3 comments about Kara Walker: My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love.

1. Kara Walker's work has many suggestions,social; ones where you need some "code" to interpret what you see, how can you come to see eyes like yours; what you see; we come to comprehend the montrous system of slavery that supported the USA for on-going decades; her approach utilization of the ante-bellum South with silhouttes often surreal imagery,with odd icon as Marcus Garvey running with an ax,Return?, Return!?We need liberation in any form;Walker's narrative is intentionally distanced,like the subject itself;as if race can only seen, by not really being seen; white man's narrative discourse is the only one Walker seems to be saying;So no one can even tell their own story; Do we simply need more enlightenment? I don't think that will do it; hypocrisy will still reign supreme, the system needs it;here there are events you can't come to believe,a woman vomiting, a mother looking up the anus of her child or someone else's child abandoned; yet as you walk through this ir-reality are you in it,Are you awake now,the
   plantations that American still visit,visit in horror, or what? or do you simply want the "Dream" to continue; When do we get back to profit-taking? Her work still has a narrative discourse, you come to read it,yet you still don't understand; it is within a post-modern subject; spatiality is utilized to scatter the subject, forwards and backwards in his/herstory, but a storyline with no beginning or end, much like current reality with odd assortments of slaveries occuring,smuggled immigrant workers, "maquil" workers, sex slave trade; its all with us,next door; people still need to be saved from imperial systems of globalizations,concrete walls and pre-emptive wars.Do we still look at "Ol' Hannah" through a lens of what, our own existence, contemplating the self-conceit of our own portfolios now stolen by Wall Street;
   the issue of race,prejudice is still a very open question despite all the millions of dollars$$$ on holocaust museums and commissioned works of art, how much do we really comprehend of our "neighbor" Do we care?,or do we simply go on in our own hypocrisies,saying "we have ours, now let them get theirs" where's that "universalizing" trope humanity needs to survive and get their heads around the subject. Walker's work certainly triggers all these contemplations.



2. Kara Walker's Art currently exhibited at the UCLA Hammer Museum is so powerful I often think about the Art exhibit during my day it has become my companion,a stimulating and welcomed friend I recommed this book and urge all within a hundred miles of Los Angeles to visit the Hammer before June 8,2008



3. Kara Walker is the artist who has something to say in every medium. First I have viewed her sensational installations which include her trademark silouhettes which remind me of huge versions of cameos from time gone by. Second her messages are loud clear with a poetic flow . She translates her ideas about abused women,slavery,possession and if possible redemption into paper cut outs which can fill a room along with paintings drawings film and text. Her book ebodies the foundation of these images. I highly recommend it.

1 comments about Drawing: How to Draw 1 (HT1).

1. I love to draw and this helps to give me the skills that i enjoy having

2 comments about Horses: History, Myth, Art.

1. This is a good coffee table book or a good place to start if you are looking for information on horses in history and art. The plates are well chosen to illustrate their subjects, and details are provided for where the different pieces of art are currently stored or on display.
   On the other hand, it wasn't the detailed research work that I had been expecting and hoping for.



2. This book is an important addition to any library.

5 comments about Enchanting Fairies: How To Paint Charming Fairies and Flowers.

1. A beautiful book with clear, easy to follow instructions. A great addition to any collection for fairy lovers/artist. As a lover of fantasy and creator of fantasy art for many years I enjoyed this book very much. I especially love the fairy babies included in this book,
   since they often seem be left out.



2. I thought the step-by-step painting technique demonstrations were excellent. Aside from being a how-to on painting fairies, there is a lot in the book about rendering natural details like flower petals, bubbles, leaves, water, hair, flames and snowflakes. All of the techniques Barbara Lanza uses to create her enchanting worlds can be applied to landscape and still life painting, as well as portraiture. I've learned a lot from her book.



3. I bought Barbara Lanza's book and was thrilled. Great product for the price! Her beautiful, delicate illustrations and clear instructions were easy to understand. I also liked that her love of fairies came across and inspired me. The variety of fairies and flowers was also refreshing. I would recommend this book if you would like to learn fantasy art!



4. I am a self taught oil painter and craft artist who was raised on Fairy stories. When I saw this book advertised I hoped it would help me and it has. I like her Fairies, not to baby type of cute.
   
   She has great pictures with detailed instructions of how to achieve her art work using two different media. The way the book is written, her instruction is also adaptable to any media or type of work you want to do. A friend was having trouble painting a nice drape of fabric on one of her projects. I showed her my Enchanting Fairies book and it showed her exactly what to do. This is a good investment.



