2 comments about Wonders in Wood: 46 Puzzles and Other Novelties to Make and Solve.

1. Not a fan of this book. It is more of a picture book than anything. The diagrams show some measurements and give you a little info on the project but there is no step-by-step directions if that is what you are looking for. Some neat little wood puzzles are in the book but most of them are the puzzles where you take the thing apart and wonder how you get it back together or look at it an wonder how it was made.



2. excellent puzzle, but the books does not have instructions, so you need good skill in woodworking, no beginner.

5 comments about Wire in Design: Modern Wire Art & Mixed Media (Jewelry Crafts).

1. I liked the begining of this book when they talked about wire and different properties. It was a little too focused on non jewelry items for my liking. However, I did learn some good things. A lot of the designs were somewhat complicated and fanciful for my taste.
   
   I just think it's an okay book.



2. This was one of the first books I bought when I started making jewelry and is still by far, the most inspirational. The variety of the artists covered and their different styles is what I love. The section on Lynne Merchant was truly one of the reasons I started working with wire, and my life has never been the same! The projects offered in this are interesting and offer a nice opportunity for a person to follow the directions, but still end up with something completely unique.
   [...]



3. This book has beautiful illustrations, detailed and well chosen content and a nice cross section of the artists' crafts in wire. Best of all, it inspires the creative spark.



4. This book is a wonderful look into the world of wire jewelry and other wire made products. If you are a serious wire artist then this book will hold your interest. If you are just buying it for wire projects then I would not recommend you buy it. Although the projects are laid out well and easy to follow they are not the best collection of projects I've seen. I was more impressed with the content of the beginning of the book the delves into the world of wire working and design. BUY THIS BOOK if you have a love for wire. You will not be disappointed.



5. Above all, this book shares with us a detailed article (with pictures!) with one of the most influential wire jewelry artisans of the past decade - Lynne Merchant. IMHO, the recently popular thick, oxidized silver, tribal/ethnic, coiled/wrapped style starts with her.
   
   It's interesting to see that at least three of the other artists profiled in the book have mentioned taking classes with Lynne. To see their work, and how they have taken the skills that they have learned from Lynne and utilzed them to develop a style of their own, is just fantastic.

1 comments about Chris Burden.

1. I actually bought this book for myself, because my dad and brother had both bought it and I couldn't stand not having my own copy to spend loads of time mulling over. This book is a great retrospective book, full of pieces and images of pieces you may not even know, shedding new light on an already amazing artist...It also has some really great critical essays.. enjoy...

5 comments about Sandcastles: Great Projects: From Mermaids to Monuments.

1. The pictures that are there are somewhat nice, but most sculptures are only shown from one angle, which doesn't give you much idea of how they were constructed. There are no pictures at all of the sculptures in progress, and not much in the way of pictures of human hands manipulating tools to demonstrate how such things are done.
   
   The instructions are far worse. They are, LITERALLY, as such- "To sculpt a dragon and a castle, pile up a big pile of sand. carve into a castle. pile up more sand. carve into a dragon." I wish I were kidding. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."
   
   I was enticed to buy it by the cover photo of the dragon, and really disappointed there were no pictures of that sculpture in progress. Also, compare the castles in this book to the castles in "sandcastles made simple", and it's no contest. These are not nearly as neat or detailed.
   
   There are a few somewhat useful tips on sand stacking/packing techniques at the beginning, but you can find those same techniques illustrated far better in Sandcastles Made Simple. "Great projects" is a waste of money, and very little help to a novice.



2. Okay - chock full o' instructions. Some nice pictures - but some pretty goofy stretches for sand projects. Recipe guides, equipment lists, yada yada.

   Nice try... but not something I think would be much fun for adults, and too geeky for the kids.




3. Seems to be just another "Hey look what I did" book. When a book has "great projects" in its title, you would expect some useful information about completing such projects. It made me think of a book on weather projects that said "Stick your hand out of the window to see if it's raining." Although this was not as bad as others, it was not all that useful for completing any sand castle project. There were some pretty pictures and a few good tips (that's why I gave the second star). Buy 'The S.o.B. "take me to the beach" Sand Castle Book' instead.



