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› Books Dear Artist, At the dawn of computers they gave them acronyms like HAL and ENIAC. Here’s an acronym you might consider—BOOK. It stands for Bound Orderly Organized Knowledge. They’re handy--and the current state of their art is nothing short of miraculous. As an artist develops there’s sometimes the tendency to close the books and get on with the work that rings the registers. This, in my mind, is a mistake. Continued growth through reading, as well as seeing and exploration is a vital part of the greater joy of staying with it. There’s so much to learn. On the other hand you don’t want to be a book junkie. I know some artists who are so excited by the art press that there’s little time for actual work. The ideal, in my opinion, is a self-directed balance. There are three stations where you can top up your tank--nature, imagination and reference. Knowing the potential of each helps tell you which one you currently need. There was some curiosity generated by the last letter regarding Genn’s laws. There seemed to be a lot of laws. Here’s three more: A leopard can change it’s spots. You can teach an old dog new tricks. You can lead a horse to water and get him or her to drink. Best regards, Robert PS: "By and large books are mankind’s best invention." (Ursula K LeGuin) Esoterica: As I write this letter I’m realizing that it was one year ago today that I started this email project. On that day my first letter went to a total of twenty subscribers--all personal friends. Over the past year many whom I have never met have received these letters, some have written in return, and some have spoken of books that have helped or inspired them. A few of these books I have ordered and read with delight and profit, and in some cases I’ve passed on their insights. Writing these letters has been an exercise in enrichment, both in sharing with peers and facilitating others. More than anything I want my project to be of continuing value. For the next clickback I ask you to send me the titles and authors of books that you recommend. They might be "How to" books, art philosophy, biographies, or any books that you think other artists might value. If you wish to comment briefly on your favorites, please do. We will publish a few of the comments as usual, and we will tabulate a state-of-the-art book list for your interest. Thank you for writing rgenn@saraphina.com › Hit the studio computer
and made it decidedly gzonkers Taking the Leap, Cay Lang Painting What You Want to See, Charles Reid* "Or any of his other books. Good thoughts, particularly about color, in making watercolors and oils." (Randy) On Not Being Able to Paint, Marion Milner.* "A psycholanalyst and painter whose writings show great insight into the processes and temperaments of artistic practice." (Rose Frain, Edinburgh, Scotland). In Praise of Painting, Robert Genn* "Out of print and difficult to get—shows lots of Genn paintings up until he was about forty." (Lucy Andrews) Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, Betty Edwards.* "Inspirational, practical, educational and good review of what in important about the 'art process' as well as the techniques to achieve what you wish in art." (Marcia Riquelme) The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron. ***** "A spiritual workshop aimed at guiding the participant to a level of higher creativity." (Sandy Sandy, Tabernacle, NJ) "A wealth of inspiration and comfort. When I am stuck, or feel like I am just posing as an artist, I have no real talent at all...I pick up her book. There are exercises on creativity and inner demons which help me on my journey toward creating. I recommend it to any one who has a desire to create or to the experienced artist who is having a hard time moving from the white canvas. My book’s binding is literally falling apart from use." (Nancy Patterson) The Art Spirit, Robert Henri.***** "Purely inspirational and a re-read and a keeper on the shelf next to your paints." (Marcia Riquelme) The Possible Human, Jean Houston* The Awakened Eye, Frederick Franck* The Painter’s Handbook, Mark D Gottsegen***** "The best recent general reference guide to studio technique, supports, sizes, grounds, paints, pigments, etc, etc. Exhaustive and fun to read." (Dick Wiggins) Messages From the Real World, Ted Godwin Oil Painting Outdoors, John Pellew Los Genios de la Pintura Espanola Sorolla, Sarpe: Clara Janes, ed. The Writing Life, Annie Dillard * "A beautiful expression of the trials and beauties of being a writer. Applies to a lot of creative fields." (Joseph Penn) James McNeill Whistler, John Walker Writer’s Market, Kirsten Holm, ed.* Artists’ Materials, Ian Hebblewhite How to Get Started Selling Your Art, Carole Katchen Art and Artists, Herbert Read Artist Beware, Michael McCann "An excellent source of frightening material on the stuff we breathe and touch when we work. (James Cannel) Touched with Fire, Kay Redfield Jamison "A profound exposition of the relationship between the artistic temperament and manic-depressive illnesses." (Jock Turner) A Passion for Excellence, Tom Peters and Nancy Austin* Art, Mind and Brain, Howard Gardner* A Life of One’s Own, Joanna Field* Dictionary of Art and Artists, Peter and Linda Murray "Definitive and well written classic information on lots of stuff." (Pete Moon) The World Through Blunted Sight, Patrick Trevor-Roper "Blindness, color blindness, myopia, etc., and their effect on artists in a historical perspective." (Randy) Art & Soul, Audry Flack.* "Truly food for the artist's soul." (Anni Adkins) Design Synectics, Nicholas Roukes Art Synectics, Nicholas Roukes. "Some of the exercises in them are good kickoff points especially when I get stuck." (Mary Bennett) Being Happy, Andrew Matthews. "For any person who wants to grow happier. Matthews is a professional portrait artist." (Leanne Cadden, Victoria, BC) The Book of Ruth, Jane Hamilton Man's Search for Meaning, Alexander Solzenheitzen The Conquest of Happiness, Bertrand Russell The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, David S. Landes. "Unrelated to art but nevertheless have deep implications on my work."(Gandee Vasan, London, England) Everything You Ever
