Reader #3 by Darren Thompson on Zatista.com

Nothing says summer like relaxing outdoors with a good book. There’s a great tradition of painters doing portraits of people reading. It makes a great subject at any time of year. But why just look, why not be that person?

Woman Reading by Peter Worsley on Zatista.com

Just because autumn is around the corner doesn’t mean it’s too late to do a little summer reading. And summer reading doesn’t always have to mean a novel or celebrity tell-all. A recent look at Amazon’s Best Picks for 2011 So Far in the category of art & architecture reveals quite a variety of appealing choices. Here are just a few:

Andrew Bolton: Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty on Amazon.com

Alexander McQueen:  Savage Beauty by Andrew Bolton (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2011). The McQueen exhibit at the Met was one of this summer’s blockbuster art events. If you missed it, or just want to relive the drama, check out this book which includes interviews, quotes and an overview of the sadly brief life and career of this fashion rebel who was an artist in his own right.

Jean Stern and Molly Siple: California Light: A Century of Landscapes:Paintings of the California Art Club on Amazon.com

California Light: A Century of Landscapes: Paintings of the California Art Club by Jean Stern and Molly Siple (Rizzoli, 2011). This book celebrates  a century of the works and activities of the California Art Club, a society dedicated to capturing the landscapes of California following the tradition of plein air painting. With 200 paintings by 150 artists, a real visual treat.

Annie Liebovitz: Linda McCartney Life in Photographs on Amazon.com

Linda McCartney: Life in Photographs by Annie Leibovitz (Taschen, 2011). This retrospective of Linda McCartney’s life and work includes both family and celebrity photos taken throughout her long career and is both a nostalgic trip through rock n roll history and a gentle reminder that she was a lot more than the wife of a Beatle.

The Readers by Julie Wende on Zatista.com

Perhaps that gives you a bit of inspiration on art, books, or both. Enjoy the rest of your summer and summer’s best art books!

Brian Sylvester is a guest blogger on WallSpin, and an artist on Zatista.