1 comments about To Paint Her Life: Charlotte Salomon in the Nazi Era.

1. You may have read many memoirs, and biographies about people affected by the Holocaust. However, do not think this is similar to other stories, or be put off by a topic that is upsetting. The journey through this book will be more than rewarding. Mary Felstiner has a deep, historical knowledge of Charlotte Salomon that she relays in a moving, and powerful style. You feel that you intimately know the people she writes about. Salomon's story is not one that is widely known, but it should be. She painted her life story during the Nazi years in the form of an operetta. Her paintings recently on display in the US tell a painful, vivid story of her, her parents, and her lover. This book is about what happened to Charlotte Salomon and her family during the Nazi years, but will also be of great interest to people interested in art, and in the human condition. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

1 comments about Joan Snyder.

1. I never received the book nor did the vendor respond to 2 emails I sent them. I had to stop payment via my credit card company.

3 comments about A Passion for Plants: Contemporary Botanical Masterworks.

1. This book is very helpful, especially as a reference for anyone learning botanical illustration or anyone wanting to learn about specific botanical artists.
   
   It's beautiful art work also makes it very nice as a "coffee table" book for others to admire.



2. As a rank beginner in watercolor and pen and ink I much appreciate the effort it takes to produce great illustrations of natural objects. Shirley Sherwood has brought together her remarkable collection of modern botanical paintings (and some ink renderings) in "A Passion for Plants: Contemporary Botanical Masterworks" and made them accessible to the public. It is certainly an impressive effort.
   
   Unlike many styles of illustration, botanical art usually involved a finely detailed painting on a white background, occasionally with additional smaller drawings or paintings. Occasionally a background is also provided, but most have no background. The renditions of just about every artist featured are extremely well done and it is hard to pick a favorite. Kate Nessler's watercolor of Rose Hips & Oak Leaves, Mariko Imai's exquisite watercolors of carnivorous plants, Elizabeth Dowle's paintings of fruit, Francesca Anderson's detailed ink renditions of sunflowers and cacti, and John Wilkinson's ultra realistic (complete with insect damage and hover flies!) watercolor of Ligularia, are just a few of the treats in this magnificent book. It sure makes for a tough standard, but a worthy one, for us beginners!
   
   A great book for artists, botanists and anyone interested in plant illustration!



3. This is an excellent collection of botanical illustrations reproduced in very detailed, rich color on quality paper. Artists from all over the world are represented with brief biographies of each one. I think this book is one of the best books to have if you love botanical illustration and would like to see examples done by highly skilled, scientifically accurate illustrators. Just as good or better than the first Shirley Sherwood collection book.

4 comments about Margaret Mee's Amazon: The Diaries of an Artist Explorer.

1. I have read another book by Margaret Mee and must confess to being fascinated by her life story. Her life was one of which most of us will only glimpse from our armchairs. But most wonderful of all are her beautiful botanical drawings. This book provides a real gateway into another world.



2. Margaret Mee was an amazing woman and her work is exquisite. This book is perfect because it shows a great part of Mee's work in Amazon in her own words, with beautiful illustrations and photographs. It's a book to look and read all the time.



3. At once an art, adventure, and biography, MARGARET MEE'S AMAZON: DIARIES OF AN ARTIST EXPLORER is profiled here for its simply gorgeous pages packed with botanical illustration and photos. Unlike most illustration titles, however, MARGARET MEE'S AMAZON isn't just a photo or illustration catalog, but an in-depth survey blending her amazing drawings with accounts of her thirty-two years of expeditions into the Amazon rainforest. Her first expedition to Amazonas was in 1956, where she began the diaries and sketchbooks which comprise this title. From vivid accounts of plant-collecting expeditions to the exhibition of her paintings at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew (who work with Antique Collector's Club in producing this title, this is a definitive, outstanding piece holding wide-ranging interest and recommendation from art library holdings to botany collections, natural history holdings, and even the general-interest public library collection.



4. Passionately written and superbly illustrated; a must have for the tropical afficionado's library and the tropical gardener and botanist

1 comments about Color and How to Use It (Artist's Library series #05).

1. It is easy to follow and gives a great deal of information that is best delivered in illustrations.The painting samples could be better but the content is useful and easy to access.

2 comments about Persian Painting.

1. Canby's PERSIAN PAINTING is a gem. Rare in that it starts with clear, essential information on pigments and materials as well as methods and treatises, its succinct but masterful historical survey ranges from the Ilkhanids of the 14th century through the glorious Safavids culminating in Shah `Abbas of the late 16th and early 17th centuries and onward to the European synthesis and decline into the 18th c. century. Artists like Shayk Muhammad, Sadiqi Beg, Riza-yi `Abbasi and their unique works fill its pages with sensible commentary and beautiful examples of the stories of Rustam from Firdausi's SHAHNAMEH as well as individual album pieces and portraits. Annotated with excellent sources and index, it is a must for academic courses on Persian art. This book is as much a treasure as the Persian art it sensitively portrays.



