Swimming Studies

Swimming Studies is a meditative memoir by artist and writer Leanne Shapton about her years as a competitive swimmer, told through a blend of prose, watercolors, and photographs.

Shapton recalls joining a swim team at age ten, training through two Olympic trial appearances, and the textures of that submerged life: suburban Canadian pools, early morning practices, teammate camaraderie, and an accumulating collection of swimsuits.

She examines swimming as, in her words, a mode of experiencing time, movement, and perspective, and traces how the discipline and rigor of athletic training carried over into her later work as an artist.

Critics have praised it as a subtle, self-examining meditation on dedication and the pull of who we used to be.