2 comments about Ceramics and Print (Ceramics Handbooks).

1. All ceramic artists interested in printing on ceramic surfaces should own a copy of this book.



2. Paul Scott Takes you through the historical and contemporary uses of print and clay. Very little has been written about the unusual marriage between print and clay. The book is written in an easy to follow dialogue that explains the processes involved and includes many color photographs. I recommend the book to anyone interested ceramics and imagery.

1 comments about The Impressionists Coloring Book.

1. wouldn't you love to be an impressionist artist? now you can with this fun book... grab your colored pencils and go... fun stuff here

3 comments about The Art of Al Rio Volume 2.

1. The Art of Al Rio Volume 2
   Great book! Covers are fantastic! The black and white art inside has a sharpness and clean lines that are beautiful very detailed well thought out
   design and execution.



2. Volume one was great, this is even better, Al's art is stunning, he draws sexy women, sexy, hot and very nice, clean art too. Great lines and curves, if you like good girl art and sexy gals, buy this book.



3. This second collection of Al Rio's artwork is a fine companion to volume one. Al draws strong, beautiful women and this is an excellent introduction to his artwork. Like volume one, these are all black and white drawings. Well worth the price.

No comments about Leonardo Da Vinci and His Super-brain (Dead Famous).

1 comments about OK, Joe.

1. In this book, Louis Guilloux, a writer and member of the French resistance, gives us a great depiction
   of the days during (and after) the liberation of France.
   It narrates the story of Louis, a member of the French resistance, that becomes for a few weeks a translator for the U.S military.
   At the center of the story are the trials against african-american soldiers and the shock of observing how unaware the white american officers were of the racism in the U.S military.
   Guilloux pen is a generous one. He witholds easy judgements, but is not shy in expressing his own views. Overall this little novel is a great read.

2 comments about The Celtic Quest: An Anthology from Merlin to Van Morrison.

1. I have this book, bought for me by a well meaning relative one fine Christmas. And I have found it a delightful collection of bizarrely unrelated texts interlaced with truly beautiful photographs that as a whole have nothing to do with the texts nor, indeed, with each other. The text and photographs seem to have been paired by a design team looking at titles and color schemes.
   
   As such, if you want this book for some sort of useful purpose, then find another book. This has to be one of the least useful books I have ever encountered. Among its other faults, it has no index. Likewise, if you want some sort of interesting or insightful commentary your best bet would be to turn and look in a different section of the book store. The book has commentary of sorts. At the beginning of each section there are unfortunate prefaces with misguided introductions of the "all-of-existence-is-Celtic-somehow" variety.
   
   However, if you want a book that you might leave out on the coffee table (and you don't mind the distasteful title) then you might have a winner here. Someone might be over at your house and pick the book up, read a story edited by Miles Dillon and become inspired to return to school, finish that doctorate and teach beauty to a new generation of young, hopeful students. This may sound a remote possibility, but you never know.
   
   Likewise, if you want random texts that might remind you that beauty exists in the world again, this might be your book. The pairing of Irish poets and storytellers with Scottish, English, and French artists might yet inspire world peace.
   
   Again, you never know.



2. Jane Lahr divides this book into three treatments of the subject: Song, Sword and Star. The naturalist in you will appreciate the Celts' deep reverence for nature in SONG. "The rebirths of the land as well as the heart are celebrated..." SWORD "...reflects the passage of into mid-summer... [the] journey towards maturity." In STAR the author shares pieces from Druidic philosophy and wisdom and the "beliefs in reincarnation, shape-shifting and shamanic practices."

   This is a delightful book for both children and adults (older children) to learn more about our Celtic heritage. This book puts at your fingertips such authors and poets as William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, William Blake, Sir Walter Scott, Dylan Thomas, Margaret Tait, Robert Burns, Ella Young, and dozens more.

   I liked this book because it sparks the imagination and touches the heart. Even if you have no Celtic blood in you, but a literary mind, you will find this book a treasure. I liked it so much I bought a copy for both my adult children for their birthdays this month.

2 comments about Sparrow: Rick Berry (Art Books).

1. Sparrow: Rick Berry (Art Books)
   
   For more years than I care to remember, I've been a fan of illustrative art--especially that to be found in the old pulp magazines, primarily (at the start) the science fiction and fantasy pulps. (I'm responsible, largely, for "Pulp Culture, the Art of Fiction magazines" and "Science Fiction of the 20th Century: An Illustrated History.")
   
   What's always struck me is that once an illustrative artist develops his own unique style, he seldom varies from it. Virgil Finlay, Hannes Bok, Frank R. Paul, J. Allen St. John, Hubert Rogers, Kelly Freas and Michael Whelan can be recognized at a glance. In a larger sense, so can N. C. Wyeth for his paintings for children's books, J. C. Leyendecker in his covers for Collier's and the Saturday Evening Post and his ads for the "Arrow Collar Man," Maxfield Parrish for his advertising art and huge murals immortalizing fantasy fables.
   
