Category: Book Review
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Vintage Book Review: A Nature Diary
I recently discovered that Richard Adams, the author of the novel Watership Down, had lived on the Isle of Man and had written a nature diary during his time here. A quick search of online secondhand bookstores secured me a copy of this book, which was published in 1985. When it arrived, I found that…
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Vintage Book Review: Keith Brockie’s Wildlife Sketchbook
I’m very lucky to have a friend who finds wonderful books for me. The latest find was Keith Brockie’s Wildlife Sketchbook, the first book to be written and illustrated by this talented Scottish Artist. Published in 1981, the book features over 100 sketches, drawings, watercolours and pastels of Scottish wildlife. A true nature lover, Keith…
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Book Review: Nature’s Palette
Enjoying nature and appreciating colour often go hand in hand. For artists representing the natural world in their artworks, colour will almost certainly be central to the process. I wasn’t going to do another book review so soon, but this book is so wonderful I just couldn’t wait and with an upcoming series of blog…
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Vintage Book Review: The Naturalist in the Isle of Man
Last year, I was browsing the natural history section of the very impressive Leakey’s Bookshop in Inverness, when I spotted a copy of ‘The Naturalist in the Isle of Man’ by Larch S. Garrad. This 1972 publication details the flora, fauna and habitats of the Isle of Man and remains a fascinating read, despite it…
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Book Review – Spectrum: Heritage Patterns and Colours
Art books are fantastic sources of inspiration for creative work, and books about colour inspire us to use new colour palettes and push us out of our colour comfort zones. I recently received ‘Spectrum: Heritage Patterns and Colours’ as a gift and it’s already influencing the colours in my work. With large colour photos of…
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Vintage Book Review: Janet Marsh’s Nature Diary
I was delighted recently when a friend of mine surprised me with a present she had found in a second-hand bookshop. It was a nature diary, published in 1979, entitled ‘Janet Marsh’s Nature Diary’. In this blog post, I’ll share with you some thoughts on this remarkable work of art and love, created by the…