Artists Books

I still take this book out from our huge home library -- sorry, we have a lot of books -- to look at Kris'paintings and the subtle words that tell about her life.

Ricky was my first love. I was seven years old when I first heard him sing "Travellin' Man" and the family meant so much to me as a child. I know they weren't real now, and Rick and Kris' children are all grown and Ozzie and Harriet are long gone. But... Is Kris still painting? Where are you, Kris? Remember Saint Martin of Tours in Brentwood?

This book was received as a gift, after reading it I just could not put it down. It's true interest from start to finish, Kris did a great job with this book with alot of talent and love!

I recommend any Rick Nelson fan, get a copy and enjoy!!

There was a time when all of us and our mothers too were in love with Rick Nelson. But the one most in love with him was Kris Harmon, who became his wife in April 1963. She wrote a book about this life, and it is a book from which everyone can learn -- from her example, her words, and her artwork.

Rick Nelson brought rock music into the living rooms of America and made it acceptable. He was the teen idol of a generation - the Prince of Rock and Roll in the days when Elvis was the King. I am appalled that the kid at Starbuck's doesn't know who Rick Nelson is today.

Rick's fans have always criticized Kris for reasons I only partially understand. (Remember, they weren't wild about Yoko either.) For instance, Kris had a temper; Rick did not. His fans criticized her when she was with him on the road and when she was not. Kris and the kids always had to compete with the fans and his band for his attention. Rick liked being a father, but he was not home very often.

In 1981, she left the marriage and Rick reluctantly. Rick's sudden death in an airplane crash in December 1985 shocked the nation and left many people in addition to his family bereft for a long time. I attended a Tribute to him in 1993 in L.A. and was surprised at the number of people from all over the world who grieved his death as a personal loss.

In 1987, Kris was accused by her family of being an unfit mother at the time she sought treatment for pill and alcohol addiction. This is, unfortunately, a reason that keeps many women from seeking treatment when they need it. Asking for help takes courage; getting help means one will be a better mother. To be punished for it enrages me still. She discusses this time in her life without sparing the hurt.

The book has over 100 of her paintings in it and many poems. Some reviewers have called it a daybook, or journal, not a traditional autobiography. It is a memoir in the true meaning of the word -she has elevated her personal story to a more universal level.

When asked in an interview once how she feels about Rick now, she said something like, "I miss him. He was funny. We were friends and had fun. And I still miss him." After all those years of fights in court, the truth emerges.

Kris is building an extraordinary legacy. It is clear that she finds solace and salvation in her artwork and in New Mexico. She is, for the first time, being recognized as herself, not the daughter of someone famous, or the wife of someone famous, or the mother of someone famous - but for herself. And it is clear that she has learned that death ends a life, but not a relationship.

I always loved The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, especially when Kristin joined the cast in later years. This book is Kris's autobiography, a personal glimpse into her life and soul, and an in-depth look at the woman behind the actress on TV. A very gifted artist, Kris expresses herself through her paintings. I marveled at the detail in each work of art, examining each one and identifying the people and elements within. Also present are excerpts from her personal journal and poetry, many filled with sadness and poignancy reflecting Kris's struggles throughout her life. This book is largely a celebration, however, of the life of a very gifted artist. I hope Kris writes another book one day.

After watching a presentation about Rick Nelson's career on VH1, I was uncomfortable with the portrayal of Kristin Nelson. Curious about her, I purchased a copy of, "Our Of My Mind." What an interesting book! Through the use of her paintings, poems, photographs, and diary entries, she recalls her life.
A victor over her personal struggles, a successful single mother, and a talented artist, one can only admire her.

The main feature of this book is its 150 photographs taken by photographer Evelyn Cameron in eastern Montana during the years of its earliest settlement, first by ranchers in the late 19th century and then by streams of homesteaders in the early decades of the 20th century. In the latter regard, it is an excellent companion to Jonathan Raban's "Bad Land." Most amazing is the vast range of photographs, including family portraits, group shots of cowboys, threshers, and sheep shearers, ranch buildings, open prairie, wild life, store fronts, wild horses, herds of sheep and cattle, badlands, social gatherings, and farm equipment.

