During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, painters Julia Rooney and Maya Strauss continue to find ways of staying in touch at a distance by writing letters and sending each other works through the the mail. While graduate students at the Yale School of Art, Julia and Maya begin their correspondence on the occasion of a dual critique. During this evaluation, each artist presented her work in a shared critique space, but before jumping into the crit, the artists read a selection of the letters with which each slipped under their studio doors from the past month. This experiment has lead to further correspondences between the artists, allowing each to carve out a contemplative space for meandering within one’s own thoughts. In this conversation, we talk about running/walking, keeping a journal, graduate study, and the importance of touch within painting.

Julia Rooney at www.juliarooneystudio.com

Maya Strauss at www.mayastrauss.com & https://www.instagram.com/mstrawsy/