The books on my coffee table

First of all, thankyou to Apartment Therapy for featuring our map cushions, and welcome, Apartment Therapy readers. Please do make yourself comfortable here. No sewing to share today, but I do have a stack of inspiring books on my coffee table at the moment which I've been meaning to share with you.

 

The bottom one has been on my wishlist for a long time - Nancy Crow. Nancy Crow has been a key figure in art quilt circles since the 1970s. To share the quote by Jean Robertson on the inside flap:

"As an activist, teacher and curator, Nancy Crow was a catalyst and prime mover of the art quilt movement... Today, she stands at the forefront of innovative quiltmaking and she is one of the premier colourists in contemporary American art, not matter what medium one surveys. This new book, a chronicle of Crow's work after 1988 shows her transformation."

 

The second book is one I hadn't heard of before, but stumbled upon in one of my favourite bookshops. It is called Botany for the Artist, by Sarah Simblet, and as the subtitle claims, it truly is an inspirational guide to drawing plants. I love Sarah's drawings, the accompanying photos and the references to early botanical art. This book is text-book scale, and I can't collect some plant specimens for drawing very soon.

 

Quilt National '11 catalogues the artworks in the Quilt National '11 exhibition (naturally). Quilt National is a bienniel juried exhibition which was been called the "premier international showcase for contemporary quilts". Each page in the book features a large image of one of the quilts and it's accompanying description and artist's statement, and provides a fascinating (and affordable) glimpse into the art quilt world.

At the top of the pile I have Charlie Harper: An Illustrated Life. I have yet to spend much time with this book, but not for lack of interest. The few glimpses I've had show lovely portrayals of the natural world, and I expect that myself and my kids are going to refer back to this book often.

Now I'm curious to know what books are inspiring you at the moment?