Art From Intuition: Overcoming your Fears and Obstacles to Making Art Paperback – April 15, 2008

A cartoon in this book says it all: an artist is crouched, quaking, in the corner of his studio, his back to a large, blank canvas on an easel in the middle of the room. The cartoon (by Gary Haligren) is titled: "The Fear of Art." It is fashionable to get introspective about our artistic blocks, but in the end, it is only action that works - diving in no matter what. In his book "Art from Intuition" Dean Nimmer provides the momentum for doing this. And it's no empty advice. His ideas come out of the personal experience some years ago of enlivening his own approach to painting.For those who have lost their creative spontaneity, the best prescription could well be the exuberant explorations that Nimmer presents in his book "Art from Intuition." The activities are far from being the formal "exercises" that one reviewer says the book contains. There are absolutely no constraints here. Painting blindfolded is hardly an "exercise!" More like a leap of creative faith. The activities are progressive, but Nimmer suggests that one way of approaching the book is to start anywhere - at the very end if you like - with an activity that takes your fancy. Anything to get you going.Nimmer uses a conversational style that is engaging as well as persuasive, and hardly what you would expect of Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston.What may be a challenge is the idea of dividing your results into Like, Dislike, and To Be Continued, and actually keeping a folio of each category. Yes, a folio of your artwork you dislike! We are so used to keeping only the best. (Nimmer cunningly suggests that you might change your mind later on down the track.) It's rather like a form of visual brainstorming - no censoring of the initial results. The only `formal" suggestions are for setting up a time and a place, and making sure you have the materials you need.Don't be put off by the criticisms of the artwork in this book. The examples show the creative process in the raw, not as the nice, tidy, final art works the rest of us are only willing for others to see. Nimmer's students are generous and courageous in sharing their personal process. However, their joy in the creative process is very much apparent in the photographs of them at work.Nimmer's personal website (under Nimmer's own name) is well worth looking at. and maybe it will be the final thing that persuades you to take that creative leap.

As an artist, I am not content with having this book solely on my Kindle..... I have to get a copy for my art library!!!It helped me in so many ways, but primarily it helped me feel worthy, capable and excited to be an intuitional artist with no formal instruction.I would go as far as saying; all artists need to purchase this book and find time to have fun with the numerous exercises listed to enhance your creativity through intuition....even if it is a few minutes a week!!!

I got some useful ideas from the book that definitely warrant further investigation. The book was easy to read and had some great exercises.

There is a lot of information in this book but I’m not sure it adds any information that moves my style of work forward. I was expecting a more elevated presentation. I recognize there are some moments that were interesting but this was not the book I was expecting.

I love this book. It has so many great ideas for people creating art, or who want to teach art, or both like me. Dean makes it easy and fun to create art, no matter what your skill level may be (or what you think it may be). It has a lot of his humor in it, which I enjoy very much, and separates it from other art books. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is just starting out, or who has been creating art for years, you wont regret it.

I'm not very far into this book and actually got at the library first, fell in love with it and bought it. This book totally speaks to me. I'm a graphic designer and very frustrated fine artist as well with a massive amount of 'blank canvas syndrome'. I think this book will definitely help me get out of my comfort/resistance zone to actually create some great art. It just helps you to start almost like a child, with no inhibitions, just throwing paint on a canvas, not overthinking it and slowly but surely you work up to more intuitive work - using less of your brain and more of your 'feelings' about where to put the brush. It's a great book and I can't wait to get started on the different assignments. Just buy it!

I'm about to give this book away. When I first got it my expectations were high, based upon the reviews I read on Amazon. What I didn't get was the context. This is a book for an elementary school art instructor. The caveat is that an art instructor alreadys knows what's in this book, if they had an education in art education. It touch lightly, very lightly, on various techniques of art expression, but it's so rudimentary as to be almost useless. Another caveat, thinking about who this book is directed to, there is an entire chapter (!) on smoke art with a burning candle and whiteboard. Please don't do this with children. Please don't do it alone, Please don't do it at all. There already enough "smoking" art out there. I'm giving the book two stars out of generosity.

In Art from Intuition, Dean Nimmer helps art makers liberate themselves from whatever obscures their inner vision and shackles their capacity to invent and create. Nimmer teaches art makers not so much to represent reality as to redeem it in the cauldron of the imagination. You won't learn the classical laws of perspective here or the chemical properties of cadmium. You won't learn how to hold up a mirror to the world. You'll learn the opposite--how, unleashing the light of your imagination, you can illuminate the world. This only seems to be a book about painting and drawing. It is actually more--a book on the artistic process, a book on the redeeming power of play. For painter and non-painter alike, a terrific read!

3rd time l've purchased this book

Livro interessante ; indica caminhos para a inspiração e expressão dos meios artísticos.

Really helping me to overcome what other people's expectations of art are. Getting me beyond those who want, flowers, landscapes, portraits, and the chocolate box.

Great book!

A great book for anyone doing an art course. Lots of simple tips and tricks to inspire you