5 comments about The Critique Handbook.

1. Way Cool! Proud to boast about this great project! Kendall Buster and Paula Crawford have tackled a very difficult and taboo subject with wit and wisdon, keen insight and thoughtfulness that transforms the culture of studio art education into a clear discussion of the artistry of creative presentation and all of the thinking, doing, and planning that support it. The authors unravel a mystery for art students to ingest that can only have positive impact on their the work. Artists who are eager for depth, breadth, and better ability to plan and present their ideas to others - this is a must read! The content is completely applicable to all art discipline areas. From painting to sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, design, photography - it cuts across all areas of the visual arts and binds the conceptual with the end product in an engaging discussion of the ways and means of creative evidence, philosophy, and discussion. An excellent required and affordable text for studio classes across the board! Harold Linton, Chair Art & Visual Technology, George Mason University.



2. I am an adjunct photography professor at a private college. This book was used as a text for a joint workshop on The Critique for the art department of our school and another local college. Given the complexity of the subject matter, this book does a good job of covering the basics of an art school critique. I particularly appreciated the discussion regarding the role of faculty and the personal baggage we sometimes forget we can bring to the party. It's impossible to cover all the possible permutations of The Critique, but this book does a fine job of highlighting the peculiarities of several art disciplines and the details that should be addressed. It gives you a springboard to make the conversion even if your discipline isn't specifically covered.
   
   If you teach art or hold critiques in your class, I believe you will find this book very helpful.
   
   My only quibble is the type size for my aging eyes. Don't be fooled by the physical size of this book. It may be compact but it makes up for it with density.



3. This is a well-written, insightful and important manual that every professor, teacher, curator, gallery owner, student and professional artist should have on their bookshelf. It IS extremely expensive, but worth every single dime. There is a million bucks worth of info between its covers! Run and place your order...I'm glad I did!



4. This book is very specific about how to conduct a critique and how to survive one without becoming emotionally involved. Although it only discusses the traditional fine arts,i.e. painting and sculpture, the techniques involved can be easily adapted to othere less trasditional forms of art, i.e. fiber art or photography. A very good book.



5. What a fantastic idea! How is it that something as essential and ubiquitous as the studio critique had not been examined in this way before? This book takes on the task brilliantly. "The Critique Handbook" is a wonderful mixture of how-to manual, theoretical analysis, irreverent debunker and basic gameplan. The authors' analysis of how to make the best use of the critique applies both to those giving the critique as well as to those receiving them. While students will find the book quite useful in learning how to negotiate the critique and find the best uses for the information presented to them there, professors and other professionals will also find much to think about in the authors' analysis of what makes a critique helpful and harmful. And, delightfully, the authors are not afraid to take on the sacred cows of the profession. Any art professor will appreciate the witty and deadly portraits of their colleagues sketched by Buster and Crawford in their analysis of the types that can be found in the artist's studio.

5 comments about The Rejection Collection: Cartoons You Never Saw, and Never Will See, in The New Yorker.

1. The Rejection Collection is a must for any book lover's collection. The concept of this book is particularly appealing - a glimpse into a cartoon artist's mind and into the standards of the New Yorker. By reading The Rejection Collection, you will have the rare opportunity to see into the childhood of each artist and discover the unusual, often brilliant, thinking process of the cartoonist. I guarantee that you will laugh out laud with each page. My husband and I regularly give this book as a gift - and always receive an exuberant thank you.



2. I love NY'er cartoons. These aren't rejects--these were too outre, too funny, too rude, smart, outrageous, on point... Just be careful to read these on or near well-upholstered surfaces. You'll hurt yourself laughing so much collapsed on a hard wood floor.



3. While the cartoons in this book are still New Yorker style, I found most of them not funny or to the point but besides the point - if there was any.
   It became very obvious to me why these got rejected, and I strongly recommend to purchase one of the collections of cartoons that were not rejected.



4. Truly funny and very creative.. and I loved the "questionnaires" filled out by each cartoonist. Looking forward to all future R.C's.