We get glimpses into the lives of the wealthy and the dirt poor. None of the photographs were shot in a studio, and taken together they represent a broad sweep of frontier life across a handful of decades. The text provides a detailed life of the photographer herself, a remarkably spirited and self-sufficient English woman who has left us this marvelous and revealing record of a time long passed.

This work is a treasure. Evelyn Cameron and her husband, born into English society, established a ranch in eastern Montana early in the development of that part of the west. A need for additional income and a love of photography lead Evelyn to produce a large number of high quality photographs. Those photographs represent a historical archive of enormous value. The photos show the people of the time, how they made a living, and the tools that they used. My personal favorite is a photo Evelyn took of herself in her kitchen; she sent it to relatives in England to show them her life on the Montana frontier. It was a life of hardship, but also of achievement. The quality of Cameron's work is the equal of other great western photographers of the era, such as Jackson or Huffman, and it records a side of life not represented by anyone else. There is a balance in this book between text and reproduced photographs. It is a biography of Evelyn Cameron, including excerpts from her journals, as well as an exhibition of her photographs. A museum and gallery in Terry, Montana, is a repository of Evelyn Cameron's work and the total number of photographs is several times what this book is able to present. One hopes that other volumes of Cameron's photos will be published in the near future.

I live in the area of the photographer's subjects, and totally enjoyed the book and its' subject. The photographs, along with Evelyn Cameron's diary accounts of daily happenings, gave a captivating decription of what many of our homesteading ancestors endured. This is very enjoyable reading for anyone.

Evelyn Cameron left her English home to become a rancher in Montana in the late 1800s: she used her photography skills to help support her family, and captured Montana life in the process. Photographing Montana gathers photos which portray early Montana life and deserves a spot in any Montana history collection as well as in art libraries seeking examples of regional photographic talent. Excerpts from her diaries and letters include plenty of autobiographical insights.

This book, by Time-Life books editor Donna Lucey, has some very interesting photographs of Montana, taken about halfway between the Lewis and Clark expedition of two hundred years ago and today. Yes, the early 1900s were right in the middle of Evelyn Cameron's career.

Cameron, nee Flower, was one tough and talented lady. She moved to Montana with her husband Ewen, going there initially in 1889, on a hunting trip for their honeymoon. I found the stories and pictures of life in Montana fascinating. Much of the book deals with the growth of Terry, a town in the eastern part of the state, on the Yellowstone river.

At the time, the Kodak camera was the instrument of choice for most American photographers, however Cameron did much of her work with a 5x7 Graflex. There are dozens of her photos in this book.

Although Cameron died in 1928, Lucey was lucky enough to obtain many of Cameron's photos from one of Cameron's friends, Janet Williams, who was 95 years old by the time Lucey met her in August of 1979.

In 2002, PBS began shooting a documentary about Cameron, and it was released last year. It includes over 200 of Cameron's photos (over 100 of which are not in this book), and it won four regional Emmy awards. It was the first high-definition documentary for Montana PBS.

I recommend this book.

Among the lighter and more overlooked sorrows of living in a post-terroristic era of conflict is all of the fun that could once be had, but no more, like - arguably - everything that takes place in this engrossing and extremely, extremely funny book, but one in particular: cleaning out one's refrigerator by mailing everything rotten (there's a way to do this with no postage, though you'll have to read this book to find out, and if you were to try it now, you'd have 10 SWAT teams on your doorstep in 36 hours or less) to everyone who might have ever annoyed you in some way.

Sigh...

Read this book, and I promise you'll never forget it.

-David Alston

This is the ultimate prankster handbook, an inspirational guide to mischief and mayhem. It is one of those books you can read bit by bit as there is a lot of material to absorb (not that you couldn't read it all at once, but it's like a rich cheesecake, you will want to savour each bite instead of gorging). The interviews are of varied allurement, some yielding more elation than others, but then you can't please everyone all of the time. Some of the stories told seem almost too wild to be real, until you see the accompanying photographs or news clippings and realize that some people have far better stories to tell than you or I ever will. And they aren't kidding, either.
Definitely makes my top 5 must-have "non-fiction or reference" books.

