Creative Spirit/Inspiration

The Crafter’s Devotional by Barbara R. Call

The Crafter's Devotional: 365 Days of Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for Unlocking Your Creative Spirit.

This is a wonderful volume to dip into when you just don’t have an idea of where to start or your creative juices seem to have dried up. As the artist/author says in her intro, “if you need a well of inspiration to revisit every day, a week from now, or even a few years from now, you’ve arrived at the right place… Enjoy, create, and ride the wave of inspiration – it will set you free in innumerable ways.”

As an extra treat, you’ll find pieces by members of our calligraphic community Jan Boyd, Jocelyn Curry, Sherri Kiesel and Jen Mason) featured here. 320 pp., 7” x 9.25”, hb.

The Crafter’s Devotional by Barbara R. Call (DEVOTI)

The Creative Edge: Exercises to Celebrate Your Creative Self by Mary Todd Beam.

Move into new areas.....

In this follow-up to Celebrate Your Creative Self, painter and teacher Mary Todd Beam demonstrates how to take your work to the next level by using color, design, metaphors and symbols to bring that creative edge to your work. New techniques focus on expressing life experiences and recording the world around you in addition to insights of artistic expression from Beam and 56 contributing artists. Of special interest to fans of Jacqueline Sullivan’s techniques.144 pp., 11”x9”, spiral hardcover.

The Creative Edge: Exercises to Celebrate Your Creative Self by Mary Todd Beam. (CREDGE)

New Creative Artist

New Creative Artist: a Guide to Developing your Creative Spirit by Nita Leland. Practical advice and inspiring exercises & insights from other artists make this revised & expanded edition the ultimate creativity guide. Chapters on Creativity, Art & Craft: Highways & Byways, Drawing, Design, Realism, Abstraction, Experimentation and Adventure. In the “Creativity: A Joyride” chapter, you are invited to revisit the kid inside, visualize the unexpected, borrow design from an existing object, run with one theme – all ideas to start you percolating. Use her “job jar” concept to keep these ideas from getting away! Profusely illustrated with work by 90 contributing artists. 8.5” x 11”, 176 pp., 300 color, 100 b&w illus. Hardcover over sturdy spiral.

New Creative Artist (LELAND)

Art Escapes

Art Escapes: Daily Exercises & Inspiration for Discovering Greater Creativity and Artistic Confidence by Dory Kanter. What a treat and inspiration. Fun, easy-to-execute ideas for beginning and experienced artists for building an "art habit" by creating an artist's journal. Take Dory's advice and create space in your life for art escapes. Some of her shared secrets: quantity equals quality, time expands when you do art, short assignments, journal buddies, establish a daily rhythm, practice creative waiting. This idea filled, watercolor based volume reminded me of Sherri Kiesel's miniature painting class. Punctuated with wonderful quotations. Great advice on color selection & palette. Paper over board jacket with sturdy spiral binding for easy use. 8.5"x11", 128pp., 200 color, 20 b&w illus.,

Art Escapes (ESCAPE)

Portraits of the Word

Great Verses of the Bible in Expressive Calligraphy by Timothy R. Botts. Here are 75 pieces of Tim Botts’ work which were included in the Holy Bible. Along with Tim’s “word portraits” of 75 Scriptural pieces, calligraphers will enjoy the screened back images of his preliminary sketches and his comments on his artistic process. He also shares prayers written in response to his artistic encounters with God. A chance to see Tim's wonderful use of background washes and paintings along with his comments on each piece. Highly recommended for calligraphers, even those who purchase Tim Botts'
Bible. 7" x 8", 165 pp., hb.

Portraits of the Word (WORDTB)

Sunday Doorposts II

Sunday Door Posts by Tim Botts. Calligraphic renderings of Biblical quotations printed on one side only in black & white. Reproduction is permitted for non-commercial purposes so that the pieces may be used for church bulletins and programs. 60 illustrations , paperback. 8.5" x 5.5".

DOORPOSTS I is no longer available.

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Sunday Doorposts II

The Lindisfarne Gospels

A Medieval Masterpiece. The British Library. Beautiful, full color wall calendar featuring this classic manuscript produced in the early 8th century in an island monastic community near the coast of Northumberland. 12"x 13" wall calendar opens to 12"x 26".

The Lindisfarne Gospels (CALIND)

Artist's Journals and Sketchbooks

Artist's Journals and Sketchbooks: Exploring and Creating Personal Pages by Lynne Perrella. Uncover new ideas for creating personal pages; discover tips and techniques from an inspiring group of artists; invent your own journaling style using found objects, memorabilia, and lots of art supplies; indulge your artistic intuition as you plan and create vivid visual diaries. Visual delight and inspiration from lettering and journal artists and bookmakers from the calligraphic community and a number of instructors from ArtContinuum. Contributors include Lisa Engelbrecht, Connie Newbanks, Pam Sussman, Jocelyn Curry, Juliana Coles, Dan Essig, Teesha and Tracy Moore and Linda & Opi O'Brien. 8.5"x 11", 128 pp., pb.