4. After enjoying a similar book for snow sculptures, I have to admit that I thought this book didn't match up to its counterpart. The examples presented here seem to be lacking something in both quality and quantity. Overall I'd say that this book does not seem to be sufficiently "kid-friendly."



5. If you have very little experience of building in the sand, then this book is for you! The size and sturdiness of the book is great for taking on the beach with you. The projects are pretty basic, so even young children can join in on the fun.

   If you have "dabbled" in the sand before and are looking for some new inspirations, then I think this book will be a disappointment. Though there are a few good suggestions, most of what's in it I've learned from experimenting on my own.

   If you want a book for taking to the beach and for the entire family to have fun with, then this is the book! Otherwise, I wouldn't waste my money!! (Even tho I did!! :>)

2 comments about Creating Welded Sculpture.

1. I bought this book to get technique and how-to ideas and found it gave extensive how-to directions for HIS method of build-up brazed sculpture using oxy/acet torches. His instructions on building basic structures, frameworks, melting/dribbling on brazing rod to fill-in/surface the framework, and mounting/finishing your sculpture are well done. BUT, it only gave (very) limited technique ideas on other metal sculpture techniques. If you are interested in using electric based welding techniques to build steel, stainless or alum sculptures, you may want to look elsewhere.



2. I purchased this book with the intent of learning to weld as a sculptor. What I found was a book that tried to be several things at once and mostly confused me. There is a dearth of technical info that goes into lengthy explanations of welding techiniques. But the illustrations in support of it are somewhat simplistic and even sometimes counter to the written explanation. There are also several 'projects' which are intended to help the student progress from simple to complex. But the projects seem to make great leaps forward in complexity without sufficient explanation. I get the feeling this would be a great course supplemental in the hands of a skilled instructor, but for a novice or even intermediate seeking self-education I would not recommend it.

2 comments about Capturing Nature: The Cement Sculpture of Dionicio Rodriquez (Rio Grande/Rio Bravo: Borderlands Culture & Traditions).

1. A vey complete account of the life and work of this craftsman whose work stands today scattered over the southwest. Excellent research and good photography--well done!



2. Like author Patsy Light, I was intrigued when I moved to San Antonio, Texas by the strange concrete false-wood constructions that dot the city: a jungle hut bus stop on Broadway, an arbor footbridge in Brackenridge Park, a 125-foot long rail fence at the Alamo Cement Company's headquarters. Who, I thought, would do something like this? Architectual historian Light has now provided the answer in this well-researched book illustrated with beautiful color pgotographs. They are the work of Dionicio Rodriguez, a master craftsman trained in Mexico who came to San Antonio in 1924 and went on to create visionary environments all over the United States until his death in 1955. Rodriguez left no papers or plans, and Light spent 10 years tracking down men and women who worked with him to gather material for this book. The person who emerges from her interviews is a dapper and secretive man who worked in overalls pulled on over a three-piece suit and mixed his colors in the trunk of his car so that his helpers could not learn his secrets. He was prosperous enough to buy a new car every year during the Depression, and he and his crew travelled from San Antonio all over the country to create such wonders as a grotto lined with conch shells in Port Arthur, Texas, a 19th-century mill with a 10,000-pound concrete waterwheel in North Little Rock, Arkanas, and a cemetery ornamented with Biblical landmarks in Memphis, Tennessee.
   
   Rodriguez's skill with concrete and color enabled him to create unique environments in the 19th-century rustic tradition that rank with Sam Rodia's Watts Towers and Leonard Knight's Salvation Mountain. This wonderful book will appeal to anyone interested in rustic architecture, folk art, visionary environments, or just plain whackiness.

2 comments about Runaway Girl: The Artist Louise Bourgeois (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards)).

1. I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages who want to know more about Louise Bourgeois and her work. It's beautifully designed, straight-forward, full of information, and inspring.



2. As you read RUNAWAY GIRL, a beautifully-crafted book that illuminates Louise Bourgeois's story, it is impossible not to keep your eyes on the art. The book is absolutely saturated with vivid photographs of the ninety-two year-old artist's work, as well as a progression of photos of Louise throughout a life that spanned nearly the entire twentieth century and has continued on into the new millennium. Louise's story--from a childhood in France to an apartment in Manhattan--encompasses family, creativity, and personal evolution, as well as her historic role in breaking down sexual barriers in the art world.

