No comments about Vision and Painting: The Logic of the Gaze.

No comments about The Complete Book of Florence Ceramics.

5 comments about The Potter's Palette.

1. The complete contents of this book comprise about half of Neal French's "The Potter's Encyclopedia of Color, Form and Decoration: The Comprehensive References for Today's Ceramicist". (The other half is his "Potter's Directory of Shape and Form"). Thus, that book is a better buy than this one. Therefore this book should be downgraded to two stars, but Amazon won't let me change it.
   
   This book contains well organized photos of glaze samples, so that you can see the effects of different combinations, firing conditions and firing temperatures. The samples appear to be close to life size. For me the book is valuable in seeing what a single oxide looks like in various glaze/firing conditions. This is very useful to me for seeing the limitations of low fire kiln, and for understanding the kinds of effects I get when I do high temp firing.
   
   It is not a "how to" book telling you how to apply glaze or ways of decorating ceramics. Its purpose is to give you mastery over using specific oxides for different color/texture effects. There are some quite detailed techical books out there which also cover this, but the visual immediacy of this little book is quite valuable. It is important to understand that each firing situation is different and just because they got a particular shade or texture, it doesn't mean you will too, but it is a good guide to help you figure out what you want to try.
   
   Here are the nuts & bolts of the contents, to help you decide if this is the glaze sample book for you.
   
   For each set of samples, four base glazes are used, two cone 04 low fire glazes (alkaline, lead), and two cone 6 high fire glazes (oxidation, reduction). Except for the reduction firings, all firings are oxidizing, as detailed in the firing section. The top of each column of samples is labeled by base glaze and firing-type, and rows of samples are labeled individually or by row as to ingredients.
   
   The book covers 9 basic coloring oxides: copper, cobalt, red iron, maganese diox, chrome, rutile, vanadium pentoxide, nickel, ilmenite. For each oxide, there is a 6 page spread giving various test samples:
   - 1 page of intro comments with example photos of use on pots
   - 1 page of firings with different oxide strengths in each of the four base glazes (total of 12)
   - 2 pages of cross-blends with the other eight oxides, for each of the four base glazes (32 samples total)
   - 1 page (12 samples) of using the oxide in-glaze, under-glaze, & in slip, for each of the four base glazes
   - 1 page (12 samples) of using the glaze with various opacifiers, in four base glazes.
   The "How to Use this Book" section which is given in the amazon sample pages illustrates the first four pages of each oxide's entry.
   
   Then there are stain samples: a page of four primary color stains in four glaze bases (16 samples), four pages of cross blends to mix intermediate colors (64 samples), two pages of in-glaze, underglaze, and slip coloring samples (32 samples).
   
   Finally there one page of using oxides in a raku base glaze with raku firing (16 samples). This is minimal raku coverage and I would really like to see more.
   
   All in all this is a very useful book. I'm giving it four stars only because I can imagine an even better and bigger book covering this kind of topic with more base glazes, more oxides, more cross-blends, etc. For what it is, it is five stars in quality, but I would like a wider scope.
   
   ---
   
   P.S. regarding other reviews:
   
   I can't believe the reviewer who wrote "Useless pretty book" is writing about the same book. Every column and row/sample is clearly labeled as to glaze and firing condition. Along with the 7 glaze recipes on pages 8-9, and detailed firing sequences on pages 12-13, it is very clear how each sample was produced.
   
   Again I wonder the same thing about the people who say they have the book in spanish, and they voted twice, but who can tell if it is really the same book or not since they gave no reasons.



2. Beautiful, clear test-tile images are arranged by colorant, firing temperature and atmosphere. Gives a very good sense of the characteristics and uses of the materials found in a typical glaze lab. The Potter's Palette won't solve your glaze problems (there are plenty of books that address crawling, pinholing, etc) but it's uniquely instructive and very inspirational. For the intermediate to advanced potter.



3. I had to return this book because it is so poorly done. Many of the example glaze tiles didn't even tell whether they were fired in oxidation or reduction. It was so frustrating to see a glaze I wanted to use, but have no idea how to make it . Poorly organized. Nice color pictures, though.



4. The thing I love about this book is the visual examples of the results you should expect from your the glaze formulas & varying oxides. The results I have achieved frequently do not demonstrate the same results. That is not unexpected...but this book does not give any suggestions or recommendations for troubleshooting significant differences in results. It also does not allow for differences in clay bodies...expansion rates, etc. I've found the book to be a good general guide as to the impact of colorant combinations, but not much more in practice.



