Rachel Nicholson & Barbara Hepworth Rachel Nicholson is the daughter of artist Barabara Hepworth, and Ben Nicholson. I love to have this inside look at the mother’s career, and the life and work of her daughter Rachel..  As an artist married to a designer, and raising a child, I felt this romantic glimpse into the family of creatives would be relative as we raise our son amid our studio and life work.  

 

Mountain Poems from Stonehouse Red Pine This book has fallen into my hands and the muses have smiled upon me.  Stonehouse is a Chinese Zen poet who chose to live in solitude on a mountainside circa 1250.  When he grew old the people at the base of the mountain asked if he had any insight to share regarding his experience and they gave him paper and a ink.  Before he knew it he had a volume of poems reflecting on being alone in nature and a perspective on societal affairs.  A bit of a Henry Thoreau I suppose, just in ancient times.  The simplicity and message reads clear as a bell, and is recently translated in full for the first time by Red Pine, a gifted translator.  The book includes the Chinese characters, the translation, and footnotes throughout pointing to what Stonehouse was inferring to between the lines.

 

The Healing Power of Sound: Dr. Mitch Gaynor I heard a radio program with Dr. Gaynor, a prominent New York oncologist, who is spearheading utilizing sound as a regular compliment to traditional cancer treatment.  In this book he makes the subject accessible, and the power is has apparent through stories patients inexpiable recoveries when facing a terminal illness. Sound can also be applied as preventative healthcare to maintain health.    

Dan Pearson:  Spirit Garden Inspiration Dan Pearson is a landscape designer based in the UK.  This book is largely photographs of his own, traveling and documenting inspirations from his childhood, to annual sabbaticals in Jerusalem, and ancient Japanese moss gardens. The small publisher FUEL has made this book a treasure to behold.  

 

Earth from Above: I recently ordered this book as a Father’s Day present.  My husband and I were in Paris in 2002 when the exhibit La Terre was first on show at Le Jardin du Luxembourg and its vantage point of the globe has left a lasting impression on us.  This publication is a ten year anniversary edition with updated photographs showing how the landscape has changed over the decade, and commentary from environmental leaders about the impact of global warming, and an intention to make far off places in the world feel universally intimate and human.  The book is resolutely optimistic as it offers insight into what we can do to contribute to making a positive change for the future.  This will be a coffee table page turner.  

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Nicole Patel is a fine artist living and working in the Hudson Valley. We hosted a show of Nicole's gorgeous plaster-and-cord sculptures earlier this year, and we love her work and the spirit that informs it (shown so well here in her reading list). Nicole also has a menswear shop with her husband in New York City called C’H’C’M’, which showcases her current work, and also hosts the Book/Shop New York location. Thanks, Nicole!