2 comments about Complete Kagan: Vladimir Kagan--A Lifetime of Avant-Garde Design.

1. Fantastic book on the life and work of a great artist of modern furniture. Well written, lush with photos and perfectly laid out. If you are a serious student of mid-century modern you need to own this book.



2. Highly recommended book for coffee table or reference! Kagan's New York Collection is stunning, but the Classic pieces are simply awe inspiring. Vladimir Kagan should be respected not only for his legendary furniture designs, but for his extremely kind and grounded personality. To know such a person is a rare occurance. Buy his book, buy his furniture.

No comments about Dessous (25th Anniversary Special Edtn).

4 comments about Silver Age Sci-Fi Companion.

1. The space adventures and worlds envisioned by a classic DC Comics series edited by Julius Schwartz and written by Gardner Fox and John Broome is revealed in SILVER AGE SCI-FI COMPANION, a consider of the series stories of Strange Adventures and Mystery in Space which includes reviews of complete series and behind-the-scenes insights on writers and artists alike. Any Silver Age comics collector, library catering to them, or science fiction fan will relish the plot synopses and insights.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. All of the comic history-related books TwoMorrows Publishing puts out are worthwhile, but this is the best one yet. Author Mike W. Barr really goes the extra mile here and it shows. Not just a dry recitation of facts, Barr weaves together interesting factoids and makes connections where you least expect it. Wonderfully illustrated with vintage art, there are plot synopses of the biggies like Adam Strange and the Atomic Knights but also obscure DC sci-fi creations like the Faceless Creatures (!) and Super-Chief. More fun than a visit to the Space Museum. Go out of your way to get this one. A+.



3. The Silver Age Sci-Fi Companion is up to the standards of most TwoMorrows fare - expert coverage with interviews of the living comic book creators who were there when this stuff was all created. A lot of these comics were before my time so it was a great exposure to concepts that I had never known of (such as Space Museum or the Atomic Knights). There's even a look at which books were reprinted and when. This book provided me with days of reading enjoyment.



4. If you ever wondered where the inspiration came for these superheros and a bit of comic history, buy this book.

1 comments about Fun with Rock Painting Kit (Art Start!).

1. Grandkids absolutely love it - bought one first and had to immediately order three more. Plan to get more to have on hand for birthday party gifts. (grandkids are 7 to 13)

3 comments about Acrylics - The Watercolor Alternative.

1. Generally, this book was all that I hoped it would be. It gave specific step-by-step instructions and clear illustrations of demos for the techniques the book presents. Great pictures too. I thought of a few questions related to this topic while reading the book, and have not found the answers for some, so... it is not as comprehensive as I wished. As a long time water colorist and acrylic painter, I was given the exercises and steps I need to continue on my own using acrylics like w/c but avoiding some of the w/c problems that inhibit some of my ideas. A measure of my approval of the book is that I am considering a workshop by the author, when I have the opportunity.



2. Being a former teacher of art I have 4 favorite books and this has become one of them. I found Acrylics: The Watercolor Alternative to have the best demonstrations that illustrate technique. I use acrylics in my work and Harrington's versatile use of acrylics makes for a wide range of possibilities. He is an architect which is reflected in the dicipline of his work. I love the sketches and preliminary designs he prepares. This is very important for artists. I would highly recommend this book. Bino, March 2006 Ruston, Louisiana



3. I love this book. If you love the vibrancy of watercolors but not their 'fragility' this book offers a great alternative. I am an intermediate to advanced artist and find that this book is exactly what I was looking for. I especially like the section on riverbed rocks under water. The instructions are very clear and easy to follow and cover a nice range of subjects (landscapes, water, trees, buildings, flowers, etc.) There are plenty of step by step demos to get a feel for the technique. There is also a nice, but not overly long section on materials. His painting style is somewhat realistic, but not too much. After buying lots of books I have FINALLY found just what I was looking for. I took a chance on this one, since there weren't many reviews and I couldn't look inside the book, and I am very happy with it.

3 comments about What Do Illustrators Do?.

1. I wanted a book that taught my 6 year old daughter how to draw. But I was disappointed with the "How to" books out there for children. They all seemed to give too much information.
   
   This book solved my problem. It's a picture book that teaches! It talks about perspective, styles of drawing, taking characters/situations into consideration, placement, emphasis, etc. All with humor and simple instruction.
   
