May 18, 2015

 Tucker Nichols is a Northern California-based artist whose work is shown in major museums and galleries throughout the world. We love the color, wit, simplicity, and beauty of everything he does, wether it's a simple illustration for the New York Times, a sculpture made of everyday objects, a wall-sized painting or a children's book. He stretched the notion of summer reading list for our feature, saying this about it:

"Every time I stay in a cabin somewhere I fantasize about getting snowed in and having to read everything on the shelves over the course of six months or whenever the seal team repels in to airlift me out. So this tower of books is less what I’m reading this summer and more my own fantasy cabin library if I had my four year old daughter with me. All titles are books I own, compiled off the top of my head, and of course I’ve already thought of many more that should be on here.  I’m also curious about what a book really is—before it’s read, while you're reading it, and after. Of course it’s a physical object, but more importantly, it's the idea of that thing, and so not so different from its title written on a scrap leftover from my paper trimmer. So this pile of strips is both something I just threw together and will now add to the recycling bin, and also the most important collection of things I’ll think about all day. How have these books changed me? Why do I still own them? How many will I go back to and reread? What are these things anyhow?"

Thanks, Tucker. We hope your dream of being stranded in a cabin with all your favorite books comes true! (Come to think of it, BOOK/SHOP should provide this service. Check back with us...)

Artwork by Tucker Nichols.