I lost my first copy of this in Nags Head in 1993. That's OK, it should be shared with as many people as possible because the pages are filled with shocking, playful, silly pranks from a host of prank 'generes.' A guy blows himself up at a high school reunion, another paints american flags on snails and on and on and. The books seems to capture a pre-PC time also: the 1980s.

What fun! This book is packed with great interviews with people who like to make trouble. All are amusing and all are inspiring. My personal favorites are the Henry Rollins and the Earth First! interviews. The Rollins interview makes me laugh just thinking about it, and the Earth First! interview is exciting to read. It makes me itch to go out and prank away. An excellent and informative read.

I love this book. I thought I was the only weirdo out there, but this book inspires me to be weirder. Great interviews with Dead Kennedy singer Jello Biafra, Abbie Hoffman and Henry Rollins. One of the few books I pick up weekly, even though I've read it from cover to cover many times. Still cracks me up.

This book is a must for all people of all ages. Whether your a Chuck Norris fan or not. As one review put it, he lays his emotions and home life on the table. I found it so intriguing that I couldn't put the book down for long periods of time, because I wanted to know more. This book has begun to open my eyes to look inside myself. I'm so motivated that I am going to get his second inner strength book about ZEN! This book is easy to read and he is an inspiring teacher. It's so good that I don't want to give the book up!

I have seen Chuck Norris interviewed on several TV shows and he comes across as a very soft spoken shy man, yet you can tell he has a very powerful inner strength. In his career he has helped countless young people who doubted themselves to pick themselves up from despair and a feeling of uselessness and to believe in themselves and to do something great with their lives. He cares for his fellow man and has given of himself when he didn't have to. This book allows you to see inside his heart and to see and feel the struggles he has gone through and conquered. Chuck Norris is a Winner and so is this book. It is definitely a must read. Someone should do a movie on his life! He started at the bottom (he failed his first black belt test) and came out on top.

I like action movies, and TV. Chuck Norris is reliable and delivers in his films. But this book reveals a depth of character that seems to be depressiongly rare in the entertainment business.

In the end, Mr. Norris is an optimist.

He thinks that things will eventually work out OK.
He thinks that people can overcome adversity.
H thinks that people can succeed if they really apply thmeselves.

But he notes that success is rarely easy. Persistence and attitude are everything, and that strong character is essential. What are the elements of a strong character? According to Chuck Norris, they include the same qualities that The Boy Scouts and other institutions which claim to build character stress: Honesty, bravery, humility, humor, loyalty, commitment to truth, learning, duty, assissting others, etc.

If this book has a cental falw, it is the long (and often tedious) sections detailing some of Mr. Norris' films. But woven in wiht the narratives are some excellent insights into the value of strong character.

In the value free world of entertainment and media, Chuck Norris is not afraid or ashamed to state that "right" and "wrong" are valid and applicable concepts. He gives several concreate examples to express his life philosophy and the validity thereof. Being didactic and judgemental are often frowned upon in media, entertainment, and publishing. But Norris makes a case 9with anecdotes and examples) that sound judgements premised or rooted upon well-formed values, are a positive thing.

In the end, a portrait emerges of a man shaped by his values, not his past. And Chuck Norris had a very hard start in life. But he decided that he would not fall into despair; instead, he would rise above expectations, and succeed.

I can recommend this book for many reasons. THe two main reasons I do so are that it dispels the cyncial belief that honesty and good values are no longer worth anything. And in the end, Chuck Norris' life story serves as an inspirational motivator; to go out and make something of oneself.

This is a very positive book, and one I highly recommend.

Martial arts and film buffs will enjoy this book, which is a straightforward autobiography (written with the assistance of Joe Hyams). Be forwarned that this book was published in 1988 (at least my hardcover version), so the filmography doesn't cover his more recent works.

Norris describes his experiences from childhood, to the time spent in the armed forces, where he originally took up the matrial art of Tang Soo Do under Jae-chul Shin (who today runs the World Tang Soo Do Association).

