The Pencil is Under the Table is visual and intimate journey through the notebooks of calligrapher, illustrator and performance artist Francesca Biasetton. More than a simple collection of drawings, Biasetton's drawings on these pages transform reality into visual alphabets. Subjects range from travel impressions to decorative patterns, from natural elements to free letter compositions.
The book is organised into several thematic sections – travel, ideas, nature, letters – and gathers years of work, notes, experiments and graphic reflections born from daily observation and the continuous practice of drawing.
The cover itself forms part of the work, with original hand-made interventions by the author directly on the press sheets during printing to make each copy of the book unique. The volume thus serves as a gateway into the fascinating experimental phase that precedes the finished work, providing a valuable tool for observing the method and imagination of a professional in drawing and lettering.
The Pencil is Under the Table is an invitation to slow down, observe, and record thoughts and emotions, allowing a deeper understanding of oneself through paper. It offers a subtle glimpse into the personal universe of an author who guides us along this path of discovery and visual listening.
Lazy Dog Press, 112pp, 21cm x 28cm illustrated paperback with hand-illustrated cover, 2025