5. Definitely funny! And while admittedly edgier than The New Yorker (language, bodily functions, gore), it's not offensive.
   
   Even better than the cartoons are the accompanying photos of featured cartoonists and their clever responses to a (probably intentionally lame) questionnaire.

5 comments about Underground Buildings: More Than Meets the Eye.

1. This book is "THE BOOK" if you are looking for non-technical aspects of underground buildings. Great photos, excellent commentary!



2. This is not your typical Underground House book. The author gives examples of building underground businesses, schools, offices, storage, stores, museums, theatres, sports complexes, military facilities and residences. And explains their history and why they do or do not work.
   
   The photos are quite good and there are also some blueprints of a few underground structures. There are also two chapters on the theory and ins and outs of building underground.
   
   I think the author should have made this book more global, because it could have been titled Underground Buildings of the United States.
   
   I'll still give it 5 stars though, because I think she did a good job in accomplishing what she set out to do. I do hope she comes out with a sequel that is more global in its coverage.
   
   This book should be a must read for any architect.



3. At $29 or less, this book is being given away. This is a museum-quality book in terms of the paper, the photographs, the lay-out, and the cover.
   
   I bought this book in part because land is becoming extremely scarce around the great universities and the central business districts, and I was looking for something to help me think through how to persuade a university to let me put a building into a hill or under a playing field.
   
   This book does that. It is a very fast read, the photographs are priceless--worth 10,000 words each as the Chinese would say--and the only thing I did not find in this book were architectural specifics and photos of underlying infrastructure (pump rooms, air cleaning rooms, etc.)
   
   If you are contemplating the need for squeezing a building into an area that is down to the "do not disturb" green space, or if you are contemplating how to exploit existing mines, caverns, or other underground options, this exquisite book is not only useful as a tool for reflection, it will help you "make the sale" to skeptical others you have to get on board.
   
   The author provides a list of 50 places to visit with addresses, telephone numbers, and web sites, a fine resource section for more reading, and an excellent index.
   
   This is an all-around world-class book that is easily worth $49 or more.



4. This book has many short, easy-to-read sections about general topics relevant to building underground, and about many specific examples in the United States. Unfortunately, there is not room to go into much detail about all the examples, but this book is definitely a good starting point. Well illustrated with color photographs.



5. This book is filled with wonderful pictures that augment the authors descriptions of underground buildings. She writes with wit and demonstrates that undergound buildings have many benefits, including financial and asthetic ones. This book is well worth a read as a detailed resource of information on this topic, as well as being an entertaining "coffee table" book. She explores this issue, which is more common than the average person would believe, and takes it to the next level.

2 comments about Color Workbook (2nd Edition).

1. I'm currently a Color Theory student at Savannah College of Art & Design, and was required to pick this exspenive book (not even hardcovered), but I didn't mind. This book has turned out to be the most interesting and fascinating piece of material I've read in my life. It deeply explores both the additive (RGB), subtractive pigment (RBY), and subtractive process (CMY) theories without coming off dry at all... written very much for the average person. Even moreso, the big plus is that it sets aside an ample space for discussing the additive theory in regard to computer apps such as Photoshop and Illustrator, great for me, since I'm a Visual Effects major.
   
   Yes, it's a tad exspensive, however you will not be dissapointed!



2. This was a truly remarkable book, well organized, well laid out. The activities are very creative and informative. It helped me understand the posibilities of color.

3 comments about The Drawing Book: A Survey of Drawing : The Primary Means of Expression.

1. Great selection and themes. Printing and layout are excellent. Significant pull quotes draw you in. The broad range of contributions is unusual in today's world of art stars and the system that supports it. An attractive and substantive addition to a library.



2. A great read and welll bound solid reference book. Tempted to give 5 stars but a personal quirk is that I was looking for more images less text, so rating is more about me than the book.



