Usually, you can find Emily Marks working on a costume for the Sonoma Community Center, making artist books, knitting scarves to give away, or snapping photographs around town. Her latest big project was quite the departure – a mental road trip to the time of the American Revolution.
What emerged was her historical novel, What the Painter Heard, the Life and Times of John Singleton Copley.
Because of her interest in American history and the role of the artist in society, she chose as her subject the noted Boston painter who lived from 1738-1815.
“Copley was present at the beginning of Boston’s American revolutionary fervor and painted all the patriots we have come to know from American history classes,” Marks explains. “He often asked his sitters to bring a friend to add life to the expression of his client. I imagined Copley overhearing conversations and becoming friends with many sitters, such as Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Dr. Joseph Warren.”
This was historically true but as she imagined the scenes for the novel, she added details about the thoughts and feelings of Copley’s clients. Fascinating connections and true tidbits abound (i.e., it was tea belonging to his father-in-law that was famously thrown into Boston Harbor).
Marks and her husband, a retired high school history teacher, moved from the East Bay to Sonoma in 2008. They yearned for more space and flatter countryside. She wrote nonfiction books and articles, and in 2012 self-published a book about artist books called Thread Loves Paper. It sold rather well and she was pleased with the product.
Marks has always been fascinated by the American Revolution. The spark for the new book came when she thought to dramatize that period through the life and times of Copley. “Being an artist myself, I thought it would be interesting to view historical events through an artist’s perspective.”
Why Copley? “I went to college in Boston and was aware of his paintings at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. There is Copley Square with a statue of Copley right across from the Boston Public Library.” She decided that since he was a portrait painter of all the revolutionaries like Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock, he must have overheard their machinations while behind his easel.
The research took a long long time but it was a joy, she says. “There are many books, articles, videos, and blogs about Copley and his associates. I had so much information that it took a long time to narrow it all down.”
The world of 1770s America proved to be a handy distraction from modern times. “After the election of 2016, I decided to spend as much time as I could in the 18th century. Surprisingly I found some familiar events and emotions between Copley’s time and contemporary politics. It was a very enjoyable experience to compare and contrast our era and his.”
From the research, and her imagination, emerged a historical novel for many audiences, “those who are curious about how an artist navigates in a turbulent time, how history can come alive for students in high school or older, and for readers who enjoy a tale based on a true character.”
The book is available at Readers’ Books in Sonoma, and on Amazon in paperback or as an ebook.
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