   But what makes RUNAWAY GIRL such an important piece of nonfiction for young adults is that unique peek at the psychological roots of an artist's creativity. Greenberg & Jordan provide the perfect measure of Louise's early years in order for us to understand those roots without ever getting bogged down in extraneous detail. The extensive access to her inner life that this controversial artist has granted the authors and their readers makes the book inspiring and unique. I didn't expect to enjoy a book about some female artist I'd never heard of before, but to find out why some two-story-high spiders represent her mother and herself totally captivated me.

   "From one of Louise Bourgeois's journals:

   The Runaway Girl who never grew up.
   I need no support nor comfort.
   I need no safety net, no breakfast.
   No lunch or tea, no visitors, no telephone calls nor little messages.
   No little concerts, no hype, or encouragement for big projects.
   No ambitions, no spying on my neighbors.
   I need nothing...I can wait, I am not afraid, I am an adult.
   Nothing is lacking."

   It is also fascinating to see little snippets of the artist at work. For instance, the authors describe her creation of one of my favorite pieces of her art:

   "She would go back to [the marble quarries in] Pietranta many times in the sixties and again in the eighties. Jerry Gorovoy, who accompanied her on one such trip, says there wasn't much time for sightseeing. They arrived at their hotel in the evening and instead of going to a restaurant or walking around town, she insisted on getting right to work. Jerry says that Louise had a hard time relaxing. 'If you take her to the beach, she can sit still for about five minutes. Then she gets restless.' Unfortunately, Louise hadn't packed any art supplies--no clay, wax or Plasticine. So she asked Jerry for the shirt off his back. She folded and shaped it, stitching the cotton into position until she was satisfied with the form. The next day at the quarry she changed the design somewhat, then applied gesso, a liquid plaster, to harden the fabric. A larger, marble version was measured and roughed out by the craftsmen at the quarry according to her specifications. Then it was shipped to the studio [in Brooklyn], where, upon her return, she carefully reworked it with a chisel. Eventually Jerry's shirt evolved into Femme Maison, 1983, a fresh interpretation of her familiar subject."

   RUNAWAY GIRL concludes with a variety of useful resources, including "How to Look at a Sculpture," and "Where to View Artwork by Louise Bourgeois," as well as an expansive glossary, a bibliography, and a chronological listing of her work.

   " What happens next? That is her main focus. And so she stays at home on Twentieth Street, spinning her memories, fantasies, and ideas into art. Free with her thoughts and feelings, up to a point, she lets us know that there are other secrets, other ideas and thoughts to consider about her, about her work. 'I'm a long distance runner. I'm a lonely runner and that's the way I like it.' "

   It was a delight to "meet" Louise. Long may she run.

1 comments about Eva Hesse: Sculpture.

1. Eva Hesse was one of those rare creative spirits who took the unsettled, unhappy, tragic, and difficult aspects of her life and used the underpinnings of uncertainty to forge a wholly unique and superbly creative body of work. "Oh...more absurdity!" she would exclaim, reviewing her latest creation. One hears in that comment an undertone of glee, that she has unleashed another unheard-of creation upon the world. Her use of uncoventional materials is also a provocative element of her work, and she knew that...saying "art doesn't last...life doesn't last..." and this was before her terrible diagnosis of brain cancer in her early 30's. As with the early death of Mozart, here we have an instance of a powerfully creative spirit cut off in her prime. Who knows what powerful masterpieces she would have created had she lived on...(she would have been 70 this year...not unreasonably old...)
   This book is a superb combination of photographic documentation, subtle and well-thought-out essays and careful production (layout, color plates, binding...all are top-notch!) Of special interest are the reproductions and essays about the yearbooks/scrapbooks compiled by her father, detailing her growth and life in the early stages, including photographs, documents, graphs, etc. Works of art in themselves! All art-lovers of any stripe should consider this excellent volume for inclusion in their library.

