3 comments about The White Blackbird: A Life of the Painter Margarett Sargent by Her Granddaughter.

1. I don't know why this book isn't better known, or why we haven't heard much more from Honor Moore, whose grandmother's life is fascinating, tragic and ultimately mysterious. Unlike so many contemporary biographies, this one isn't overly long or obsessed with detail at the expense of perspective. An exquisite piece of work from start to finish--one of the best biographies I have ever read.



2. A very honest study of Honor Moore's grandmother Margarett Sargent. I was impressed by the amount of research that went into painting a portrait of a complex and intelligent woman and artist. A certain amount of sympathy is felt for Margarett, yet she was a proud independent woman whose strength inspires. For me, Margarett's life transcended the label of "wealthy society woman." She had great talent that she put to use. With all the advances in anti-depressives and the treatment of bi-polar illness one wonders if the mental illness that helped suck her into a vacuum of loss would have been able to do so in this decade. In the end, her loss became our loss. Honor Moore did a great thing by keeping her grandmother's memory alive so that we could revisit her colorful art and life. A great read



3. Honor Moore spent more than a decade researching the life of her grandmother, the painter Margarett Sargent, in an attempt to understand why she stopped painting in middle age. "It was too intense," was all her grandmother ever told the author, late in the ex-painter's long life. Ms. Moore attempts to show that the demands of Sargent's privileged Boston society lifestyle forced her to give up her art and contributed to her madness. A wonderful read, and a surprising insight into the creative process, especially in a woman. --Jack Sheed

4 comments about Diana in Art.

1. It is a great book and a nice additon to my collection of Diana books



2. I do feel she would've been fond of this book. There are enlightening quotes from a wide source of admirers that cast light on her spirit and life. I am under the impression that Diana wasn't the type to distinguish between the powerful and the common in her regard for people. Mem Mehmet follows suit with his selections which include the unknowns as well as the well established in the art world. I believe this was done in harmony with the way of Diana. Some of the work is serious, some strange, some traditional, some modern, and some simply comical. All are valid reminders of the affection and respect that were intended for her with each of these creative efforts. Most of this art is as original and special as Diana was, and all of it honors her. Congratulations Mr Mehmet, for following through with your obvious and deeply felt admiration for a lady you've helped forever remain in our memories.



3. The feeling I have when I look through "Diana In Art" is one of comraderie and warmth, of course with a touch of sadness at the loss, but it is a celebration of Diana's loving nature and her generous spirit. It's also amazing to see the different art from artists all over the world who admired the late Diana.
   
   I am one of the artists who contributed to this book, and am honored to be a part of this tastefully written, compiled, and elegantly edited tribute to "The People's Princess." There are a few works by famous artists, but also a large selection of lesser-knowns (such as myself) who contribute a wide variation of creative styles and personal views of the beautiful Diana through their artwork. I received my copy a few days ago and spent several days reading it, and I am honored to have been a contributor to this touching and very warm tribute to Diana. The selections of quotes by Diana herself, and by friends and family, all contribute to the tone and mood of this tribute to her....she is still terribly missed.



4. Diana In Art is an excellent book of Art and Artists. A must have addition to any library. The greatest artists of the day including Andy Wharhol, Carlee, Andre Durand, Esrael Zohar and much, much more....
   
   Looking forward to more of your books on celebrities!

1 comments about Art Nouveau Designs (Design Source Books).

1. I purchase print books for the Comfort Blanket Ministry of St. Ferdinand Church. We use the pictures for painting and marker coloring which ultimately become squares in our ministry's beautiful blankets. Keep selling these kinds of books, we'll keep buying them!

No comments about Richard Diebenkorn.

5 comments about Color and Light for the Watercolor Painter: How to Get the Effects You Want Every Time (Practical Art Books).

1. This is my bible for watercolour colour. It is far and away the best book on the subject, not just because it sweeps away all kinds of wrong thoughts, but Schink shows the different palettes used for different styles of painting in a simple, constructive way.



2. Christoph Schink is an award-winning artist who shares his unique look at the art of watercolor and using color and light. The book does not just deal with juxtapositions of color or of mixing pigments; the author goes into the compositional effects of color choices, with examples of changes if you use value (dark to light, color becomes diminished) or if you use all pastels or colors close in range on the color wheel. In addition, there is a section on how the masters employed color in famous paintings, and a section of example works by other artists. This is valuable--the inclusion of other artists makes the book appealing to a variety of painters; not everyone responds to individual artists, so the wise author of painting books is one who generously shares the canvas with his colleagues. You are guaranteed to find some inspiration in the gallery. This is a nice large format book that shows off the colors on the pages well. Excellent.



3. Christopher Schink is a terrific teacher and communicator in this lovely, and invaluable instruction book. Complete with many colorful examples and exercises, this world-class painter uses work from many different exceptional painters, along with a few of his own, to show how wonderfully expressive your own work can be by utilizing some of these techniques. He also shows and shares his deep understanding of what happens to color as it's mixed and layered, etc. And at the bottom of it all is the message that painting is about communication of ideas, and not simply a series of techniques! This core message is the most valuable of all.



