Beth's Books
Beth Clothier
Issue date: 9/16/09 Section: The Edge
The most experience many of us have with journals is in junior high when we are made to keep one for a week or so in our language arts class. Some people may have gone on to continue the habit, but for the most part journaling is often thought of as something only teenage girls and emo kids do.
The truth of the matter is that many people from all walks of life keep journals, especially those with creative minds but also people who want to catalog the details of their life from the magnificent to the mundane.
In his new book "An Illustrated Life," artist and writer Danny Gregory has collected journal/sketchbook samples from 50 different artists and writers to present an inspirational view into these private chronicles.
All images of velvet-covered books with the word "Diary" inscribed on the cover in fancy script and bound by little heart-shaped locks instantly fly out the window when opening this book's pages.
The journals contained in the book are windows to their creators' souls, filled with stories, yes, but also strong visual images to establish strong memories or impressions. From doodles to comic strips to portraits and intricately drawn/painted landscapes and still-lifes, the book overflows with a richer representation of what it means to be alive and experience than could mere words alone.
Some of the artists whose books are represented in "An Illustrated Life" include the author himself, James Kochalka, Seamus Heffernan, Stefan Sagmeister and R. Crumb.
Probably the very best part about the journals represented in the book is that they are not clean, or professional or sometimes even very well-articulated. They just are. The artist felt the need to get the thoughts and drawings from inside on paper, and occasionally they may be accompanied by a shopping list or a phone number, as jumbled and beautiful as life is.
Even if you aren't an artist by nature yourself, "An Illustrated Life" is worth looking into. It offers a wide array of world views, from large to small, and through those connects each of us to our shared human experience.
The truth of the matter is that many people from all walks of life keep journals, especially those with creative minds but also people who want to catalog the details of their life from the magnificent to the mundane.
In his new book "An Illustrated Life," artist and writer Danny Gregory has collected journal/sketchbook samples from 50 different artists and writers to present an inspirational view into these private chronicles.
All images of velvet-covered books with the word "Diary" inscribed on the cover in fancy script and bound by little heart-shaped locks instantly fly out the window when opening this book's pages.
The journals contained in the book are windows to their creators' souls, filled with stories, yes, but also strong visual images to establish strong memories or impressions. From doodles to comic strips to portraits and intricately drawn/painted landscapes and still-lifes, the book overflows with a richer representation of what it means to be alive and experience than could mere words alone.
Some of the artists whose books are represented in "An Illustrated Life" include the author himself, James Kochalka, Seamus Heffernan, Stefan Sagmeister and R. Crumb.
Probably the very best part about the journals represented in the book is that they are not clean, or professional or sometimes even very well-articulated. They just are. The artist felt the need to get the thoughts and drawings from inside on paper, and occasionally they may be accompanied by a shopping list or a phone number, as jumbled and beautiful as life is.
Even if you aren't an artist by nature yourself, "An Illustrated Life" is worth looking into. It offers a wide array of world views, from large to small, and through those connects each of us to our shared human experience.
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