Lettergirl

Wednesday Book Club.

Over the summer I'd like to share some books that I've been reading.  (You may even want to add them to your own booklist for the Summer Reading Program....)  First up:  Chuck Close Face Book by Francoise Mouly.

I originally checked this out from the library as a diversion for the kids on a road trip over Memorial Day Weekend.  Then I hogged it long enough to read the whole thing cover-to-cover (admittedly, that only took about half an hour.)  The middle of the book has neat-o flip pages so you can mix & match forehead/eyes/mouth with different Chuck Close self-portraits/techniques. 

But the core of the book is questions & answers about living a creative life:  How did you become such a great artist?  Why do you paint only faces?  Did you ever want to give up?  The answers aren't just for kids, either.  The introduction begs you to turn the page and keep reading:

Imagine it is a gray winter morning.  You and your classmates are invited to Chuck Close's studio.  You are all clutching notebooks, pencils, and note cards filled with questions for the artist.  Chuck Close, seated in his motorized wheelchair, a wool scarf wrapped around his neck and a large smile across his face, invites you in.  "So...you have questions for me?"

Summer Reading Program...for grown-ups!

When I was a kid, I always took part in the Summer Reading Program at the library -- you know, read 20 books or 20 hours and earn a prize at the end of the summer.  Now my kids read at our local library, but I'm feeling nostalgic for my own little reading worksheet.  Introducing the Dreamland Summer Reading Program, complete with a prize at the end of the summer.  Won't you join me?

The Details

Read any five books this summer and write a short paragraph review of each (a few sentences will do it).  Your books can be fiction or non-fiction.  (I even count cookbooks!)

The Deadline

Send me your list via email August 15-31st:  lettergirl66 {at} gmail {dot} com. 

The Prize

Everyone who sends a book list (complete with mini-reviews) will receive 10 personalized bookplates, handwritten by me.  One prize per reader, please.

 

Stay tuned on Wednesdays for updates on the program and some of my own summer reading!

My turn: a few favorite books from the past year.

After reading all the answers to Anniversary Week Giveaway #2, I wanted to share some of my own favorite reads from the past year (and I'm going to allow myself more than one title here, unlike the question of the day).  You can also see more of my reads on my 2011 book page.

Fiction

The Book of Negroes (recommended in the comments of last year's Anniversary Week; thanks Gisele!)

Case Histories (I'm now reading my third book -- in a row -- by Kate Atkinson.)

Room  (One of the few books I actually read in just a few days, and I wasn't even on vacation.)  Several people from this year's Anniversary Week also mentioned this as a favorite.

Non-fiction

Second Skin, by the amazingly talented and thoughtful India Flint.  I had to buy this one from an Australian bookseller, but I see that Amazon will be carrying it soon.  Highly recommended!

Art Saves  Every now & then it's nice to read a book that reinforces what you're already doing and inspires you to be even better (instead of my fallback, feeling guilty that I'm not doing enough).

 

Right Brain Business Plan: a book and a workshop.

A week ago, I spent one blissful day in the company of some amazing local entrepreneurs cutting and pasting our creative business plans. 

My little book is focused on my creative environment as much as anything else -- looking back at where I was 20 years ago and where I want to be a few years from now, and all the places in between. 

The back side of the book is for more specific information and goal setting.  I have lots of gaps in mine, but I don't mind it being a work-in-progress for awhile.

Our fearless leader, Amy of SpiritOut!, was so peaceful and open to all the epiphanies that were had throughout the course of the day.  Amy is a licensed facilitator of the Right Brain Business Plan, and you can read an interview with her here.

If you don't have access to a workshop, I'd highly recommend the book:

And the website has oodles of support in the form of grown-up worksheets that you can print out.  I can see this process being useful for all kinds of goal-setting.  (My favorite part turned out to be the visualization session!) 

On my wishlist.

I can't wait to peek inside Denyse Schmidt's new book, Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration. 

I loved Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists, part of the Lab Series from Quarry Books.  Last month they published a new title, Art Lab for Kids.  Not sure yet if I will get this one for a real kid, or the kid in me!

I love the Modkid patterns I've used, even if I've had to adjust the sizes up to fit my not-so-little-anymore girl.  Just looking at the colors and patterns and textures in Sewing Modkid Style is inspiring -- actually sewing these garments is completely optional!