Artist's Journals and Sketchbooks (AJOURN)

Inspiring Creativity

Inspiring Creativity: An Anthology of Powerful Insights and Practical Ideas to Guide You to Successful Creating. Edited by Rick Benzel with Essays from 22 Professional Creativity Coaches including Cherryl Moote. A fascinating array of thoughtful approaches, practical tips, and valuable insights to engage your mind and help you become a more productive, successful lettering artist, painter, crafter, dancer or composer. Cherrie’s essay on liminal (threshold) experiences is worth the price of the book alone. This is one I'll be giving as holiday gifts to the artists in my world. 210 pages, 6”x9”, pb.

Inspiring Creativity (INSPIR)

Building With Your Creative Stumbling Blocks

Building With Your Creative Stumbling Blocks. All artists have their own set of creative stumbling blocks that trip them up or provide a protective wall to hide behind. Cherrie shows us how to use those blocks while exploring simple bookbinding, paper crafting & journaling along the way. Not only will you deal with some of your creative challenges & learn to feel more in control of you creative path but you will be doing it while learning new skills & being creative along the way. How to deal with critical voices, set goals, rediscover your creative voice, find time for creativity in your daily life. 118 pp. spiral.

Building With Your Creative Stumbling Blocks (BLOCKS)

Finding the Flow

Finding the Flow: A Calligraphic Journey by Gina Jonas. A new approach to developing the skills of calligraphy! Begin your calligraphy practice, like a musician or dancer, with exercises for warming up, sensitizing, and integrating mind and body. Stroke exercises with pencil and edged pen harness touch and rhythmical stroke dynamics. Exercises for building skill with the edged pen include basic pen principles and sophisticated techniques of pen turning and partial edge; these offer a foundation for formal alphabet study, alphabet design and artistic self-expression. Developing awareness of stroke flow and shape stimulates creativity and enhances delight in letter making! Full of illustrations and diagrams. Very popular at summer conferences! 8.5”x11”, 82 pp., spiral, pb.

Finding the Flow (FINDFL)

The Artist’s Muse: Unlock the Door to Your Creativity

20% off the original price of $26.99, now $21.60

The Artist’s Muse: Unlock the Door to Your Creativity by Betsy Dillard Stroud. For fans of Art Escapes! With a focus on painting this book & card kit offers lavish examples, advice and suggestions for creative use of your experience & inner awareness. Lots of suggestions for themes, shapes, line, symbols and transformation. Travel artistic pathways you’ve left unrevealed, untried. Stroud is also the author of Painting from the Inside Out. 9.75” x 8.5” case, 93 pp. pb book & 3 card sets.

The Artist’s Muse: Unlock the Door to Your Creativity (ARMUSE)

M.C. Richards: The Fire Within

Mary Caroline Richards (1916-1999) was an inspired artist, potter and teacher. In the film we witness M.C. engaging in contemplative questioning regarding the nature of art, imagination, wholeness, community, and our place in the cosmos. She inspires us to live creatively, to believe in ourselves, to experience the sensuality of existence. But this is a film not only about M.C., but about all of us and our quest to be real, authentic, creators of art and community. I am betting that you, too, will be dumbfounded and want to share this film with the people in your creative community. DVD, 60 minutes.

M.C. Richards: The Fire Within (FIREWI)

Art from Intuition: Overcoming Your Fears & Obstacles to Makring Art

By Dean Nimmer. Art of Intuition offers artists a unique system for freeing their own creative intuition, the sixth sense that directs an artists's drive and work. By letting go of the self-criticism, doubt, and insecurity that discourage artmaking, artists will be able to soar to new heights of creativity. 50+ practical exercises take the reader from the most basic intuitive art to more sophisticated techniques. Each exercise, supported by step-by-step instructions, is accessible to artists at every level; exercises can be done in any order. After each chapter, readers are encouraged to follow up by evaluating their drawings or paintings to see how they reflect their own personal goals. Dean Nimmer was the chair of the fine arts department at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston for 23 years. 10"x8.5", 160pp., pb.

Art from Intuition: Overcoming Your Fears & Obstacles to Makring Art (INTUIT)

Life is a Verb by Patti Digh.

In October 2003, Patti Digh’s stepfather was diagnosed with lung cancer; he died 37 days later. The timeframe made an impression on her. What emerged was a commitment to ask herself every morning: What would I be doing today if I had only 37 days left to live? The answers changed her life and led to this new kind of book. Part meditation, part how-to guide, part memoir, Life is a Verb is all heart. Within these pages— enhanced by original artwork and wide, inviting margins for your writing—Digh identifies six core practices to jump-start a meaningful life: Say Yes, Trust Yourself, Slow Down, Be Generous, Speak Up, and Love More. Within this framework she offers 37 edgy, funny, and literary life stories, each followed by a “do it now” 10-minute exercise as well as a practice to try for 37 days—and perhaps the rest of your life. 9”x7.5”, 240 pp., pb.

Life is a Verb by Patti Digh. (LIFEVB)