Archive of Correspondence Between 28 Female Authors, Artists, and Women in the Artistic Community and Patrick Eddington
Patrick Eddington was a Utah-based artist and art teacher. He carried on extensive correspondence throughout his life with a staggering number of writers, visual artists, and even composers. Eddington co-owned and operated the publishing company Green Cat Press, which specializes in original letterpress broadsides in small editions with writers and artists around the country.
Eddington had as a goal the desire to create “The Cat Project,” where literary and visual artists from around the world were asked to produce original works about cats, which would be included in a traveling exhibition and book (unfortunately never realized). Despite the fact that “The Cat Project” never came to fruition, Green Cat Press produced a number of literary and artistic broadsides, many related to cats. Examples include “Blackie In Antarctica” by Margaret Atwood, “My Cat Has Swallowed a Bumblebee” by Ray Bradbury, and “About Cats” by M.F.K. Fisher. He was also responsible for “Cat: A Portfolio of Original Prints for Mutual Exchange by Artists, Cat Lovers and Friends of Adrian Van Suchtelen and Patrick Eddington.” The portfolio began as an artist exchange. Patrick collected art from local artists with a cat theme, and printed a copy for all of the artists. The participants read like a who's who of the Utah local art scene. The edition was limited to 32 copies.
Eddington’s charming and persuasive letters convinced many to engage him in lengthy correspondences. Not only did he hope to have the artists with whom he communicated contribute to his “Cat Project,” but he also often asked them to provide art examples for his art students. Eddington was also a generous gift-giver (as is evidenced in this archive), and was eager to forge connections among the writers and artists that he knew and admired.
Patrick Eddington was familiar with a wide variety of contemporary artists. He was particularly fascinated with Folk Art, Outsider Art, and self-taught artists. The 28 women artists and writers represented in this archive include: Margaret Atwood (Assistant), Georgia Blizzard, Debbie Fleming Caffery, Angela Carter, Claudia Cave, Moki Cherry, Judy Chicago, Alice Cling, Cynthia Cook, Eleanor Coppola, Dana Costello, Georganne Deen, Mamie Deschillie, Joan Didion, Diane Dillon, Harriet Doerr, Rikki Ducornet, Louise Erdrich, Alina Eydel (Manager), Carole Gallagher, Anne McCaffrey, Vonda McIntyre, Joyce Carol Oates, Mary Oliver, Ann Oppenhimer, Georgianna R. Orr, Kathi Oshima, and Beth Van Hoesen.
Inside, you will find subversive British novelist Angela Carter questioning whether her novels are inflicting "untold psychic harm" on Patrick Eddington's young students, along with a decade of correspondence from acclaimed New Mexican mixed media artist Cynthia Cook - beautifully scripted, sporadically illustrated, and almost entirely on bright pink paper. The kind nature of beloved, award-winning poet Mary Oliver is on full display, as is the way Oregon-based artist Claudia Cave defines her inspirations. She writes, “In a previous letter you asked if I knew about William Wiley. Actually, he was one of the greatest influences in my earlier work. He and many Bay area artists such as Roy DeForest, Joan Brown (who died in India a decade ago), and Robert Arneson. Other influences were Fay Jones of Seattle, Gaylen Hansen of Pulman, Washington, Jim Nutt of Chicago and Red Grooms of New York. And I love Alexander Calder’s ‘circus’. Also, the Feminist movement of the 60’s and 70’s which gave women, and men as well, the permission to pursue imagery outside of the normal channels. Previously, to be taken seriously, a woman had to ‘paint like a man.’ After the Feminist movement took hold women could legitimately focus on imagery that spoke to their female sensibilities. Judy Chicago and Miriam Shapiro were also big influences on my work. Not so much in imagery, but in courageously taking on issues that were not previously tackled in the art world. I greatly admire them for that. And that helped all of us. Men, women, people of color.”
This archive of correspondence also illustrates the variety of responses Eddington would elicit from his requests. Many of the reactions are positive- with the artist or writer often feeling very flattered, however occasionally a recipient will answer with a prickly response. Claudia Cave writes, “Your project sounds interesting, but, you know, I have never met you and I feel a bit strange sending a painting off to a person I don’t know except for a slide request several years ago. My work is labor intensive and I am not prolific so, each piece is unique and takes quite a bit of time. It would be difficult for me to produce a piece and have it disappear to who knows where.”
An archive which represents a large collection of correspondence with a variety of prominent women artists and authors, which not only reveals the ways in which these different artists approach their art and careers, but also often sheds light upon how they view nature, animals (often cats, but also a host of other animals as well), women in relation to art and literature, friendship, and the notion of sharing art with others - the artist exchange.
$3500
The archive contains 117 pieces.
Margaret Atwood:
1 TLS (by assistant)
Georgia Blizzard:
5 color photographs
1 ALS
1 letter from artist’s daughter
Debbie Fleming Caffrey:
1 ALS
1 autograph postcard signed
1 autograph note signed
Angela Carter:
1 TLS
Claudia Cave:
4 TLS
6 ALS
1 autograph postcard signed
3 promotional postcards
4 slides
1 artist’s resume
1 artist’s biography
3 photocopied reviews
Moki Cherry:
1 autograph note signed
Judy Chicago:
1 TLS
3 autograph postcard signed (one from Kate Amend)
Alice Cling:
1 ALS
Cynthia Cook:
10 ALS
1 autograph postcard signed
1 bookmark
1 collage envelope
17 business cards- 3 styles (some duplicates)
Eleanor Coppola:
1 TLS
1 typed note signed
Dana Costello:
3 ALS
3 autograph postcard signed
1 autograph letter (unsigned)
Georganne Deen:
2 ALS
1 autograph card signed
1 autograph note signed
Mamie Deschillie:
1 ALS
Joan Didion:
1 autograph note signed
Diane Dillon:
2 ALS
1 TLS
1 autograph note signed
Harriet Doerr:
2 autograph notes signed
Rikki Ducornet:
1 ALS
1 autograph postcard signed
1 autograph note signed
Louise Erdrich:
1 autograph note signed
Alina Eydel:
1 computer-typed letter
1 greeting card
8 illustrated sheets reproducing artwork by Eydel
Carole Gallagher:
1 TLS
Anne McCaffrey:
1 TLS
1 typed postcard signed
Vonda McIntyre:
1 ALS
1 TLS
Joyce Carol Oates:
1 typed postcard signed
1 autograph postcard signed
Ann Oppenhimer:
1 ALS
Georgianna R. Orr:
1 autograph note signed
Kathi Oshima:
1 ALS
Beth Van Hoesen:
1 ALS. Item #66796
Price: $3,500.00