No comments about Oil-Painting Workshop II (PRACTICAL ART).

4 comments about Richard Schmid Paints Landscapes.

1. I rarely posts reviews but felt obliged to add one here to clarify the value of this book. I own Schmid's "Alla Prima" (which is excellent) and have also enjoyed many of his DVDs.
   
   I was pleasantly surprised when this book arrived because it also excellent, but in a different vein then "Alla Prima". For one, this book predates the other by several decades so naturally the color pages are going to be fewer. This book is dense with the nuts & bolts of Richard Schmid's approach to the landscape. There is much more rudimentary (but not basic) information here that was not appropriate for the higher level approach of "Alla Prima". Plus there are many more examples. So what if they're black & white. The text that accompanies them, with Richard's insights to each painting, is worth it.
   
   So buy "Alla Prima" and watch some of his DVDs to acquire an appreciation to Richard Schmid's approach to painting and to also whet your artistic appetite for more. And once you are hungry for more, buy this landscape book to "savor" his painting instruction.



2. Some photos are black and white but there are many demo photos are in color. This is quite a substantial book for its genre; the author is very generous with his considerable knowledge, and I recommend it for serious landscape painters. It may be a little too technical for beginners and casual hobbyists.



3. Richard Schmid's newer book Alla Prima is much better. Try to find the Paints Landscapes in a library - its not worth paying over 200 dollars for. Paints landscapes has mostly black and white pictures which shows how dated the book is. Check out his website for the really good videos also.



4. I stumbled upon this book in a library and knew I had to own it so I could study each and every word. Richard Schmid paints landscapes like no one else! (If you don't beleve me check out his website and you will buy this book! ) My paintings improved immediately! I take it with me when I paint now! He gives clear steb by step guides but this book is clearly above and beyond a "how to paint landscapes" book. I'm now saving my "starving artist" pennies to buy his "Alla Prima" book!

5 comments about Acrylic school (Learn as You Go).

1. Received in excellent condition. A very good book for someone like me who knows nothing about acrylics and wants to paint. Thanks.



2. This book was decent - not great. The examples, in my opinion, were boring and tend to be the abstract kind. There were VERY few step-by-step instructions on how to do those paintings, and the caption underneath a picture would talk about 2 steps while the picture shows only 1 of those steps. So, as you can see, I found this book to be a bit frustrating. I gave it another 1/2 star just because it showed me how to paint an ocean scene.



3. I thought this book was very good, especially for the beginner. It went through palette, color mixing, grounds, additives, and content. For the more experienced painter, I thought it made a good reference and refresher. It also had several artists who contributed their examples. This book is well illustrated with reference photos and more.



4. I received this and several other books for Christmas from a professional artist who wanted me to share her passion for acrylic painting. This book is by far the best for a beginner such as myself. Most of the books my friend sent me were almost entirely devoted to technique, but this book also went into great detail about brushes, paints, canvas, paper, colors, etc. The author dedicates two pages to each topic, all of which are very well laid out and well organized (the pages even have color coded boxes in the top corner to help you find exactly what you are looking for). There are countless pictures that illustrate the effects of various techniques using different colors and mediums, which allows the beginning artist to skip over much of the initial experimentation usually involved when starting a new craft. There is no doubt that this is a book for beginners, but I think it is an ideal place to start. Secondly, despite its novice approach, the author covers nearly all of the techniques discussed in books that are considered to be far more advanced. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is serious about starting to paint with acrylics. Enjoy.



5. i have never been an artist and don't have a lot of ability. i do; however, have the desire and the images in my head. this book really gave me the tool/skills/strategies necessary to get me going. i actually like the painting that i have completed. it looks better than i expected and i learned from the book to make it that way. as beginner as i am, i already feel i am past this book and ready for the next lesson. hmmm! i guess i'll buy something else.

4 comments about Frederic Remington Art Museum Collection.

1. A fantastic pictorial record of history, giving a flavour of the atmosphere surrounding events that complements contemporary sources and academic writing on the times.



2. I have long been a fan of Remington's work. This book presented new material on both his work and on his life. I was impressed with the details presented in this book. I only wish there were even more samples of his work included in the book. I would have then given it a rating of 5 stars.



