Drawn: The Art of Ascent

A graphic adventure narrative that delves into why we pursue the wild outdoors

• Companion book to the film Drawn, now showing in the traveling Banff Film Festival
• Captures the emotion of adventure through the soulful vibe of visual art
• Author's art is among the most influential in the world of climbing
• Includes two removable postcards created by author

Shivering in a cave beneath Mount Fitz Roy in Patagonia, artist and rock climber Jeremy Collins had an intense and anxious vision, both geographic and artistic, about his life and what he was doing with it. As a result, he left Argentina and commenced on a four-year journey that took him in the four cardinal directions from his home in Kansas City - north, south, east, west - to create art in the wild, climb new routes, and live out his own map.

Drawn: The Art of Ascent shares his exploits, his art, and what he discovered about balancing wilderness adventure with peace at home. At home, Jeremy has a wife and two children whose existence leave him constantly asking himself, Why am I here on this mountain instead of with them? The answer is gradually revealed through his heartfelt journey, an intimate visual exploration of how one reconciles family, career, and personal passion.

Based on Jeremy's sketchbooks kept over the course of pursuing and achieving four different summits, Drawn is not a snow, ice, gloom-and-doom or cut-the-ropes adventure; rather, it is about a contemplative dad with dreams he desires to share with his family in a way that both honours them and remains true to his personal goals. With climbing as a catalyst, he finds a more fully-realized approach to life.

Jeremy's art is a rich and textured mixed media of pencil, charcoal, watercolor, torn paper, and photographs; he often features pages from his in-situ sketchbooks and hand-written text. Some of the photographs he uses were contributed by climbing partners, who include Corey Rich, James Q Martin, Tommy Caldwell, Hayden Kennedy, Mark Jenkins, and Mikey Schaefer. Each of the four first ascents also features a hand-drawn topo map.

• Author: Jeremy Collins
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books

Specifications

• Format: Hardcover
• Dimensions: 176 pages, 25.91 x 2.03 x 20.83 cm
• Published: May 25, 2015
• Publisher: The Mountaineers Books
• Language: English
• Item weight: 748 g

About the Author

As an illustrator, storyteller, film director, and exploratory rock climber, Jeremy Collins maintains a vast repertoire of skills. His illustrative art is frequently featured in Rock and Ice, Alpinist magazine, in numerous books, and on a variety of outdoor-adventure products. He is also an accomplished climber, having pioneered more than 300 new routes in the U.S. Jeremy lives with his wife and children in Kansas City, Missouri. Visit him at www.jercollins.com.