The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

The very fine artist Al Davison is trying to produce a fascinating-sounding new art book, The Alchemist’s Easel, and he has set up an IndieGoGo page to try and raise the funds to publish it. From the description:

“One morning in 1988 I woke up to find I’d gone blind. At the time I had no idea that it was temporary. I just knew that along with the blindness I was losing my visual memory, the ability to visualize my family’s faces, even simple shapes, and that the partial paralysis I’d had as a result of being born with Spina-Bifida had returned.

I was blind for three months on two occasions that year. My reaction to my visual memory fading was to continue to draw, even though I had no idea if the pen contained ink or whether the paper was blank or not. When my sight returned I began to analyze the drawings I’d produced, and what I’d leaned about tapping into the unconscious, perception, dreams, and drawing. I have been teaching art based on that knowledge for over twenty years.

Now seems like a good time to put all that on paper. But a typical ‘how to draw’ book doesn’t seem appropriate, given the subject. Utilizing the techniques I have discovered to create the book is the only way to go. I’ve ended up with part autobiography part ‘how to draw’ and part dream showcase. I’ve taught everyone from school children to senior art students, from dream researchers to teenagers at risk and abuse survivors. I hope this book will allow me to continue reaching more and more people.”

The thought of suddenly losing our sight is a terrifying one for any of us, let alone an artist; the thought that our sense of the visual held in our memory might also fade so we are denied even that comfort when sight is taken is equally horrific. I’ve been a big admirer of Al’s work since his autobiographical Spiral Cage; this does sound like a very intriguing project and one that I suspect he is very well suited to. If the primary target of $6498 is raised the plan is to use that to fund the printing of a very limited edition, collector’s volume of the book, with the proceeds of that in turn funding the printing of a more affordable paperback edition afterwards. Full details are on Al’s IndieGoGo page; spread the word.