Thursday, December 04, 2008

REVIEW: Drawn to Nature


Title: Drawn to Nature Through the Journals of Clare Walker Leslie
Author: Clare Walker Leslie
ISBN: 1580176143/ Storey Publishing
Nature Journal
Rating: B

First Line: You might say you have no nature around you where you live.

In a compilation of her nature journals, through her art and her observations, Clare Walker Leslie sets out to prove how wrong that first line can be. The very first thing she tells the reader to do is "Look up." Look at the sky. Look at the clouds. Chances are excellent that you're going to see a few birds up there, too. So...do you still think there's no nature around you? In subsequent chapters, Leslie advises us to Look Down, Bring Nature Indoors, Look Out and Around, Take Your Eyes for a Walk or Drive, and talks about the seasons. Filled with vignettes, quick sketches and watercolors, and handwritten notes, Drawn to Nature is filled with good tips on how to reconnect with the nature that is all around you.

Granted I didn't need her advice. I am a nature lover. Every day I go to work, I take a close look at the sky to see what the clouds have to tell me (if there are any clouds here in the desert). I can sit here and work at the computer and look outside the window to watch hummingbirds at the feeder and birds at the birdbath. When I walk, I pay attention, not only to what's above me and all around me, but what's at my feet. You'd be amazed at what you can find if you pay a little attention to your surroundings. Whereas Leslie captures what she sees with brush and pencil, I record what I see through the lens of my camera.

We both know what a calming effect nature has on the soul, and both of us want to share this knowledge with others. Drawn to Nature is a very good way to do so.


Clare Walker Leslie's illustrations



3 comments:

  1. That looks like a good book. It kind of reminds me of When Wanderers Cease to Roam.

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  2. This book looks beautiful. I love books like this, with the look of a sketchbook.

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  3. Now you'll have me looking up When Wanderers Cease to Roam, Kathy!

    It is a beautiful book. I wish I could draw. I need a camera to get anywhere close to being "artistic"!

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