Books published by Helane Designs, Inc.

Doug Rucker, in divorce proceedings while being madly in love with a mother of four, was also heavily involved in introspection and psychotherapy. With a persistent artistic temperament it dawned on Doug that if he did a series of drawings with no thought whatever, (No-Think) they'd give him access to his unconscious mind, thus leading him to quicker solutions to his problems. Fifty years later, Doug now makes a more detailed analysis of his daily drawings considering what each line, shape and color represents and sharing revelations he observed behind each separate piece.With over 150 striking, colorful pieces of art to contemplate and enjoy, Doug guides the reader through the meanings of each drawing's color and composition, explaining what they meant to him at the time. No-Think Drawings are meant to be a colorful collection of creative artwork and a personal view into the artist's unconscious mind, drawn by the artist himself.

Growing Edge is the third in a series of autobiography written by the famous mid-century architect, Doug Rucker. In his own words;After making eight, one hundred-page comedy books with cartoons and humorous essays and giving them to friends, and doing enough poetry to fill a four-hundred page book, I finally had the desire remember the past and think maybe I could write it. I'd tell myself the stories of my life. At the age of sixty-five and prompted by my mother's gift of three tattered family photo albums, I was reminded of the past and suddenly wanted to remember everything of that far distant time. I started with my birth. It should organize easily. The outline would be chronological. In remembering everything, perhaps I indulged myself too much, but you be the judge. When I finished the book after writing about graduating from the University of Illinois, I felt, perhaps my life story could not be told in a mere three or four hundred pages. It looked very much like there would at least be a LATER STORIES. ~ Doug Rucker

Learn about THE THROW-AWAY BOOK (If you want.)You might want to throw this book away right now! But again, you might want to leaf through the pages, then throw it away and mutter, "I don't have time for this!" However, you might be intrigued and see the true worth of this rare book, then throw it away. Or you might be sitting on a bench avoiding work while finishing a coffee-break and decide to be mildly amused. In fact, I thought of calling this book THE MILDLY AMUSING BOOK, but thinking again, that wouldn't do it justice. You might ask, "What is its justice?" It has no justice! It's unjustifieable. With this mild warning and before you embark on this remarkable adventure, I say, "Travel at your own risk!" Absorb the intelligence (or lack thereof) of whatever's in (or out) of this original copy of THE THROW-AWAY BOOK! (Then throw it away.)

In Thinking in the Abstract, award-winning artist, author and architect Doug Rucker shares his thoughts on what makes art either abstract, realistic or a combination of both, and provides insight into his methodology of appreciating abstract art by considering the intention of the artist and studying the physical artwork. With dozens of examples of Doug's colorful and wondrous abstract photographic art at its core, and with his light, from-the-heart writing style as a playful, yet informative accompaniment, Thinking in the Abstract gives readers a unique, first-person, artist's perspective and offers a fresh approach to understanding and appreciating the world of abstract art.