5 comments about Color Right from the Start: Progressive Lessons in Seeing and Understanding Color.

1. You can't go wrong with this book. Hilary Page is pure magic. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro, this book has something for everyone! The lessons are so compleat, invaluable and inspiring...N.Williams



2. As a professional watercolourist with over twenty five years of experience and an advanced understanding of colour I can tell you that this is an excellent reference book. Definitely a great tool for art instructors. Even though the writer sees it as a book for beginners I feel that the complexity of the subject will probably be overwhelming for beginners.



3. I just finished reading this well-thought-out and completely researched watercolor book. I am still new to water colors and am challenged and frustrated by this medium. Page's chapter on the history,nomenclature, and categories of pigments was incredibly interesting and will become a permanent edition to my water color reference library. I have seen many variations of color wheels in my 35 years of teaching---her watercolor pigment wheel is based on her own palette, and includes placement of saturated, unsaturated, and neutral pigments. I slso found the chapter on optical color effects fascinating.



4. After reading Hilary Page's book, it occurred to me how painting classes should maybe start with lessons on color rather than charcoal drawing. Her detailed explanation of color is grouped in three main aspects: objective color (measured by instruments), optical color (perceived by eye) and practical color (working with pigments). The theoretical aspects are then proven in practical examples which are also used for demonstrating her watercolor techniques, producing some very pleasing artwork.
   
   Details on pigments are particularly valuable. Pigment properties like clarity, tinting strength, purity, value range, degree of opacity, consistency related to the degree of sediment, wet-on-wet behavior, staining when rewetted etc. will be new to many. Knowing such details will help you prevent some strange "accidents" that can spoil your work.
   
   Rare books on color point out the difference between the pigment-color contrasts and the light-color contrast. Hilary Page is very specific regarding these contrasts: she shows two types of color wheels and two sets of primary and complementary colors. She also explains "spectral reflectance curves" that give us an insight to understanding why printers use "balanced" primary colors.
   
   A book on color naturally requires high quality print without any color distortion and this one doesn't fail here either.



5. I'm new to watercolor painting and suffering from the beginner's consequence of too many books and too many paints. I wish I would have bought this book first, much time and $$ would have been saved. Her suggestions for testing each tube of paint to learn unique pigment qualites, pigment colors, color theory, color schemes, primary colors, complements, and optical mixtures have proven invaluable.
   
   The excercises included are easy to follow and serve to instill her unsaid mantra. Learn your paints learn your paints learn your paints! I've had this book for several months - still working through some of her excercises and foresee that I will continue to refer to this book many times in the future.

5 comments about Skydyes: A Visual Guide to Fabric Painting.

1. Skydyes: A Visual Guide to Fabric Painting I purchased this for a friend who had been unable to get it in N.Z. through book stores. It arrived very promptly and she is delighted with it. Judi Exton.



2. An excellent resource written by one of the experts in the field of fabric dying.



3. I am very happy with this book. I'm going to attend a workshop with Mickey Lawler in August so I was pleased at how fast the book arrived. It is everything I expected it to be.



4. An inspiring and well written book that takes the guess work and mystery out of creating your own fabrics. Mickey's style is user-friendly, approachable and encouraging. The illustrations are good and Mickey's own fabric creations will inspire the reader to try their hand at this art form. I highly recommend this book!



5. A must have reference book for fabric painting.

3 comments about Timeless Techniques for Better Oil Paintings.

1. This one goes right up there with the Andrew Loomis books and Richard Schmid's Alla Prima.



2. This is a book for anyone interested in improving their painting skills. There are a thousand books on art technique out there, but this one is a gem. Whatever your skill level, if your interest is traditional, representational painting, there is something to be learned here. I've been painting seriously for ten years, and I've never seen the basics so clearly explained. We all need to bust ourselves back down to fundamentals from time to time, and this book does it in a way that is a true pleasure.



3. Have read many art books over many years and found this to be one of the best dialogues on values I ever read. Color harmony, placement and conceptual input very useful to experienced artist. Artists works are lively with color and represent a skilled painter of people and places.

4 comments about All That Is Glorious Around Us: Paintings from the Hudson River School.

1. If you are a fan of the Hudson River school, you will not be disappointed with this book. The illustrations are large and clear, and the overview is precise. However, as noted by a previous reviewer, this is not a very detailed book. It is only a coffee table book after all.



2. Arrived in excellent condition, fabulous book,prompt service, couldn't ask for any better value!



3. This book is a reprint of a 1978 exhibition catalogue of one person's private collection. There is a short (7 page) essay at the beginning which gives an overview of the Hudson River School. The rest of the book consists of illustrations of around 60 paintings, each by a different artist. Most of the artists are obscure, while the well-known painters (Bierstadt, Church, Cole) are not represented by their best works.

   If you want an in-depth study of the Hudson River School with illustrations of its best paintings, this is not the book for you.




4. I was more than pleased when I received this book. I teach American Literature classes at a university. I have been searching for an art book which represents adequate examples of the Hudson River School. I plan to use this book to show students samples of this type of early American art including artist Thomas Cole's paintings in connection with this time period in literature. I feel I could not have ordered a book which could have suited my purposes any better!

3 comments about The Magic of Remedios Varo.

