The Writer's Brush
The Writer's Brush: Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture by Writers by Donald Friedman
The Writer's Brush by Donald Friedman on my coffee table
I won this book earlier this year when I attended A CLAssy Affair: Night of 300 Books, an event and fundraiser sponsored by the Chicago Literacy Alliance. At the beginning of the event, we were split into three teams as determined by our colored wrist bands. Each team was competing throughout the event to raise the most money...whichever team raised the most would be the first to select one of 300 books on display. Many of these books were signed by the author, first edition prints, rare, or collectible books. The book that caught my eye was The Writer's Brush: Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture by Writers by Donald Friedman. If you follow this blog or know me personally - you can see right away what struck me about this book. It perfectly combines two passions of mine: art and books (see my Books in Art posts if you didn't know this about me!)
Aldous Huxley
Did you know my dog is named after Aldous Huxley? Did you know Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, was also an artist? And did you know that he was nearly blind? He's such a fascinating individual - on top of all this he was also an accomplished musician. Some people have all the talent. This is a painting he did of his wife, Maria Nys Huxley at Siesta.
Art by Aldous Huxley in The Writer's Brush by Donald Friedman
Charlotte and Emily Brontë
Last year I visited New York City for a conference and while I was there I stopped by the Morgan Library (an excellent place to visit if you're looking for something besides the Met and MOMA.) At the time, they had a special exhibit on Charlotte Brontë featuring some of her apparel and works of art. So I was especially excited to see artwork by Charlotte Brontë in this book.
Art by Charlotte and Emily Brontë in The Writer's Brush by Donald Friedman
E.E. Cummings
Some of my favorite works in this book were by E.E. Cummings. I was amused by this passage from the book, "In a mock self-interview he asked, 'Why do you paint?' and answered:
For exactly the same reason I breathe. / That's not an answer. / There isn't any answer. / How long hasn't there been any answer? / As long as I can remember. / I mean poetry. / So do I. / Tell me, doesn't your painting interfere with your writing? / Quite the contrary: they love each other dearly. / They're very different. / Very: one is painting and one is writing. / But your poems are rather hard to understand, / whereas your paintings are so easy. / Easy? / Of course - you paint flowers and girls and sunsets; things that everybody understands. / I never met him. / Who? / Everybody.
Art by E.E. Cummings in The Writer's Brush by Donald Friedman
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