Artists Books

i am still waiting to receive this book
what happened?
why such a long wait?
thanks
M.A.

Guercio's exploration into the symbiosis of the artist's life and work will change the way art is viewed and appreciated.

The monograph theory is sound and very interesting. The jargon is wearying, however. Why do philosopher's seem incapable of writing clearly?

Although the monograph seems like an obsolete form, there are many reasons, art historical, political, and human, to rethink the genre today.
The author furnishes extraordinary primary research and delivers an important message that admiring artworks must incorporate a thorough knowledge of the life of the artist. This knowledge is mediated by the humble efforts of hundreds of years of chroniclers--art historians, critics, connoisseurs. Gabriele Guercio pays tribute to art and the science of art.

Punk is an art and Winston displays it as it is

Punk is an art and Winston displays it as it is

Winston's work to me is so amazingly awesome that I can not define how great the book is. Check it out for yourself and you will understand

Winston Smith takes retro drawings and paintings from thee original picture, and turns them into collages. Thee collages are intended to inform and amuse you. In thee opinion of me, Winston does with pictures what people like William S. Burroughs and Jello Biafra have done with words. Most of these pictures are very funny and very thought provoking. This book also makes for a great conversational piece for your coffee table or whatever. Also included are album covers he has done for Dead Kennedys, Green Day, Tijuana No! etc.. There is a four page pull-out of the banner for Tijuana No! and a two page pull-out for the cover to Dead Kennedys' album Bedtime for Democracy which you can find in thee music section of this site. I reccomend this book not only for punk rockers but for free thinkers of all shapes and sizes. There is so much to look at in one picture you can read this one again and again.

An excellent reference book concerning the work of Albert Paley. This book really drives at the esence of the sculptor's medium. Many fine examples of the artist's work are illustrated in black and white as well as full color pictures. This book does a great job of representing the scale of Paley's later public sculpture pieces and is a must have for any artist blacksmith.

One of the most inspirational metal artist's of the century. Very complete in it's cataloging.

Makes you want to go out and pound steel.

A great catalog of Albert Paley's work from his jewerly to his gates. Very detailed bio and great pictures. What an incredible American craftsman.

This is the only book that I've come across that presents the full spectrum of Albert Paley's work in crisp B/W and color photographs and that details a biography of the artist. My introduction to Paley came unexpectedly when at a function in the Wortham Center (Houston) I was greeted by his soaring Stairway Scuptures, which are included in this book. Paley goes beyond creating sculptures that stand as isolated works of art. His scuptures enhance the spaces in which they are placed and are themselves enhanced by those spaces. The author does a superb job of describing the experience of entering a vast architectural volume and the impact that Paley's monumental sculptures have by their positions within it. This book is the next best thing to having that experience for oneself. If you love Gaudi and other artists of the Art Nouveau movement, you will thoroughly enjoy this book.

For those of us who are self-taught artists and look to the work of other artists for inspiration and guidance, Brian Bolland's work is, in a word, intimidating. One of the deans of comic book artists working today, Bolland's clear, clear, virtuoso style is one of the most recognizable on the comics page, and looking at his work - deceptively simple - you can't help but ask yourself "How did he do that?" The Art of Brian Bolland showcases Bolland's work and will no doubt have you asking the same question.

Published by Image Comics - which has produced a number of excellent "art of..." books over the past few years - The Art of Brian Bolland is a retrospective of Bolland's career thus far, starting with his childhood drawings and continuing to the present day. There is a lot of text in this book discussing Bolland's career but, unlike so many "art of..." books, Bolland himself actually wrote the text, and he is amazingly honest and quite droll in his writing.

While this book is certainly on the expensive side, it is well worth it - at more than 360 pages, it seems to stretch on forever (in a good way) and showcases just how talented Bolland truly is. A good number of the pieces center on his Judge Dredd and DC Comics (largely Wonder Woman) work; also, most of the work pictured is in black and white. The book itself is exceptionally well-produced: sturdy and hefty, it is printed on nice, glossy paper and all of the images are reproduced with exceptional clarity. Any fan of Bolland or of comic book art in general, should pick this book up. Highly recommended.

Very enjoyable ramble through all of his work, with lots of rambling thoughts and background thrown in. Gorgeous reproductions of some of my favourite images. Well worth the money!

I'm a bit biased here, being a longtime fan of Brian Bolland's work, but I loved this book. I've bought a few of these types of books and it's ususally a collection of artwork, but this book gets a bit personal with great interviews, family pictures and funny stories. You really get a sense of the man and his development as an artist throught the years.

Highly recommended.

This is easily my favorite art/illustration book of the last several years! Bolland is an outstanding illustrator and this thick hardcover book offers a very comprehensive look at his work over the course of his career, from obscure early art in UK underground comics to the beautiful covers he is doing these days for DC/Vertigo. The quality of the paper, binding and reproduction is top notch - a must for any serious fan of Bolland, modern comic art, or quality illustration generally!

