This summer, we’re presenting a selection of our artists’ favorite books. From dark, to funny, to just plain strange, this summer reading list gives you a peek inside each artist’s life, likes, and literary predilections.
ANA BAGAYAN
Disfarmer. “Local eccentric studio photographer Mike Disfarmer captured portraits of the residents in his town of Heber Springs, Arkansas from 1915-1959. His eery photographs were discovered after his death and are a record of middle America during WWI until the 50′s.”
Pip and Norton by Dave Cooper. “This book about two scheming best friends is one of the funniest and most beautifully illustrated comics and one of my all time favorite books. Dave Cooper is a genius and an amazing painter.”
Geek Love by Katharine Dunn. “This is not an art book but Dunn’s writing will paint beautiful mental images as you read. The story is about a family of side-show performers that breed children using a variety of drugs during pregnancy to create ‘freaks’ to perform at their show.”
SHAWN BARBER
The Art Spirit by Robert Henri. “The quintessential teachings of Robert Henri – this little gem should be in every painter’s library. Pick it up, open to any page and be inspired by Henri’s gift to the artist student.”
I Love Tattoos by Takahiro ‘Horitaka’ Kitamura. “The title says it all. If you love tattoos and tattooists that love tattoos, you won’t be disappointed. ‘Taki’ presents a visual journal of what tattooing is all about. Friends, family, great tattoos, respect for the past and good times.”
ELEANOR GROSCH
The Road by Cormac McCarthy. “Disturbing, horrific, and somehow hauntingly beautiful.”
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. “Really fun with a nice dark quality.”
HENNIE HAWORTH
Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. “Recently I’ve been enjoying reading a book called Call the Midwife. It’s the true story of a midwife working in London’s East End in the 1950′s. Having just had a baby in East London, it had a particular interest for me, but it’s a very popular book and was recently made into a TV show by the BBC (but the book’s much better). It’s really startling how much life and medicine has changed in such a short space of time.”
BELLA PILAR
20th Century Travel: 100 Years of Globe-Trotting Ads. “There is always a Taschen book on my list of favorites. And this is my latest fave. Travel through the history of travel ads. I am beyond inspired by the gorgeous colorful artwork filling these pages – the images, design, colors, its the total package. These colorful ads are filled with storytelling imagery that remind me how big the world is outside my little art studio. They will make you look at a train, plane, and automobile in a whole new light.”
100 Years of Fashion Illustration. “Always one of my faves. Beautiful artwork to gaze over. And a fact filled blurb of info on each page. What a treat to look at the history of fashion presented this way. Each fashion illustration tells its own little story. It’s fun to see the progression of style and trends (fashion and art) over 100 years all wrapped up in one little book.”
EMILIANO PONZI
Wait Until Spring, Bandini by John Fante. “This was strongly suggested by my mother years ago. I took it but I never read it until last year. It is the story of a poor Italian family who immigrated to an imaginary Colorado city. All the family members’ emotions are incredibly described, you can literally feel them on your skin. It’s a photograph of a wait where everything seems suspended but many things happen in the plot as the family waits for springtime so they can play baseball again. Touching!”
If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino. “This is a great example of postmodern literature. The main character is the reader who attempts to enjoy the book but, because of different reasons, has to stop all the time and begin other novels. So it’s made up of many stories that just begin but never end. It talks about literature’s multiple possibilities. I’m curious to know how each story would finish. Brilliant!”
Metaphysique des Tubes by Amelie Nothomb. “I did a portrait of her for a magazine so I looked at many pictures of Amelie on the web and I found that she wears a lot of strange hats. This book is a visionary description of a consciousness. The evolution of “the man” from just being a lost “tube” in the universe to human being who knows the word by giving a name to objects and people. Cathartic!”
RED NOSE STUDIO
“Last fall, I picked up 2 kids’ books that still resonate pretty strongly with me. If folks want to get in touch with their animal instincts they should give these a go.”
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. “Beautifully brown and full of blank expressions, what’s not to love about this story of a bear going gumshoe and tracking down his misplaced hat.”
In the Woods by Tana French. “And just in case folks want something to read for a couple weeks, I recommend In The Woods by Tana French. Sitting inside the head of an Irish detective as his wits deteriorate around him will make you appreciate the humor in the above two books even more.”
CATELL RONCA
Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada. “A true story set in Berlin during the second World War. A husband and wife start a silent resistance by dropping anonymous anti-regime postcards. This book gives an extremely vivid depiction of how people lived under the Nazi regime. I could not put it down. The book was written in 1947, shortly after the second World War, which I felt could not be more a authentic account.”
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai. “A complex story about the loss of Indian identity in a global world, the reality of Indian immigrants in the US, and the impossibility of love between faiths. It is written in the most beautiful sad and yet funny language. The author describes the Himalayas so well… one can smell it and feel it – reading this book felt like being in India.”
GRAHAM ROUMIEU
The Bet by Arthur Bradford. “One of my favorites is just a short story from a McSweeny’s but is probably the funniest thing I’ve ever read.”
GORDON WIEBE
American Elf by James Kochalka. “Currently, literally, on my nightstand: American Elf by James Kochalka. I’m not usually a fan of comics/graphic novels but these little slices of life can become quite habit forming.”
Bear by Marian Engel. “*Spoiler Alert* Woman has, ummm, relations with a bear… but, it’s a Governor General Award winning book so that makes it okay.”
Interviews with American Artists by David Sylvester. “Re-reading some of these interviews from time to time for inspiration.”
The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. “Juuuust starting… Looking at this list I just realized that 3 of the 4 books have ‘American; in their titles… quite troubling for a Canadian.”
NATE WILLIAMS
The Journey is the Destination: The Journals of Dan Eldon by Dan Eldon. “This book is very inspirational… beautiful, tragic and visual.”
Ad Boy: Vintage Advertising with Character by Warren Dotz. “Love retro advertising… everything had a character back then.”
El Papel by Ernst Rottger. “Inspiring work done with cut paper.”
