The Book

 

Drawing together became an important source of community for Kathleen, Susan and Laura so when obstacles to getting together arose they were motivated to find solutions. In March of 2020 Laura was leaving for a month to attend a residency at Vermont Studio Center (VSC). In attempt to keep the drawing going Kathleen created a small accordion book of crisp white paper with plans of sending the book back and forth between Washington and Vermont.

 

The first thing Laura did when settling in her residency was start page one of the book. Her supplies had not arrived so she used the one thing she had, white gesso. The white paint on white paper was perfect to represent the new start she was anticipating for the residency and the book. The book went back and forth once before VSC was closed for the lockdown on March 14th.

 

After that deliveries were easy, the artists dropped the book on porches or in mailboxes and the drawings became centered on isolation and the angst caused by the unknown. Each artist completed a page and pushed a mark or two onto the next page as a starting point. Every delivery was anticipated with excitement, every page is an expression of the strange times it was created and the creative ways these women found connection.