This volume describes Norris's tournament days, including quite a bit about his competition experiences. There is also information about his family life, his entry into film making during his time as a karate (Tang Soo Do) instructor, and his experiences as a self-made actor in Hollywood. Throughout, he is honest as he describes his triumphs and mistakes.

Chuck Norris is the quintessential all-American guy who worked his tail off, took a big gamble, and came out on top. This book describes his journey from average joe, to martial arts instructor, to professional film star. This book includes two sections of photographs which show Norris from childhood, with family, in the services, in karate competition, and during the filming of his movies.

I thought I knew Chuck Norris before buying this book. But what I found was nothing that I ever expected. Chuck had a hard life and had health problems that he had to over come, talk about bad luck, nothing came easy for him, not even being born! If you are into self improvement or want a really inspiring story, buy this book and read it over and over again, the knowledge contained is great. It has a whole system of self development contained within, I have so much to say on this book, but read it for yourself, it's worth every penny!

Books with serious data on old Karate-do Masters' biography are not common, unfortunately. This one comes right to hit this spot. Learning Karate-do is far from being only punching and kicking. We need to learn and exercise other aspects, as already said by the Masters Nagamine presents in this book: philosophical, moral and historical aspects. Knowing the history, you know better your Karate-do. In addition, this book presents some peculiar aspects of Okinawan history and tradition (dance, Tegumi wrestling, etc.) and Nagamine's view of "Karate and Zen as one", presenting Zazen theory and exercises to complete the book in great style.

This book is a great read.

Valuable information on the early pioneers of karate, and important insights into their lives. This book is well written and exciting to read. I would say it is like reading fiction, but that belittles the historical accuracy of many of the accounts.

This book written by one of Okinawas legendary Masters and translated by one of Karate's leading authors is simply a masterpiece of writing. It gives detailed accounts of Okinawas early Te-Tode-Tuite Masters many of whom have never been written about before. It's a much more indepth account than Richard Kims Weaponless Warriors, not to knock Kim, and well worth the price. Lots of pictures and lots of info.

I highly recommend this book to all practioners of the Martial Art of Karate. Exploring not only his personal lineage but that of all the original styles of karate founded and developed on Okinawa, Shoshin Nagamine provides a great work and a first hand account of many of the mentioned Masters.
It is nice to know that historically correct information is starting to come out about the true origins of karate and of its' founders. It is also nice that a little bit of myth also surrounds those same founders. Shoshin Nagamine does well to dispell those myths.
By knowing and understanding truth from the past we grow today and prepare for the future. This reviewer is glad that Patrick McCarthy translated this work for the world to read.
Buy the book.

Shoshin Nagamine (1907 - 1997) was the founder of Matsubayashi-Ryu Karate-Do. He wrote The Essence of Okinawan Karate-Do, another valuable tome, in addition to this book. Practicing his art for more than 70 years, he achieved the rank of Hanshi (10th dan black belt) in karate and also earned black belts in judo, kendo, and sumo. He was president of the Okinawan Police Station, served as police chief of Naha City, and as an instructor of police judo teams in Okinawa, Japan. The guy not only knew his stuff, but was one heck of a good researcher. His insight into the titans of Okinawan martial arts is fascinating, a "must read" for any serious martial artist. Patrick McCarthy's translations are extraordinary. The book is a quick, easy read, coming across as if it had been written by a native English speaker. McCarthy even translates haiku into poetic, user-friendly English.

Nagamine Sensei spent a lifetime researching the budoka covered in his book. He trained and/or talked with some of them personally, interviewing the relatives and students of those who have passed on. He artfully portrays the exploits of Tode Sakugawa, Sokon Matsumura, Kosaku Matsumora, Anko Itosu, Gichin Funakoshi, Chotoku Kyan, Choki Motobu, Kanryo Higaonna and Ankichi Arakaki, to name a few, cutting through the fables and exaggerated legends to get to the truth.

The only drawback is that it does not include a glossary or index, so you will probably want to take notes as you peruse it. My copy is battered, dog-eared, and covered with sticky notes. An extraordinary tome, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.