I'm already gearing up for summer reading!  This is the newest installment (a prequel) in the Mysterious Benedict Society series.  (As for me, I've been reading Case Histories by Kate Atkinson -- on my reading list for awhile, and I found a nice copy at our school's annual used book sale.  Hooray!  Has anyone seen the Masterpiece Mystery adaptation?)

I just signed up for a Right Brain Business Plan workshop with Amy at Spirit Out!  Super Excited!

My book-book.

I almost forgot to make the 2011 entry to my scrapBOOK, but when I looked over blog posts from last year, it was March when I did the 2010 page too.  (Whew.)

List: Books to fuel your creative fire.

And a few honorable mentions:  two I haven't read since college (The Courage to Create by Rollo May and Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke) and one that's on my list (The War of Art by Steven Pressfield).

Inspiring reading, part two.

Brainstorm by Eric Maisel  The books I've read by Eric Maisel so far tend to be a little too self-help-y for my own taste, but there's always a really helpful nugget or two to be had, so I keep seeking them out.  As someone who actually schedules time for brainstorming, I thought his idea of "productive obsessing" was worth looking into.

Letters to a Young Artist by Julia Cameron  I checked this one out from the library, but quickly realized I need my own copy (so I can underline and write in the margins).  You could read this in an afternoon, or a few pages at a time over years.

Sew Wild Alisa Burke's commitment to her art amazes me.  I think, talk, read...she does.

Three Dimensional Embroidery and Experimental Textiles  Eye candy.

Simply Imperfect  This is a revised version of an earlier book, The Wabi-Sabi House, and probably my favorite in this stack. "Wabi-sabi is a state of mind: living modestly in the moment, stripping away the unnecessary, finding satisfaction in everyday things."

Block Party  The story of a virtual quilting bee -- with pretty pictures.  My favorite is the Wonky Triangles quilt.

Textile Designs  This one has been in print almost twenty years and is considered the bible of pattern design.  I've been doodling a lot lately, trying to develop some patterns I can use as stencils or screens.  Resources like this one are fuel for the fire. 

Inspiring reading.

I've been so inspired by my non-fiction reads lately that it will take me two posts to get through it all!  Some are new, some have been around awhile, some have been around a long while:

Art Saves by Jenny Doh.  I bought this one sight-unseen, because the title was so intriguing.  Now I am wishing for a whole afternoon free to devour it.  Although I know in my heart that art and beauty are as necessary to life as food and shelter, it is my biggest struggle to remember that day in & day out.  I ask others how they can be aware of human need and suffering and still put one foot in front of the other; I asked my art mentors last week, and then my friend Lisa, who replied, What would the world be like if everyone was an accountant?  Would you want to live in that world?  (For the record, Lisa is an accountant.) 

Molas!  I wanted to give myself some historical context for all the hand-stitching I've been doing lately.  Molas are the original reverse applique.

The Splendid Table's How to Eat Weekends  I don't listed to this NPR program all that often, but I loved the first book (How to Eat Supper); it's a cookbook you can curl up with.

Sewn by Hand  How could I resist a title like that?

Taking Flight by Kelly Rae Roberts  This book was published a few years ago.  I'm more interested in Kelly Rae's artistic journey and comments on creativity than I am on the mixed media techniques. 

The Artist Unique  The subtitle of this book is "Discovering Your Creative Signature," which is pretty compelling stuff.  The book is actually more about hands-on techniques and individual stories; not my favorite, but worth checking out from the library.  Who doesn't love to read about women making art on their own terms, successfully?

Rereading.

I am a re-reader. I read a book, bits & pieces engrave themselves on me, and the rest is more-or-less forgotten, so that when I read a book again, a whole lot of it seems brand spankin' new. (Call it the filter of perspective.)

I re-read The Creative Habit while I was on vacation last week (and yes, I did get a little teasing for my choice of summer reading). Was I asleep when I read it the first time? Or maybe just skimming? I'm now wishing I hadn't checked it out from the library for all the page corners I folded in.

A handful of books have influenced me this way: Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, Style Statement, 52 Projects, The Happiness Project.

And in the way of all good books, it's led me to (or reminded me of) other resources: Eric Maisel, Keri Smith, Maira Kalman. Books I've been meaning to read, or re-read.

Speaking of summer reading, I stumbled on a summer read-along idea for grown-ups. (Why did I not realize before now that I miss the library summer reading program...for myself?) Anyone want to try it next summer?