The Blank Canvas: Inviting the Muse

I am one of the "beginning artists" at whom this book is aimed. (Just give me a moment to giggle at the person who complained that a book called "The Blank Canvas" is for painters. Okay, I'm over it.) This concise, easy to digest (but certainly not simplistic) text gives suggestions on how to find subjects on your own, which is where I am in my art, I need to know HOW to get ideas. It's not written in that mucky, "Vein of Metallic Glitter" mode, either. I believe anyone who makes visual art (drawings, paintings, sculpture, computer art, for instance)--and who is "stuck"--will find this useful. Also, it gives very helpful advice on good art habits that will help you keep flexible and open to what actually constitutes a subject. (BTW, if you are a writer, I'd suggest "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott or "Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg, for similar but more writerly :) suggestions.) Well worth what I paid for it, and a welcome addition to my art library.

small book full of knowledge.if you are a painter,will find answers and solutions for creative blocks. comments on "the studio"(the space for your work), copying, sources and others. read this book ,and feel secure the next time you face a blank canvas.

What a wonderful book - I go back to it again and again. While "Art and Fear" is a great source of information, it is a little dry. I truly enjoy reading "The Blank Canvas", because it is a concise and witty source of inspiration. I wish I had read it sooner!

ExcellentThe Blank Canvas is an excellent guide for visual arts students. It is concise, insightful and packed with practical suggestions for `getting started', nurturing ideas and developing one's painting/drawing. All of this valuable advice, plus insights from other painters and illustrations in a little over 100 pages. It's a small treasure. I like this book a lot!. I highly recommend it. Another wonderful, very special book for visual artists is Roberta Weir's The Artist's Way of Seeing.

I disagree strongly with the previous review. While this book is targeted at beginning artists, I think there is much to offer those further along in their careers. I return to it regularly. I would also recommend a book called "Art and Fear." They should sell these two books together and make every aspiring artist read them (during breaks from their copious studio work, of course...). It's nice to see a small book like this one packed full of useful ideas.