Lisa Yuskavage

"I bought this in 1985 and have read it constantly since. It is always near me. Wallace’s poems often reflect on the act of creating, and he evokes exquisite mental images that are thrilling. One of my favorite poems is “The Snow Man.” “For the listener, who listens in the snow, And, nothing himself, beholds Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.”"

"I first read this book ten years ago and was so taken with the fluidity of the prose that I read it a second time, and then a third. And then to my surprise, I listened to it several times as an audio book. I could not and did not want to escape that place at the bend in the river. It is a total experience of a place and a time, and a thrilling read."

"At Tyler School of Art, I had the great fortune to study with the painter, Stephen Greene. Stephen was a student of Philip Guston’s and showed me a glimpse into the mind of Guston in our many conversations. I can pick this collection up and put my finger in any spot and find a nugget of genius that is totally inspiring."

"This is almost a how-to book on looking at and thinking about color methods, as it was employed in the Renaissance. She uncovered information for me that I had always suspected existed. There were four basic modes of coloring: Sfumato, Chiaroscuro (both are more commonly discussed), but the other two, Unione and Cangiantisimo, were not known to me until picking this us. I have a copy with me every time I paint."