5 comments about Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself.

1. Sabrina Ward Harrison has always been a huge source of inspiration for me, and I turn to her books over and over again for inspiration, beauty, honesty and layers of intriguing details. A wonderful gift of yourself and anyone in your life interested in the art of becoming their most authentic selves.



2. As an Artist and a Graphic designer I found this book abolutely inspiring. It encouraged me to create my own journal which has become a major part of my creative process. This is a great way to put ideas together and from there find answers about my work and myself.



3. best book everywhere..i take it everywhere with me, its a wake up call to life i think/



4. I was given a copy of this book when I was twenty and it honestly changed my life. It made me realize that I wasn't alone in the thoughts, doubts, fears, and "aches of inadequacy" that I was going through. This book is an open heart spilled onto the page/canvas and any young woman going through life with any amount of uncertainty and lonliness will benefit tremendously from just being with this book.



5. Sabrina Ward Harrison writes with intention, inspiring one to think and feel more deeply. Her work is creative, artistic, spiritual and intelligent. She writes-creates with a thoughtful balance. The only challenge is, at times, being able to read what she has written as it is overlaid on photography and collage.

No comments about New Media Art (Taschen Basic Art Series).

5 comments about Mastering Cone 6 Glazes: Improving Durability, Fit and Aesthetics.

1. I was the big dummy who bought this book without checking out what it covered first. I'm such a beginner in pottery that I thought it was about the use of commercial, already made glazes to use at Cone 6 but that's my own stupid fault. It appears to be a very good book with lots of formulas and charts but I'm now wondering what to do with it because I will probably die of old age before I reach this advanced state in ceramics. LOOK BEFOE YOU BUY! I know I will in the future.



2. This is absolutely the best glaze book for the functional potter that is available today!



3. I can't recommend this book enough for the potter looking to better understand glazes and the firing process for cone 6 oxidation ware. It's detailed but unpretentious and will be accessible to the non-chemist potter for which it's written.
   
   Hesselberth and Roy have obviously spent a great deal of time and money learning what makes a glaze stable and safe for functional use. This is not a recipe book, though the recipes included are outstanding; rather the authors wish to better inform and equip the potter in 1) better matching his clay bodies with his glazes, 2) ensuring minimal leaching of toxic materials from his glazes, 3) learning to rely on stable and reliable materials in glaze formulation (so long Gerstley Borate), and 4) teaching the potter ways to test whether a particular glaze is safe and stable.
   
   The authors will be the first to say that what's provided here is not exhaustive but this book goes further than any other glaze book I know of in promoting the use of stable and safe glazes that fit well and look good. If you're like me, the price might discourage you. It's an investment well worth making though, and I haven't regretted it. I've now worked in two studios that have based their entire glaze palate on the recipes and principles provided in this book, and the results are reliable and beautiful.
   
   I really think this is going to set the standard for glaze books and cone 6 glazing for a long time to come.



4. Being a novice potter in search of answers regarding cone 6 glazes, this book was my 5th glaze book to purchase. I only wish that I had bought it first and I would only own one! I found this book straight forward with great information regarding not only glaze mixing but successful firing. I would recommend it to anyone trying to get started mixing their own glazes. I had tried many glaze recipes from other books and the web, only to be disappointed with the outcome. The recipes in the back of this book work wonderfully. I am thrilled!!



5. Very useful reference. Assuming you know other aspects of ceramics, this book seems to contain all the info you need to succeed with cone 6 glazes. It's not only for cone 6 though, because much of the info will apply to other glazes as well. Includes a solid explanation of glaze theory, balanced by a wealth of very detailed and practical considerations for getting the best possible results in the real world.

5 comments about Prohibited: Book 3 (Prohibited).

1. Prohibited for a reason and so cool. Louis Royo is not only a great artist, but a great writer too.



2. Luis Royo is a gifted artist. He draws the sexiest picture of women that you'll ever see. His erotic imagery of women having sex with monster is a little disturbing, but what isn't in our society? His women are so realistic and life-like you can't help but be pulled into Luis Royo's twisted world of sex and art. This guy probably gets laid all the time....or never.



3. Everyone's favorite fantasy artist seems to have been going through some things lately. His last three books, of the Prohibited trilogy, have been skirting from fantasy to smut.

   We all know Royo is an excellent artist in his genre ( or even out of his genre), but the last three, and especially Prohibited 3, are pretty..uh..graphic. His ability is undeniable, but his subject matter in the Prohibited series makes me a tad uncomfortable. (...)




