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 honors 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.