The Blank Canvas

As I move forward in narrowing my focus I am enjoying playing in my art journals, and sorting through the accumulation of stuff from many years of art making. Last evening I rediscovered this little book, THE BLANK CANVAS, published in 1993, authored by Anna Held Audette. It was on the bottom of a little pile on the chest next to my bed. I believe it was assigned reading for a drawing class I took at College of DuPage in 1996.  The bookstore price tag has the date 9/03/96  above the $9.50. I’m pretty much a traditional reader, when I get a new book or magazine I begin at the beginning and read through, occasionally skipping a page or two, particularly if it’s a periodical.  This time, since I knew I had read the book before, and it was late, and I was sleepy, I looked at the contents page and selected from the list the topic that I was the most interested in knowing what the author had to say about it.
THE STUDIO, page 36. “An artist must have A room of one’s own”, she contends.  “A place to work without interruption and not have to clean up and clear out for any reason. Your space must be one that won’t be disturbed, so that you can maintain as much continuity as possible with where you left off”, stresses Audette. I could go on and on with all the things she says that resonate with me, and hopefully with you, but I recommend you get the little book and read it for yourself. It’s well worth the small investment of time and money. Clear, concise, and just what you need if your having any doubts regarding your artistic/creative place in this world. Audette directly addresses the difference between how men and women might react when coming to an impasse in their progress with making their art. Often referred to as being stuck, or blocked, of being at a loss for ideas or unsure of how to proceed on a single piece.  A number of creative remedies are presented along with practical suggestions of activities to pursue on a broader scope.
I just checked on-line with Amazon and they list 25 of them available used from $3.18. And they have quite a bit of the book available on they’re website for review.
Go get it, read it, and let me know what you think.

OH, and here's those journal area photos I promised a few weeks ago.

Yes, I have lots of them, this also includes sketch books.

The red chair has been moved from the sewing area, it supports my back really well and rolls easily on the vinyl floor.

Here's the books specific to the painting & collage work area.