#blurbdesign

[bookcoversreview]

A Short Book About Painting

Extract:

“First, people are attracted still to very strong colour combinations and to coherent composition - as Hoyland said, you can’t end up with chaos. Second, the subject of art remains important. The subject doesn’t have to be literally present - Clare Woods paints about decay and fear, Gillian Ayres about the exhilaration of being alive. But it may be literal: Kiefer’s art deals directly with Germany’s modern history and the possibility of imminent environmental collapse; Auerbach describes modern urban living, with its confusions and collisions. If there isn’t something in the subject to get your teeth into - if it’s all floral arrangements or beach scenes - the public reaction will be tepid. Third, and perhaps most important, art must look somehow fresh, novel, of the now and not of the then. If it does, the “now” can last, however. Go to see an exhibition of Rauschenberg or Jackson Pollock paintings from the 1950s and their freshness bursts from the walls. People don’t want imitations of the past, certainly if they’re spending good money on going to an exhibition. Finally, modern taste seems to prefer paintings that look like paintings. Surrounded by a glossy sheen of digital imagery - on your tablet, your computer, iPhone or television screen- you don’t want cold, glassy, smooth surfaces from living paintings. You want the marks to be visible, the hand and the eye to be still somehow present. You want to live in there here and the now.”

[bookcoversreview]

Let Go

Extract:

“Finding your triggers can be a useful step towards tackling anxiety, but it’s important to know that triggers don’t necessarily cause your anxiety - they simply set off the feelings of fear in your mind like a domino effect. This could be because of an association between the cause of your anxiety and the trigger in your mind - for example, if you’re anxious about your job, receiving an email could trigger feelings of anxiety. Common causes of anxiety are genetics, financial stress, relationship worries or concerns about a health condition. Meanwhile, common triggers are having too much time alone to think, or spending time in certain places or with certain people.

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When everything seems to be going wrong, it’s easy to imagine the absolute worst-case scenario. Everybody does it. In fact, it’s a defence mechanism that our brains use to try to keep us safe. However, it can make your anxieties worse if you obsess about what might happen. Instead, allow yourself to think of the worst thing that could happen and then ask yourself what you would do to cope with that situation. Then put it to one side and try to move on. Don’t let yourself to start thinking about the worst-case scenario again.”