ron Koslow walking through the dealers room and art show!

 

Now Banquet:

Ritch Brinkley proposed to his girlfriend (a fan he has been dating).

Artie Ripp announced a new tape will be done-and Ron Koslow tells us again that there WILL be a movie.  He has a rough draft waiting for Linda H. and for the Disney B&B to have distance. He says Republic has agreed to back the movie.

 

Sunday

Andrea came to drag me out of the dealer's room.  She had tears in her eyes.  Said they had been looking for me all morning long.  I was supposed to be covering Clare’s table-she was in an artist’s panel.  Elaine took the table for me and Andrea drug me into the art room and to Windy. 

Windy took me back to my section and told me Ron Koslow had come through the art room for a private showing.  They said when he came to my section he stopped and looked for a long time – esp. at:

“You Can Do It.” 

 
He said he really liked it and was it for sale.  It had 2 bids and was to go to auction, but they offered to see what they could do.  He said no after he thought about it for a minute-then moved on – but then came back for one more look. 

Windy asked if I wanted to see if the bidders would back off and/or take some sort of deal so I could give it to Koslow. 

I was in tears most of the time-especially from here on out and another headache.

I went back to the dealer’s room and cried.  Everyone came by to hug me as they found out (Crystal Rose and MI group friends.) 

One of the bidders said yes and the other said no and was upset.  P. S. found out about it and came by to tell me she and her husband would bid on it and get it for me.  (I wonder what that would have done to the auction price?)  But then everyone agreed- I have to print a couple of the pictures over.

My stomach was off again.  While I was gone Windy announced to the whole dealer’s room what had happened.  There was a run on my prints of the picture (I had only 20 and had given many away already). 

I went to the art auction but kept leaving for the bathroom.

My “Sweet Comfort” went to P. S. Nim!


 

 The “Tease” picture went for $20

Chan wrote on her Deviantart page about this piece of art:  “Just did this one tonight... pencil. It seemed like something Catherine would do.”

She also has a piece called:

“The Tease Finished Version”

so not sure which one she is talking about here, but here is the picture from her Deviantart page, and this is what she writes about “The Tease Finished Version”: “I did not finish the picture in a previous version because I was unsure of part of the cape. This version explains the fringe wrapped around the fingers of her hand. She is pulling him closer.”

and the “Waterfall Chamber” went for $75 ($80?).

Unfortunately, we could not find a copy of this anywhere.

I sold several prints - and made some trades.

(Catherine = The Voice of Her Eyes.)  I made a deal for $30.

Chan captured Catherine so well, there are any one of her untitled Catherine pieces that could be titled this, unfortunately we don’t know which one it could be or if it was one that was lost in her computer crash.

There is more to tell, but I am going to bed now.  More details tomorrow….

And that is where Chan’s 1992 Con Report ends.

 

Chan had a framed version of “You Can Do It”,
along with the note from Ron Koslow about how much he liked this piece of art:

      

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                

Ron Koslow’s note enlarged

The note from Koslow says: “Dear Sandy - I was very happy to receive your wonderful gift. That moment, that image is one of my favorites from the show. It was filmed very late one night in the real tunnels beneath Central Park. When I saw your painting it really resonated - you captured its haunting mythic quality. Thanks so much - Be Well, R.K.”

And back to Chan’s words in the beginning of this report: “What will come of this Tunnelcon II “adventure” remains to be seen- maybe nothing- maybe everything.  I only know that I have not cried so much in years- and felt so bad and so good at the same time.   How can I classify this weekend?”  And as we have seen over the years, Chan and our Vincent and Catherine said it best, EVERYTHING!”