1. While I found UNEXPECTED JOURNEYS more fun to read and enjoy visually, I am glad I added this to my shelf next to Janet Kaplan's work on the terrific surrealist female artist, Remedios Varo.
   
   If you are unfamiliar with the artist, this book is a nice introduction to her work, person, milieu, and style. It's a companion book created for an exhibition of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (back in, I think, 2000?) This is a reprint version.
   
   As I am Hispanic, I enjoyed that it is a bilingual edition (so I can read in either language).
   
   Since the other reviews didn't say much about the book itself, here's what the contents are:
   
   1. Sponsor's statement
   2. Acknowledgements
   3. Prologo/Foreword by Rafael Tovar
   4. Mensaje/Message by Jesus R. Reyes Heroles
   5. Descifrando la magia de Remedios Varo: Una Pintora de Mexico, que emergio del surrealismo/ Deciphering the Magic of Remedios Varo: An Artist from Mexico Who Emerged from Surrealism by Luis Martin-Lozano
   6. Color Plates
   7. Exhibition Checklist
   8 Remedios Varo: A Biographical Sketch
   9. Selected Bibliography
   
   The cover, inside back cover and frontispiece are a joy. The cover is a large reproduction (part folded over to become an inside-front flap) of The Juggler (detail). It's really beautifully reproduced. And the back inside flap cover is a reproduction of the image of THE CALL (one of my fave Varo paintings). The frontispiece is a detail from Armonia/Harmony. And the color plates are quality reproductions, but sadly, rather small ones. Not mostly whole-page repros. But the colors and sharpness are nice. You will surely enjoy the art images.
   
   Varo's art is magical and mystical and metaphysical and alchemical and full of psychological depth. And there is humor, too. Her face is often the face of the women in her art (look at photos of her and compare.)
   
   If you enjoy surrealist art, you will have a visual treat here. If you're new to Varo, you will learn something and SEE something of her. If you just collect Varo books--the few out there-- here's another.
   
   Enjoy.
   
   Mir



2. I saw Varo's art for the first time at the National Gallery for Women in the Arts. Instantly she became one of my favorite artists. Her imagery is definitely strange and dream-like, but it has its own sensibility. "Magic" is actually a good word for it, because alchemy and the supernatural are common themes of hers.
   
   If you're not familiar with Remedios Varo but love the strange and unusual in art, I'd highly recommend this book. It's not the same as seeing the real thing (which blew my mind) but as far as I've seen, it's the next best thing.



3. remedios varo is a surrealist in the sense that she is utterly original in her definition of reality. i feel like she lies somewhere between m.c. escher and frida kahlo, somehow fusing his old-world, masculine attention to the making of fine art, and kahlo's guttural, organic approach to story-telling; really, though, to compare the work of remedios varo to that of others is a grave mistake - - she is entirely herself, her art is a world all it's own. this book presents her work in a fine way, some of the pieces are a little small on the page - - i believe her work has such fine detail, it must be seen very close to truly appreciate that aspect of it. but it has a good biography section on her, and the rest is divided into themes running through her work illustrated through the paintings they contain, which i found intriguing. a great book, i am proud to have it.

No comments about Painting Techniques (WF /Color & Co. Art for Kids).

2 comments about Garden of Paris Sketchbook.

1. A lovely collection of art on the gardens around Paris, printed on high quality paper. The book displays your favourite gardens but does introduce you to a series off gardens that would otherwise go unnoticed by the casual tourist. Highly recommended for the quality of the art work and the informal conversational tone of the writing



2. This book is by far one of the very best art sketch books, like the other sketch books from Editions Didier Millet, it is printed on watercolor paper, the colors are bright and vivid. The drawings have just the right detail, and the text exciting to read. I learned about Paris, about drawing, and adding colors to my own works of art after seeing this book. This book is a must for a traveler, or just the person who wants insight to travel destinations. The pictures are so skillfully drawn and painted by Fabrice Moireau, they will fill your imagination with dreams of being in each scene. This book is a real treasure and keepsake. I think it would make a wonderful and impressive gift as well.

1 comments about Beatrix Potter's Art: A Selection of Paintings and Drawings.

1. This is an outstanding book and a must-have for those who love Beatrix Potter's work. While most people think of Potter as the author of those delightful children's books, this book shows the full range of her work. Anne Stevenson Hobbs did an outstanding job in presenting the art in a very enjoyable manner - a real plus for those lucky enough to own this book.

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

1. What a refreshing way to introduce a person to watercolor painting! As a lifelong teacher I can appreciate the step by step, non-intimidating approach used by this author, and as a newbie to painting, I love the comfort level engendered. I have bought my supplies and cannot wait to begin. This would be a great gift for someone.



2. 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.



3. 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...



4. 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.



5. 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.

1 comments about Painting Animals (Decorative Painter's Library).

1. Painting Animals is a fantastic book for all decorative painters! The contents cover everything from supplies needed and care of brushes, painting techniques with detailed brushstrokes, preparing surfaces, specialty finishes, and projects from easy to challenging levels. Each project contains a supply list, full page photo of project, detailed instruction, pattern and step by step photographs to help guide you through the lesson. If you love to paint or want to learn decorative painting, this book can get you started and help you grow as an artist.