Indeed, I love art books. I have resisted the temptation recently to add more of them to my shelves, partly because - "I Need More Shelves". Partly because I have enough here to keep me busy for years, and partly because as my friend Doris and I discussed just the other day we seldom read them all when we get them, preferring to skim the eye candy. There is much to be explored in those pages! These are just my most accessible shelves of "Resources". There are others.
Because I often justify the purchase of a new book by saying it is less than the price of a workshop, I am making a late year resolution. I plan to go through each of my books throughout the year and at least practice something from each of them until I have decided which to keep and which to remove from the shelves. "Something for a Rainy Day".
Besides, I have books on DVD to peruse, such as Denis Brown's tour de force which I recently featured on this blog, Jacqueline Sullivan's and Carrie Brown's and many more...and Fran Strom's calligraphy tapes to have transferred to DVD so I can view them. Not to mention all the handmade books I want to make. I have plenty to keep me busy. "I Should Never Be Bored".
UPDATE 8/21/2012: I am so excited! My new bookcases arrive this morning! Finally I hope to organize all of my art books and group them by subject. A little redecorating will also be called for. Busy week!
You know how I keep a commitment to actually reading and exploring all my calligraphy/reference books? I keep one by my bedside and read a little every night. I think it's good to go to sleep having explored beautiful exemplars, reviewed techniques, examined lettering strokes and loci of unfamiliar hands, etc.
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm working my way through Marie Angel's 'Painting for Calligraphers.' I am not a painter but I'm soaking up her knowledge of paints and pigments, etc.
That's a great little book. Her work was exquisite. I used to study it frequently. I find that if I look through those late at night I get enthused and want to letter, paint or create something. So - I usually stick to novels at night. Maybe I need to try the calligraphy books to fall asleep by again. It couldn't hurt to have beautiful letterforms in my head as I nod off.
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