Old books

Every Saturday morning my dad would drive us all to the library. We didn't have much. No games and not very many movies. We had the beach and the library. 
We probably had more than that, but thats all I can remember.

I remember winning the book reading competitions. And getting excited when a new book came in. The day I was finally old enough to accompany my mother to the Adult Fiction section. The day I discovered Terry Brooks. The day I realised I could buy my own books. The day I finally gave up my collection of Saddle Club and Pony Pals to the school library. That was a big step. The day I realised I could stay up past midnight reading and still make it to school. The day I realised I could read during English and Economics and no one would stop me. The day I graduated school. The day I got my first car and realised I could drive myself to the second hand book store. I remember the moment I realised I really loved books.


My two favourite books are my fathers dirty copy of The Hobbit, and an old magical thesaurus. Both have inspired me greatly. I have used the thesaurus to write many songs, and to think about words I may never have come across in todays world. Both books inspire wonder in me. I love books because of the utopia I find in them, an escape, a refuge. In my drawings I aim to create the same feelings, only these feelings are accompanied with exploration and creation. When I read, I go into their world. I want my artworks to push on the borders of my mind and imagination. Creating reality and substance.

“What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.” — Anne Lamott

“Be awesome! Be a book nut!” — Dr. Seuss 

“I owe everything I am and everything I will ever be to books.” — Gary Paulsen  

“No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.” — Confucius 

“Knowing you have something good to read before bed is among the most pleasurable of sensations.” — Vladimir Nabokov

Thanks to Emily Temple for the collection.