Jessie Groeschen does an excellent job documenting chainsaw carving from the "Founding Fathers" (and Mothers) to modern day artists. She also includes summaries of some of the more prestigious events in this relatively unknown form of artwork. The biographies also include a plethora of pictures of each artist's works. To top it off the author provides a step by step pictorial to create your own chainsaw art. It would be a great coffee table book for chainsaw enthusiasts, art enthusiasts, and/or Pacific Northwest culture enthusiasts.

I am a collector of chainsaw art. My first purchase was back in 1986. I feel I can't have enough carvings. I even own a few pieces by a couple people featured in this book. Knowing some of their story makes it even more meaningful. I enjoyed the book and have it on our coffee table for others to enjoy.

I read this book cover to cover and in my opinion, no other chainsaw carving book allows the reader to feel as though they know the carvers the way that this book does! Jessie does a GREAT job at having the reader identify with the top carvers of our time! I've personally been carving for about two years and through reading about all of the various artists journeys, it has helped me to realize that someday, if I continue to work hard, I could actually meet some of these wonderful people! Jessie has made it clear that if you work hard and believe in your art, that a dream can become a reality! Thanks Jessie! Steve Rager...

I'm very happy to have this book, to show people who come to see my carvings, to inspire me, and to reinforce the idea that there are as many approaches to carving as there are carvers, and only a few of them involve bears.
The book is excellently produced, with great photos and entertaining text. I have met some of the carvers featured, and it's good to know more of their history and approach to carving.
For the record, there's one step-by-step in the book; Jessie showing how to carve a chair. If you want to learn how to carve, there are other books. But if you want to know why we carve, this is the one.

I heard about this artist from a friend. I also visited Canada recently, altho not in the area where Emily Carr lived. She is revered in Canada but not nearly as well known in the United States. I personally love her paintings. To me they perfectly respresent the times she lived in and her not so easy life.

An incredible book fulfilling every Carr fans wishes. Truly a beautiful piece of literature and visuals. I was very impressed with the depth of knowledge the Author had of Ms. Carr and the extensive listing of pictures from private ownership and many Galleries. Contains a complete history of her life, travels, writing and of course her unwavering pursuit of success. An absolute must have for anyone who is a Carr fan. Thoroughly enjoyable.

If you are interested in expanding your knowledge of artists on this continent (North America), specifically the West Coast, I'd recommend this erudite volume on the work of Emily Carr. Emily Carr was a late-bloomer, but when she found her own she produced haunting canvases of her encounters with Northwest Coast Native Art, specifically totems. This was followed by strong formalized images of the coastal rainforest. Late in her life she painted expressive landscapes. I recently read that a joint exhibit of Emily Carr, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Frida Kahlo "Places of their Own" will be travelling to various venues in 200l/2002.

This is one of those books that is a must for any person interested in Pacific Northwest history, art, and culture. I first encountered Emily Carr at an amazing exhibit at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria. I have been a big fan ever since.

This is an incredible book. 160 pages of color plates. As an artist, I really appreciate the detailed close ups of some of the paintings, where you can see every brush stroke. The color quality of the plates is very high. Lots of fantasy female figurative paintings in this book. Jeffrey Jones has a real gift for light and shadow, color, and painting the human form. Many of the color plates are 8" x 11" or 9" x 12". and could actually be cut out and framed.

Dozens and dozens Jeffrey Jones' wonderful paintings are beautifully produced in this fine book. Unfortunately, there is very little in the area of his sketches, and almost nothing of his comic work.

It might be argued that Jones' most original creations were his *Idyll* and *I'm Age* strips for National Lampoon and Heavy Metal. Certainly his work with pen-and-ink is nothing short of extraordinary. (I work with pen-and-ink myself and am in awe of his modeling techniques.) This book gives us only one single page of Idyll and one single page of I'm Age.

Because of these disappointing omissions I am tempted to give this book only two or three stars, but I give four stars in the hope that the Idyll and I'm Age strips will be collected together at a later time. They are brilliant, and from an artistic standpoint they are at least as important as the paintings.

Questions have always circulated about Jeffrey Jones and his place in the history of 20th Century fantasy art: was he a monumental talent or just another Frazetta imitator? I think this book finally provides a definitive answer: he was both. THE ART OF JEFFREY JONES is a beautiful showcase that effectively traces Jones' transition from a Frazetta-wannabe in the 1960s to the truly gifted painter of the 1990s be became.
And I must disagree with Manfred's complaints and comparisons to previous Jones books: not only are Jones' earlier books long out of print, but THE ART OF JEFFREY JONES includes a great deal of work not included in any other collection (along with unpublished art credited as being painted in the '90s). While the text most certainly could have been expanded, I believe the editors have revealed more about Jones as an artist and person than any have previously and I came away with a better appreciation of this eccentric creator. A personal favorite.