4. As a new Royo fan, I ordered all three of the Prohibited books at once, so I was quite surprised at the increasing level of graphic sex depicted as the book numbers progressed. I would love to say this book's art makes up for this, but most are watercolour-type sketches. I would not advise Royo fans not to buy it, but please understand that the penetrations are not hidden/implied as in the other books. New fans should consider Secrets & Malefic first b/c not many--if any--of these prints will be on posters. I keep it shelved and enjoy the rest of his other books, except Women (which is worse than this b/c it simply does not represent the mature Royo we love---merely the Royo as cover artist who evolved to whom we now admire), when I want to browse his art.



5. But if your like me you tend to leave books lying around and carrying them places, I would recommend not having this book around others who are not likeminded. This was quite a big shift from Prohibited 2. The book contains a story which is slighty diffrent from the last one in that is goes along with the pictures. The story however, are more explict than that of 1 or 2. The quality of the art is improved, there are no longer sketches, but there are also no longer pieces such as the "The Flight IV" of 2.

5 comments about Quantumscapes: The Art of Stephan Martiniere.

1. This is a nice slick looking book, but everyhing has the same look to it. Ambiguous shapes and colors in space. I wish there was more insight into the creation of each piece, such as programs used, image size, etc. Otherwise a nice book overall.



2. Stephan Martiniere is in demand for his bookcovers, character design and work in motion pictures. In this edition we get an expanded look at his creative process, as he shows us step by step how he works on a bookcover. He also gives us several alterate covers, and some explaination of why they were not choosen. I reccomend this book as well as his other book.



3. Quantumscapes, Martiniere's second book, is quite good. It has a good variety of artwork, from sci fi book covers to concept art for heaven. Images are clear and rich. The book itself is large, and is printed great quality paper. Binding is very good.
   
   A great book. I recommend it over Quantum Dreams.



4. Not as good as the previous collection from Stephan Martiniere (Quantum Dreams) because there was too many sketches & and not more finished paintings. Also some paintings deserved to be reproduced in a bigger format.
   The comments by Stephan Martiniere are very interesting though and I especially like the last chapter showing the various steps he went through to paint the image on the cover.



5. Muy bueno y mejorando al anterior, Quantum Dreams, además de paisajes, personajes, bocetos y una muestra del trabajo paso a paso.
   
   Totalmente recomendable

5 comments about Glazes Cone 6: 1240 C / 2264 F (Ceramics Handbooks).

1. This book is interesting for anyone who studies glaze or wants to make some glazes of their own (even if their working at different temperatures).



2. After Snail Scott's review, there's not much to say, as she gives an excellent and in my opinion, accurate overview of the book.
   
   I myself was disappointed, however. A few factual errors are indicative: zinc is NOT an alkaline earth, but a transition metal; and while magnesite is ideally magnesium carbonate, not all magnesium carbonate is magnesite, that is, the two are NOT synonymous. Also, I was perplexed by the insistence on using zinc oxide in nearly all the bases; not only is it expensive, but it also has a powerful (and usually undesirable) effect on most colourants.
   
   Maybe I just got used to superb glaze references, and was expecting more. Even so ... a decent buy, and it gave me a few good ideas, but I'm slightly regretting having bought it. (I would, however, recommend Clay and Glazes for the Potter and The Ceramic Spectrum: A Simplified Approach to Glaze and Color Development.)



3. This book contains a few interesting recipes that you cannot find from Internet. Providing with more recipes and color images of examples,it is more fun to read than the Cone6 glaze book written by John Hesselberth and Ron Roy. Some of the raw materials are only available in UK but we probably can find substitutes here in US.



4. While this book does a great job of explaining certain aspects of glaze theory, the way in which it is approached did not leave me, an American potter, with a lot of useful information.
   The first half of the book goes into great detail about glaze theory, with many clear charts and graphs to illustrate the author's points. I found it to be easy to understand and very thorough. Proportions of silica, alumina, and fluxes are discussed, explained, and diagrammed. Also, there are many glaze tests illustrated.
   The second half of the book deals with specialty glazes and provides recipes from potters. These are also well documented and illustrated.
   This book was written in the UK and seems to be geared almost exclusively to the UK potter. This is not a bad thing for a UK potter, but does make it less useful in the US in terms of the way that we usually formulate glazes here. In my experience, most Cone 6 glazes in the US are formulated with boron. So learning about boron's effect on glaze analysis is essential. The author declares at the outset that he will not be explaining boron in terms of glaze theory, and it is discussed only in terms of its use in a specialty Chun-type glaze. Also in the US, we tend to avoid the use of zinc in glazes, since it has a negative effect on many colors. Almost every glaze analyzed in this book has a significant portion of zinc.
   Although the theory is clearly explained and this book may be a useful reference for that part, I found much of it to be useless for my work because of the exclusion of boron and the use of zinc.



