The Artist’s Mind: Books by Michael Newberry

Evolution Through Art

This book shares with you my exploration into the evolution of art, showing how it began tens of thousands of years before philosophy, religion, or written language. I take you on a journey through the rise and fall of movements, uncovering how intimate artworks became the exemplars of civilization.

You’ll see da Vinci and Van Gogh through fresh eyes, follow the thread from Kant’s aesthetics to postmodern nihilism, and find an antidote in Aristotle’s concept of eudaemonia: the flourishing life.

I wrote this to offer a moral platform for figurative artists, and for anyone who senses that beauty, truth, and human spirit still matter in art.

“A clear-headed contemplation of art history… and a moral platform for figurative artists.”
— Brett Holverstott, architect, author, and founder of Figure Ground Gallery

The Art Studio Companion

The Art Studio Companion was created for anyone who wants to experience the magic of art-making. The tutorials empower you, the artist, by offering refreshed fundamentals and extraordinary advanced techniques, guaranteed to bring beauty and energy to your art.

What makes this book unique is its emphasis on art principles. By understanding these principles, you make the knowledge your own, unlocking your unique style and voice, leading to real transformation from the inside out.

The book consists of 34 tutorials, each with a homework assignment, supported by over 270 images and demonstrations. The tutorials are organized into three sections: Fundamentals, Essentials, and Embracing the Challenge. It also includes a handy index for quick referencing.

The material draws on my five decades of studio and teaching experience. I’ve mentored professional artists, including Melissa Hefferlin and Melvin Toledo, who wrote in the foreword: “The wealth of knowledge accumulated through years of hands-on experience is now at your fingertips. Embrace it as a vital component of your artistic journey, and your work will undoubtedly reap the benefits.”

If this speaks to you, then now is the time to make your art everything it should be.

Pandora’s Box and Other Essays

There is a newly-discovered version of the legend of Pandora’s Box. In this third version insanity, despair, and hatred had overrun the world and Pandora, driven by a sense of hope, opened the box by unlocking it with a key. Out from the box rose up all the glories of humanity and they spread throughout the world with undiminished splendor. Pandora discovered that the glories had never disappeared, but it was humankind that had lost the key to identifying the magnificence that lay before them.

This collection of essays will give you the key that unlocks the transformative power of art. It will guide you to experiencing art on the highest levels, you will see why evil forces need to control the arts, and how art communicates to your heart, mind, and senses.

You will discover how art is a great tool to protect your sense of identity, how it inspires a non-cynical, romantic view of life, and how it gives you a sense of living in a benevolent universe where your dreams are possible.

An ominous and powerful plague has swept the world. Many people think it came about recently not aware that it has been brewing for decades. Through this book you will see how art and aesthetics protects you in the face of tremendous obstacles, and gives you the possibility of achieving eudaemonia, a flourishing state of being.

Newberry Color Theory

This book is for engaged readers and artists who want to learn more about the magic of color theory in art practice. When it comes together, it creates a magnificent sense of harmony, surprise, and boundless possibility.

The theory is brought to life through my 16-piece Wave Series of pastels, which form the foundation of this book. Each work demonstrates a variation on the color theory.

In studying this book, not only will you receive the equivalent of the most advanced fine art college course, but also you will be abreast of this new aesthetic development. You will come away with a better understanding of:

• How brightness is achieved
• How opposites give an irresistible beauty to the shadows
• How to create intensely satisfying emotional experiences through placing colors in depth

“I am reading and re-reading your analysis of light and color and thinking about how to apply these theories. The works you are creating are lovely to look at and to think about.”
— Robin Purcell, Artist and Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society and the California Watercolor Association

“Subtle, gentle, mesmerizing. Love them!”
— Mathieu Brousses, Co-Founder of Provence Art Experience Journeys and Workshops