WILMORE, Ky. (LEX 18) — One day and one drawing at a time, Libby Beaty is getting to know her town.
"I just learned there's a food truck that shows up on the weekends," Beaty said as she shaded in one of her drawings.
Beaty and her husband graduated from Asbury University but have since lived all over the world. They just moved back to Wilmore in the summer with their three kids in the middle of the pandemic.
"I was just feeling like oh my goodness ... we're in a new town and you can't meet anybody," Beaty said of the isolation of COVID-19.
To build community and find a creative outlet while cooped up inside, the art teacher turned to what she knows: drawing.
"I thought, I have to have a place to pour my creativity and pour some energy, and art is therapeutic. I just thought this would be a great thing for me to take on," Beaty explained.
Each day since Jan. 1, Beaty has sketched a new scene found in Wilmore. One drawing a day. The drawings are always in pencil, and the subject can be anything from a landscape to a building or even a friendly dog she sees on a walk. Each image captures the charm and history of the small town.
"I don't have any set thing in mind. Usually, I'll go out and just drive around town every couple of days and take some photos; really, it's whatever feels inspiring to me," Beaty said of how she decides what to draw. "I've had a lot of people write in with requests or suggestions, which I love. That's part of just getting to know people and getting to know the community."
Beaty shares her work daily on her social media pages. Her ultimate dream is to compile all her works into a book at the end of the year. Above all, she said the project is about spreading light and a sense of community, something no town can ever have too much of.
"It's been a lot of fun, and from what people have said I think it's just a little bit of joy in their day," she said. "I think we could all use that right now, and I love that art can do that."
To see all of Beaty's drawings, follow Drawing Wilmore Facebook or Instagram @drawing_wilmore.