5. I bought this book for my daughter who loves to draw and loves fairies. She has read other fictional works by the author and enjoyed them. This drawing guide had the right mix of how to and fictional background to keep her interested and inspired to draw the various examples as well as take them a step further. It also has enough detail in the information and interesting presentation to keep the "child at heart". If you want to draw this particular fantasy subject or just people, it is an enjoyable read that contains many useful details.

5 comments about Perspective Drawing Handbook (Dover Art Instruction).

1. I was trying to draw a picture of a building with an extended cover over the driveway from a kind of different point of view and this book really helped me out. Good, understandable info on perspective drawing.



2. Please don't buy this inaccurate text. It has at least one major flaw. The author incorrectly claims that the horizon is always at eye level. It's easy to see that's false. Walk into the Grand Canyon and you'll notice that the horizon is well above eye level.



3. This is currently my favorite perspective book! If I listed my Top 5, it would have to be: Perspective Drawing Handbook; Perspective Made Easy; Perspective! for Comic Book Artists; Basic Perspective Drawing: A Visual Guide, 4th edition; and then Creative Perspective for Artists and Illustrators. Perspective Drawing Handbook is my favorite because it's clear, concise, slim & to the point. It's very enlightening! In my opinion, Joseph D' Amelio was a genius in his understanding of perspective & his ability to communicate this to others. Because this book is so slim, clear & reasonably priced, I would highly recommend this to anyone & *everyone* interested in learning about perspective-based drawing. Even if it doesn't become your favorite overall, it's certainly worth having in your collection, as perspective is such a difficult topic that it's really best to buy a number of books. And if you're going to buy a number of books, it would help to know which are the *best* while at the same time being reasonably priced. This is at the top of my list! Three-point perspective *is* covered here, although he mostly avoids this term and instead calls this "looking up & down". It's simplistic in its approach, but that's what great teachers are about: taking difficult concepts & making them easy to understand. The writing can be a little stiff, but this book relies mostly on visuals, which is exactly what I prefer! There really aren't that many words here, especially when compared to another book I recently reviewed: Creative Perspective for Artists and Illustrators. If you think Perspective Drawing Handbook is a bit too wordy, than you'd definitely want to stay away from Creative Perspective! Perspective Drawing Handbook: my highest recommendation!



4. Too much text, not enough drawing. I much prefer Perspective: space and design
   by Louise Bowen Ballinger



5. "PERSPECTIVE DRAWING HANDBOOK" by Joseph D`Amelio
   
   Amelio really packed this book with well-illustrated covering of Perspective in Black & White. Better still, D`Amelio manages to keep text down to the bare essentials, preferring to illustrate the point rather than describe it. Fascinating. Nicely put together, and very concise at 96 pages. I really liked it.
   
   Suggested retail at $8.95 this is a good reference, and eminently affordable. It seemed quite deserving of FIVE STARS for making an obscure subject clear to the general public with a direct, no-nonsense approach. What Stephen Rogers Peck does for anatomy, is what D'Amelio does for teaching PERSPECTIVE.

4 comments about The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888-1978.

1. There has been very little written on the snapshot, particulary as it relates to the development of photovision. Sara Greenough has put together an excellent exhibit on the subject. This catalogue only goes into the 1970s. Now she has to carry the snapshot into the digital world.



2. 
   Sir John F. Herschel gets credit for coining the word "snapshot" in 1860; "The possibility of taking a photograph, as it were by a snap-shot -- of securing a picture in a tenth of a second of time." (He also coined "photography" itself, and was the first to apply "negative" and "positives" to photography.) Given his wide ranging interests, I'm sure he would have loved this book as much as I do.
   
   The editors divide 1888 to 1978 into four periods. The first is discussed in Diane Waggoner's essay, "Photographic Amusements." Eastman Kodak was dominant with the Brownie: "You push the button, we do the rest (or you can do it yourself)."
   
   Sarah Kennel covers 1920-1939 in "Quick, Casual Modern." Their PR folks peppered the roads with "Picture Ahead! Kodak as you go!" Eastman Kodak also tied the permanence of photos to family values: "Kodak began to stress use of the camera to counter the truancy of memory, particularly with regard to family stability."
   
   Sarah Greenough's covers 1940-1959 with "Fun Under the Shade of the Mushroom Cloud." Kodak introduced Kodachrome in 1936 and Kodacolor in 1942. Snapshots were tied to social life. "Life" taught Americans pictorial journalism. Snapping pictures was "modern".
   