2 comments about Compound Christmas Ornaments for the Scroll Saw: Easy-to-Make and Fun-to-Give Projects for the Holidays (Christmas).

1. This is one of those books that helps those who are only semi-creative get some ideas on how to make projects their own. Most of the patterns are not overly complex. Some of them are going to seem pretty challenging for folks who are not too far into their scroll-sawing avocation. The photography is worth the price of the book. Different treatments of the various projects, different textures, different color combos, all help the craft mechanic to become a possibility thinker. The book presumes some familiarity with scrolling. It's not a book for a rank beginner, but most of the patterns can be accomplished by a person who has learned to cut a two dimensional project with inside and outside cuts. For those reasons alone, it's a good one to have on your shelf. Highly recommended.



2. I recommend this book. The designs are interesting. Very thin ornaments when you're finished cutting them. All come with directions/suggestions on how to paint them.

5 comments about Robert Rauschenberg: Combines.

1. Living in a place where its rare to see an original Rauschenberg combine, this book has standout photgraphs of the works, with detailed views to complement the full image- the first two essays also provide some keen insights into the processes and influences on Rauschenberg's life and work. Definitely recommend for artists
   or interested art followers. These works constitute what I think were the finest in his career.



2. It is great to be able to have this book as a remembrance of the great exhibition it illustrates. Every single piece reproduced here is a masterpiece of creativity and the quality of the reproductions do justice to the works of art, which is no small achievement considering that the Combines are intricate mixtures of sculptures and paintings. You also discover what a master of color the artist is, an aspect often overlooked by his critics. I love Rauschenberg's Combines, they give me joy, they make me happy and so does this book.



3. This book blatantly rocks my world. It has a very nice selection of images, and is much more affordable than the godly $900 retrospective catalogue. Amen.



4. This book is a catalogue for current exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and then the Museum of Contemporary Art, LA, and in Europe at the Pompidou Center, Paris and the Moderna Museet, Stockholm.
   
   As installed at the Metropolitan Museum of art, the show is stunning. It's astonishing that this exhibit is the first time these works from the 1950's have been shown together. These "combines" -- art somewhere between painting, collage, and sculpture -- are a foundation of modern art, so much so that art of the second half of the century is hardly conceivable without them. This makes looking at the work afresh more difficult than usual, since seeing these pieces together in 2006 means also viewing through a legacy and school of influence.
   
   But what phenomenal pieces they are! You can see Rauschenberg gobbling down visual techniques whole - collage, assemblage, juxtaposing printed images, materials, sculpture. They are daringly junky and breathtakingly beautiful. I have know idea whether you'd call this conceptual art, or the most luscious, messy opposite of conceptual art you've ever seen. The works are fearlessness. Really inspiring.
   
   The catalogue has excellent reproductions, and the photography is quite good at conveying the depth of the pieces - some of the works are presented from several angles so the more sculptural pieces are well conveyed.



5. ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG: COMBIINES is the name of an exhibition currently on display and one garnering some of the warmest acceptance by both critics and public alike of any retrospective survey in years. Not that Rauschenberg is a 'discovery' unearthed by this generous volume: there have been many excellent monographs and catalogues printed about this extraordinarily gifted artist who for the past half century has been creating art from found and constructed objects.
   
   Rauschenberg's art has always had secondary messages - political, anti-war, ethnic, sexual, and ecological statements - housed in the fascinatingly complex assemblages that are part of the collections of the major museums around the world. This fine book limits its survey to the prescient years 1954 to 1964, that period during which Rauschenberg became well known and highly respected for his art and beliefs. Curator Paul Schimmel writes a fine essay about this period and accompanies his own perceptions with those garnered from a very informative shared conversation with Rauschenberg himself. Likewise Thomas Crow writes an immensely readable chapter on just how Rauschenberg came in this realm of artistic expression and from Crow's writing we learn much about the mid-century changes in American art.
   
   The reproductions of the art works are excellent and if there aren't as many images as one would wish, it is because of the self-imposed limited time frame in Rauschenberg's career of the exhibition. A fine volume, highly recommended for all art history majors and for those under the spell of this great artist. Grady Harp, February 06