3. bad reproductions of colour "sketches" by the artist-sadly his best work was not present.



4. I recently purchased this book for my husband. The book is fascinating and traces the history of Remington's art. I had no idea the vast body of work created by this talented artist. The book clearly details many facts and interesting tidbits. The picture plates are wonderful. Fabulous book!

4 comments about The INDIANA DUNES REVEALED: The Art of Frank V. Dudley.

1. This book is a wonderful history of the saving some of the Indiana Dunes for our use today. Dudley's pictures were used in the early days of trying to get the dunes set aside for future generations. It also is the history of landscape art in the late 1800's to the mid 1900's. The paintings are beautiful landscapes.



2. Frank Dudley was a gifted artist who became passionately interested in the grass-roots campaign to save the Indiana dunes from predation by Northwest Indiana's steel mills, other industrial encroachment, and pollution. For years, he captured the wild beauty of the region on canvas and, as his fame spread, so did his message. His painting of the 1917 Indiana Dunes Pageant, a sweeping outdoor presentation that attracted over 25,000 viewers willing to trek across sand dunes to see it, remains one of the only eyewitness paintings of the event still extant. This book chronicles Dudley's development as a painter and his life in the dunes; the plates are superb, and if you were unable to view them at Valparaiso University's recent exhibition, this keepsake volume will be the next best thing to seeing his original works firsthand. As an aside, I went to the Dudley exhibit at Valparaiso University, where the book was selling at list price. A few mouse clicks later, I had ordered the book at a deep discount at Amazon.com. Three more days, and it was in my hands. It doesn't get much better than that!



3. This book is a testament to the fact that, contrary to public opinion, there are more things than cornfields in Indiana. Indiana is home to a diversity of unique landscapes and habitats not the least of which are the Lake Michigan dunes. Reproductions of Frank V. Dudley's brilliant impressionist paintings bring this glorious landscape to the fore in this scholarly tome. We learn from "The Indiana Dunes Revealed" that Dudley's work stretches far beyond artistic endeavor. He was also one of the leading U.S. environmentalists during the first half of the twentieth century. The only thing better than this book is viewing Dudley's many sumptuous paintings or actually standing on the sand overlooking the lake. Dudley convinces this reviewer that I am actually on an Indiana beach feeling the wind blow against my face and the surf move beneath my feet.



4. The Indian Dunes Revealed: The Art Of Frank V. Dudley is written and edited by James R. Dabbert (Senior Lecturer in English, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago) with the assistance of J. Ronald Engle (Professor of Social Ethics, Meadville Theological School of Lombard College), Joan Gibb Engel (an activist and writer on Dunes ecology), i9ndependent art historian Wendy Grennhouse , and William H. Gerdts (Professor Emeritus of Art History at the Graduate School of the City University of New York). Frank V. Dudley (1868-1957) was a native of Wisconsin who studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and eventually established a long exhibition record while dedicated more than forty years of his professional life as a landscape painter to the promotion and preservation of the Indiana Dunes - a unique geographical region enjoying state and federal protection while providing ecologists with a unique and truly 'living laboratory' for their studies. "The Indiana Dunes" is a team project that superbly showcases Dudley's life and work including 150 color reproductions of his paintings and another 70 black-and-white images. Because of the continual conflict between development and preservation over the decades, some of Dudley's paintings are the only record we have left of lost dunescapes. Also available in a hardcover edition, "The Indiana Dunes Revealed" is a splendid addition to academic library American Art History collections, and particularly recommended for supplemental reading lists in the areas of environmental studies and American Midwestern history.

3 comments about Cherry Blossoms.

1. this book contains some of the most beautiful photography i have ever seen. breathtaking. it has over 200 pages of cherry blossoms and cherry trees. background scenary also so beautiful. one of my favorites is near the back of the book. it shows some cherry blossoms with golden sunshine upon them which made their color just stunning.
   
   i bought this for a friend and she also loved it. you can't not love it. the book also has a few illustrations of cherry blossoms and some quotes, but i would say 90% of the book is gorgeous photograghy. i highly recommend it.



2. My boyfriend brought this book back from Washington DC.
   The images are stunning, and the quality of the book is exquisite. It's a beautiful gift to anyone who appreciates the transient blossoming of cherries and sakuras. Jake Rajs tracks the blossoming period along the East Coast and someone who is familiar with these stunning beauties in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, in DC and elsewhere can spot tiny hints in the details of the photographs about their provenance.



