Art Lessons: Meditations On The Creative Life (Icon Editions)

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.

Deborah J. Haynes is professor and former chair of Art and Art History at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has an MFA in ceramics from the University of Oregon, an MTS from Harvard Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in Fine Arts and the Study of Religion from Harvard University. She is the author of numerous articles, reviews, and books. She lives in Jamestown, Colorado.