   I love this book!



2. This books shows what illustrators do by following two illustrators both working on Jack and the Beanstalk but coming up with very different results. A friendly cat and dog also add to the book.



3. Outstanding descriptions and illustrations describing how two illustrators can get very different results, even though they were both working on the same story. (Jack and the Beanstalk) Wonderful teaching resource. Highly recommend this for K through the 4th grade; also recommended reading for teachers and parents. Contains excellent color illustrations.

5 comments about Cézanne's Composition: Analysis of His Form with Diagrams and Photographs of His Motifs.

1. Many of Cézanne's paintings are essentially composed of flat, homogenous planes. He has no interest in textures and takes great freedom in choosing colours and distributing them patchwise. He also disregards proportions and perspective, making receding objects such as roads, mountains and hills stand up straight, so to speak, to the picture plane. Thus each plane in the painting "remains comparatively flat and parallel to the picture plane", but still the painting has a definite feeling of depth because of "the three-dimensional effect that a sequence of the same planes creates through overlapping" (plate XIII). "Cézanne's genius in organizing three-dimensional space is the basic foundation of his composition" and doing so by the plane colour patch approach agrees with the principle that a painting "must remain faithful to its own structure, to its fundamental two dimensions" (section XV). The organisation of space is achieved by the "tension" or "movement" created where planes overlap, and this is Loran's main framework for analysing Cézanne's paintings. With some imagination and many useful geometrical diagrams we can sum up the effects of the overlaps to a general movement; usually some sort of circular movement, always staying within the picture frame. Loran is very faithful to this point of view, even blaming Cézanne when it doesn't apply. In his analysis of a Sainte Victoire painting (plate X) he finds such a circular movement and concludes: "It is this circular movement that gives the painting it ultimate 'closed' effect. Actually, this canvas has many elements of open form ... personally, I find these latter elements insufficiently resolved and somewhat disturbing." Besides this analytic framework, Loran also makes more traditional analyses in terms of balance, dynamics, etc., and he also spends far too much time nagging about two pet topics: Cézanne's famous colour modulations are in fact of incidental importance and Cézanne anticipated Picasso and Braque.



2. When I first read this book, over twenty-five years ago, I thought it was the most remarkable book ever written on how an artist composes and organizes his or her creative process. Over the years, I've returned to it many times. Having recently re-read the book I find I am still thrilled by Loran's ability to illuminate the special qualities within Cézanne's canvases. As an artist and art educator, Loran was in a unique position to comprehend how this artist balanced the formal, intuitive, and experiential aspects of composition. All of this comes through admirably and clearly. Although I imagine some people might find the graphic diagrams cold and remote from the vitality of Cézanne's painting, I think a close reading of the book demonstrates that an illustrative graphic can help us reach a deeper understanding of the artist at work, in this case Cézanne. If you are a fan of Cézanne, definitely read this book! If you are interested in understanding the artistic mind, definitely read this book.



3. Pages 17 to 24 are a so called "Illustrated Glossary" and are worth buying the book for. The classic rules of space and depth and planes are explained in most of their complexity. Then he discusses many many examples of Cezanne's work and how they use the principles of space, planes, and depth. A masterpiece and extensive in its scope. If you really want this type of abstract picture understanding you will not be disappointed. Very highly recommended.



4. The book is trully great.... very well written and thoroughly analized...My only problem with it was the lack of colour plates (understanding that the study of his technique is concentrated on the orchestration of planes and volumes). I believe the study of this master requires colours... in order to fully appreciate his methods but also becuse of the pleasure of merely being a spectator and enjoying his art for what it really is...a ballet of fantasy and life!
   Appart from that I do believe it is a must for any lover of art.



5. This book is a must read not only for students of Cezanne and Cubism, but for anyone who would like to understand how a composition is put together. By comparing photographs of subjects painted by Cezanne, to the paintings created, one can see what interested the master in his own work. Cezanne's classic remark about Monet ("He is only an eye. But what an eye!")is clearly relevant here: Cezanne is not only an eye function, but a meditation on the process of visual construction per se. A stimulating and important book.

2 comments about Sound Art: Beyond Music, Between Categories (Book & CD).