Lawrence Kane
Author of Surviving Armed Assaults, The Way of Kata, and Martial Arts Instruction

I have been looking for a Giger book for some time and most of them were pretty expensive, even though great looking. Finally I found this great book from Taschen that portrays Giger at its best, painter, sculptor, architect. The book is amazing and the 3D images are spectacular. This is a must for any Giger fan. Cheers and enjoy his work.

I picked up this book at my local Borders. I was there on a whim, browsing the art section, when I saw this gem. After noting the VERY attractive price, I decided on the spot it had to come home with me, as I'm a fan of Giger's work.

As I perused this volume, I fell in love with more than just the art (admittedly, Giger is just not to everyone's taste...if you're not a Giger fan, then this book and this review will do nothing for you, and it's not an attempt to convince you to otherwise). Designed and penned by Giger, it contains prints of finished art and sketches, photographs, selected images from Giger's personal collection of art (that is, art by other people that he collects)--which I think is VERY insightful; it's interesting to see what kind of art an artist appreciates.

As an artist, myself, I revel in the collections of sketches... Sketches can be a chronicle of how a finished work comes to be, and it's interesting to get a glimpse of how other artists--especially masters, such as Giger--work through their ideas and arrive at a final product. Sometimes sketches are just a fleeting idea that gets caught on a page. These are just as fascinating, because they are an insight into how an artist captures a thought and translates it into something visual. Excellent stuff!

Another detail I want to elaborate on are the "3D" versions of a few of Giger's paintings. I hesitate to say "Magic Eye", because those are often horribly muddy, chaotic and nonsensical when viewed normally, and the Giger images in this section are not at all like that. These images are crisply defined and look "normal" at a glance, but nevertheless have that 3D "popping" effect when you view them correctly. Of course, they're accompanied by commentary from Giger. It's an unexpected and delightful treasure to find tucked away in these pages.

Overall, if you're a fan of Giger's work, this is a very worthy addition to your collection. I've poked around, and there are other versions of this title available, some of which are very limited (and expensive) editions. If you haven't the luxury of purchasing one of those, this "no frills" edition is still very solid, and will be a pleasure to thumb through again and again.

While browsing sale books I found an amusing little item. With a title like WWW HR GIGER COM I was intrigued.

This book was designed by H.R. Giger and contains commentary from the artist about his various interests and his art. Among the pages of art and commentary is a section devoted to the Giger Bar in Tokyo. Giger designed all of the furnishing from the front door all the way to the lavatories. Now, I don't know about you but the idea of being in a building designed by H.R. Giger while getting drunk sounds like a hair raising experience.

This book, having been designed by the artist, is a bit different than others portraying Giger's work. If anything, this one is superior in the detail it provides. I recommend this book to Giger collectors and if you can't find a copy just log on to www.HRGiger.com like the title suggests.

Mr. Giger, I have experienced your biomechanical drawings and such from your book. The theme "Tracing Thoughts" came to me from your drawing of No. 625 Pump Excursion, when suicide was an option. Then I gotten control of myself by expressing my thoughts, feelings, and for free lance of my own personal amusement. It inspired me (No.625) to pick up biomechanics and hopefully get the chance to meet you in person. Because of the biography on you, your intellect seems avanced to were I would enjoy an intelligent complex trade in art expressionism. Well life is short and so shall this review. Continue the well deserved talent and rake in the DOUGH .Signed, fellow artist Eric Everett.

I own the first print of www.HRGiger.com book & I wasnt sure if I needed buy this updated edition but after scanning thru the entire book I realized the answer was Yes! Lots of cool new stuff has been added & the book is laid out better & even more informative not to mention the amazingly cheap price of this book. I own every book Giger has ever put out including the hard to find stuff from the 70's I've been collecting his stuff since the mid 80's. If you're new to HR Giger there is no book better than this one as a starting point into his creative genius. Buy Now!

I discovered this book at my sister's home after I bought a print while visiting. The comments accompanying each print in the book provide an intimate look at Wyeth's life and art. It added a new dimension to my fondness for his work. I'd highly recommend this book to any admirer of Andrew Wyeth.

