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Books, books, books!

  • CRMc
  • Oct 27, 2016
  • 5 min read

Ah, books.

Is there anything better than the smell of a new book -- that whiff of sheer indulgence as you cradle the spine and crack open the pages, knowing that the next few hours spent living among the words on the pages will be some of the best spent hours in your life?

I have been and will be a life-long reader. I have been told by my parents that I knew how to operate our record player and cassette player just about as soon as I could stand, and that they were never so happy as when I learned to read for myself and when we got books on tape / record. (They got sick of always reading to me -- a good problem to have, parents!) I honestly don't remember learning how to read. (I do remember being very bored in first grade during reading lessons. I kept just wanting to skip ahead while everyone else was trying to "See Spot run.")

My love affair with books has saved me on more than one occasion in my life. I was frequently bullied in public school for being smart and awkward, so I found most of my friends in books. It was such an oasis for me to lose myself in the characters and stories from someone else's imagination.

As I got older, I learned to also appreciate non-fiction books. Here were tomes that could improve my skills, not just entertain my imagination. How-to-draw books were favorites of mine when I was a kid, and as an adult, books of creative prompts or behind-the-scenes books of art exhibits or theatre shows still appeal to my inner artistic child. For pleasure reading, I adore mysteries, and, as evidenced by the top photo in this post, the Harry Potter series is always a favorite. (Jim Kay is currently illustrating the series in watercolor, and it is gorgeous! I own the first two volumes and cannot wait to see how the rest of the series will turn out.)

This post will hopefully serve as a continually-updating roster of my library and the books I'm reading, but if I never get back to it, at least it's an awesome starting point for all the artistic books that have influenced my work so far.

"How long will you wait to honor who you are?" Elle Luna's book is one of my favorites for artistic information and confirmation of living for and in my passions versus doing what the world deems "practical." I absolutely love the design of the book, which combines blog posts with watercolor paintings and text treatments. A great, quick read for when you need inspiration that is a treat for your eyes as well as your soul.

I can't even begin to describe how Gabby Bernstein's work has changed my life. It's right up there with the Formational Prayer Seminar of Healing Care Ministries. Gabby's work has a way of calming you down and opening you up to the love of God and the universe without sounding overly preachy or new-age-y. Just try it. You'll love it.

Kid President's Guide to Being Awesome, Robby Novak and Brad Montague.

I included this book just for the sheer joy and positive attitude it brings. I can't help but smile around Kid President, and it reminds me to look at the world from a childlike (not childish) optimism.

The next three books concern the Saint John's Bible (or SJB), the first completely handwritten and illuminated Bible commissioned since the invention of the printing press. The project was led by Donald Jackson, a British calligrapher, official scribe and calligrapher to the Crown Office of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

This book functions as a portable art exhibit. Containing hundreds of full-color images of the Bible illuminations, think of each entry in this book as the placards that would hang next to the pieces in a museum. Bonus -- each entry contains questions to allow you to use the book as a Bible study or jumping off point for artistic reflection.

Hermeneutics is the study of Biblical texts for the purpose of meanings and interpretations. This guide looks at the art in the SJB and analyzes the impact it has on the Biblical text it accompanies.

*NOT PICTURED* Illuminating the Word: The Making of the St. John's Bible, Christopher Calderhead.

This book documents the prcoess of making the SJB, from sourcing the parchments to designing fonts to the fundraising that occured to make the project happen. It's a behind-the-scenes dream book.

My ability to read and interpret the Bible is still developing. A friend of mind has this Bible and recommended it to me. I love it because each verse is highlighted according to themes (like Love, Salvation, History, Sin, etc.) and cross-referenced to others that support it. It's a huge help for me when I'm researching scripture for my work.

My artist's group used this book as a devotional to open our meetings, and really enjoyed it. It gives you a scripture, a reflection, and an artistic prompt or challenge for each day.

I discovered this book through a friend at church when we were planning our second summer "legit" art camp. It was important to us that the kids not only get solid theological studies but also that they got to use real artist tools and materials. The book looks at God's calling of the artists in Exodus. We used the four tenants in the book to theme each of the four days, and paired each day with a different art medium and project. I'll post later about "legit art camp" and the two versions of it we did. I had so much fun working on those!

This last section of books are ones I referenced when I worked at the presbytery office. I used these to pull art into our newsletters and training events.]

Awakening the Creative Spirit: Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction, Christine Valters Paintner and Betsey Beckmen.

This book gives specific activities and instructions for them. Great for those who don't consider themselves "artists" but want to explore creatively.

Again, a workbook with exercises and creative prompts. It really focuses on inner healing and giving yourself permission to be artistic.

(Also, her blog The Painted Prayerbook is just breathtaking.)

I've long been a fan of Jan's artwork, and recently discovered her writings. These blessings are great for nontraditional prayer topics and are themed around the church liturgical year.

I loved this book. It looks at how archetypes function in our lives and in Jesus' life. It also provides some great meditations and art experientials. I led a retreat based on this book and had an excellent experience.


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