Athens Sketchbook Writing by Terry Kay, Loran Smith and Sandi Turner; art by local artists $39.95 Indigo Custom Publishing

Book is visual love letter to city of Athens

Athens Sketchbook is a visual love letter to the city.

Local artists contributed paintings and drawings of Athens landmarks, portraits and contemporary abstracts. Though the subject matter may differ, the art work is linked by possessing a subtle yet evocative quality of capturing the exact feeling of living in Athens.

Terry Kay’s foreword touchingly describes how he lost his childhood intimidation of the “big city” of Athens and came to call it home, while Loran Smith’s essay provides the city’s history, tracing its beginnings from a riverside forest glen to the origins of the university and present-day growth.

Sandi Turner’s essay chronicles the contemporary Athens art scene and highlights trail blazers Art Rosenbaum, Richard Olsen, Judith McWillie, Jack Kehoe and Jim Herbert.

With widely-appealing art and thorough text, the book is an appropriate memento for graduating students or anyone wanting to take a piece of Athens with them on their travels.