Artist Sketchbook “Hot and Cool” 1995–1998 — Claire Durani Nack — Self-Portraits

Item #1599

4 5/8” x 6 1/4” spiral-bound notebook. 27 leaves present (used recto only, for 27 finished drawings/paintings). Versos numbered in the artist’s hand from 2 to 54, with multiple gaps—confirming missing leaves; incomplete. Removed cleanly (no ragged tears/stubs noted).

The front cover is incised (carved into the brown paperboard) with: “A sketchbook, Hot and Cool by Claire Durani Nack Artist. Property of Claire Durani Nack”—scored into a printed board with an elephant, giraffe, and palm tree.

Inside the front cover, an all-caps handwritten artist statement asserts authorship and scope: this book, titled “Hot and Cool,” contains original art by Claire Durani Nack, made “without any collaboration from 1995 to 1998,” and dedicated to Rae Nack (her mother).

Executed in colored pencil, watercolor, graphite, and blue/black ink, the surviving sequence moves between self-portraiture and quick figure studies of people in public—a diaristic, observational “female gaze.” Early drawings are located Las Vegas; later, a profile self-portrait (brown hair, pink puckered lips, fur hat) places the artist in Rensselaer, New York. Recurring motifs include Claire and her cat (three sketches, including one of the cat alone), and a self-portrait beside a suited man. The final drawing—numbered 54—depicts a view from a theater balcony.

A standout image is a mixed-media rendering of a hand holding a small mirror, with Nack’s face appearing in the reflection—soft, doe-eyed, and intimate.

Condition: Incomplete (leaves missing; removed cleanly). Versos paginated 2–54 with gaps. Each piece of art is a little masterpiece.

Price: $500.00