2. Persian Painting is a concise and fully illustrated account of Persian painting from 1300 to 1900. 40 black-and-white and 50 color photographs of brilliant and historical works of art spring off the page, offering a dazzling glimpse into six centuries of Iranian history. Starting wieht a discussion of the materials and tools used by Persian artists, Persian Painting explores the context, stylistic development, and historical background behind the draughtsmanship and cultural themes of Persian miniature painting, in terms accessible to the lay reader or beginning art student. A welcome contribution to art history shelves.

2 comments about Sumi-e Kit.

1. I agree with Ann. I have been teaching and practicing this artform for a number of years and purchase most books I find on the topic. This one is among the worst. There are no clear instructions, very poor quality equipment, and I suspect if this was a person's first introduction to brush painting it would be their last. Instead, see Ning Yeh for the very best instruction manuals and videos, along with some very good introductions by Pauline Charrett, Susan Frame, Jane Evans and Nan Rae. The best brushes and authentic chip colours can be ordered from Ning Yeh at AOS, and the best paper, ink and stones, along with high quality brushes from Acornplanet.



2. Don't buy this book because of its cover illustrations. I did and was disappointed that there were no lessons or illustrations in the book for the bird painting or the fish on the cover.
   Incidentally, the illustrations in the book are poor. I suppose the directions for painting are okay, but the point of example and illustration is to inspire the artist to want to paint beautifully.
   The supplies (3 brushes, ink stone, ink sticks and paper) in the kit seem okay but I was so disappointed in the book I am returning it without using the supplies.
   In my opinion, Ning Yeh's book Chinese Painting: An Instructional Guide, is much better and has all the subjects and more. Sumi-e is based on Chinese brush painting so the styles are much the same.
   If you are looking for a kit that has everything you need and you just want to try Chinese brush/Sumi-e, the kit I first used was Chinese Brush Painting (masterclass) by Pauline Cherrett. If you decide you are serious about brush painting get Ning Yeh's book (or books) and visit his website:

No comments about Paint Your Own Dreidel.

5 comments about Watercolor Wisdom.

1. this book is a really great resource for beginners. it answers all of the basic questions one might have who is embarking on the journey to do watercolor painting.



2. Had classes from her .She is a great teacher , and has much to offer . Stuff not found in most watrercolor books .Very informative .



3. What a valuable asset to the community of watercolor artists. Jo has shared years of wisdom and experience in a well organized pattern of instruction, focusing on the "rules" of watercolor. Many modern artist "throw out the rulebook" to the detriment of their artistic outcome. Like learning to read recipes before possessing the inate skills to throw out the cookbook, Jo trains her students in the tried-and-true principles of design and composition that springboard into the creative elements of a seasoned artist. Her work is far from textbook traditionalism ~ benefitting the traditional artist to the abstract. This is also not a book just for beginners, though it is absolutely THE book to have as a beginner! Additionally there is a wealth of excellent paintings from Jo, who is an AWS signature artist, and several other artists. Unlike many "vanity" art books which merely feature the author's artwork with a sprinkling of instruction, Jo's book features numerous paintings as a support for the treasure of instruction which is the driving force of the book.



4. These are lessons and notes which serious students will appreciate having in an organized presentation. Workshop students often are caught up in ptg.and/or keeping up with the class and neglect to take legible notes. The deciphering at a later date,if it happens at all, often times is equal to reading a foreign language. Also, these lessons are passed on to the reader from the author/art instructor's knowledge received from other very well known artists. Many, of which are no longer with us and have become legends.



5. While searching through the vast selection of watercolor books in the city's bookstore, I found this book and feel it is well worth the money I paid for it.

   It provides exercises for the reader to practice with watercolor painting, of which involve learning how to control the brush, how to unify and mix colors, and create textures using different effects. My personal favorite lesson of this book is its review of composition. The composition section is a bit hard to understand at first (as is composition in general) but after re-reading the dialog several times, my knowledge of composition in art has improved a great deal.

   Though I advise to the readers that this book would be more useful to you if you practice all the exercises, the book will still teach you, even if all you do is simply read and look at the diagrams. I believe this book is most useful for amateur and intermediate watercolor artists, though it may prove to have sound tips for advanced artists as well.

No comments about Constable's Clouds: Paintings and Cloud Studies by John Constable.