ART BOOKS - PRACTICAL OBJECTS OF BEAUTY AND INSPIRATION

I love books. Though I should clarify - when I say that, I don't mean I love reading books. Although I do enjoy reading! When I say I love books, I mean I love them for both their inspirational content and also as objects of beauty.

I love the experience of holding a book in my hands and feeling the weight of it. For this reason, I will always favour a hardcover edition over a softcover if it’s available. Hardcovers feel more substantial and enduring and lend a certain gravitas to the act of reading. Of course the books that make my favourite list are both beautiful and full of inspirational content.

THE FAVOURITES LIST

The following is a short list of favourites sitting beside my reading chair, close at hand in the studio and on the nightstand at the moment (in no particular order):

Painting Abstract Landscapes. Gareth Edwards & Kate Reeve-Edwards
I am finding this one both incredibly inspirational and practical.

Tom Thomson. The Silence and The Storm - David P. Silcox and Harold Town
Big beautiful images allow you to really study each piece. Plus I love that if you remove the dust jacket, its just an image of Thomson’s work on the cover which makes it look like a piece of art lying on the table.

The Soul of the Camera - David duChemin
David is a Canadian photographer who also happens to write and podcast about the creative process and photography in a way that is eloquent, intelligent and inspiring. Look him up online - you won’t be disappointed.

Mastering Composition - Ian Roberts
Ian is wonderful painter and also a Canadian (now living in California I believe). I found Ian’s video series on painting and composition on YouTube quite by accident. I enjoy the clarity and detail he provides in his demonstrations.

Life Force - Louise Fletcher
This is wonderful and beautiful book in which Louise documents her project of bringing a series of paintings inspired by the poetry of Ted Hughes to life. For anyone who dreams of doing such a thing - this is a wonderful inspiration. Louise is also co-host on one of my very favourite art podcasts, ArtJuice.

A Collection of Poems by Robert Frost
I never used to enjoy poetry in school, but lately I find dipping into it occasionally sets my creative mind in motion. This collection of Frost’s poems is a great example of both inspiring content and a beautiful object - complete with ribbon book mark so I can pick up where I left off.

In The Footsteps of the Group of Seven - Jim and Sue Waddington
I am smitten with the work of the Group of Seven. This book is unique - as it is the result of Jim and Sue travelling often by canoe to find and photograph the places featured in many of the works by the Group of Seven.

The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson - David P. Silcox
Another book filled with large images of the works of these Canadian landscape masters.

I have no doubt this list is incomplete and will continue to grow. Do you have any favourite art or creative inspiration books? I'd love to hear what you've found. Leave your recommendations in the comments below.