Art

As an artist, much of my inspiration comes from books. I know many other artists who are the same way. Literature has the power to create such a vivid image in the mind of the reader, to render the mental image onto paper or canvas is almost irresistable, for me at least. An excellent example of an artist inspired by a book is the recent display at the Loveland Museum and Gallery of Salvador Dali's illustrations of Dante's The Divine Comedy. Dali illustrated every stanza of the Divine Comedy, which must have taken a considerable amount of time, whereas I usually have only one piece of art inspired for a book. Here at Anthology, we have a wealth of novels and books on many subjects sure to inspire the inner artist in anybody. Are you one of those people that are assured that they have a creativity deficiency? I personally believe that every person, whether they know it or not, has at least some untapped creative potential, albeit in the deepest part of their being. At Anthology, we have something to inspire everyone, whether you are the seasoned artist, beginner, or the creatively deficient. In our art section we have many books of collections of some of the most famous artists of all time, including Michelangelo, Rembrandt, or Picasso. Some of my favorite books on art are not the collections, but the books intended to inspire or jumpstart the creative process. "The Artist's Way", by Julia Cameron is a wonderful resource to help discover your own spiritual path to creativity. We also have "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters" by Robert Hale, where you can learn the techniques of Da Vinci, Goya, and other master artists. For the people itching to do something creative but just don't know where to start, I recommend "Coloring Mandalas" by Susanne Fincher. In this color book, the outlines of mandalas (symmetrical, usually radial designs, used by the Buddhist tradition to support spiritual healing and well being) are already created; all you have to do is fill in the color for a potentially beautiful design of your own. We've also got some awesome books filled with the work of local artists. "Sculpture in the Rockies" showcases some of the best sculptors around, located right here in Colorado. John Fielder also has some great books in our store that highlight his impeccable talent to capture the majesty of the mountains and ranches of Colorado. Anyone interested in another local artist's work, myself, can view my artwork on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/mfredric88 under the heading "photos". Thanks for reading and have a lovley weekend!