An Uncommon Wealth of Sketches

We love seeing how Field Notes are used, and luckily we get a lot of scans and photos from customers via email, our facebook page, and our flickr group. But rarely do we get to see and hold a well-worn, completed notebook full of ideas and sweat and love. Christopher Versackas was kind enough to send us a yellow Massachusetts “County Fair” full of drawings of noted Bay Staters. Titled A Collection of Portraits of the Historic and Influential from or Involved with the Greate State Commonwealth* of Massachusetts XOXO, the book includes a couple dozen drawings (in a variety of mediums) including historical figures (Anne Hutchison, John Adams); authors (Jack Kerouac, Henry David Thoreau); artists (John Singer Sargent, Chris Burden); musicians (“State Luminary” J. Mascis, Jonathan Richman); and anarchists (Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Nicola Sacco). We wrote to thank Christopher and confirm his address so we could mail it back. He replied “Please feel free to keep the physical copy. Sharing the final result with others has always been my favorite part of the sketchbook process.”

In the spirit of Chris’ kind act of sharing, we’ve scanned the whole book using our nifty new Doxie Flip. Here is the entire book. Chris says “I hope it encourages others to pick up a pen and start doodling too”, and we ask that you respect Christopher’s intellectual property and use the book only for your personal perusal/inspiration. (If we see Robert Lowell t-shirts on Etsy, there will be trouble.) Thanks, Christopher!

* A more cynical observer could argue that Christopher’s act of kindness was essentially a passive-agressive reminder that Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky describe themselves as “Commonwealths,” not states. During our extensive research for the “County Fair” editions, this was considered, but it was decided that we didn't have time for their persnicketiness (never mind that we opted to spell Hawai’i with an apostrophe). Perhaps with future reprints, we’ll reconsider our decision, though residents of those four states will need to step up their Field Notes consumption to clear out existing inventory.