I purchased this item as a gift for an artist friend, she was very happy with the quality of the reproductions in this book.

This isn't a linear autobiography, in the usual sense. Instead, it presents selections from Wyeth's entire life as a painter, from his mid-teens to his late seventies, when this book was published. Wyeth's own notes on each piece make it an autobiography.

This says less about the artist than about his artwork, which speaks for itself. His subdued palette captures the people and places of his life. Places include farms, barn or farmhouse interiors, Maine shorelines, and other open spaces that are increasingly hard to find. Wyeth's people include his wife Betsy, his sister, and neighbors. Grittier than Norman Rickwell but no less affetionate, he presents them at work, at hard-earned rest, or simply at a quiet moment. A few nudes of teenaged Siri, including the remarkable "The Virgin," capture the gawky grace of emerging womanhood. Two images really stood out for me, though, images I would never have associated with Wyeth. "Spring" and "Christmas morning" carry a surreal sense, somehow even closer the the supernatural for their entirely realistic rendering. "Spring," especially, offers an amiguous sense of hope using the starkest and bleakest of visual language.

As Wyeth narrates each painting, a sentence to a paragraph for each, parts of his life emerge: friendships, successes, and losses. Without being mysterious, the text comes across as spotty and selective, omitting far more than it presents. If you want a standard kind of biography, you'll have to look elsewhere. Instead, this book is closer to the occasional cup of coffee with the artist, shared over weeks or months, in which different moments of his life arise almost at random. His words add an intimacy to the art that's hard to express, but that is worth experiencing - as is the art itself.

-- wiredweird

I didn't know a lot about Andrew Wyeths work before reading this book. I had seen the paintings and I liked them a lot, but I didn't know that much about them.

The book is labeled as an autobiography, but its form is not what many might expect. This is not a book consisting of prose with the occasional picture, it is a book that mainly shows Wyeths paintings with a paragraph or two about the paintings below. Written by Wyeth. For some this may not be what they are looking for, but I liked this very much.

It is a very good introduction to Wyeth's paintings and the subject matter he painted. The people, the places and their history. There isn't a lot of information about Wyeth himself in the book. At least not in the sense one would expect from a traditional biopgraphy. But after reading it I feel I know a lot more about both Wyeth and his paintings than a typical art-history or biographical text would give me.

I'd be happy to recommend this book.

My teacher introduced me to Andrew Wyeth's paintings and drawings about a year or two ago. I've been in love with his work ever since. It's just how beautiful his linework is and how he brings life to the paintings. That is so incredibly rare. There are plenty of portrait artists out there, but I can't think of one that impresses me as much as he does. I think this is because of how well he knew his subjects.

He said drawing with pencil helped him get to the core of a thing. If you've ever drawn or painted people and animals from life, as he did, it increases the appreciation for his work one hundred fold. I also think that this is why his paintings and sketches are so full of life - you just don't get that from a photo, there is NO comparison. His landscapes blow me away every time, and I'm not really a fan of landscape paintings. Something about the solitude of it all just takes me in.

My favourite is Night Sleeper, which is on the cover. His palette is just beautiful, i don't really think it's muted or drab - the closer you look, the more colours you see. How he played colours in juxtaposition, so that they glow, is another part that gives his work such intensity and life.

The comments beside all the work are, as people have mentioned, very good. The entire book is one of those slow joy books. It's just nice to sit with it and turn the pages slowly and take in every thing.

I can't say enough great things about this book. It's full of interesting projects to try, and the design of the book itself is great, light and airy, despite being packed with useful information.

You'll need some software to try the projects in it, an image editor of some kind and a printer. But that's all you need for most of the projects described. Janet Ashford has really creative ideas for transforming every day objects like metal tins and boxes, using computer designs.

I can just about guarantee, if you're artistic at all and you buy this book, you'll not only enjoy it, but you'll wind up designing some really amazing things as a result!

Being an arts and crafts designer from way back, I have always wanted to own this book. I couldn't find it on the shelves a couple of years ago and proposed to write such a book when I found myself inventing paper crafts for PrintMaster, a card design program produced by the Learning Company.

