Let’s talk about art books!
Over the past year I have been adding to my art books collection. After following, watching, & listening to other artists, I came to the realization that building a collection of art books is so incredibly helpful. I am not one to keep lots of books on hand. (Yes I love reading but I don’t really like keeping books around.) BUT…… having lots of different kinds of inspiration around me has become important.
I have to use these books differently than what my type A mind would deem acceptable. Let me explain… I like to get a book. Read the book. And then give the book back to the library. I don’t have many books I have re-read. Well I guess if I am being honest, there are none. Type A= accomplish a task and check it off and then move onto the next thing. Efficiency is key.
That’s not how it works with these books. These books sit on my shelf and are not read start to finish. And how hard that was for me to come to grips with at first! I think I can say I have been successful with letting that go. I now just keep collecting and to the other extreme haven’t even gotten to flip through all of them. I guess I could say that’s a good problem to have.
These books are not tasks to be completed. They are meant to be savored. To slow down with. To enjoy in little snippets. And each time one is opened, it offers me a new jumping off point. Leading me in a different direction. Opening up a new world of possibilities. To look at this collection in that way has helped me to let go of the efficiency mind set. And actually, all of my art practice has helped me let go of that. But that’s a topic for another day.
So back to these books. Some of the books are for inspiration. Looking at them for ideas on patterns, marks, colors, etc. Some of the books are for learning. Finding new techniques, learning how to paint with different mediums, drawing, color themes. All the things.
If you are getting into the art world, wanting to be more creative, then let me encourage you to grab some art books. This was overwhelming to me at first. I used the other artists I followed and admired as guides. They would give suggestions. I would look the books up on Amazon. But before purchasing the book I would head to the library and see about checking them out there first. And let me say that has been really helpful. Because I can then get a feel for the book. See if it has things in it that inspire me, help me or get me excited about creating. There have been some that I instantly opened and knew I had to have. There have also been some that I looked through and realized it wasn’t a book for me. And a few in between that I had to think about. But the library is a really useful resource to help with building your own art book library. I also spent some mornings in the shelves of the art section just looking through what was on the shelf. Quite a few times I would come home with books I found on my own. That is also very confidence building. (At least it was for me.) I found those books and decided all on my own that they were good for me.
There is something about an actual physical book. Holding the weight of it in your hands. Feeling the pages turn. Seeing the colors without the screen.
Start your collection!!
I will leave you with a list of the ones that are on my shelf currently. Use that as a jumping off point. Look a few of them up, check them out from the library and then go on a hunt for yourself. Happy reading!
If you would like to see the covers ( I am very visual) check out my Instagram Reel.
ART BOOKS I AM ENJOYING:
Florals by Hand- Alli Koch
The Color Scheme Bible- Anna Starmer
Playing with Paints: Watercolors- Sara Funduk
1500 Color Mixing Recipes- William Powell
Paint Alchemy- Eva Magill-Oliver
Love Colour-Anna Starmer
Arctic Sketchbook- Barbara Rae
15 Minute Art: Watercolor- Jola Sopek
Aphorisms for Artists- Walter Darby Bannard
Make Every Day Creative- Marion Deuchars
Color In and Out of the Garden- Lorence Edwards Forkner
Expressive Abstracts in Acrylic- Anita Horskens
Acrylic Solutions- Chris Cozen & Julie Prichard
Expressive Sketchbooks- Helen Wells
Spectrum- Thames & Hudson