YOU don't need to have a big budget to enjoy good art and a book featuring an artist's works is a wonderful treat to find under the Christmas tree.
- Artists of British Columbia, Volume 3, published by Leighdon Studio Gallery, 110 pages, $19.95.
Just released in time for Christmas is this third installment in the Artists for British Columbia series. Featuring the art of 39 local artists, this volume follows the same formula of the previous two collections.
Each artist is profiled in a description, which outlines their history, influences, exhibitions and approach to their work. Beautifully reproduced colour images fill the pages showcasing the range of styles of the various contributors.
From the abstract mixedmedia work of Deb Chaney to the figurative drawings of Brenda Hill and the brilliant colours of Brett Varney's oil pastels, there is much to enjoy in this book.
- The Life and Art of Mildred Valley Thornton by Sheryl Salloum, Mother Tongue Publishing, 158 pages, $35.95.
This latest volume in the Unheralded Artists of B.C. series gives the attention to Mildred Valley Thornton that is long overdue.
When she died in 1967 at the age of 77, she was frustrated at not being able to find an art institute that would purchase her collection of 300 First Nations portraits. Fortunately her legacy has lived on through a mix of private and corporate collections.
Thornton first turned her talent to the Canadian landscape. Originally from Ontario, she and her husband lived in Regina before eventually moving to Vancouver.
While in Regina she made her first painting of a First Nations subject, an interest that was to grow over the years. Her richly coloured portraits became her main subject matter along with the villages and totem poles she discovered on her many trips.
- The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson by David P. Silcox, Firefly Books, 441 pages, $35.
Recently released in paperback, this fabulous book is a definitive collection of a group of artists who helped establish a national perspective.
Their dramatic use of colour and line created a style uniquely Canadian that gave rise to an entire painting tradition.
Featuring 400 works ,the paintings are divided into a number of different sections that address the regional influences along with the urban and portraiture subjects.
- Bob Gill, so far by Bob Gill, Laurence King Publishing, 304 pages, $56.
In the world of graphic design Bob Gill has stood the test of time.
With a career that has spanned over six decades, Gill has seen a lot of changes. At the heart of great designs lies a simple idea and Gill has gathered together a collection of his work that proves this point.
Gill introduces the book with some thoughts on his profession using examples from his career to illustrate them.
He uses simple drawings, photography and typefaces to create powerful statements and shows that at its best graphic design can be a great communicator.
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- Beck by Autumn de Wilde, Chronicle Books, 176 pages, $30.
A chance meeting 16 years ago lead the way for an ongoing friendship and visual collaboration between photographer Autumn de Wilde and L.A. musician, Beck.
Enjoying unrestricted access to a rising star, de Wilde has chronicled Beck's career and drawn from that collection for this book.
Inserted into the flow of photographs are a series of conversations between the de Wilde and Beck on a wide range of topics. Touching on his early performances, approach to his music, photo sessions, the book covers a lot of ground.
Together it offers a closer look at one of the most interesting performers on the scene today.