4. If you can only buy one water color text book, buy this one. For a change this painter focuses on teaching you more than just tecnical skills. He gives you excellent information on color history, and analysis of other watercolorists work. Deals with problems you may run into and provides great visual examples. Handles subjects like controlling pictoral space, simultaneous contrast, and well as composition and design. This is book to study, not just look at the pictures!



5. I found this book to be most interesting on the topics of Colour, Tone, etc. Mr Schink goes on to apply the initial principles he outlines at the beginning of his book, to show how different effects and appearances can be created, even from the same basic composition! It was a fascinating read, and provides a good point of reference for me.

5 comments about Watercolor: A New Beginning: A Holistic Approach to Painting.

1. This book unwraps the path to creativity and joyful expression, savoring color and light, and making the making of art accessible to anyone. I was in tears just reading the first few pages. What's more, I was in action: I cleared an area so I would have an artist's corner; I got out my dusty water colors (put away in discouragement after my last university class in the medium), and started to experiment with paint. What fun! The author simply won't let us get stopped or stuck by the noises in our overly critical heads. This book is like an invitation to come out and play, and this is one playground I want to explore for a long time to come. I have no aspirations to become a professional artist, but having this kind of access to the creativity inside has affected every area of my professional and personal life. My family and clients thank you for who I am becoming. Thank you, Ann K. Lindsay, wherever you are. You've helped this coach and writer blast through artist's block.



2. Ms. Lindsay can really explain the basic "how to" in a simple easy to understand manner. At the same time she helps you really enjoy the learning experience, removing the frustration that you usually get from "self teaching" books...



3. I am a newcomer to painting and I found Ann K. Lindsay's Watercolor: A New Beginning to be extremely helpful! The book is full of information, presented in a way that those of us who don't have experience or education in art can understand. I found her teaching exercises to be both fun and useful. Linsay has a talent for encouraging the reader to tap into their own creativity, using water color as the means. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to explore the art of watercolor painting.



4. This book was a little too touchy-feely for me. It is a very basic book almost as if it was written for children. I will say that the illustrations are beautiful and very fanciful, but there aren't enough examples of actual paintings and too many examples of student's doodles.



5. I bought this book because I wanted to explore my creativity with paint and didn't want to be intimidated by an overly technical book. This book turned out to be perfect. The author writes with so much love and respect for the individual as a creative being. She teaches things like technique, color, and drawing in a way that is free and fun. It is especially good for people (like me) who are very critical towards themselves, and who tend to get discouraged easily. Ann Lindsay is so good at encouraging the reader to view things positively, rather than critically. This book was such an inspiration I can't recommend it highly enough!

No comments about Cezanne A&I (Art and Ideas).

5 comments about Pennsylvania Impressionism.

1. This is a very thorough complilation of works by many well known or slightly known painters of mostly Eastern PA. There is ample reading and explanations of their influences, theories, and philosophies on art. It was interesting reading about how interconnected so many of them were. And ,oh yes, the pictures were very nice too.



2. This book has many, good-sized, excellent color reproductions of work with an interesting history of the New Hope artists. There are also succinct biographies of each of the major artists of this regional school plus a list with images of many of the lesser known people.
   The last chapter of the book discusses the framemakers in the New Hope region who were part of the arts and crafts movement which is an interesting piece of art history in itself.
   Mention is made of the "Pennsylvania 10", a group of the prominent women artists in this area, and a chapter could have been created to feature them, but they are worth a book unto themselves.
   For anyone interested in American art, American Impressionism, and that period during the first half of the twentieth century as art moved from representational concepts to abstract and non-objective concepts, this book is worth having.
   For artists who are working in this representational manner, they will find a wealth of ideas from these painters in terms of technique, design, and concepts.



3. Pennsylvania Impressionism opens with an introduction explaining the origins of painting in the area, followed by a somewhat pensive and personal mediation on art both, by Brian H Peterson; followed by two further discussions of art in Pennsylvania by Sylvia Yount and William H Gerdts respectively. Then comes the main colour plates section along with the artists' biographies. This is followed with entries for other associated artists and comprises brief descriptions accompanied by a representative thumb-nail illustration of each artist's work. The book concludes with two bibliographies and other lists.
   
   This is a beautifully illustrated volume, the introductory chapters are illustrated, the colour plates section amounts to nearly two hundred pages, and along with the concluding section the full colour illustrations number three hundred and sixty nine. In the colour plates section they are arranged one and sometime two to a page and the standard is good, often revealing the quality and texture of the paint. However it should be noted that even the full page illustrations in fact rarely occupy more than half of the total page area, leaving the image surrounded by a lot of white space.
   
   This is an attractively laid out and beautifully illustrated book, and the paintings themselves are absolutely superb.



4. This book provides a thorough survey of the Bucks County "Impressionist" painters. Plenty of good quality visuals, excellent as a resource. Particularly of interest to people in the Bucks Co, PA area.



5. Excellent history of an important period in American art. Outstanding production - paper, color plates and binding. Efficient processing from Amazon.

No comments about Painting Tiny Treasures.

1 comments about Drawing Towards Watercolor.

1. I am self taught watercolorist. I have quite a collection of books and i was pleasantly surprised to find this fresh and interesting book. it isn't like all the others and has a nice section on drawing for watercoloring. I taught myself to draw out and plan the painting first. this book walks you threw the paces and shows you exactly what you need to know to accomplish it. great book