Art Lessons: Meditations on the Creative Life

By Deborah J. Haynes

Writing in the same tradition as renowned artist Robert Henri in his classic book The Art Sprit , Deborah J. Haynes looks at the value of art and making art in today's world. What does it mean to become and work as an artist today? What are the unique challenges facing artists in the twenty-first century, and what skills are required to overcome them? In Art Lessons , Haynes addresses the mind, body, and spirit of today's artists with her personal reflections on what it takes to succeed and feel creatively and spiritually fulfilled. The lessons she shares range in depth and scope from the simple to the deeply philosophical, from encouraging her reader to always have a pencil - or crayon - in hand, to insisting that an artist take a seat, to connecting art profoundly to daily life and the earth. Through her own reflections on art and being an artist, Haynes provides a spiritual compass for today's emerging artists. Art Lessons will inspire all those who wonder what makes an artist today and how they might contribute to the future.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813365988
• ISBN13: 9780813365985
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Compass!

I've never wanted to call myself an outright artist because drawing is not how I make my living-it's simply an interest of mine-an intense one, but still not an occupation. Ever since my college days when the meanings of modernism and post-modernism seemed to control my brain, I've wondered how one defines "artist." Is it Duchamp and his urinal? Or is it Ghiberti and his Doors of Paradise? Art Lessons helped me greatly in understanding where an individual stands in the realm of art. Haynes examines her own place as an artist while incorporating her spirituality into her considerations. Her personal approach is just lovely-you feel like you're having a conversation with a friend. Many books I read on art seem distant or too high-brow, but Haynes' banter allows you to really feel at home discussing the subject of art in great depth. All her philosophizing does not give you her own definition of "artist;" she never forces any opinion on her reader. But her considerations lead the reader to a thought-provoked answer that lies within the SELF. I titled the review "Excellent Compass" for that reason-it's a guide to take you to your own artistic destination. They are right when they say, "Art Lessons is for women of the twenty-first century what Robert Henri's Art Spirit was for men of the twentieth."