4 comments about I Shock Myself: The Autobiography of Beatrice Wood.

1. Being a potter and a Beato fan, I truly enjoyed the time I spent with this autobiography. I was fascinated by how her life unfolded from her relationships with those in art to her own creation of art. How her world which was largely centered around the men she knew, changed as she found herself in clay.
   I loved how this story unfolded and I was sad when it ended.



2. I am going to be honest and say what this autobiography meant to me.... Starting with her early days as an artist to an actress breaking from her mother's shell. To her associations with Duchamp,Roche,Varese,Reginald Pole,Krishnumarti and other well-known men. And it tells of the struggles she went through in paying the price to learn of life and her amazing stories in India,France..etc; were very interesting to read. I enjoyed her stories with the beloved Arensbergs' for they were very important in her life. Before this book I didn't have knowledge of most of the artists in her life. She has opened new doors! I laughed hysterically at her descriptions of her years with Pole and Steve.She is a riot!

   An amazing woman really. This book will remain with me forever and I will read it again and again. For someone like myself can't beleve there is so much adventure in life. She died this spring at 105,in her heart 32. I would have loved to meet her.All I can do now is remember her and try to learn more about her life and art. I loved her and she is an inspiration to all humanity with her marvelious statements on the facts of life.Afterall,she lived 105 years and paid the price. A definate book to add to a collection for any Beato fan or curious book reader!




3. As a potter, I'd hoped to learn more about her art. However,there were some gems to be found in the text. I really enjoyed the stories about several other famous people in her life. She is brutally honest in her opinions and I like that. On the downside... it was a bit too "socially conscious" in places, for my own taste. Overall, I enjoyed the book and will read more by her. I wrote a personal letter to her, regarding her book and she answered me promptly... twice! Great lady! Wonderful clay-artist! :-) An interesting read, for sure.



4. Highly recommended, artist Beatrice Wood's autobiography, "I Shock Myself" gives the read a glimpse into her illustrious life and art. I could not put this book down

No comments about Contemporary Public Sculpture: Tradition, Transformation, and Controversy.

No comments about Carving Hummingbirds.

No comments about Tomb Sculpture: Four Lectures on Its Changing Aspects from Ancient Egypt to Bernini.

1 comments about Ceramica y Cultura: The Story of Spanish and Mexican May�lica.

1. This book is one of the most complete sources on this ceramic ware, which came from Spain with the Conquest and continues today in the center of Mexico.

No comments about Creating with Plaster.

No comments about Niki de Saint Phalle.

No comments about Taste and the Antique: The Lure of Classical Sculpture, 1500-1900.

5 comments about Prehistoric Origami: Dinosaurs and Other Creatures.

1. A great book for paper enthusiasists. No matter you're a novice or an expert, you'll find challenges in this wonderful book. Mr Montroll is really brilliant in this book, the illustration and step-by-step explaination is easy to follow and yet challenging. Take out a piece of square paper and begin folding to appreciate his creation. It's not simply origami, it's truly paper engineering.



2. This book contains some wonderful models. Being a dinosaur enthusiast (what kid isn't?) in my younger years, this book provided a great amount of fun and challenge.
   
   My sole complaint with these models are their relatively dated perspective on dinosaurs. These greatly resemble older views of dinosaurs where sluggish lizards lumber through swamps and marshes with their tails dragging on the ground. Of course, this gave me ample opportunity to try diversifying my skills by "improving" the final result.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to both beginner and advanced folders. While the models might not be as challenging as those produced by Lang and Brill, the final results are well worth it.



3. I had the honor of proof reading the diagrams in this book before it went to print. (I'm the second Mark in the dedication). John Montroll is a brilliant author. His style is amazing, achieving maximum model size from the paper. This is a great book for everyone who enjoys dinosaurs and origami.



4. A book about dinosaurs folded from paper, a simple idea, really. But take a deeper look, and this is one of the most engaging origami books on the subject ever-for that matter, perhaps it is one of the best origami books ever. I know it is one of my top ten books. Enough praise, you want to know what's in it. Well, as Montroll usually does, the beginning models are so easy, I think you could fold them from sheet metal...an egg, mountain, and tree. Soon though, the dinosaurs begin, and slowly but surely the difficulty rises, until culminating with a Stegosaurus. Other dinosaurs include, T-rex, a bunch of gliding dinos, and others such as Dimetrodon and Spinosaurus. I would recommend this to any Dinosaur fan, and/or origami fan. However, a true beginner would find this book to be boring, because after the three 'sheet metal' models, the difficulty rises 2 or 3 fold. If you can make the first 4 or 5, you can probably learn to make them all. In short, a great buy!



5. When i saw a dinosaur origami book i didn't think twice before buying it! I was bored with simple books making kitties and ducks, but these designs are very ORIGINAL! They are tricky and i often get frustrated with the complicated folds, but when i get a folded dinosaur all of my own in the end, I am so happy!! (No, I'm not a child either i just love dinosaurs!) I own a few origami books and have found this one is a favorite pick, besides the dinosaurs, i just love complicated folds! If you love dinosdaurs, origami, and a stiff challenge this book is for YOU!

3 comments about Charming Handmade Clay Crafts: Decorative Techniques & Projects.

1. I am very dissapointed with my book. The condition is ok, but it is an old library book with stickers and stamps throughout.



2. This book is so complete. I have wanted to work in clay for some time but was a bit intimidated by the process. The clear and colorful photos of all steps with text that includes every detail makes this book perfect for me. I was impressed by the sheer creativity and number of projects that can be made just by handbuilding. I am wildly inspired. The whole book is so juicy!



3. I found this book packed with inspiration. Explains projects thoroughly and has lots of pictures as well. The projects are cute and fun to make. I think is a great book for a beginner.