But Janet Ashford beat me to it. And she has the know-how it would have taken me years to acquire. This is a magnificent tome, one that inspires as well as informs the crafts addict. Her expanations are sophisticated but clear to anyone who has passed beyond the basics. Lots of the projects are very artful and have the look of "handmade" without being too cutsy or too advertisingly slick.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves crafts and has access to a computer with the big three type programs: layout, photo adjusting, and drawing. If you are new to computers, an accompanying book or class will set you up for this one.

The potential of the computer in craft has been seriously damaged by the excitement computers have generated. A parallel can be found when the Russian novelist Tolstoy was given a dictaphone to help speed up his writing. After a few weeks he threw it out the window. His neighbor asked if it didn't work. Tolstoy's reply was "It worked fine, but I got so excited using it I couldn't write." For almost two decades a generation of designers have succumbed to the excitement and hype of the computer without significantly adding any real content or substance to their work under the digitized banner. It is time for that to change, and Janet Ashford is a winning harbinger of that change.

It doesn't help matters that most design software seems to be written by the left-brain dominant spouses of craft practitioners...well intentioned souls with no sense of the real kinesthetics of working color, form, texture.

Janet Ashford has navigated through the difficult middle course between technology and entrancement. She draws! She creates custom palettes in her application software! She doesn't hit you over the head or talk down to the reader. Perhaps her experience of designing for and with her daughter has given her the wonderful tone of teaching someone she likes, who is lacking in knowledge but not in ability. That is a prized gift in any teacher, and Ashford has it mastered.

She has maintained her enthusiasm, her innocent pleasure in sharing the joys of color and pattern, line, light and form. She is conscientious in gathering really useful resources together into a book that can pay off in serious fun the first weekend you get to use it, without resorting to false expectations. Buy the book. Use the example. You, and your craft, will be enriched without hype or over-simplification. Serious artists and craftspeople do not expect the tool to do the real work of creation for them. This book is written for the serious artists and craftspeople at any stage of their careers...from about 9 years old on up.

This is a good reference for general information about using a computer to enhance or create art. The author mainly uses Adobe products, such as Photoshop and Illustrator for editing images and graphics. Before you will be able to create these projects, you have to be familiar with your software AND have software to create some of the effect (image editor, paint and graphics program). If you are looking for a book that specifically tells you how to do these things, that will not be found here. You have to be "computer-literate" and software-literate to get the most from this book.

There is a lot of good information provided and several projects are shown using illustrations and photographs, not in a step-by-step format.

Ashford knows the art of computer craftmaking and provides the reader with very good starting points for crafts that intertwine computer and manual art. Regarding hardware/software she clearly favors Mac/Adobe, so her recommendations reflect this. In spite of this slant, she gives some helpful overviews of the technological side of various formats, graphic standards, etc.
Want to intermingle computer graphics with your arts and crafts? Here's a good starting point.

Taylor is a gifted artist who is trying to get her art accepted by Salt Rock. But when her grandmother has a stroke and is put into a nursing home, everything begins to change. Taylor now has no mother figure and her dad is like a closed box, she starts to have feelings for a guy, Mike, who she has always hated, and, worst of all, her art talent has disappeared. Taylor is stuck in a tornado of emotions that can upset anything in its path. Her grandmother, Grams, always told her "sip the sweet juice out of each of your days," but lately Taylor's life has become bittersweet.
I enjoyed this book a lot because of how Taylor is trying to make it through life with so many impediments in her way. It is true that sometimes life throws curve balls, and I think it was quite inspirational seeing how Taylor solves her problems like any other teenager. I really love how Taylor describes Grams. She sounds loving, wild, full of life, wise, and most of all someone you can cry with. Also, I like how all through the story Taylor learns more and more about her deceased mother, and especially when she is given sentimental gifts that answer so many questions. The literary devices in this book let you take a peek into the soul of all the characters.
Bittersweet is mostly a girl book. If you are into art or have ever had an inspiration block, this is your kind of story. Bittersweet can pull you in for hours, and display all the human emotions as a creative collage worthy of any art gallery.