1. This is one of the worst books on sound art I have ever read. Its like reading an article in college newspaper. The research is incredibly week, it is as if Licht referred only to The Wire for his information. He makes many mistakes concerning John Cage (who made Sound Art in the early 60s and NOT just for "the stage") He takes cheap shots at Stockhausen of whom he seems to know NOTHING about (Cardew was wrong by the way). There is more to sound art than what can be found on Forcedexposure. This book is just awful, and I am afraid it will be used and referred to by teachers and curators in the future, which is a crying shame. And if you think I'm wrong, do some research on Sound Art and you will see that there are many many many books better than this one. After I bought it, I brought it right back and got a full refund I then used that money to order a Stockhausen CD. Please shop around before you buy this book.



2. Years ago, a critic remarked that so-called Performance Art might have been called either Theater or Dance if those media were less uptight. That's how I feel about sound art - if Music were more open as a discipline, we wouldn't need to have a special category of stuff called sound art. We would simply recognize that for most of the 20th century, music and visual art blurred into each other, and the artistic use of so-called non-musical sounds became increasingly important. Today, in the age of the sample, where Foley artists and composers are often one and the same, and most undergrad art students have made at least one sound piece in their lives, it's useful to have Alan Licht's clearly written, well-illustrated, handsomely designed volume on how composers and artists have worked with sound in the 20th century. Licht hits all the significant movements (Futurism, Dada, Fluxus, etc.) that contributed to sound art, and does a good job of exploring the range of possibilities (from sound sculpture to sound installation to Christian Marclay's floor covered with vinyl records). While I might wish that some of the younger contemporary artists working with sound got more space, you can't have everything. A few years ago, the Pompidou Center in Paris did an exhibit called Son et Lumiére, and if you can find the catalog (and read French) it provides the history of the connection of music and visual art missing in Licht's book. But until that's available in an affordable English version, Licht's book is probably the best available on the topic. And the handy CD included means you can use your ears as well as your eyes to consider the topic, a welcome addition.

5 comments about Welcome to the Jungle (Beyond Projects: The CF Sculpture Series, Book 2).

1. I have the whole series and they are all great. The Author gives you the basic info to make the project, embellishment ideas and your on your way.
   I love these books



2. This book shows a great way to create a jungle. The leaves have great detail and the instructions are simple and complete at the same time.
   I would have like to seen more critters, but this book is a great jumping off place for your own creativity.



3. Such a fun book! Christi is highly entertaining. Her lovely personality comes shining through Loud and Clear!!! I have a great time pulling out these books and following along with her step by step. I am always very satisfied with the results. And usually I am not a step by step kinda person. I am more of the no rules/color outside of the lines kinda gal but, Christi makes it fun to follow along! I can't wait for the rest of the series. So far I've made a few frogs, a dragon, a sea-horse, and some flowers, vines and foliage.
   
   I recommend the entire series. Even my young nieces and my mother-in-law creating projects from these books!



4. This book is one of my favorite Polymer Clay books of all time! Finding Christi Friesen and her wonderful techniques has given me so much enjoyment in my art. Christi's explanations and pictures of step-by-step instruction are unmatched as far as I'm concerned. And she's a very funny lady! You will enjoy this...it's a must-have for the Polymer artist.
   
   My second favorite book is Under the Sea
   Under the Sea (Beyond Projects: The CF Sculpture Series, Book 3)



5. I got this after using her Dragon book and boy it's even better! Great instructions and photography so you can turn out great work in no time.

5 comments about Michelangelo Life Drawings (Dover Art Library).

1. The images are not the highest quality, but if your goal is to get a taste, maybe to have something to copy to learn the style, this book will do fine, and it is not terribly expensive.



2. What is the point of buying having the book when you can't even see it. The print quality of this book is so poor. The images are either too dark or just can't see at all.



3. A good buy for any student of art or anatomy.



4. In this thin but great book, you'll find 46 works of the great master - Michelangelo. Concentrating in Life drawings you'll see studies of the great marble - "David", for "The Battle of cascina",for various figures of the Sistine Chaplle Ceiling,and many more astonishing studies, all vivid in his great manner. Black & white. A real "Must Buy", especially in this price. Michelangelo. The Master.



5. this is a collection of 46 figure drawings michelangelo did. michelangelo was a master painter and sculptor, he rendered figures more beautifully than any other artist ever has. most of the drawings in this book are studies he did for his paintings and sculptures. and he was a master draftsman. the book is in a workbook style binding so it takes up little space, but it is a hardy book. it is well worth the...price.