5 comments about The Ceramic Spectrum: A Simplified Approach to Glaze and Color Development.

1. The Ceramic Spectrum is filled with detailed information and wonderful color pictures of glazing procedures and results. Extremely detailed color pictures of different glazes, errors made during glazing as well as mixing or modifying glazes from existing compounds. This book covers details from simple glazing techniques to complex crystalline glazes, and textural glaze applications. It has detailed explanations of glaze testing, color testing, glaze application and application faults. Almost all subjects are covered with color pictures of different techniques, faults and treatments. A totally complex subject treated in understandable terms. If you want to mix glazes, understand glaze procedures and techniques, avoid common errors, etc. this is the book for you. Excellent.



2. It is comparativelly expensive and with little procedural information.
   More than a tutorial it may work as a reference for materials.
   
   Buy it if you have extra shelf space and 30 bucks.



3. This book has more information on glazes and colorants than any other book I own. Robin Hopper's explanation on the breakdown of glaze and color development is truly amazing. This is not a book for the "I want it done easy person", but a book for the the person who wants to know how something is done. He leaves computer technology out and leaves knowledge up to human resource and personal experience. Unlike other books, I truly LEARNED something from this one.



4. This book has information that I've long been looking for, especially related to color development in ceramic glazes. I've learned quite alot in the short time that I've had the book (only 1 week).

   Highly recommended.




5. This book has many great bits of information vital to your glaze color problems. I feel that it is an absolutly must have. Robin has distilled much of the "secret colors" from the past and leads you through many glaze problems.

2 comments about Six Years: The Dematerialization of the Art Object from 1966 to 1972.

1. I lived through this era and my original 1972 copy is well used and full of loose pages. If you want to find out how the tracking of turtles is art, or how Lawrence Weiner came to write phrases on walls as his art work or simply how the synergy of people working with ideas about process as an artmaking technique came to rule this is an valuable piece of first hand reporting. Looking to explain Sol Le Witt to my college students on his recent death this book gave me samples of his interactive drawings they could try.



2. I first read this book about twenty years ago. I am glad to see that there is a new edition. It had a major impact on my development as an artist. The author discusses the trend called "conceptual art" which flowered in the time period mentioned in the title (late 60's through early 70's). These artists rejected the craft of art and the creation of objects themselves seeking instead something more fundamental. Ms. Lippard calls this "resonance" and uses descriptions of various pieces to explore this concept. Though "conceptual art" has long since passed by, the analysis in this book is still current and applies more than ever in our "post-modernist" period.

1 comments about All My Boys.

1. This book is one which is FULL of beautiful images of young men. Worth a look, and makes a nice coffee table ook as well!

5 comments about Helmut Newton: Big Nudes.

1. This spectacular collection presents a series of photos from 1979-1981. All of them show similar views of the models: nude (except for high heels), strong, and as comfortable wearing only their own beauty as when they wear anything else. Each pose seems almost confrontational - except that the model appears quite aware that you, the viewer, are looking, but just aren't worth her attention. There's no scale in these images, but I can't imagine any of the models being less than 180cm tall. They cast that much presence, irrespective of actual size.
   
   You might argue the claim that all the photos show nudes. There are many picture-pairs of the models fully clothed on the left-hand page and unclothed on the right, in the same pose. Even these clothed images are really about the figure, though. Seeing the woman herself makes me look back at the fashion photos, and pay that much more attention to the figure that the fashions enclose.
   
   I especially like the fact that Newton glorifies figures as they are. Sylvia (the cover model) and Brescia, for example, show physical features that aren't very fashionable right now, and that some might "fix" with cosmetic surgery. Wrong. These are beautiful women, period. Any flaws lie in the standard to which they might be held, not in their stunning figures. I fault Newton only for excluding non-European features and skin tones from this collection. The esthetic choice is his, of course, but those omissions weaken the whole. Not a lot, though - this book is still a necessity for any collection of figure photography.
   
   -- wiredweird



2. The book is in beautiful condition and got here in a timely manner. Very pleased with this transaction.



3. The only reason I did not give this book the full five stars is because I feel there was more of a sameness to this selection of photographs than is true of most of Helmut Newton's work. This "sameness" is of uniformly high quality, exhibiting the inventiveness and playful sequences characteristic of his images. On one page, a group of stylishly attired women appear in stationary or moving poses; on the next page, the same women in the same pose appear nude. Newton has a taste for this sort of dress/undress contrast, as he does for incongruous assemblages: a woman lying in the midst of seaweed thrown about by incoming waves on the beach; another nude lying on an expensive fur coat, while sprawled on the lawn; cords tied in a pattern across the torso of a woman gesturing with her arm in a bodybuilder's pose. Occasionally, Newton produces a truly outstanding photograph, even relative to his own standards; such an example is that of a woman caught mid-breath as she inhales cigarette smoke. The sensuality of this is immediately present on viewing, catching the reader/viewer's eye irrespective of the less-than-appealing reality of smoking.
   