I absolutely loved this book! It shows a teenage girl, who looses her grandmother and is stuck with her dad, is a fanstastic artists, but currently is expierencing artists block, and also finds her way with love. See how Taylor is stuck with her dad because her grandma is stuck in a nursing home because she collapsed. Her dad and Taylor begin a new relationship and her dad begins opening up and talking about Taylor's mom, who died when Taylor was young. Taylor takes us through a year of high school and some of her summer vacation. During her summer vacation she finds loves, learns how to overcome artists block, and and becomes even closer to her grandmother that doesent even remember her. This book was also a nominee for the 2004 Teens Top Teen Book, sponsered by the Young Adult Library Services Assocation through the American Library Association.

Drew Lamm's book, Bittersweet, is a joy to read. Beautiful, poetic images and a story that hits home. I loved this book and I can't wait to pass it on to my students.

Drew Lamm is a marvelously poetic writer with a special gift for making deep, subtle feelings easily accessible to the reader. Bittersweet offers honest, positive insights about a teenage girl's struggle with the very serious subject of grief. In a harsh and noisy world that conditions people, especially young people, to "turn off" inside, Ms. Lamm's book is a special treasure. I'm recommending it to all my friends with teens, and it's going to the top of my Christmas gift list. I predict that Ms. Lamm is on her way to becoming one of our recognized authors. Can't wait to see what she does next!

I recieved this book as a present for Channukah, and I saw the cover and fell in love with the fablous artwork. Once I opened the book I was drawn into the hard life of Taylor Rose, who is having an artist's block, one thing, which I can assure you, I am all too familiar with. The sad tale was so addicting that, even tohugh I finished my studies at 11:00 I was up reading it until 2:30, when I had finished it. Though I was exausted the next day, the book was a great reward, I just wish that I hadn't finished it so quickly, for the book I am reading now has not engrossed me into its depth yet. This book is I am very glad to say a great acheivment in the world of books.

This is one of those "hmmmmm...interesting" books. George Rodrigue gives a compelling history about his roots and how Blue Dog came into creation. While I love the content of the book, I am even more facinated by the design. Inside you will find a "punch-out" blue dog mask, postcards and other little nifty interactive thing-a-ma-jigs that help make this book such a pleasure to enjoy.

This is a weighty (but not cumbersome) coffee table book that any thinking, feeling human being would be happy to own. Ever since I saw some original Blue Dog paintings in New Orleans, I've wanted to own one of them. Alas, I'm too poor. This book captures the spirit of the little alien-looking pooch and lets me borrow it for a price I can manage.

You just can't fully appreciate or understand the scope and delight of Blue Dog until you read this book. I adore Blue Dog. This silly, goofy blue dog provokes emotions in me that I have not experienced with art before...there is some strange, sad, beautiful, eerie, rapturous, haunting, joyful essence to this darn dog. This book is completely unique, fun, inspirational...I could go on and on. You just have to touch this book (the cover is fuzzy!) and open it...you will be hooked. The best coffee table book and a sure conversation starter, though that is hardly its value.

Any book with more of Blue Dog is great. This features more of the pop art world of Blue Dog than the previous books of Rodrigue's work. (I actually like the paintings of Blue Dog in cajun settings best.)

Teach an old dog new tricks? Absolutely, provided the pooch in question is Blue Dog, that colorful canine spawned from the mind of Cajun artist George Rodrigue. (For those no up to their four-legged friends fodder, the cobalt canine with the yellow eyes is based on three of the artist's now-dead dogs, and was first immortalized on slick papers back in 1994.) Who says a sleeping dog must lie? This babe is everywhere: portraits hang in the White House, on the set of "Friends" and in fan Whoopi Goldberg's abode; Blue Dog also stars in an Absolut ad. This volume boasts 60 gorgeous never-before-published paintings, along with commentary by Rodrigue on the birth of Blue Dog and its transformation into a pop culture icon. Tom Brokaw, an avid Blue Dog collector, wrote the book's forward. The cat's meow. Really.