"Still Life with Pen, Ink and Candle"

A very talented, yet struggling student took one of my classes last year and presented me with a challenge. “How,” my gifted young student asked, “am I supposed to find out about all these wonderful painters? I have very limited funds, live in rural Nevada, know how to use a computer but only have the use of the one at the public library.”

I've been thinking about that student all winter. And I suspect there's lots of other eager minds in the same boat. What I came up with is an idea, not necessarily a cure-all, but a way to get a hold of some publications to both inform and inspire. And I think it can be done for under $100, which is a good piece of chance until your break it down into small change by considering the following: $100 breaks down to about $8 a month, less than $2 a week and a tad less than a quarter per day. So for the price of your pocket change tossed into a Mason jar every evening, here's what you could get:

First, two of the best meat and potatoes drawing books ever written:

THE NATURAL WAY TO DRAW, Amazon.com, soft cover, about $12
AN ATLAS OF HUMAN ANATOMY by Fritz Schider, Dover, soft cover, $12

Every artist needs a nuts and bolts book and the best is:

ARTIST HANDBOOK OF MATERIALS by Ralph Mayer, Viking, hardcover only.

Amazon offers a good deal on used copies of this title. $20

Next, some solid painting titles:

HAWTHORNE ON PAINTING, Dover, soft cover, $5
CARLSON GUIDE TO LANDSCAPE PAINTING Dover, soft cover $10

Pick one monograph of your favorite artist:

MONET
DEGAS
PISSARO
VAN GOGH
BONNARD
CONSTABLE
GAUGUIN
REMBRANDT

and dozens of other titles. Check out Thames and Hudson publishers. $15

Finally, some overviews from two inspiring teachers.

THE GIST OF ART, by John Sloan, Dover, soft cover, $12
THE ART SPIRIT, by Robert Henri, Dover, soft cover, $12

And there you have it – a batch of less than a dozen books, small enough to carry around in a knapsack, containing thousands of words and hundreds of inspiring pictures. If any of you struggling artists out there decide to make this most reasonable investment into your artistic future, I'll be pleased to supplement it with a free copy of one of my own books simply for the asking.