   Matthew Witkovsky ends with "When the Earth Was Square." "It is the period when daily life, turned by a nation of consumers into an unending succession of narcissistic photo ops, becomes fodder for media spectacle, creating the lottery-like promise of instant but evanescent celebrity for everyone. ... These are the years when nothing is sacred yet everything is ritualized; when no one and everyone is special, and all things are made potentially interesting in pictures; and when amnesia, which thrives on prosperity, takes, hold, leaving memory to scatter and fade in billions of little prints."
   
   The history is grand and enlightening, of course, but for me the images are key. The book is beautifully printed and bound; there is plenty of white space around each shot. You are free to flip through quickly, or stop and puzzle for lost minutes over a single image.
   
   I have three suggestions for anyone interested in photography. First, read John Updike's wonderful review of this book free online on "The New Yorker" website.
   
   Second, consider the words of Robert Jackson who put this collection together: as Updike writes: "his afterword to the catalogue manages to cast a pall of reasonableness over his curious passion. He coins the phrase 'a visual trophy' for a medium that 'seeks to preserve an idealized and individualized moment in time.' Attempting to explain the collector's motives, he claims, 'It is the anonymous snapshot's immediacy, inherent honesty, and unstudied freedom from external influence that are the draw. . . . The personal can therefore become impersonal.' Ah, but, then again, 'a collector can have a subjective interest in a snapshot's narrative content as a surrogate for life experiences. Thus the personal remains personal, if you will.'"
   
   Third, buy this book.
   
   
   Robert C. Ross 2008



3. I love this treasure trove of a book. Leafing through it takes me back time and time again to specific photos from family albums over the years. The book is a collaborative work that captures the essence of Americans' love affair with the camera.
   
   The narrative divides the ninety years into four "generations" of the evolution of the snapshot: thirty years of beginnings followed by three twenty-year periods celebrating the interactions of the technical developments and the cultural idiosyncrasies of each era.
   
   While the "plates" of photographs selected from Jackson's collection for exhibition form the book's core, the authors have introduced a sprinkling of "figures" of other photographs--and Kodak ads, in particular--to complete their histories. The Timeline of Technical Milestones at the end is nicely executed.
   
   I've no idea how the authors would characterize the last two decades of the twentieth century, but I'm certain that the first two decades of the twentieth century belong to digital photography. I'd love to read their take on this generation of the American snapshot.



4. I can't speak highly enough of this wonderfully rich book on the grand topic of the American snapshot. The essays are full of revealing information about how big a role the snapshot has played in our culture. The generous sampling of photographs gives us shots that are entirely unique, each in its ow way, and yet they are also familiar, if you are old enough to remember the days of Kodak cameras, especially the Brownie. I found the best review of this great book at www.ronslate.com.

5 comments about The Best of Business Card Design 6 (The Best of Business Card Design).

1. This is a fun compilation that has lots of inspirational ideas... whether its logos, business card shapes and papers, color combos, etc. It was published in 2004 but in 2008, I do not find it to be outdated.



2. There are some nice business cards and some pretty average cards in here. This book is a good resource to have for business cards.



3. OK. Let's get one thing straight from the beginning.
   Many of the most creative elements ended up for self use.
   So does that make this volume a practical how-to for real client projects?
   Yes, I think so. We must push the edge of design to remain rut-free and boring.
   So, buy this volume. Be challenged to go beyond the edge of your level of design. Just remember to have a few lesser aggressive designs in your back pocket if clients take a deep breath and say "Well that's interesting".



4. I found this book very useful. It gave great examples of wonderfully designed business cards and letterheads. Great inspirational tool.



5. The stunning collection of cards displayed in this book are inspiring. Just one element in a card can influence the rest of my design and get me on a roll. This book is full of classy, eye popping designs to edgy, out the box designs. It is a sure fire fit for any designer.

5 comments about Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album.

1. There really was something compelling about Factory when they started. I still have many of the original UK records on vinyl (Joy Division, Section 25, New Order). CDs don't do the designs justice - too small ! They were concieved as RECORD sleeves and worked as art objects that way. I remember my delight at figuring out the color coding on Power, Corrruption and Lies after staring at it for a while.
   Has any other label managed to build a design mystique like it (Blue Note perhaps ?). Their output got less interesting and less elaborate later on.
   This book is a great nostalgia trip for any original factory fans, and hopefuly conveys the same sense to younger readers. Nice coffee-table book.