3. The weighty set of examples packed into THE DRAWING BOOK: A SURVEY OF DRAWING: THE PRIMARY MEANS OF EXPRESSION should deter no real artist: it provides an outstanding gathering of works by artists, architects, sculptors, filmmakers and more to demonstrate the versatility of drawing. Add essays by curators Kate Macfarlene and Katharine Stout and art writers Charles Darwent and you have an in-depth survey through five artistic themes - measurement, nature, the city, dreams, and the body. It's the color plates which stand out here, as silent testimony to the range of expression drawing can bring to each theme and thought.
   
   Diane C. Donovan, Editor
   California Bookwatch

No comments about Collections of Nothing.

4 comments about The Marine Art of Geoff Hunt.

1. I ordered this book for my Dad, who is a water-colorist and loves to paint tall ships. He called to thank me and said the book is wonderful, the only word to describe it was magnificent!



2. Very very beautiful! Book to exhibit.
   It's my bedside book.



3. Geoff Hunt is possibly the most talented marine artist since Montague Dawson. This book contains dozens of prints of his most beautiful paintings, which in many cases are complete with earlier versions from line drawings to colour sketches. There are many descriptions of how the paintings came to be created, from who commissioned each one to the ideas the artist had about how to execute the commission and how he turned it real.
   
   Most of the subjects concern warships of Nelson's era, though there are a few drawings and paintings of more modern warships or civilian ships. in particular, there are many paintings of the ships of the line in which Nelson served, many of them illustrating real incidents from Nelson's service career. The book also contains a large number of paintings illustrating ships and scenes from the Jack Aubrey novels written by Patrick O'Brien. (In fact, many of the ships which appear in these novels were real historical units which are faithfully reproduced in the book covers and other paintings included - in Hunt's words, "In most cases Patrick press-gangs real ships into his novels.")
   
   The book also includes a number of studies of United States sailing ships, including the first US ship of the line (America) being built, pictures of the USS Constitution, and "General Washington's Wolfpack." Much as it pains me to mention a gentleman who was born in Whitehaven (the town where I live) but subsequently came back commanding an enemy squadron and raided the town, this book also includes some beautiful pictures of naval scenes from the life of John Paul Jones.
   
   Geoff Hunt manages to make ships of the line and frigates from the era of fighting sail incredibly beautiful, but he also goes to some length to make his pictures realistic, even consulting the original logbooks of the ships concerned when he is trying to capture real feats of seamanship. He also consulted the original signal code books before painting the signal flags flown by his warships, so they spell out appropriate messages in the codes of the period.
   
   If you are attracted to pictures of ships from the era of fighting sail, you will love this book.



4. the book was sent in short time vary well packaged,amazon has a good price and payed mailing expences.I could not be happyer will recommed amazon to avery one I know.

No comments about Chaos, Territory, Art: Deleuze and the Framing of the Earth (The Wellek Library Lectures).

1 comments about Interpreting Art : Reflecting, Wondering, and Responding.

1. this book gives you a great detail on how to interpret art. I learned so much from it, and now, I feel like I can relate to all types of art. I never got tired of reading it, and I even loved the pictures being detailed and interpreted in there.

5 comments about Katie's Sunday Afternoon.

1. We love the Katie books, a great way to introduce your child to art masterpieces while having an adventure in the story!



2. A wonderful story that your 5 year old will love! A fun and engaging story that introduces your child to art (pointillism, in this case).



3. My two-year-old daughter Katie cannot get enough of this book. It comes with us wherever we go, we read it day and night, and she has been wearing her bathing suit for three weeks now because she wants to be 'just like Katie.' There is something extremely magical about this book! Also, I like this story better than some of the others -- Katie is less of a rascal in this one.



4. I read this with my 6 year old. We checked out a book about Seurat at the same time so I could show her the actual paintings. She giggled as we read. It was fun for the art to come alive.



5. This book takes the reader on a journey through a young girls imagination and provides a unique exposure for young children in art appreciation. The end of each book provides information on the artist, materials used to create the art form and the location of the painting. Both of my daughters, age two and five, really enjoyed reading the collection of Katie's adventures. I would recommend buying the hardcover books for long lasting use, because you will be reading it again and again!