The nibbling, how we got out of the pit, what our roots look like now, and how much taller we are after reading.
We recently finished reading This Dark Country, by Rebecca Birrell, after 15 weeks of vicariously nibbling over its rich pages.
Because we were so engrossed in the book, we decided to extend our reading time until we covered every female painter featured in its nesting pages. We have no clue where those mossy 15 weeks went; we’re just happy and grateful for the growth we experienced.
Burrowing week after week into the pages of this book has transformed us and our painting practice. The learning and reflections of each female painter allowed us to become more appreciative of the privileges we enjoy today in so many aspects of our lives, not only in painting.
The slimy societal and personal limitations the artists faced in early 20th century England, as painful and saddening as they were to read and learn, allowed us to visualize and articulate what our creative roots look like today and where we can look down to find within them the inspiration and motivation to continue asking for what gives us so much joy and purpose: Painting.
Chloé and I meet every week for those 15 weeks to discuss each chapter. Pinching a few words spread in the book into a dialogue gave us the chance to look under our own painting experience and practice, identifying those things and habits that have been there unmoved for too long, collecting dust and growing mold, so we can fish them out of that forgotten pit to make room for something new: new ideas, new intentions, new reasons to keep our brushes rooted in practice.
This was also the story of an old story: how those who write in the history books leave so many voices behind, out to rot and vanish. And they are still the same ones who write on the same damned pages, turns out.
All of our conversations have been recorded and are available to anyone who wants to listen. They can be accessed from any browser for free.
The new read will be announced and presented tomorrow, Thursday, in a new Clubhouse room at 11 am Pacific. Join us on this new journey. It’s free, and your voice is wanted. Here is the link to the room.
Listen to all of our recorded chats for this book. The audio is free. Any web browser can be used to listen.
*Reposting the mini book essay we shared 15 weeks ago, in case this title is still in your reading cue but hasn't fully made it to your home library yet.
Lemons gleam in a bowl. Flowers fan out softly in a vase. A door swings open in a sparsely furnished room. What is contained in a still life – and what falls out of the frame?
For women artists in the early twentieth century, including Ethel Sands, Nina Hamnett, Vanessa Bell and Gwen John, who lived in and around the Bloomsbury Group, this art form was a conduit for their lives, their rebellions, their quiet loves for men and women. Gluck, who challenged the framing of her gender and her art, painted flowers arranged by the woman she loved; Dora Carrington, a Slade School graduate, recorded eggs on a table at Tidmarsh Mill, where she built a richly fulfilling if delicate life with Lytton Strachey.
But for every artist we remember, there is one we have forgotten; who leaves only elusive traces; whose art was replaced by being a mother or wife; whose remaining artworks lie dusty in archives or attics.
In this boldly original blend of group biography and art criticism, Rebecca Birrell brings these shadowy figures into the light and conducts a dazzling investigation into the structures of intimacy that make – and dismantle – our worlds.
Chloé and I met every week for 15 weeks to chat about the book. We grew at least two inches taller.
What is this?
In a format similar to that of a book club, we seasonally propose the collective read of a painting-related novel. We believe reading and painting are synergistic practices.
This Dark Country is our eleventh book. We've read The Goldfinch, How To Be Both, The Vivisector, Fake Like Me, How To Paint A Dead Man, The Lonely City, An American Odyssey, Just Kids, What PaintingIs, and The Eleven Associates of Alma-Marceau.
We've created several collections of paintings and organized a few opening receptions for the corresponding popup exhibitions. You can check all of our book reads and painting series in our book club page.
Everyone, regardless of location or painting experience, is welcome to join the reading and to participate in the discussions and painting series inspired by the book.
How does this work?
At the beginning of each season we propose a new read. We give ourselves three months to read the work. During our painting sessions, we catch up on the story, share what we think, and encourage others to get involved. Towards the end of the season, we plan to paint about the book and hold a show featuring the work.
Where would I get the book?
Support your local library. Go there first.
Local bookstores are open. Support them.
If you'd rather own a physical copy, try to find a used one. Let's save some trees.
Amazon is the last resort for us, but if you end up there, we encourage you to buy either a digital copy or a used physical copy first.