   All of these photographs are in black and white, all of the women are Caucasian, and all appear in attire and settings that suggest wealth and ease. In this respect, Big Nudes is similar to another of his collections, White Women. The photography is always of the highest order, and the selection of nudes is not of the cookie-cutter "perfection" that so often fills the volumes of this genre.
   
   This is a book worth viewing and having, especially if you are fond of Newton's work.



4. Helmut was a genius. I feel qualified to say this because I once had the honor of being his assistant. Standing next to Helmut while he shot gave me little clue as to how his pictures became so signature.. This book is more of his clever self, the subjects are the most beautiful women in the world... wearing nothing.. Amazing.



5. Stark ,haunting photographs by Helmut Newton of women. Not sexual exploitation but tribute to forceful and strong women like Gayle Olinekova and Lisa Lyon. The women confront the viewer with their nudity. There is a type of eroticism that permeates the photographs that draws you in yet makes you feel like a voyeur. A great conversation table book.

3 comments about The Playboy Book: Fifty Years.

1. This book is well put together with beautiful pictures. The pictures are high quality and this book is really a conversation starter! The Playboy book began with pictures of Marilyn Monroe, which I have never seen before and they are beautiful. One thing that was disapointing were some of the stories. The print was so small that you could not read the story, only the captions. Another thing to watch out for is the dust jacket. It's very easy to see any small marks and the gold scratchs off easily. Keep it in a cloth to protect it. I recommend this book to everyone, even if you've never read a Playboy magazine!



2. Although Playboy is what it is, and because of the reason why many people purchase the magazine, there needs to be an understanding of the true content of the magazine through the years. Remember that the magazine is usually only 20% sex and nude women. That leaves 80% every month to be used for art, technology, controversial editorials, interviews, etc. This tome is huge and heavy, and I'm glad it takes the reader through a tour of 50 years of the COMPLETE world of Playboy. If you only want naked women, don't buy this - buy either "The Playmate Book" or "Blondes", "Brunettes", or "Redheads".



3. This book was definitely more than I expected with it's vibrant pictures and outstanding content. It gives you an in-depth peek into the world of Playboy above and beyond the photos. I also found the simple black hardcover to be very discreet.

No comments about A Mythic Obsession: The World of Dr. Evermor.

No comments about Great Goya Etchings: The Proverbs, The Tauromaquia and The Bulls of Bordeaux (Dover Books on Fine Art).

5 comments about Collage for the Soul: Expressing Hopes and Dreams Through Art.

1. This isn't your average Artsy Coffee Table book! At first and second glance this book was on the verge of being traded until I actually read the words! After reading the first artist's opening page, I found myself intrigued and excited to see "what's next". The author not only formatted the book in a way that helped build upon existing skills but also increasing new found skills. The contributing artists personal commentary was fun to read and the techniques they shared invaluable. Excellent book not only for the artist teaching value but also for the search for inner "soul" searching.



2. This is a terrific book for anyone interested in collage as an art as opposed to a craft. There is a wide range of work displayed, covering a number of different styles. Interspersed with the projects in the book are several discussions of such techniques and processes as using encaustics, finding symbols, using different means of transforming papers, transferring images, using collage as a medium for your memoirs, etc. There are also useful and inspiring sidebars throughout that help the artist come up with ideas and techniques they may never have thought of before.
   
   AN earlier reviewer objects to the fact that the directions for the projects are not extremely precise. I consider that one of the great strengths of the book--I am not interested in recreating the exact piece of art displayed, I want to learn new methods to interpret my own ideas. There are some books and magazines out there that tell you exactly what brand name products to use in exactly which colors. Those books are intended for a different audience. This book is meant for those who are not afraid to experiment and learn. It encourages the reader to try new processes and new approaches, rather than handing out exact formulas.
   
   Here are just some of the techniques covered in various projects: assemblage, encaustic, monotype, oil pastels, tissue-paper lamination, using foraged natural materials, making a collaged art doll, paper-pulp casting, transferring photos to different surfaces, sanding back to reveal underlayers... There is a tremendous amount to be learned from this book. It is not quite as showy as True Colors, but it serves a different purpose. True Colors, as delightful as it is, is primarily eye candy, and is limited to altered books. Collage For The SOul covers a much wider spectrum of collage work, and provides much more information on techniques for the artist.
   