3. Being an amateur shutterbug who has taken many photographs of the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in Washington, I bought this book with a lot of eager anticipation but found myself disappointed. Certainly, there are several photos in the book that are extraordinarily good, but there are also a number of very ordinary images that seem to have been added in as fillers to fatten up the book. Rajis is very good with classical combinations of blossoms and water / blossoms and sky, and the book has some stunning wide-angle shots. Ultimately however, I was left with the kind of anticlimactic feeling you get when you sit down to a fine meal but rise from the table still hungry. The format of the book is partly to blame as well; using a `mini" format for this book means one is essentially looking at an album of 5x7 photos, certainly not a coffee table format that would do justice to the blooms or the panoramic shots. Not much thought seems to have been given either to the poetry verses that dot the book. Most of the photos are from the Tidal Basin in Washington and the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens in New York.

5 comments about Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo.

1. I bought this book after re-watching the movie taken largely from this exhaustive biography. As someone who has read many bios, let me say that this is a refreshing and encouraging alternative to the fawning and excessive grocery store drivel and/or the dull and fact-filled dissertations that describe most biographies. Hayden Herrera manages to combine a staggeringly comprehensive detailing of Kahlo's life with an easy prose that makes for an engaging read. I know far more about this artist than I could've imagined and it is largely first-hand accounts either from the pages of Frida's own diaries and numerous letters or the people who were there. Herrera keeps her personal opinions regarding the events to a minimum and allows the events to speak for themselves. The life of Frida Kahlo needs no additional padding or maudlin tricks to engender a connection to anyone with a heart and soul. When the author does speculate, it comes from someone who has clearly studied her subject thoroughly and backs up her theories with a wealth of compelling evidence and sensible arguments. While her appreciation for Kahlo is obvious, Herrera does not stop short of being critical, questioning Kahlo's motives, and revealing the stark humanity and insecurity that Kahlo tried to obscure with her public persona as the confident, outspoken, provocative enchantress sporting her exotic Tehuana finery.
   However, the best use of Herrera's research and the clear compassion and empathy she has for this incredible woman is when she analyses Frida's paintings. I found myself continuously turning back and forth from the detailed observations and interpretation to the paintings and trying to understand what the author is talking about. It was fascinating reading and a wonderful exploration that shed light into the depths of Frida's intensely personal art.
   Two last notes: First, the version I bought does not sport Salma Hayek on the cover but instead one of Frida's many self-portraits. Apparently the publishers corrected this unfortunate decision based on movie marketing. Second, I was fortunate enough to take in the amazing exhibit of Frida Kahlo at the Philadelphia Museum just a few weeks ago and it was a moving and special day. Seeing the actual frames dripping blood, the size and grandeur of some of the works juxtaposed with the smaller works, and the sheer emotionally gravity of her art was something I'll never forget. Having read much of this biography by that time, I was able to bring that much more to that exhilarating opportunity.
   Frida Kahlo was not just an extraordinary artist but was moreover an extraordinary person. Herrera's heartfelt, deeply researched, and brilliantly written biography allows those of us who never knew her to feel as if we have and to share in the universal quality of her painful work. That alone makes us better people for having experienced it.



2. This is a paintakingly detailed biography, yet rather than making for tedious reading, it flows smoothly from the pages...Hayden Herrera has done an incredible job with the story of Frida Kahlo, the most famous Mexican artist in history.
   
   Written in the late 1970s' (when many of Frida's friends and intimates were still alive to interview), this excellent book combines letters (to and from Kahlo), first person anecdotes and historical records (along with a decent selection of photos and paintings), to create a sweeping portrait of a very, very interesting life.
   
   Everything you ever wanted to know about Frida (and maybe some stuff you didn't), is in this book.
   
   "Frida" is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys Frida's work or just wants to know more about a very interesting, opinionated, talented, brutally honest (especially with herself), yet very vulnerable) woman.



3. I learned about Frida when I took art history in college. I always wanted to know more about her because of her art work. She was so passionate! Although she was considered an abstract artist. Her art was very REAL. You can feel what she feels by looking at her art. This book really helps you understand what happened in her life and attached the painting that went along with that specific period in her life. Very well written.



