Books, books, books…
Boxes and boxes of books. Now on to the shelves… Books are a mainstay of my life. Accompanying every chapter of my life’s journey.
My recent move meant I had to face the numbers, and the space my books take up in my physical environment. For moving, banker boxes are perfect for books…not too many in each box. And with handles. And the boxes stack neatly against the empty walls, waiting for the movers.
I asked myself how many books am I insisting on taking with me. How many can I let go of. I had 3 yard sales…one dedicated just to the books I made myself pass on. To good homes. I was thrilled when a few people I knew (or didn’t know) picked up some of my more obscure titles…hangers on, maybe unread, or absorbed enough at the time.
Books like Musical Theory or Garden Showers (condo living now).
Or The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind….
Ok, I have to admit, I kept that one. Here with me on one of my dozen book cases. Along with others like it-books exploring how we think and feel. Both scholarly and magical. And books on education, raising children, cookbooks, art books, books on the 1st Nations, budget and organizing books. And on wardrobe and gems…. Reiki and health, astrology and books on storytellng I love books that classify us and describe us!
Number? I guessed a thousand books, then walked along my shelves bunching them visually in batches of ten, just looking for an approximate number. And was close enough. And because my book collection over the years has been repeatedly culled (with some regrets, how hard is it to let go of Lawrence Durell’s The Dark Labyrinth) I am left with lots of books I’d love to read again.
I am going to pass along the titles of books I think are worth a look, to inspire, offer a thought, some amusement, or words to live by day to day. Books for every topic, or page, I have here on “Express Yourself”.
Yesterday, I shared the simple and amazingly worthwhile read, “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. “On transorming professional and personal life” I am rereading it, so I am ready to give an in depth review and recommendation. A delight…
Today, since I just finished up 7 years of working with artists in my position as Art Gallery Curator in my small town, I want to recommend this all round useful book: “The Natural Way to Draw” by Nicolaides. A Working Plan for Art Study. A classic.
Book on drawing, art, and life itself. The Natural Way to Draw
From Amazon: Great for the beginner and the expert, this book offers readers exercises to improve their work
One review: I read this book back in 1978 and reread it over and over. Kimon Nicolaides was a fantastic teacher of art who believed that the way to learn to draw was to learn to observe details and then practice drawing constantly. He put it like this- "There is only one right way to draw and that is a perfectly natural way. It has nothing to do with artifice or technique. It has nothing to do with aesthetics or conception. It has only to do with the act of correct observation and by that I mean a physical contact with all sorts of objects through all the senses." There-now the secret is out! This book was written in 1941 and still shines brilliantly upon those who care to learn to draw. Nicolaides' work is brilliant. If you want to learn to draw, start right here with this book.
When learning, pursuing habits, work, a passion, jump in and start!
I’m off to peruse my books, see which jump out at me for Express Yourself pages…
My shelves, a few…
