Books and Accessories

Occasional Prayers

Occasional Prayers is the distillation of Tom Bass’ lifelong spiritual journey. This journey brought him into contact with organised religion as well as various individual directions. From this, Tom Bass has produced this series of prayers which speak directly and honestly about one man’s dialogue with his maker.

Occasional Prayers includes an introduction which describes Tom’s spiritual journey. There is a cycle of morning meditation prayers as well as a collection of nearly sixty other prayers which reflect upon feelings such as love, doubt, forgiveness and many other attitudes and situations.

Totem Maker

‘When I finished art school just after the Second World War, and was about to embark on my career as a sculptor, I really though about what sort of sculptor I should be. I looked at the sculpture of the ages and all periods, and I tried to find something that was common to it all. What was the essential thing about sculpture that made it important at every period?’

The answer Tom Bass found to this question was that sculpture was the most social of the arts. It was a matter of creating ‘totems’, so he set out to become a visionary of the community.

Retrospective

The publication of this book celebrates the life of Tom Bass in conjunction with the Tom Bass Retrospective held at the Sydney Opera House during November-December 2006, through the lenses of some of Australians most renowned photographers.

This selection of essays and images reflects Bass’ influence on the landscape of this country. His works portray the energy and shared experience of life by capturing it within the sculptural form. Representing different, poignant accounts from the art historical, to the personal, these essays express the social, spiritual and cultural effect of his work.