   But all of the above--and I respect and love them all--once they perfected their style, never changed. There is only one artist I know of whose artistic ability has changed and grown as he matured. Richard Berry is self-taught, painted covers for science fiction and fantasy paperbacks, invented computer artistry practically single-handed ("Necromancer" by William Gibson), painted atmospheric illustrations for books by Stephen King, and is now creating an impressionistic, emotional art that is vastly different from anything out there--but is conceptually intriguing and emotionally moving. Every one of his paintings is unique, everyone one is different, every one is surprising in concept and execution. Berry's style is...lack of style.
   
   "Sparrow" is a slim volume containing the best of Berry's recent paintings, all of them of museum quality. From the dynamic motion of the figure in "Frost," from the thoughtful figures in "Forsaken" to the speculative look on the face of the young man in "Quiz" to the lonely motorcycle in "Nailhouse Row," Berry has accomplished what I never thought an "illustrator" would.
   
   Berry has transcended "illustration" into the field of fine art. His work should be sold in upscale galleries and in auctions at Sotheby's. He's one of a kind and I doubt very much that you will ever see another like him.
   
   This slim collection of his paintings is exquisitely printed and an unbelievable bargain for the price.
   
   --Frank M. Robinson



2. I can speak directly from experience (as a working illustrator and concept artist) that the bold and visionary work of Rick Berry lit the path for my own artistic trajectory. I would not be where I am if it weren't for the influence of his work.
   
   I increasingly find that Berry's work is a testament to what can be achieved with a simple image. From "double memory" through a career of stellar illustrative works, and now tackling fine art, he has remained consistent regardless of venue. Rick Berry is truly unfaltering in his pursuit of excellence. The book is deceivingly modest (and by far my favorite of the Sparrow series), but shouldn't be taken lightly based on those physical dimensions. This compact book functions as a keyhole into his awe inspiring studio. This book thankfully reveals he hasn't lost his love for visceral figurative works, authoritative command in his paint handling or the mystical narrative qualities that seem to sneak to the surface ... he's only taken it to another level. The metaphorical mingles with the literal, the gestural weighted equally with the representational, and the miraculous coexists with the mundane. Trappings of genre or commercial pandering have been stripped away ... the images are honest, direct, and potent.
   
   Over the years, Berry has provided an indelible mark in my mind of what art should aspire to achieve ... and no matter how morbidly short I fall of that mark, at least I know the mark exists. Whenever in doubt, I thankfully have this book to remind me where I am. It's compact and good for travel ... a perfect compass for when I invariably lose my way.
   
   -Brandon Kitkouski

5 comments about Full Bloom: The Art and Life of Georgia O'Keeffe.

1. How did the writer convince anyone to publish this poor rendition of drivel? Her English is appalling, she jumps all over the time line and doesn't introduce people throughout the book. Given that I have read ever other book on Ms. O'Keefe I really think this one was a complete waste of time.



2. Well written book and excellent research. Enjoyed very much.



3. Detailed and thoughtful, and a riveting read if you really want to understand this artist's life. After reading dozens of books and articles about O'Keeffe during the course of my own research on New York-inspired artwork, I didn't think another O'Keeffe biography was necessary. But I'm grateful I found this book. I learned so much more about this artist--about her friendships, her travels beyond New York and the Southwest, and her abstract works.



4. I never really liked O'Keeffe's more abstract paintings until I read this biography. Now I can look at them with an improved understanding of what they mean and what she managed to accomplish for female artists everywhere. It's equally nice to see the artist as a person with her own foibles and nuances. The author has done a remarkable job here.



5. Hunter Drohojowska-Philp is a sound writer, one who obviously does her research inexhaustibly, and with a background in art criticism she also speaks with authority and an informed eye. But she does go on....
   
   For those who want to know more about the idiosyncrasies of this American idol then this is the resource of choice. We learn more about the frustrations, self doubt, love affairs, and general personality quirks than in all the other biographies combined. We also learn about each painting in depth which I suppose is like a verbal catalogue raissonne and for that we should be thankful.
   
   It is just that with all great artists not everything they make is of show quality and it is this inclusion of all of the odds and major ends of O'Keeffe's work that borders on tiresome. It is with a good degree of relief that the last page of this nearly 500-page opus is reached.
   
