Coffee, Creativity, and Community: Inside The Drawing Table

By Melissa Cole

Coffee, conversation, painting, sketching, and drawing. It’s what happens every Monday at “The Drawing Table.”

Each week, artists from West Hartford and surrounding communities gather in the back of Beanz & Co. in Avon, sketch pads and watercolors in hand, ready to get their creative juices flowing. The group recently celebrated its second birthday. It was started by Connecticut artist and author Deborah Velasquez as a place for artists of any ability to gather, connect, share ideas, and create.

Because artists shouldn’t always work alone.

“I was teaching in West Hartford and a student mentioned, ‘Maybe we should go to a coffee shop or something. We could meet once a week,’” Velasquez said. “And I said, yes! Let’s do that.”

She immediately went home, designed a logo, and posted about it on Instagram.

“I’m going to call it The Drawing Table because I wanted to have a group,” Velasquez said. “Artists work alone, and that can make it really hard. The Drawing Table could be a strong foundation for someone to learn about art shows, meet other artists – maybe better than them, maybe not as good. They can mentor each other.”

Some of you reading this may have taken one of her classes at the West Hartford Art League. Velasquez teaches absolute beginners how to paint with acrylics and confidently tells me she can teach anyone how to draw.

“I always try to find a niche for that artist so they can get the confidence to develop. I like to help them grow” Velasquez goes on to say: “It comes from yourself, it comes from here (pointing to her heart) it comes from the inside.”

But her résumé includes much more than teaching locally. Velasquez studied at the Colorado Institute of Art and FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), then went on to work in textiles in New York City. Her career has taken her around the world on photo shoots for companies like Brooks Brothers and Casual Corner. Her work has been featured in publications such as Architectural Digest and Domino Magazine, and she continues to create designs for brands including Minted and Target.

So the artists at The Drawing Table have plenty to gain from working alongside her, even in this relaxed, coffee-shop setting. Each week, about 20 women show up with their own supplies. The group spans generations, with artists in their mid-20s up through retirement age. Beanz is the perfect spot, with plenty of room available to sprawl out and create. Not to mention, the group fully embraces this café’s mission: “everyone belongs.”

Joanna Eickenhorst has been part of The Drawing Table since it launched. A former librarian, who grew up near Elizabeth Park and resides there now, she never had time to dabble in art until she retired.

“My husband said, ‘You need to go and do something.’ So I started taking classes at the West Hartford Art League. I’ve always done a lot with photography – the old-fashioned cameras,” Eickenhorst said. “We walk our dog at Elizabeth Park every day, so I decided to put together photographs of the botanicals I was taking there.”

Over time, Eickenhorst built a portfolio capturing the park in every season and eventually published her book, “Wednesday In the Park with Louie.” Louie, of course, is her dog featured alongside the stunning roses and dahlias that fill the pages. She has also designed a line of greeting cards using inks and watercolors. Both the book and cards are available in the gift shop at Elizabeth Park.

She says being part of The Drawing Table has given her confidence not just as a photographer, but as an artist, helping her see things from new perspectives.

“Artists often work alone in their studios,” Eickenhorst said. “To have a community where you can look around and see what others are doing – not to copy them, but to be inspired – gives you confidence to try something new.”

JoLynn Alcorn has lived in West Hartford for 28 years and has worked as a commercial artist for three decades.

“I call myself a paper artist,” she said. “Everything I do is made from paper. I’ve worked with a lot of corporate clients over the years, including cosmetics and fashion.”

A quick look at her website (www.jolynnalcorn.com) makes that clear. She’s created stunning paper sets for brands like Dior, Shiseido, and Clinique, designed to showcase their products.

But The Drawing Table offers her something different. It gives her a break from the intensity of commercial work and allows her to explore different creative outlets.

“This is a good group because it takes me out of paper and makes me draw and paint and collage,” Alcorn said. “I’m older now and looking forward to just doing my own work. This is such a wonderfully supportive group for that – always sharing ideas, techniques, and materials. I just love this group of women.”

And sometimes the group spills out of Beanz, and into little trips around the area to museums and art supply shops. The most beautiful thing created at The Drawing Table might just be the friendships. Something that Velasquez couldn’t have imagined when she started this two years ago.

“We just sketch and draw, and then we’ll go over to Jerry’s Artarama or we’ll go to the museum” Said Velasquez. So many friendships formed. It’s just been really amazing.”

If you’d like to join The Drawing Table, reach out to Deborah Velasquez via email: deborahvelasquezstudio@gmail.com.

You can also follow along on instagram: @the_drawingtable.

And to learn more about Deborah Velasquez: deborahvelasquez.com.

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