For the fine-arts-challenged, such as myself, I've needed help supporting my children's budding interest and skills in the fine arts. They are getting ahead of me! So I've been looking for resources for parents to help them better reinforce these skills and interests during family activities etc. And I've found a book I've fallen in love with.

At first glance it doesn't seem like much - the plates and figures of art reproductions aren't exactly coffee-table-book material. But once you start reading, it is an incredible crash course for what to look for in all sorts of visual artistic expression--from painting to prints to sculpture to architecture; from proportion to color to form to the space and setting of a piece. The book talks in layman terms about what makes a piece of art interesting and which of its qualities and techniques/materials have what impact on the viewer.

For the first time, I feel like I have a comfortable grasp over what a piece of art is saying, and how it manages to say it. I'm excited because this should make our family trips to the museums etc. so much more meaningful. I can have a deeper and more relevant discussion with the kids about what is at play in each piece.

"Learning to Look - a Handbook for the Visual Arts" by Joshua C. Taylor