5. This is not a recipe book or a catalog of glazes, nor is it a chemistry textbook. It focuses specifically on cone six oxidation (electrically-fired) glazes, with easy-to-understand charts of glaze properties, and simple explanations of the materials that create the different properties of glazes. This presentation allows the glaze creator to predict where any glaze they make may fall in terms of its firing properties, with particular emphasis on coefficient of expansion. This is an important factor in glaze design since it determines 'glaze fit': whether a particular glaze will craze or even cause cracking in the clay beneath it. This topic has seldom been explained with such clarity and simplicity.

   Each broad type of cone six glaze (matte, glossy, low-expansion, porcelain, etc.) is discussed, and charted for comparison with other cone six glaze types. 'Special' glaze types are also mentioned, including Chun glazes, Bristol glazes, crystalline glazes and single-firing glazes for greenware.

   Methods of calculating glaze formulas are reviewed in this book also, covering the conversion of a recipe to its unity formula and percentage analysis. Not an in-depth course in calculation, but a basic introduction for the novice, or a handy review for the more experienced (but not yet expert) glaze developer.

   Recipes are given for each glaze type, but they serve less as suggestions for glazes to use than as typical examples for comparison. Colorants are discussed in a basic way, but are not the focus of this book.

   Photos are given for each example discussed, featuring test tiles of each glaze arranged for easy comparison. Not many pictures of pretty pots here, just consistent, representative photos of glaze samples of the sort shown on the cover, and pictures of a few actual ceramic objects to demonstrate the appropriateness of various glazes in practice.

   The appendix contains a useful chart of the chemical compositions of many common ceramic materials used in the US and UK (where the author resides).

   This book is an excellent aid to making cone six glazes from scratch. It's not quite a 'start from zero' book, but a useful supplement to the standard studio-ceramics textbooks. Easy to understand, not scary, and does not presume an extensive chemistry or mathematics education, though a high-school-level background will be helpful. This is a book for the ceramist who has been using existing glaze recipes, but is now ready to find out how they work and to develop their own.

5 comments about The Ceramic Spectrum: A Simplified Approach to Glaze & Color Development.

1. I read it in only few days and I learned more than a year of reading other books on ceramics and on the process of doing glazes.
   It teach you how to master the very hard work of doing glazes in a right way letting you to follow your ideas but with strong bases and by using your brain.
   It teach you also how to work in easy ways with the right organisation of your ceramist job.
   This is the most useful book I have read in these last years together with two other books,that is : Clay and Glazes for the Potter and The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques



2. The Ceramic Spectrum is filled with detailed information and wonderful color pictures of glazing procedures and results. Extremely detailed color pictures of different glazes, errors made during glazing as well as mixing or modifying glazes from existing compounds. This book covers details from simple glazing techniques to complex crystalline glazes, and textural glaze applications. It has detailed explanations of glaze testing, color testing, glaze application and application faults. Almost all subjects are covered with color pictures of different techniques, faults and treatments. A totally complex subject treated in understandable terms. If you want to mix glazes, understand glaze procedures and techniques, avoid common errors, etc. this is the book for you. Excellent.



3. It is comparativelly expensive and with little procedural information.
   More than a tutorial it may work as a reference for materials.
   
   Buy it if you have extra shelf space and 30 bucks.



4. This book has more information on glazes and colorants than any other book I own. Robin Hopper's explanation on the breakdown of glaze and color development is truly amazing. This is not a book for the "I want it done easy person", but a book for the the person who wants to know how something is done. He leaves computer technology out and leaves knowledge up to human resource and personal experience. Unlike other books, I truly LEARNED something from this one.



5. This book has information that I've long been looking for, especially related to color development in ceramic glazes. I've learned quite alot in the short time that I've had the book (only 1 week).

   Highly recommended.

5 comments about Pictures Showing What Happens on Each Page of Thomas Pynchon's Novel Gravity's Rainbow.

1. My two sons (Zachary and Alexander) have been saving their allowance and doing extra chores to save money for a Nintendo DS (they save half, my wife & I pay half). This has been a huge deal for them because they each really want one.
   
   Yesterday, my wife took the boys to a bookstore, and 7 1/2 year old Zach saw Zak Smith's book based on Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow". He could not, would not put it down; he was mesmerized. He's not one to want, want, want, but this, he had to have. He looked at various and sundry art-related books for at least a half hour, and kept coming back to this book. Which was $40. After much discussion and pondering, Zach was resolute: My wife had a $16 credit at the store which she let him use and he kicked in $20 of his $27 to get the book. The point is, he gave up his Gameboy money for an art book. A big deal. He said "You know how interested I am in art, Mom!"
   
   I've read a bit of Pynchon ("Vineland") but when I've leafed through "Granvity's Rainbow" in the past, I've thought it challenging, circular, dense. Very much like, though not so much as, the uber-interpretive "Finegan's Wake" by James Joyce (referenced, coincidentally, by Zak Smith's book). So at once I was impressed; thumbing through Zach's Zak book, even more so. It IS mesmerizing; page after page of fascinating, provoking, stirring beauty. You can get lost in there.
   
