My Favorite Art Related Books

by stacy spangler

art books on a shelf in an art studio

Reading is one of my many favorite hobbies, and I love a good book about art, creativity and entrepreneurship. Here's my top ten art related books that you will find on my art studio shelf. I've added links to my Amazon Store for your easy shopping reference. These are in no particular order and I've included a little blurb about each.

1) Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon. A modern guide to creativity, this book encourages readers to embrace inspiration from various sources and cultivate their own unique artistic voice. It's full of practical tips and insights for aspiring artists.

2)The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh by Vincent Van Gogh. This collection of letters provides an intimate look at the thoughts, struggles, and inspirations of one of the most famous artists in history. It's a poignant glimpse into Van Gogh's life and work.

3)The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. This is a classic favorite for any creative featuring the Morning Pages, a daily writing ritual of three pages of stream-of-conscious, and The Artist Date, a dedicated block of time to nurture your inner artist.

4) Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. Gilbert shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear, discussing what we need to live our most creative lives.

5) The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield.   Pressfield identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success.

6) Called to Create by Jordan Raynor. We were created by an infinitely creative God to reflect his love and character to the world. One way we do that is by continuing his creative work. In this energizing book, serial entrepreneur and bestselling author Jordan Raynor helps artists, entrepreneurs, writers, and other creatives reimagine our work as service to God and others

7) All That Is Made by Alabaster. All That Is Made is the culmination of creative reflections from Alabaster's lived experiences as a company. Creating comes out of the reality that all that is made is from God. Our makings come from the larger backdrop of God's creative canvas. 

8) Art + Faith by Makoto Fujimura. Conceived over thirty years of painting and creating in his studio, this book is Fujimura’s broad and deep exploration of creativity and the spiritual aspects of “making.” What he does in the studio is theological work as much as it is aesthetic work

9) Color Mixing Recipes by William F. Powell. An oldie but goodie, I still reference this book regularly in my practice. No more guessing at colors only to end up with a muddy mess and wasted paint! Color Mixing Recipes for Oil & Acrylic takes the mystery and stress out of color mixing with just the right formula for more than 450 color combinations, along with instruction on a variety of painting techniques. 

10) Jesus in Art and Literature: A Visual Biography by  Pierre-Marie Dumont  This is the perfect Coffee Table Book as well as a sacred read. In Jesus in Art and Literature,  Dumont has chosen nearly 100 eclectic iconographic works of art, analyzing and comparing them to passages from the Bible and excerpts from great literary texts. The book offers the reader an extraordinary variety of aesthetic interpretations of the life of Jesus and his teaching, from early Christian to modern art.

I'd love to hear which ones you've read, and hear your favorites that aren't on my list.

*As an Amazon affiliate, I do earn a small commission off purchases made from these links.





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