Thursday, September 26, 2013

Art Books On Review

Seeing I'm getting back into my art, I thought to review some books on the subject.  And I also have some great books in my collection on artists and particular ways to get into the arty way as well.  So, where to begin!  

I traveled to the UK and had a wonderful time being shown all the arty places throughout their art galleries in 1997.  Even though I wasn't really into art then, I found the places fantastic, full of brilliant pieces and books on art I could read when I was stuck at the hotel with nothing to do on days when I wanted to be alone... which weren't many.  Or better still - when I wanted to read something interesting before bed.  So, when the tour group hit Scotland, I found their old Celtic art was brilliantly carved, and each piece had a meaning.  Even though our tour guides in the galleries went through it all briefly with us, I just couldn't remember anything (as recall is one of my failures when it came to classroom type activities); so instead, of asking every question that popped into my head, I bought these wonderful books on Celtic Art by Aidan Meehan.  What wonderful books they are; and they weren't that much to buy either from one of the galleries in Glasgow.  

The next book I've bought and used a lot in my art world is 'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron.  Now, this woman is a wonderful public speaker and in my early days as an artist, I listened to her cassette tapes on how artists are seen by people on the outside of the art world; and how they really are.  This book is an absolute must for people who want to tap into their artistic side and find it difficult sometimes.  The exercises are fanstatic and I love how she has set out this book - so much so I have hunted around for another copy for my niece for her birthday to hone her skills for the art world.

Then, there's some great art books I love to just look at for the sake of the beauty of them.  There's the Vincent Van Gogh one... it's a tiny book filled with his art and what each painting meant and how he painted it; in full colour!  Fantastic!
The other book I've chosen is 'Michael Whelan's Works of Wonder'.  This man is a cover artist for writers and he mainly did sci-fi and sci-fi fantasy art!  He's a wonderful artist even now he's retired from the world; and once in a while, I'll find a calendar of his being sold and I'll buy it just for the images he's created.  This book, however, is out of print and I only found it by pure chance in a charity store.  If you ever find a copy, don't let it go... it's a great book to have in your collection.

So, there's my books on art and artists.  Great pieces to have in any collection for any reason at all.  Which art books have you picked up and found they are a must-have and never knew why?  Until my next post, happy reading! 

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