This is one terrific book! It was a great trip down memory lane for me: Jeffrey Jones did the fantastic covers for many of the swords-and-sorcery paperbacks I read while growing up. In addition to the artwork for stellar talents like Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, and Karl Edward Wagner, Jones' beautiful paintings also brought class to less distinguished (but still fun)books by authors like Lin Carter and Gardner F. Fox. The wonderful artwork for many, many of these books is included, as well as a ton of great illustrations based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan adventures. The cover illustration is one of the best (and most understated) pieces of vampire artwork I've ever seen. The paintings are enlivened by Jones' personal reflections on his career, and the book concludes with striking samples of Jones' non-commercial art. Jones' smoldering, doe-eyed brunettes are the stuff dreams are made of!

This book is amazing and chock full of information. I am an art teacher for middle school and this book is invaluable. I do not own it yet but it is the first book on my book list.

My wife's sister-in-law is the artist in the family. She was very happy to receive it as a gift. I think her paintings will improve as she follows it's guidelines.

Illustrates and explains the right way to draw roof angles, shadows and reflections, as well as stairs, tile floors, wheels, etc. Uses many diagrams, photographs, painting examples (watercolor & some oil), and written suggestions for different methods to try in figuring out how to draw something correctly. Briefly touches on focus, reflected light, scale, etc; some step-by-step demonstrations on drawing houses. Some prior perspective knowledge might fill in some small gaps in information (struggled through Rex Vicat Cole's Perspective for Artists, a helpful 1920s textbook-like reprint) but this book goes to great lengths to illustrate perspective in a way I can understand.

This book is incredible. I highly recommend it.

The writing is detailed, clear and simple. The accompanying photographs, line drawings, sketches and paintings are numerous and clearly show what is being discussed.

The discussion is comprehensive but written in a way to make the subject clear without unnecessary clutter.

The author starts with "Natural Perspective" including the elements of size, spacing, tone, value, color, overlapping, placement, etc., then moves on to the rules of Linear Perspective.

I have a burgeoning collection of art, drawing, sketching and painting books and this ranks at the very top.

The discussion of Natural Perpective in the first several chapters is - by itself - worth the cost of the book.

I can't recommend this highly enough !!!!!

So many books fall far short of their promises. This one delivers.

This is the best guide for artists I have found. It is not like a scientist's manual, which is far too detailed to get the visual sense of an animal. And it is not like so many artist's manuals, which are far too superficial. Instead it shows several levels of detail, from the skeleton to muscle on up to the outside appearaance. It also shows how a specific animal moves, which alone reveals so much about its anatomy. And it shows some lovely brush and other drawings for inspiration and perusal.

This book is one of the best book on animal anatomy I have ever read. A perfect companion to Ken Hultgren's The Art of Animal Drawing.
If you need any additional one (besides those two), check out some of Joe Weatherly's titles on the subject.

Again, I find Gottfried Bammes really good at finding ways to explore the form of figure, in this case it's animals. There are many diagrams of geometric illustrations for horses and carnivores such as the big cats. The problem with this book is that it's somewhat unbalanced. While I find what Bammes covered helpful, there are no pages on avians or reptiles. I'm not expecting Bammes to cover every animal in existence, because that is a huge undertaking. (You might have respect at how many animals Veterinarians need to understand) I do expect at least a small section on birds and reptiles at least. Besides that, I like his diagrams on comparisons between the lower mammal and human form.

Bammes is still worth the purchase overall, but I do have to admit that the book needs a title change.

I was quite pleased with this book. I found that Bammes can be a difficult read, but the illustrations are well worth the investment for the artist studying animal anatomy. He presents a systematic approach of understanding the bones, muscles and surface planes of the torso, front legs, rear legs and head of some iconic animals. Animal anatomy understanding wouldn't be complete without the gestural freedom of Hultgren as well. I recommend Hultrgren for your right brain and Bammes for your left brain.

This is a great book. It is an excellant guide to sketching and what to look for in a subject. It is also an absolutely must have for any fans of James Gurney or Thomas Kinkade. Both went on to have fabulous careers. This book gives insight to their thought processes and their lives when just beginning as professional artists.

Absolutely one of the best books on sketching I have in my library. It contains not only the "how to" of things but a spirit an attitude that when embraced makes sketching a life long joyful expression. This book (if you can get it) is a must have!!!!

University art programs should require their students studying drawing and sketching to buy this book. The Artist's Guide to Sketching is essential to the artist's library and is a must for people just starting. After checking out this book from library at the university I attend, I knew that I had to own a copy for myself. The sketches are beautifully executed and each has a lesson along with it. This book will inspire you in one way or another. Thanks and praises to the authors.

Yes, this book has great (and I mean really great) sketches, apparently done on a marathon road trip in the '70s or '80s. Dynamic, free-flowing, expressive, two talented young dudes having a blast and amazing themselves with their own virtuosity. BUT- is this the same Thomas Kinkade who later trademarked the name "Painter of Light" and churns out the [...] treacly-est fantasy landscapes featuring "charming" cottages decorated with sprinles of sugary highlights, with quasi-religious titles designed to appeal to the Born-Again crowd in shopping malls everywhere? .... They ought to re-issue the book, though, it's really something to gaze at.