Book of the Unknown Painter is a collection of aphorisms written by an anonymous artist known only as The Painter. While the first draft was written during a summer in China, these insights span a lifetime of reflection on art, offering a profound meditation on painting, creativity, the ego, and how an artist or anyone might live in accordance with their work and the world.

Throughout the book, The Painter invokes the need to envision painting as an act rather than an object, emphasizing the verb over the noun. To be fully appreciated, painting, according to the author, must be performed rather than merely looked upon.

Like painting itself, this book has no fixed beginning or end. Chapters group the aphorisms for flow, but readers are free to enter and exit as they wish. Book of the Unknown Painter will resonate with artists, writers, and creatives seeking new insights into their practice and deeper meaning in their lives.