A quiet day of reflections on art and books. A number of books have arrived this week, one of my great indulgences in life—and they have inspired me to read and reflect on this cold day. Reflections is the personal story of the development of Margaret's impressionist art collection with her husband, their life together, and the gifts of art to the museum. The story of a collector and her passion for art that was collected and a part of her life for over 60 years. It took over five years to write, and the final book is a wonderful statement of her life and loves. The Art of Medicine, over 2000 years of Images and Imagination, is one of many books that I am reading for a class on the Art of Observation, which I am teaching to medical students. This book looks at the how different cultures have expressed their ideas about health, medicine and illness and used art to help with healing. Pantone: the 20th Centruy in Color, identifies over 200 colors that impacted, product design, decor, fashion and art by decades. The revelation is that infuse of color on the decades—a visual delight and informative it is a resource filled with observations of the past and inspiration for the future.

Books—I mean real books that you hold in your hands, turn pages and can sometimes smell the ink or paper are very special to me. There is a stack of books that I have yet to read that stays in my living room as a reminder of new ideas. The deal with myself is that I cannot buy another book without giving away one or two that I already have, otherwise there will be no room for me in the house. SO the arrival of 3 new books means saying goodbye to 3 to 6 ones I have read. . .