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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Erin and Capablanca Sep 25, 2009
The real substance of this book isn't making plans, painting, flowers, or even Big Sur. The real subject is clarity of thought. Erin can create word pictures that are so clear, well reasoned, and persuasive that the reader thinks that her thoughts are his. And so it is with all good and great works, they seem so obvious! Capablanca was a chess champion who had that same clarity and certainty. Sometimes his games seem only to be the visible symbol of this quality and not its subject at all. If it is really a book about hope it is this clarity that is its inspiration.
It reminds us, when we read it, that the world can and should be a much better place.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Beautifully inspirational Aug 25, 2009
I bought this book on a trip to California this summer. I'm not an artist, but having read this book, it inspired me to be creative (I'm now half way through knitting my first scarf and although we don't have a garden, I have my own little herb box on the windowsill!). Erin's book also encouraged me to see the beauty in everything and how important it is to make your environment beautiful, for yourself, but also for your family and friends. Erin is able to paint beautiful images with her words and while reading it on the bus in the chaos that is London, I felt uplifted with thoughts of the serenity and beauty of Big Sur. I really look forward to her next book.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Written in "Plein Air" Aug 01, 2009
Written in Plein Air: A tribute to Erin Lee Gafill
I have just finished reading and pondering Erin Lee Gafill's Little Book of Hope entitled "Drinking from a Cold Spring".
It is a treasure because it has been unearthed from deep places, in real time, and priceless because it is real and true. Erin is an authentic voice that draws its resonance from artesian wells of Big Sur. She writes in an amazingly pure naked style that I like to call "Plein Air Prose". The 19th century Impressionists liked to carry the tools of their trade outdoors: easel, paint, white parasol and chair to catch the subtle light and vision of a certain scene. Erin, a successful Big Sur painter has done that countless times, and enjoyed the challenge and discipline of "plein air" painting. She demystifies the mystique as "the idea that what we paint is what we are-that we are processing visually the same things we are struggling with in our real lives". (p. 67)
When she returned from a retreat in Mexico Erin learned that "colors make me happy", and she changed the decor of her home and made sure to include flowers in every room. Erin is a philosopher in the purest sense of the word, a lover of wisdom. She tells her life in exquisite vignettes, in which the borders are blurred and softened, but punctuated with shafts of priceless wisdom. She has learned that the art of storytelling is the way we transmit wisdom, exalt beauty, proclaim truth, and generate virtue for the next generation. Humanity has been gathering stories since the dawn of civilization. Our inner ear has been shaped to yearn for the story to be told, your story, our story, to know its meaning and purpose, and to make sense of life's mysteries. Erin has scraped away unnecessary layers of words to capture the true shape of things.
"Writing the truth means traveling back in time, unearthing buried secrets, holding up to the light things I am still afraid to talk about, things I still don't understand". (p. 119)
Nothing is too small or humble for her eye not to notice. She is not afraid of nakedness, and lets us watch the inner workings of her soul. That takes enormous courage and confidence. Her painter's eye is the lens through which she has transcribed her experiences. There are abrupt, sharp strokes for pain, soft shadows for sadness, and brilliant swathes of light that wash over us and fill her narratives with peace. There's plenty of fresh air to breathe here, and plenty of fresh water to assuage the thirsting soul.
Erin has communicated her vision with the consummate trained eye of an artist and has truly blessed us with heartfelt scenes of hope..."the words become candles lit one by one in darkness until the darkness is no more. Replacing fear with peace. Replacing darkness with light. Building a bridge for someone to cross over. That's what I want my work to do. I want to light a candle for you so that together we can make our way through the dark places." (p. 120)
Erin is offering her book online through her website : [...]
Check out her blog: the Big Sur Fix
It's a gift for giving, and a gift for keeping.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Drinking From A Cold Spring Jul 24, 2009
This book is inspiring in a way that is powerfully unique. The author takes the reader into a world inhabited by us all and allows us to see our lives reflected in her own struggles to come to terms with a life fraught with challenges, yearning and acceptance of herself as both an artist and a human being. From her perch at the edge of the Big Sur cliffs she gifts us with the power of nature's beauty to transform and heal, seeing the world anew with restored hope and faith in the essential goodness of life. This is the book you go to when you want to step away from your life and take a drink from that clear, cold spring yourself.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A Quiet Gift Jul 23, 2009
It is not an easy task paring life down to its essence then sharing with others that sweet nut that takes years of ones life to get to. Erin Gafill is one of those generous souls who openly reveals her heart to her readers, sharing her experiences, her loves, her fears, and her deep compassion with all of us. After reading this book, I would follow her anywhere -- I trust she knows the way.
She has imparted lessons in graciousness -- and I'm so grateful.
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