Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper

Ray Johnson, "Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper". Not dated. Top half of paper are three caricatures: a male figure holding a tray, "THIS IS A PERSON WITH A / TRAY OF FOOD". A baby, "A BABY ENRAPTURED / BY A PASSING NAPKIN". Woman with her arms open, "PASS / THE / SALT". A written text letter is below the caricatures. Transcript: "Tuesday / Dear Lorna, / This pen belongs to / Hazel Larsen. I am at / dinner. / It is after dinner and I borrowed this / pencil from the kitchen. Lorna I / must tell you about all my / ideas. I think at last I am / grasping at what I think is design / and color. Searching, searching, and / I am now in a troubled state because / paintings and pictures mean very / little to me. I have thrown away / many paintings and drawings, they / were mostly trash I think. I have / saved some things - the things of / value. Remember what Asawa read / in class one night - the Taoism / philosophy of nothingness being / everything-ness, I feel that / way. All I possess means nothing / to me, I want to destroy all and / create, create, design, order. It is / all very confusing in my mind / and so very vague. I send my Love.". Verso, transcribed: "LLED GROUPS / STORE: / Rondthaler, H. / Rondthaler, K. / Schauffler, D. / ILK: / Fein / Fogleson / Baker / MUSIC LIBRARY: / Lynch / Fiore / LAUNDRY CLEANING: / McLane / COMMISSARY: / Roberts / ROADS DITCHES AND WALKS: / Brown / Wallen / Boyce / Sherman / Teasdale / Spahn / Girsh / PRINTING: / Tite / Weitzer / [word is cut off]".