11.26.2008

Thankful

This video -- made by Canadian director Andrea Dorfman using Tanya Davis's song, Art -- reminded me of the joy that art brings me. Making it, appreciating it, discussing it -- what kind of person would I be without it? I have much to be thankful for, and today is art's turn.



My mother tells me that when I was three or four years old, I memorized the words of a children's book she often read to me. When we had visitors, they would point to a page and I would "read" it, to their surprise.
Was that my first memory of the rewards of reading? Maybe. What I know is that books were my portal to the person I am today. Reading led me to many of the other art forms that I've enjoyed over the years: theater, foremost, but also dance, music, the visual arts, photography, design, and the handmade object.

And now a different kind of "book lust" is opening new doors. Book arts has introduced me not only to the craft of making books, but to art forms -- like printmaking -- that I'd only admired at a distance in the past. The more involved I become, the more I realize that the beauty of the handmade book is its ability to take on many forms, both literally and conceptually. It can exist on its own as an artfully-made object -- a blank journal, say -- or it can serve as a vehicle for expressing large and small ideas that incorporate a range of art forms -- as in artists' books.

In my case, my appreciation of book arts is directly connected to my lifelong love of books and reading. And yet, some of my book artist friends are not readers. Hmmm. Sounds like a subject for another post. Happy Thanksgiving, all.

5 comments:

Simply Said Reading Accessories said...

Seems you love books and journals as must as I do !!! Please take a look at what my love of reading has led to.
www.simply-said.net
www.myspace.com/odebsimplysaid
www.simplysaidreadingaccessories.blogspot.com
Share the love and please add me to your links
Thanks Debra

Riverlark said...

Thanks for sharing this, BG. I wouldn't have seen it without you.
I'm thankful for all my book friends, whether artists or readers or writers.

Büchertiger said...

Thanks for linking this video. It is indeed beautiful!
For me also reading books and making books belong together, are connected by the joy I take in the object book. It sounds surprising to me that there are actually people who express their art in book form but don't read. What's their connection to books then? - It will make an interesting topic. I am looking forward to reading your thoughts about that!

Kar. said...

Hey, I just wanted to let you know that you wrote Tanya Wilson, but it should be Tanya Davis. Tanya is amazing. So is Andrea.

Clara said...

Kar, thanks for notifying me of the mistake in Andrea's name. I've corrected it. So, who, I wonder, is Tanya Wilson?