Last week, I posted a list of films that have influenced me as an artist.
Here is how I introduced the list:
I was intrigued by Brainpicking’s article, David Bowie’s 75 Must-Read Books.  I’ve long assumed that as artists, much of our work reflects a bit of our artistic diet.  We ingest various forms of art and their influence is exuded in our own productions.  I’ve seen a lot of movies.  Most of them were bad. This is not a list of every movie I have ever seen, but it is a list of films that I’ve sat up and taken notice of.  Some have directly impacted my work in comics. (In other words I’ve tried to imitate as best I could.)  Some may take root and flower later.  I might even be influenced by the countless bad movies I’ve watched. (wink)
I tend to shy away from listing my favorite movies and books.  Mostly, I am paranoid that Facebook and other sites use these lists to generate advertisements and other data mining ventures.  However, since this website is – ah hem- created purely to promote my artwork, why not use my own preference to further my own artwork. (grin).  My website is mostly read by other artists and friends, so perhaps this will give you insight into my creative process and you might find one of these films useful for yourself.
This week, I am posting a list of books that have influenced my thinking and art-making.  Once again, I have difficulty weighing their importance, so they are listed in chronological sequence.  Stay tuned next week for a list of influential books from 1987-Present
Grant Thomas’ List of Influential Books
Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers trans. by Benedicta Ward (3rd Century)
Confessions by Augustine of Hippo (late 4th Century)
Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence (1690s)
Howard’s End by E.M. Forester (1910)
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951)
Wise Blood by Flannery O’ Connor (1952)
Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut (1969)
Flannery O’ Connor: The Complete Stories (1971)
Ways of Seeing by John Berger (1972)
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut (1973)
Arzach by Moebius (1975)
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (1979)
Narration as Human Communication Paradigm: The Case of Public Moral Argument by Walter Fisher (1984)
White Noise by Don Delillo (1985)
Maus by Art Spiegelman (1986)
