Creativity Through Nature

Being a fan of Ann Blockley's recent book, Experimental Watercolor, and a plein air painter, I eagerly dove into this book. While I thought most of the images were interesting, the whole "painting with mud and berry juice" text gave me a meh reaction. Upon a second read-through, however, I came to appreciate the spirit and motivation behind the book. This is an imaginative way to deal with the global pandemic, a nice commentary for artists to focus on Nature's gifts.

I enjoyed this book. It is full of ideas and concepts that can be inspiring. Ann Blockley tells you that the book is pretty much autobiographical. It is about how returning to nature helped her cope with the isolation during the covid pandemic and return to creating. It isn't a detailed "how to" book. It does have suggestions to try. Her main media is watercolor.

As a fan of Ann Blockley's work, I couldn't wait to receive this book. I own her Watercolor Workshop book as well as her landscape book and very much enjoy perusing them for inspiration. Even the most ardent fans of Blockley will agree that while her art is extraordinary, it is also not necessarily for the beginner, and her books, while amazing, do not divulge many steps in creating similar masterpieces. Creativity Through Nature suffers from these shortcomings more so than in her other books.Creativity Through Nature is a wonderful place to glean inspiration if you are already an experienced artist. Approximately two pages each is devoted to a new topic, and about half of each page is a large picture of Blockley's work. This means there's at most approximately two short paragraphs per topic, and they focus more on Blockley's relationship to the medium than on instructing the reader. There are a few topics such as "Rust as a Medium" and "Brown and Black Inks" that do cover general steps (but do not include exact recipes or processes). Other topics in this book include: "Waste not, want not"; "Nature--Away From Home"; "Magic and Imagination"; "Serendity"; "Synchronicity"; "Connecting with the Elements"; "Down to Earth"; "Field Notes"; "A Sense of Place"; "Recycling Artwork"; "The Poetry of Patchwork"; "The Alchemy of Found Materials"; "An Alternative Approach to Materials"; "Nature Prints and Rubbings"; "Mindful Sketching", and many others.In short, if you are a devoted fan of Blockley, then buy this book to look at the pictures. It is more of an artist's manifesto than anything else, and it is an exceptional showcase of Blockley's work. If you are a novice or are looking for many examples of specific information, this book is not for you. It is very expensive at full price for the knowledge contained within, and you would do well to flip through this book in person before committing to purchase.

Reading the first few pages, I was immediately taken in. Then, diving in deeper, I had the thought, "if I ever wrote a book, I would want it to be like this!" The author's creative practice, and synthesis for the reader, is inspiring.

The art is stunning, but the book is about Ann's thoughtfulness and clarity towards the environment. She mentions homemade paint and sourcing materials from nature, but leaves out "how-to" formulas.

If you are truly and deeply "called" to be an artist, this is the book for you. It is thoughtfully and honestly written. A treasure.

I cannot wait to try some of the explorations! A great boost for getting out of a rut!

I found her method of gaining creativity from nature and dealing with artist block insightful. However, I found myself flipping pages expecting more.