“I can count on the fingers of one hand the people, books, and events that have been a pivotal influence on my life. That have changed, not just the way I do things, but the way I think about things, particularly within art. Heather Spears’ the creative eye is one such book that has radically altered my understanding, perception and practice of drawing.
“I am a teacher and artist. I have been teaching art classes for nearly 20 years. I am involved in the ‘actual, physical act’ of drawing as Heather puts it. My courses focus on finding ways of supporting students to learn to draw and overcome the difficulties they experience. I have a very hands-on approach. I am not an academic or critic. This is written from an unashamedly personal viewpoint.
“I discovered Heather’s book in my local library – by chance . Brought it home and eagerly started reading, as you do when you have a new book in your possession. I’m one of those people who like to underline important passages, make annotations in the margins – it helps me remember those facts or ideas I might want to come back to, to ponder, reflect upon, and think about more deeply.
“I read the first chapter and found that I had underlined virtually every line. This was ridiculous! I quickly realized underlining was a complete waste of time – this book was so full of insights, new facts and useful suggestions that if I carried on I would end up underlining the whole book.
“…desperately needed in the field of art and art education. Not since the 1941 edition of Kimon Nicolaides’ book has there been a really good text… I believe that ‘the creative eye’ will fill that void.”
Robin Hopper, Royal College of Art, founder/director of Metchosin School of the Arts, educator and ceramic artist, Canada
“In ‘the creative eye’, Heather Spears argues that there are real, accessible ways to test the boundaries of perception, to stretch and perhaps even circumvent them. And that is the essence of creativity.”
Dr. Jack Cohen, mathematician, biologist, and astrobiologist, UK
