2 comments about The Tile Decorating Book: Designing and Hand-Painting Tiles : A Practical Guide.

1. This book overflows with colorful, instructive step by step photos that help ANYONE create gorgeous and unique tiles for anywhere in the house or as great gifts. The many ideas range from stenceling your own tiles, making tabletops and planters, to making bedheads. The book also has a helpful history on tiles and a section on templates. I was given this book as a gift and, as an artist, have treasured it as the best gift I've ever received!



2. This is a good book for both beginner and experienced tile users. The historical information about different types of tiles and their origins is interesting. Many of the decorative ideas were new to me, such as the mosaic bed and door panels. The photographs of tile-working tools and techniques are especially helpful. The patterns from projects shown in the book are included, and are a definite bonus.

1 comments about Dictionary of Glass: Materials and Techniques.

1. Do not be misled by the title. This is more a detailed encyclopedia of glass than a simple dictionary, with many in depth articles covering the history, art and technology of glass working.

   All forms of glass craft are represented, including blowing, lamp work, stained glass, etching and engraving. Raw materials, chemicals, tools and techniques for industrial and artistic uses are described.

   Styles & important historical pieces are also covered. The book is well illustrated with b/w photos & diagrams. Two sections of color plates showcase some beautiful & unusual artistic pieces in a wide variety of techniques.

   Lists of periodicals, suppliers, societies, schools and museums provide a great source for further information. This is a complete and essential reference for anyone interested in glass.

5 comments about The Art of Mosaics: A Guide to the History, Materials, Equipment and Techniques.

1. Being a tile professional and something of a "tile geek", I found "The Art of Mosaics" to be an excellent resource with complex processes explained and demonstrated in a very complete manner. Mr. Chavarria does an excellent job also in providing detailed information on tools, techniques, materials and structural design for serious mosaic work. This is NOT a book of backyard birdbaths and picture frames. While the criticisms of the work depicted are accurate (they aren't attractive at all), I believe his intention was not to impress but to illustrate technique. In that regard, he excells. An inspirational resource that I never tire of recommending to my friends and associates with serious interests in tile mosaics and it's many forms.



2. It's not for an amateur craftsman (artist).
   If you want to get into this highly profitable and highly competitive
   ancient art of mosaics this book is for you.
   But this art resemble very much masonary.



3. This is a very comprehensive book full of usefull information, however it is a book for those serious in learning the craft of the mosaic. If you are looking to see prety mosaic works and want to do home products this is not for you. This book does offer a great history of the art of mosaics. I found it to have the most comprehensive tool and technique section of most other books.



4. For those who want to get into "building" mosaics-concrete slabs and 3-D objects d'art-this book tells all. It's for serious commercial mosaicists rather than weekend crafters, hobbyists, or even full-time crafters. The materials are expensive; the equipment, cumbersome. You need a large workshop for many of these projects. In addition, the work is kind of-well, ugly! It's filled with complicated but dull geometrics in discordant colors. Chavarria's book has been in a box to be returned since it was given to me months ago on my birthday. I have decided to keep it on the off chance I get some commercial commissions. Then it might be a handy reference.



5. The reason I don't give this book a one-star rating is because it does have comprehensive information on various kinds of stone (you don't see that very much), tools and a bit of interesting laying technique. And I give him credit for attempting mosaics on three-dimensional sculpted objects, though to my taste they are dreadful, and he does give a fairly good overview on bases and adhesives. But the projects? Is horrendous too strong of a word?

2 comments about Dore's Illustrations for Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso".

1. Sure, Homer's Odysseus may have known the ways of many cities and the minds of many men, to say nothing of various monsters and enchantresses, but he had nothing on the reader who follows Ariosto's assorted heroes and heroines through the rollicking, raucous, kaleidoscopic, chivalric-epic world of "Orlando Furioso." The prospective reader of that massive opus may turn for an overview or foretaste of its attractions to this comprehensive pictorial treatment by consummate illustrator Gustave Dore. True, Dore may sometimes be thought to slight the satirical, tongue-in-cheek, and light-hearted aspects of the poem in favor of its epic sweep and moody solemnity. But his is a worthy visual accompaniment to one of the most astonishingly rich and splendidly entertaining masterpieces in all of world literature, and to its imagination, romance, sensuality, and adventurousness he certainly does full justice.



2. This book contains a treasure of very atmospheric and detailed scenes. Doré's masterly use of superwide pespectives is an open invitation to explore his detailed and scetched people, landscapes, castles, heroes, battlefields and romantic situations. The illustration settings cover an area as huge as old europe with an ocassional touch of Asia. A particular delight are the morphed human-animal creatures. This book is great for just diving in and imagining yourself in these bizarre environments. enjoy !

No comments about Playing with Fire: European Terracotta Models, 1740 to 1840.

3 comments about Collector's Guide to Yellow Ware.

1. Although there are nice pictures and NICE overinflated prices,
   there is much information and labeling of yellow ware that is incorrect. It is obvious that this author doesn't know enough about pottery to be considered an authority on yellow ware. the only book that I know of that has the correct information for the begginer and the scholar is Gallo's book, a great reference. When is he going to do another one?



