Books, Books, Books!
April 30, 2015
I think we're always learning, but some periods are more active than others. I happen to be in an active learning period at the moment.
So far in 2015, I've been a student in three art classes, with another one scheduled for this weekend. I've also been buying art/craft books like a crazy person. Here's my most recent haul:
I haven't managed to really work through any of them yet, but here's a run down of what I bought:
Jean-Michel Basquiat by Dieter Buchhart, Glenn O'Brien, and Jean-Louis Prat
After standing in MoMA and staring at this mixed media collage by Basquiat...
...I ran home and ordered this book. I really like Basquiat's work and I'm excited to spend some time poring over it in detail and learning more about him. As a side note, there is currently a Basquiat exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, which I'm hoping to get to!
Collage: The Making of Modern Art by Brandon Taylor
This is a historical look at the evolution of collage. I've been doing a lot more collage lately and I'm thinking that a firmer grasp on the history of where collage has been will help me to push myself forward.
Collage Techniques: A Guide for Artists and Illustrators by Gerald Brommer
This is a collage how-to book, definitely coming from a fine art point-of-view. I buy a lot of how-to books. Sometimes they are filled with techniques that are new to me and sometimes they're filled with techniques I already know. Why buy a book with a technique you already know? I think the answer is the same as the answer to, "Why read a book if you know the ending?" Even if I know the hero and heroine are going to end up together, the journey is pleasurable. Even if I know a technique, I enjoy reading someone else's take on it. Even one little innovation is a worthwhile bit of learning!
Creative Collage Techniques by Nita Leland and Virginia Lee Williams
This is another how-to book. The reviews were so glowing that I absolutely *had* to buy it. I find that the Amazon reviews are pretty spot on in a generalized way. You get the occasional grumpy or effusive person, but generally I agree with them.
Illustrated Elements Of Art and Principles of Design Consultant: Gerald F. Brommer
Elements of Art and Principles of Design is something I teach. I'm always looking for a new way of approaching these topics. I thought the hands-on activities in this book might be interesting to explore. An important side note: Whenever I teach something I learned from a book, I give credit to the author. You don't have to be the inventor of something to be awesome, but you do have to give credit to be awesome.
The Ultimate Marbling Handbook by Diane Maurer-Mathison
This book was insanely expensive. INSANELY. But when I was casting about for a book on marbling, this is the one that kept getting mentioned as outstanding. It's out of print, so I used Amazon to locate a copy in good condition. I'm pretty excited so far and looking forward to some marbling experiments!
Masters: Collage: Major Works by Leading Artists
This book is simply a visual treat. It's packed full of images of collage with some scattered quotes from the artists. Like a pin board of collage, before Pinterest. ;)
The Missing Link by Cindy Wimmer
This is a book I've been coveting for almost a year. I worked on a project for Mixed Media Workshop based on instructions in the book and I've wanted the book for myself ever since then. The instructions are super duper excellent. Two thumbs up and I'm very excited to keep exploring all the wirework inside the book!
Robert Motherwell: Early Collages by Susan Davidson
This book was created for the Guggenheim when they had a Motherwell exhibit in 2013. I've kicked myself many times for missing the exhibit. This book seems like the second best thing to having gone to see the exhibit. I don't think I'll ever create collages like Motherwell, but I'd like to learn from him. I love his sense of color and shape and all the layers.
Whew! That's quite a stack of books. What books have you bought recently?
Thanks for stopping by!