Painting From the Inside Out: 20 Projects and Exercises to Free Your Creative Spirit

Arts & Activities, April, 2004 by Jerome J. Hausman

PAINTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT: 20 Projects and Exercises to Free Your Creative Spirit (2002; $27.99), by Betsy Dillard Stroud. F & W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236.

Each chapter in this "how-to-do-it" book highlights specific demonstrations of a technique and invites readers to pursue their own interests utilizing these techniques. There is a "positive energy" that characterizes the author's writing. Chapter headings convey the range of demonstrations: Warming Up (includes references to Zen painting); Daring Design: Texture and Painterly Surfaces; Improvisational Painting; Transparent Beginnings, Opaque Endings: Say it with Flowers; The Kitchen Sink; and Creative Content.

The book aims to push past boundaries to encourage exploration of new ideas and to trust and develop your own aesthetic abilities. This is a book that can be used by high-school level students who sometimes feel that they're in a creative rut. The book is simply written and challenges its readers to explore new possibilities and ideas.--J.J.H. For information about this publication, circle No. 397 on the Reader Service Card.