2. This book has even more information than the first!The color photography is wonderful.The entire book is filled with photos of many rare and unusual pieces. She has also added a section on Potters and their marks to aide in identification.A well researched and enjoyable guide for the Yellow Ware Collector. I hear number three's in the works.



3. Collecting Yellow Ware is a must have for the Yellow Ware collector.Lisa and Michael have created an in-depth guide of the history of this wonderful pottery.There are tips for collecting,and numerous color photographs.All arranged in and easy to follow format.I refer to it daily.

No comments about Scandinavian Ceramics & Glass: 1940S to 1980s (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

No comments about Dan Graham (Contemporary Artists).

No comments about New Art in the 60s and 70s: Redefining Reality.

5 comments about Roy Stuart: Volume I.

1. This book was my introduction to Mr. Stuart's work. Previously, I had begun to believe that one had to shoot young girls or the fantasy of "barely legal" girls in either Black and white (see David Hamilton's, Sally Mann or Jocj Sturges' work. Whereas Hamilton did color, it softened it us so as to allude to paintings and thereby soften the blow to consiousness.

   Stuart on the other hand exposes himself as well as his models in sharp though dimly lit contrast. His work exemplifies that photographers need not hold back from exploring these fantasise. Soceity at the turn of the century was not what it is today. Our moral sensibilities preclude our sexual in such an artifical way that Stuart's work threatens with the edge. Is it explotation?

   These avenues must be travelled upon. Stuart does it with referrence to other mediums ie film. his images feel like movie stills. And in particular like Alfred Hitchcock stills.

   My only reservation is the layout. I cannot ascertain wheather this was (again) a movie film technique where the mystery is left unsolved or an editor's choice. I'll await that answer.




2. Many photographers would be afraid that they would be labeled pornographers if they did anything like what Roy Stuart has done. Perhaps that explains why there are almost no examples of great erotic art photography. This book is one such example, and it is a masterpiece.

   Some people would not like this book, and they may even say it is pornography, but there are also quite a few people who would judge any book with nudes in it to be pornography.

   But, in my opinion, the images in this book are not pornographic. They are actually much more erotic than the images in Playboy Magazine, which, by the way, many would not consider pornographic. And the images in this book are even more erotic than the images in many men's magazines that most people would definitely consider pornographic. However, unlike the pornographic images in those men's magazines, the images in this book are very artistic and beautiful.

   Roy Stuart is an exceptional photographer. The photos in this book are well composed and exquisitely lit. His photos actually have some snapshot quality to them that intensifies the eroticism, but unlike many recent photo books by top fashion photographers, Roy Stuart does not sacrifice technical quality to give the photos that snapshotty edge.

   If you appriciate erotic photography, you should definitely get this book.

   If you appriciate photography that has a snapshot quality, but are disappointed with recent photo books that lack technical quality, you should get this book.

   If you have found pornographic magazines to be boring, and want to see examples of very interesting highly erotic images, you may like this book.

   If you think you would be offended by highly erotic images, no matter how artistic, you should probably not buy this book.




3. Wow, I am amazed at the positive comment this book has received. It was on the strength of reviews that I purchased the book. It is on the weakness of the photography in the book that I will send it back. Roy Stuart seems to be trying to straddle the line between the artistic and the erotic. Unfortunately, he achieves neither.

   The subject matter looks like what I would expect from a cheap men's magazine: an uncreative theme with a few photographs showing it. Even this is done poorly. He usually picks up an idea in the middle and leaves us before the end. For example, he'll start with a partially dressed person have her/him remove an article of clothing and then he'll abruptly go to another subject. It leaves me wondering "what was the point of that?"

   Many photos are blurry when they should be sharp, taken from a distance when they should be close-up, black and white when color would have been better. The photos of individuals are often obscure, almost pointless. Faces are frequently frustratingly hidden by hair, a turned head, or shadows. I'm assuming this is some kind of shame statement but I would prefer to see facial expressions.

   The professed point to the book is an exploration of fetishes. Unfortunately for Mr. Stuart, taking a few close-ups of feet is not sufficient. And while there are other fetishes briefly presented such as a woman finding two men together in the woods, initiating young girls, some light domination, and girls with girls, I would not say that any of these themes was explored in any depth.

   After reading reviews of this book, I expected more: creativity, photographic quality, intelligence. Perhaps I am missing the point or my expectations were too high. But, whatever the reason, the book is going back.




4. There are few books of erotic photography that are in the league of this one. The composition is fun; the underlying philosophy is consistant enough to pass the standard of respectability; the women are beautiful; the technique is first rate; and the quality of production is wonderful. The degree of kink is the only element that might distinguish one reader's fondness for this book from another's: there is just a hint of leather to make Hamilton fans blush; but there isn't anything that really test the limit of one's appetite for surgical supplis.



5. These photographs have an unnatural explicitness to them which threatens to dehumanize their subjects. It's true that Roy Stuart's work is not "prudish" (as the book jacket proclaims: "A depiction of animal sexuality free of all prudishness"), but on the other hand they also straddle the line of taste.

   That said, some of the subjects of this collection do come across as human beings, and the best photos in this book are the ones where, instead of performing, the models project a sense of real feeling. ("Initiation", though exploitative, does convey a powerful sense of helplessness but also the strength of temptation)

   Not as aggressively idiosyncratic (or sickly violent) as Richard Kern, but certainly more sensual.