4. Since her death, Frida Kahlo has become something of an exalted icon, representing for millions of people the alegría of a life fully lived. Hayden Herrera's insightful book both supports the artist's status, and provides devotees who never met Frida the chance to know their idol in depth, to familiarize themselves with her happiness and suffering, to experience her highs and lows.
   
   The book's mixture of intimate biographical details (a thorough chronology and evocative descriptions of events), psychological analysis and art criticism create an intensely vivid picture of Frida Kahlo, the world in which she lived, and the means by which her art conveyed her mind and body's pain. Objectivity is retained throughout; unflattering and negative aspects of Frida's personality are discussed with attention equal to that devoted to the subject's positive traits.
   
   As Hayden Herrera's biography shows, the benefits to Frida of putting brush to easel - with her deliberate, small strokes - were manifold: not only was painting a solace and diversion, it was also a visual expression of the pain resulting from a terrible bus accident in which she was involved when she was 18, miscarriages, and the hurt of her husband Diego Rivera's infidelities. She also used painting as a means of earning money and limiting her financial dependence on Diego after they married for a second time. (While during her lifetime one of Frida's paintings might fetch $200 from a private buyer, nowadays even small-scale works have sold for over $1,000,000 at auction.)
   
   To me, an appealing aspect of Herrera's bio is its lack of pretense (appropriately, as pretension is something Frida disliked in any form): you won't find any flowery, purple prose here, nor do the author's analyses and assertions smack of arrogance. It is quite apparent that Hayden Herrera knows her subject top to bottom, but I never felt as if facts and dates were crammed into the text superfluously, simply as proof that she knew them.
   
   If it happens at all, it will be many years before Hayden Herrera's "Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo" is replaced as the definitive biography on the subject. Having read it cover to cover three times, I can't imagine a better-written or more stimulating study of this truly unique, truly gifted person.



5. An inspiring Biography of famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. It was comprehensive, read like a documentary and at some points was long and boring with gory details. Frida was such an interesting person it was worth the struggle to get to the end. I now understand her and her works so much better. I think she was an odd and eccentric person that was gifted with natural artistic talent. I recommend looking at her paintings at the same time you listen to the audio since the audio is so descriptive almost like a narrative from a museum. It doesn't make sense unless you see the works at the same time. I found them on a website dedicated to her. There is nothing like her art, she is truly original!

1 comments about Painting Realistic Landscapes With Dorothy Dent.

1. A very informative and easy to follow book. Each step is pictured in full colour. Contains clear instructions about mixing and blending and different mediums used in painting. Well worth the price.

No comments about A Victorian Cat's Journal.

5 comments about Drawing and Painting Horses.

1. I am a bit disappointed in this book. It has some diagrams of horse anatomy and movement that are useful, but there's not much in it about painting. I was really hoping for more detail about color and the little things that make horses a challenge to draw and paint. This book would be most useful for the beginner artist, or an artist who isn't familiar with horses.



2. The book provided some basic horse anatomy at a general level appropriate for someone starting out drawing horses. There were many nice illustrations and example paintings provided. The general art instruction on color, materials, etc was a basic primer, nothing new there. I would have found this book much more useful if it had included photos of various breeds of horses (there were none) rather than the provided sketches of just a few samples.



3. Great job! I found just what I was looking for in this book. The detail has been very helpful and the examples included are a joy to view. I love it for helping with my painting. My daughter loves it for the works of art by the author and others she has included. Thanks



4. the art in this book, including that by the author/artist, is worth the price alone. I've not had the chance to try the drawing suggested, but the information offered seems really valuable. Worth having if only for the beautiful pictures of horses.



5. All beginning artists, not only those who struggle with capturing equine form and movement, would benefit from this book. The chapter on selecting a medium is a particularly good primer on the qualities and characteristics of materials available to the initiate. Equine anatomy is comprehensively discussed, with clear, instructive drawings and interesting anatomical details which may help add realism to artistic renderings. The elementary concepts of equine movement are crisply defined, and the author's advice on the use of color and technique is helpful. Developing equine artists will find the book to be a great resource in refining their skills.