5. A GRUPE OF FRIENDS WE DISCUSS THIS BOOK AND WE WERE AGREE: WE DID NOT LIKED. WE HAVE IT IN SPANISH.

1 comments about Song Dynasty Ceramics (Victoria & Albert Museum Far Eastern).

1. With its historical sweep of more than 4000 years, Chinese ceramics is one of the great achievements of world art. It was, after all, the Chinese, who invented porcelain, and that is why we speak of "china" generically today.
   
   In my judgment the wares of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) constitute the summit of this achievement. To be sure, they are something of an acquired taste, for their austerity lacks the immediate interest of the Ming blue-and-white and the spectacular show pieces of the Qing Dynasty. Still, in the splendid photographs of this book, one can attain a kind of secular mystical experience, which has no parallel that I know of.
   
   The text is good too, neither too long nor too short, not too technical, not too simple. Carefully, painlessly the author presents the information gleaned from recent research and excavation in the People's Republic. For anyone interested in Chinese ceramics this book is a must.

1 comments about Ceramics from Islamic Lands.

1. This is a splendid book, helpful in so many ways if you are interested in pottery, history, or arts. With sufficient technical material to be useful for the serious potter, it is still accessible for someone just interested in the styles and beauty of pottery.

2 comments about Decorative Floors of Venice.

1. I have both of Tudy's books; she also wrote The Secret Gardens of
   Venice. In October, I had the honor of meeting Tudy (what a colorful and dramatic character!) in Venice and accompanying her on a private garden tour of this magical city. She truly knows the aesthetic history of Venice and it shows in her books.



2. This is a terrific buy. If you never wanted to go to Venice before - you will now! The photographs are outstanding and the text not too boring. An invaluable reference for artists. Thank heaven someone thought to study these ancient floors before they are lost! Supposedly "there is nothing new under the sun", well, I would consider having one of these designs in a new home, if I could find anyone with the patience to complete one!

No comments about Decorating Ceramics.

No comments about Drawings by Marcel Dzama: From the Bernardi Collection.

3 comments about Flirt! Volume One: The Art of Naughty (Knockabout Comics).

1. First of all, read Mr. Janson's review, since everything he said is right on the mark!! I can honestly say that this is the coolest pin-up book I own. Cartegena is a classic Vargas sorta airbrush artist who creates very clean, colorful and bouncy vixens, and Sean does small scale color pencil and charcoal drawings of body builder types. I liked Cartegena's best, since his are more sensual while Sean's are alot rougher and more explicit renderings of women (the women actually have goosebumbs on their nipples!!). definetely a good buy if you like pin-ups.



2. "Flirt" the art of Naughty Volume 1 is a double-sided, oversized book collecting the works of Carlos Cartegena one side and Sean Gallimore on the other. The Guatemalan born Cartegena came to the U.S. in 1981 and his work has been featured in magazines such as Playboy, Penthouse, and Femme Fatale. Cartagena is rightly considered as one of the top glamour/pin-up artists working today and in the same class as Olivia and Soroyama. His work is in the finest tradition of glamour pioneers Gil Elvgren, Rolf Armstrong and Mel Ramos.
   
   Page 7 features one of my favorite Cartegena paintings "Alley in Silk" as the beautiful model lies in a bed of silk, pink sheets doing her best 1950's Marilyn Monroe pose. "School Girl" is a charming, sassy painting of a pig-tailed Catholic school girl bending over to get a drink of water in her little mini-skirt. "Red Silk is another favorite that shows a brunette in red bra, garter, and fishnet stockings looking like she was just caught by surprise.
   
   The last several pieces in the book are certainly Ramos/Elvgren inspired 50's pin-up style pieces with women in polka-dot bikinis. This book shows why Cartagena is considered one of the top pin-up artists.
   
   Now flip the book over and check out Sean Gallimore. Gallimore actually got his start working at animation studios such as Hanna Barbera and the Bluth Studios but then decided to dedicate himself completely to his art. That decision was great news for fans of pin-up art. Gallimore has a glamorous yet textured style giving his work a truly unique look.
   
   On page 4 we get Gallimore's take on super heroes as he shows a topless Supergirl getting into her costume in one of his most famous pieces. The piece entitled "Busty Oily" is well named as it shows a buxom brunette, cupping her well-oiled breasts. Gallimore shows off the female anatomy and muscle structure as well as any artists I have ever seen, demonstrated on Pages 22 - 25 showing off a variety of Gallimore's well muscled, nude warrior women.
   
   Flirt: The Art of Naughty is collecting the works of these two men for the first time and pin-up fans will love the two distinctive styles of art.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson



3. the art of naughty is a fine collection beautiful babes that men will enjoy looking at.

No comments about David Altmejd.