2. Complete catalog of the Factory cover art, posters, etc. Factory perfected the symbiosis between the music and art.



3. This book is an awesome look back at some of the best artwork and packaging of its time. The footnotes for each "Fac" are interesting and the reproductions of the artwork are showcased nicely. I only wish there were some photos of the packaging, for instance the famous Blue Monday single with the die-cut, it would have been nice to see how it looked. Still, I think this is a great book!



4. I've always been a huge fan of Factory Records and the designs of Peter Saville so this book was a dream come true. Pictures of all the artwork from Fac 1 onwards, all the New Order, Joy Division, Happy Mondays, Durutti Column - everything you could want.
   A wonderful gorgeous book, the pictures are bright and clear, plus history and stories on major aspects of the artwork - highly recommended fro any Factory / New Order / Peter Saville fan.



5. This is an excellent book for fans of Factory Records. Factory was label that always had beautiful graphic design work. The album covers and poster art were a showcase for the design work of Peter Saville. I highly recommend this thorough book to fans of the label.

4 comments about Bay Area Figurative Art: 1950-1965.

1. Caroline Jones has done a stunning job, in her book 'Bay Area Figurative Art', of defining and chronicaling the counter movement, to abstract expressionism, of representational, figurative art, in California, from 1950-1965. The book was originally published as the catalogue for the 1989-1990 exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
   For the student as well as the established artist, this book is indispensible as a reference in understanding the dynamics and art of David Park, Richard Diebenkorn, Elmer Bishoff and James Weeks and the others who followed. The color illustrations are excellent. It's a shame the book is not in hard-cover; with that and in a larger format, it would be ideal for the art officiando as an interesting/informative library addition. The Chronolgy and Notes sections are extensive and add to the informational whole.



2. Bay Area Figurative Art: 1950-1965
   
   This is a wonderful book with a specific emphasis on the bay area figurative scene circa 50's & 60's. It vignettes several artists from the heavily enriched San Francisco Bay Area. I found it a good place to discover some lesser-known artists that played a part of the emerging figurative art movement. This book presents the last stirrings of abstract expressionism into the birth of a newly re-discovered figure. If you enjoy the works of Richard Diebenkorn , David Parks, Paul Wonner, Joan Brown, Elmer Bischoff, you may find a few other artist in this book to investigate further.



3. Take my advice from one artist to another... this book has impact. It has added so much to my understanding of what I do, and how I view abstracted figurative art in general. I recommend this book to all artists who work in figures. The reproductions in this book are full of color and there is very little to complain about. For those who are not artists, but enjoy reading about the subject, this book fulfills. You read about the artists struggles, success, personal lives and how they came to be THE Bay Area Figurative Artists. Their art, timeless... and this book lends them the respect they deserve but rarely get.
   
   Michael Aldana
   www.michaelaldana.com



4. I had the opportunity to see this show in Philadelphia and it absolutely blew me away. Not only does it include Richard Diebenkorn's best work, but it also includes work by Paul Wonner, Elmer Bischoff, Manuel Neri, Nathan Oliveira and David Park (among others). I have drawn endless inspiration from this book and you most likely will too.

5 comments about Ready-to-Use North American Indian Motifs: 391 Different Permission-Free Designs Printed One Side (Clip Art Series).

1. This book is wonderful because the motifs are available for you to use as you wish! I bought this after reading a review of another book that everything was copyrighted and I wanted non-copyrighted motifs. All the pages are black and white, loaded with Native American Motifs. Each motif has the name and tribe so if you make something to sell, you will know which tribe to use on your labels/ads. Reminds me of the art books we used in the 1980's for newspaper ad clip-art before the use of computers. No problem about the sizes if you have access to a copier. Happy to add this to my collection of art books!



2. The product was promptly delivered in excellent condition. I am impressed with the number of different Native American tribes that were represented in the motifs.



3. I was expecting full size patterns. However there are good
   patterns, but will have to be enlarged to use them.



4. I bought this for my son who loves drawing and he really has enjoyed it. The illustrations are great and theres good information along with the illustartions.



5. As a descendant of the Native American Choctaw tribe, I was VERY pleased with this book. The illustrations are clear and precisely drawn. The reader receives a lot of inspiration for Native American art and designs. However, of far more value to the reader, the author identifies the designs with various tribes. Naturally, I was particularly pleased to find the highly modernistic looking designs of the Choctaws. I strongly recommend this book to any students of Native Americans or students of art.
   
   Robert J. Deffeyes