Enjoy our first ever book review, courtesy of resident bookworm and printer's devil, Christine.
The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by
Michael Kimmelman
This slim book is a fabulous collection of meditations on the art that surrounds us everyday. Written by Michael Kimmelman, art critic for the New York Times, it is a collection of essays on paintings, sculpture, etc that is perceived as Art, and the process of looking at our lives and the lives of others as being artful. One of his underlying themes is the importance of passion in creating art. That passion can be in the form of collecting an example of every light bulb known to exist and sharing that collection in your basement. As the former curators of the
Squished Penny Museum, I can really relate! Or the passion can take the form of putting yourself in harm's way or at least risk in order to experience something like the Antarctic explorers and the photographer who documented their journey. Kimmelman provides a thoughtful reflection on what art is, and made me think about why so many people seek art in their lives.
One of my favorite pieces in the collection explores the PBS denizen of peace and tranquility among happy trees, Bob Ross. Michael Kimmelman instinctively grasps Ross' love for both art and the process of finding that artistic space within yourself, a passion that he shared for hundreds of quietly encouraging hours of his televised paint-along series. The most provocative part of the essay was when Kimmelman shared the fact that Bob Ross knew that most viewers were not painting along, but simply enjoyed watching him paint. Kimmelman explores the idea that it was the sight of creation rather than the act of creation that was so compelling. It is this kind of insight that makes this book well worth exploring.
Like this? Here are more
reviews by Christine.
Is anything sacred with slot machines?!?!
We made it to the century mark! Boy, that's a lot of wasted time -- for both you and us. But we managed to learn a bunch, and hopefully you have, too. While we stuff our gourds with celebratory gluten-free cake, click on the links below to enjoy a recap of the highs and lows...
At the start of any job, printers run a couple test sheets through the press to check registration, ink coverage, spelling, etc. This process is commonly called make-ready, and ensures that a good print will be made. Basically, we make sure everything looks swell before we insert the good (ie. expensive) paper and print the job. Since we reuse the test sheets from job to job, they tend to collect bits and pieces from many different projects.
This slim book is a fabulous collection of meditations on the art that surrounds us everyday. Written by Michael Kimmelman, art critic for the New York Times, it is a collection of essays on paintings, sculpture, etc that is perceived as Art, and the process of looking at our lives and the lives of others as being artful. One of his underlying themes is the importance of passion in creating art. That passion can be in the form of collecting an example of every light bulb known to exist and sharing that collection in your basement. As the former curators of the Squished Penny Museum, I can really relate! Or the passion can take the form of putting yourself in harm's way or at least risk in order to experience something like the Antarctic explorers and the photographer who documented their journey. Kimmelman provides a thoughtful reflection on what art is, and made me think about why so many people seek art in their lives.
A pearl of wisdom from the master of the fanbrush.
When it comes to American painters, there is no artist quite like Bob Ross. His everpresence on PBS is testimony to his innovative techniques, his encouraging tone, and his ability to mesmerize viewers with a soft-spoken, reassuring voice. Sure, his canvases sometimes looked like the cousins of Thomas Kinkade's sappy works, but it was his philosophy that was his strength. Bob taught us that we may not have power over our everyday lives, but we are the sole determiners of what goes on in our artwork. He let us know that we are the creators of our own little worlds, and through our own creations we can experience unbridled joy.