   I recommend this book and Gerald Brommer's collage book as THE two to own, if you can only have two. I can hardly wait for the next collage book by the same team, which is due out soon.



3. If you are buying every book on this subject, this could be among them. However, if making a choice, this should not be a priority. The projects are not inspiring, a challenge considering the fine artists composing them. They show some interesting techniques, but who wants to use them considering what we're offered as goals? I would recommend "True Colors", by Harrison," Altered Books Workshop", by Brazelton, and "Making Memory Books and Journals by Hand", (a marvelous compilation of 42 projects put together by Thunder Bay Press) as being FAR more worthwhile.



4. I was thoroughly disappointed in this book. Based on reviewer comments I hastened to buy it, and then found it uninspiring. It presented nothing new, not an iota of soul and seemed like a simple compendium of collage work with some scattered instructions that may not be sufficiently clear.



5. If you are a collage artist, you will want to purchase this book. It is not a "how to" book but a wonderful resource of images and artists you might not find anywhere else. Many different styles of collage are represented and I find something new and inspiring everytime I look at it! There are many women creating in the collage world today and not enough resources to find them...get this book and see new images and artists! The collages are shown in beautiful, full page reproductions so that you can study the details. Highly recommend!

2 comments about Pervy Girls: Erotic Fashion Photography.

1. Pervy Girls more than lives up to its title. Bondage, latex, and pinup fans will find much to drool over here. Each photo is colorful, luscious and simple in its way; the beauty is in the girl, the clothing, and the setting. Kessler doesn't need to adorn her models with over-the-top makeup or anything else, because the clothes and their bodies speak for themselves. Set against colorful, textured walls, or in hallways (there's a great catwoman set where the woman is posed in a windowsill, bent over in extremely tall shoes and head-to-toe black latex. What's great is that right beforehand, there's a girl in a bra, and pulled-down jeans that reveal a tatttoeed ass, thong, and fishnets on a patio, exhibitionism at its finest.
   
   Even something as simple as a topless woman wearing only very sheer stockings, pressed up against her bare p-ssy, where you're able to see everything, are amazing. Torn purple fishnets, see-through latex, corsets, a hot shower scene; this is elegant, beautiful perversion, where the glamour of the fashions being displayed is matched only by the lustful stares of the entrancing models. I really liked how wide a range of colors, styles, and models were used, and that this book is portable. Some of the best shots do more hiding than showing, like one model wearing only knee-high lace-up black boots, with her legs spread, hand place judiciously between them, eyes closed, blonde hair tossed over one eye. Each photo tells an elegant, sexy story, and Kessler captures her models from various angles that make the most of their bodies. The occasional two girl sets are fabulous, too; especially worth checking out are pages 28-29 for the all-black-clad suspension and then red rope bondage.
   
   This will appeal to dedicated perverts and those who just like to look at pretty girls. I like that while it's kinky, it's not crazy over the top; the poses seem pretty natural, and the bondage isn't extreme, more sensual than anything else (there's one great shot of a woman tied up while wearing a kimono). This is definitely a book I'll return to again and again, to lust over the photos and get ideas for clingy outfits to covet.



2. I would probably say that it is between 3 and 4... around 3.5. Things I disliked about it:
   
   * The size. The book in my opinion is a bit too small.
   * The shoes. Almost all the shoes in the photos are, in my opinion, horrible.
   * The latex. Not even half, but still, many of the pictures on the book are basically about women dressing latex.
   
   Beyond that, the book is pretty good. I generally prefer collections with attractive but yet real women. This is not the case. These women are, with no doubt, professional models, with almost perfect bodies, but if you are interested in a book that mainly shows beautiful bodies, it may be the book for you!

1 comments about So Sexy It Hurts.

1. i don't love all of the images in this well-packaged photo book. but once i saw my friend's copy, i knew that i had to pick it up.
   
   mettraux is playing around with the space in between ad photography and erotic photography. and he's definitely playing - some of the photos seem contrived and pointless; others are raw and sexy, sometimes for reasons that are hard to pin down, which is always a good sign. the boys are pretty much hot bodies, ripped and all that. but mettraux gets some of them into odd territory - playing in dirt, being covered in paint or with a pile of sneakers.
   
   in all, some really good visual inspiration for photographers, or at least some hot eye candy.