Wanted to Know About Oil Painting,
Watson-Guptill Enliven Your Paintings with Light, Phil Metzger. "This book captures the qualities of light: types of light sources, shadows, reflections and refractions, capturing time and place, suggesting distance, defining form and texture, creating mood etc." (Lois Matthews (Coletti)) Art Class (A Complete Guide to Painting), Chronicle Books Artist's Manual, Chronicle Books Collage Techniques (A Guide for Artists), Gerald Brommer Color Choices, Stephen Quiller Painter's Guide to Color, Stephen Quiller Transparent Watercolor Wheel, Jim Kosvanek Guide to Watercolor Paints, Hilary Page Making Color Sing, Jeanne Dobie Color Harmony 2, Bride M. Whelan Exploring Color,
Nita Leland Keys to Drawing, Bert Dodson Drawing & Sketching, Stan Smith Alla Prima, Richard Schmid, * "Beautifully produced insight into the methods of this widely respected artist." (Bob Tenniel) Pollyanna, E H Porter. "Always be satisfied with your life. Even in bad times look at the good side of it." (Denise Enslen) Girl With a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevallier, "A fictionalized version of the life of Vermeer." (Nina Stahlberg, Pa) Memory of Fire, Eduardo Galeano. "A trilogy history as 'told in story vignette form' in lighter fashion with the unique proposal that we take a look at the planet and its history from the 'viewfinders' of those who were the original inhabitors of the 'new world'." (Marcia Riquelme) The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver I, Rigoberta, Rigoberta Menchu. "A true story of courage, great love, and a chunk of history worth viewing through the eyes of a brave soul who overcame great obstacles and great personal danger and tragedy to become a 'promoter' of the best in the Mayan culture, and the best in peacemaking." (Marcia Riquelme) Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston. "She is one of the finest writers of the Harlem Renaissance." (Marcia Riquelme) Tar Beach, Faith Ringgold. "This one is for the 'child' in all of us, and a more charming book has yet to exist." (Marcia Riquelme) Eva Luna, Isabel Allende. "A young woman delights us as she shows how imagination and storytelling can lead to solutions in a charming, funny bittersweet, and brave way, and how a 'lost person' can help create a full and wonderful life through sheer guts and brains." (Marcia Riquelme) Ellen Foster, Kaye Gibbons Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting, John F. Carlson Psychopictography, Vernon Howard Watercolour, John Yardley The Painted Word, Tom Wolff.* "A simple expose by a non-painting truth-seeker of the power and sham of critical opinion among New York’s cutting edge." (R Baker) Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins How I Paint, Thomas S. Buechner. "He has spent a lifetime studying technique, and has been teaching art since the 1950's. Buechner is an oil painter." (Bonnie Hamlin) Watercolor Secrets, Tom Lynch. "Description of his use of techniques, values, colours, shapes, impact areas and mood. Plus I always enjoy looking at his reproductions of his paintings, (Bonnie Hamlin) Art and Fear, David Bayles and Ted Orland. "This book made me feel as though the authors had crawled inside my brainand purged my thoughts and feelings into written word. It confronts the inhibitions that plunge us into inactivity or stifle our creativity and challenges us to look beyond these destructive forces and continue on the path of artmaking." (Laurie Friesen) No More Secondhand Art, Peter London The Underpainter, Jane Urquhart Making Room for Making Art, Sally Warner Written on the Body, Jeanette Winterson. "about consuming passion and love" (Joey Lindsey) Lust for Life, Irving Stone. "A biography of Vincent Van Gogh. No biography has ever gone deep into the soul of an artist like this book. Perhaps it is because Theo had the insight to save so many of Vincent's letters that we can have the opportunity to have this view of a man, driven to create, who was misunderstood by almost all who knew him. I cherish this book and when I am discouraged by my own artistic achievement, I remember how many paintings Vincent sold during his life.....and THAT fact did not alter him from his desire to create. His passion continues to inspire me daily." (Nancy M. Patterson) Zen and the Beat Way, Allan Watts Zen Mind, Beginners
Mind, Shunryu Suzuki. "speaks to the
creative soul and encourages spontaniety." (Radha) › Scanners Peter Barton, London (RG note) I treat books the same way I do museums and art galleries—I try to look for and find the things that are currently interesting me. A way of doing it is—breeze through, be attracted by, go back for greater depth. Use the table of contents and the index. A good system for busy people is to read IN books—the type of books we need don’t have to be read in their entirety, like novels. M. Garcia mentioned the Joaquin Sorolla book published by Sarpe. I happen to have this one too. The text is in Spanish but translations are available in other languages. I have held it in my hands and looked at the illustrations of his marvelous paintings many many times. Thanks to Joaquin everything in it makes me want to paint more and better. › Non-fiction F W Moss (RG note) That’s something I’ve noticed about a lot of creative people. Perhaps it’s because the imagination of artists is already rich and not so in need of escape and fantasy as in others. There’s also the practical side—artists frequently just want the information so that they can get on with their own inner worlds. If the private inner world is rich enough to sustain—what could possibly be wrong with that? › The Painter’s Keys Ralph P Nelson (RG note) Though some people wrote, mentioned and praised it, we decided to leave it off the list. Couldn’t resist this letter though. › What an age we live in
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