   Hunter Drohojowska-Philp obviously holds Georgia O'Keeffe in a realm close to Valhalla and that is all well and good. She writes with vigor and determination and certainly informs us of the 'full bloom' of her title. In the end this is a valuable volume for the archives, but not a book to recommend for the casual reader who has already grown visually fatigued with the Santa Fe posters of poppies, ox skulls, and datura flowers. Grady Harp, June 05

No comments about African Art Now: Masterpieces from the Jean Pigozzi Collection.

3 comments about New Flowering: 1000 Years of Botanical Art.

1. Being a big fan of Shirley Sherwood's previous publications Contemporary Botanical Artists (1996) and A Passion for Plants (2001), I have been eagerly awaiting any further publications from this collector. I immediately purchased A New Flowering - 1000 years of Botanical Art when it was released in late 2005, but unfortunately I was quite disappointed. Rather than a whole new collection of wondrous botanical art, A New Flowering is principally an exhibition catalogue emanating from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, in mid 2005 containing many works seen in the previously mentioned books.
   
   The title is somewhat of a misnomer. This is not a history of botanical art. There is one reference and illustration of a herbal dating from 1080 - 1090. From there the text jumps to around the mid 1400s. From there we have chapters covering the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, as well as chapters dealing with Ehret, Jacquin, the Bauer brothers, Redoute, and Ruskin. There are examples of the works of these historical figures interspersed with comparable examples of similar plants by contemporary artists.
   
   Unfortunately, of the 107 contemporary illustrations, 72 have already appeared in either Contemporary Botanical Artists (38) or A Passion for Plants (34). Those seeking a new collection of modern botanical works may well be disappointed. There are approximately 60 historical examples, but readers already familiar with Wilfred Blunt's The Art of Botanical Illustration or similar works will find nothing new here.
   
   There is a short chapter dealing with the scientific aspects of botanical illustration, and another with a broad description of the various techniques used, but neither are covered in any depth.
   
   For those who do not own either of Shirley Sherwood's previous publications, A New Flowering would be a pleasant addition to their botanical illustration library, but I would not recommend it to anyone looking for new inspirational material.



2. Shirley Sherwood and her editors have published a magnificent book on botanical art history. The narrative is well written, the art is outstanding. One walks away from reading ths book a better person.
   
   It is a better book than Sherwood's "Contemporary Botanical Masters" hard cover -- which has some wonderful art by contemporary botanic artists, but was printed cheaply, with many pages of compelling artwork by the best watercolorists looking fuzzy.
   
   Never the less, Sherwood has taken time to organize the best collection of botanical art I have seen. She has done us all a public service by promoting great artists like Jean Emmons, Kate Nessler, Carol Woodin here in the US (just a few of many artists from around the world) and educating this reader of botanical art's history, too.
   
   Ms. Sherwood was on the Board of the Kew Botanic Gardens -- may still be. She is part of the aristocracy of elite wealth -- most of whom are hoarders and greedy. But she has given the world a gift that no money can buy in editing and publishing this book on 1000 Years of Botanical Art.



3. *If you're a painter trying to pick up techniques*, "Contemporary Botanical Artists" would be better because 1) the reproductions are larger (better for seeing small details) and 2) most of the art is from the mid-1990s, so the format might be closer to what you'd be producing (for example, a watercolor instead of an illuminated manuscript), and 3) the reproductions are somehow a little higher quality, to my eye. "Contemporary" is organized alphabetically by artists' last name, which is handy if you like to see one person's style applied to several works, shown next to each other. Also, because most of the paintings were done within the past 12-15 years (vs. 200-1000 years ago) the supports and paints are similar to what's available now.
   
   *If you're a painter and considering different styles of presentation*, the concept of "1000 Years" might be more useful. "1000 Years" presents paintings in pairs or groups, for example, contrasting a fritillaria 'sketch' from Ruskin with a watercolor painting from 10 years ago. The book also includes such different formats as an oil painting on glass, or panels, or illuminated manuscripts. So, if you know _how_ to paint what you want but are looking for ideas on themes or surfaces or styling, "1000 Years" would be more useful.
   
   If you have one volume and are considering getting another, keep in mind that several illustrations are in both books, and some of the commentary is also understandably similar. (I wasn't sure what to expect in that regard...) Both are very nice books and, if you know what to expect, worth having.
   
   On the subject of watercolor technique, I would also recommend "Painting Flowers in Watercolour: A Naturalistic Approach" (C. Guest), more so than "Botanical Illustration in Watercolor" (E. Wunderlich), if you aspire to the illustrations in either Sherwood book but feel stuck at a "reasonable but not stunning" level. In my opinion, Guest's book expects you to be an intermediate or advanced watercolorist who wants to paint flowers, not a beginner painter. The life-size illustrations are also more useful. Btw, C. Guest's work in included in "Contemporary", and S. Sherwood supplied a foreword for Guest's book.