The book tells of the tremendous power of the arts for society, about its gifts and the benefits for children, the similarities of the arts, creativity and health, advantages for seniors, how artists' minds work, and the arts' connection with mathematics.
YOU and THE ARTS? is a short book, filled with illustrations and written in easy to understand language.
Ruth Silnes’ art training started in the commercial field in the heart of the 1929 Depression. She freelanced and painted nursery rhyme pictures in modern dress and children’s portraits, mostly for her own two children and friends. In middle age she studied fine art under masters: John Howard Sanden, New York; Fred (Fredden) Goldberg, San Francisco; Carl Lundberg at the De Young Museum; Neven Kempthorn and Martin Levin.
San Francisco, the city where Ruth was born, touched her heart and became the theme for many of her early works. It is depicted woven into later paintings of various genres.
When outer space mysteries were being unraveled and plans were being made to go to the moon, Ruth let her imagination fly free, and that became her Cosmic Consciousness period.
As an admirer of Salvador Dahli, Ruth began to see concrete things in her free form works and her paintings became Cosmic Surrealism.
Followed by a phase dubbed Atmospheric Nautical, drawn from her yachting travels. They are a complete departure from the strong colors and style of her former paintings. These are watercolors, done in soft pastel like colors.
While living in her boat in San Diego, California, she had an art studio in the Spanish Village Art Center. Later when living in Northern California, she became a charter member and studio holder in the Twin Pines Art Center, which later moved up the street and became the 1870 Art Center in Belmont.