   Not only do I now have a renewed vigor to tackle "Gravity's Rainbow", but am inspired to have (with Zach's permission) Zak Smith's profoundly astonishing book along for the cerebral roller coaster, a benevolent guide to provide dazzling clues as I navigate the former's intellectually demanding jungle.
   
   Whether $26.37 or $39.95, worth every penny...



2. I'm totally blown away by this book, after seeing these drawings at the Walker I had to own it. Check out his website to see all the drawings on line.



3. I just saw the Zak Smith exhibit at the Walker Art Center in Minn. where I had gone to see the "Picasso in America". But this Gravity's Rainbow page-by-page is, by far, the reason to go to the Walker right now. Mindboggling. Buy the book and picture each page lined up like a grid covering an entire wall. The Pynchon book is quite challenging to read so try to imagine Zak Smith capturing the concept of each and every page with a drawing or picture. Number 404 looks like an inch thick melted white plastic mess--does anyone know what happened in the book on this page? I noticed that one of the "tags" for this product is "genius." Believe it.



4. If you live anywhere near Minneapolis get yourself over to the Walker Art Center, where every single one of Zak Smith's drawings/paintings/sculptures (yes, some are three dimensional) for this project are displayed on one wall. (All are in the permanent collection of the Walker.) How do I know it's all 750+ artworks? Because I counted. 45 columns by 17 rows. You could spend hours staring at them and not exhaust this monumental project. I'm not sure how long they'll remain on display so don't put it off.



5. Zak Smith a genious, and this book the best.
   if you like concept ilustration, you'll love it...
   
   and the prize it's great!

5 comments about 500 Teapots: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Design.

1. This is one of my favorite 500 books. It is the perfect book for those days when inspiration is hard to find!



2. I bought this book and looked through it with post its to label all the interesting teapot ideas I was drawn to. When considering this book, I wasn't particularly drawn to the cover teapot and wondered if I would be disappointed in the authors picks, but I wasn't. This is a great visual resource for my classroom and studio.
   
   As someone else has commented, I would have given this book 5 stars if the author hadn't repeated multiple photos of very similar teapots by the same artist.



3. As a ceramics teacher who teaches her students how to build teapots, this book is a wonderful resource. The pictures are great and it helps give students a better understanding of what a teapot can look like.



4. But if I were a little teapot, I'd be one of the beautiful ones in this book. There are teapots both plain, and beyond description to fascinate, amuse and amaze you. If you know a little about firing ceramics, and glaze technology, the information provided will deepen your appreciation of each teapot. You may find that some of these artists are in your area, and have ceramics for sale. Or if you just like teapots, there enough teapots here in beautiful color photos to sate your appetite.



5. 500 TEAPPOTS is an wonderful book and is sure to inspire both potters and tea drinkers alike. It is a wonderful companion to 500 BOWLS. I hope they publish ANOTHER 500 TEAPOTS (BOWLS, too).

5 comments about In This House: A Collection of Altered Art Imagery and Collage Techniques.

1. Some books you CAN judge by it's cover!
   Get this book!
   I got my copy yesterday, and want to add my opinion to all the other 5 stars votes, because the book deserves it. There's great inspiration here, and for myself,(not being the first reveiwer to mention the cover sold me)I was glad I went with it...
   Yes,I loved the cover, there is something about the symbol of the house that makes it into an icon. If the cover grabs you, even if you do not do altered art imagery, but are creative, you will be pleased about what's inside the book too.



2. I just love this book, it's chock full of ideas that inspire me to not only 'make' my own house, but with tips that can be used on a whole range of projects. I would class it amongst the 'must haves' of Altered Art books.



3. I'm not an artist, but due to the circumstances of my life I have seen many, many art books. This one is soooo different from your typical "art" book. Is it inspiring from an artistic perspective? Yes. Does it share really cool technique ideas? Yes. But it goes way beyond that to be a really good, visually fascinating book to read and pore over even for someone like myself who will never use any of the techniques. If you love the idea of home, or want to create a beautiful home, or have ever lived in a house, this book is for you. It's a great gift book, because it is beautiful and can spark conversation about what home means. Highly recommended!!! And I can't wait to see what the authors have in store for us next...



4. This book is a visual treasure chest, filled with golden ideas that will inspire any artist (or in my case, those who adore artists). The book is beautifully put together. The photos are crisp and interesting, and the houses moreso. Expect to feel an undeniable urge to go dig through your art supplies and do something new after sitting with this book for a few minutes.



5. To be completley straightforward, I know the artists/authors and have worked on other projects with them. I am writing from the perspective of an experienced artist. I purchased the book to aid me in various problem-solving aspects of creating a model for my contribution to the sequel, which will be published in 2009. I found In This House indispensible and referred to it often with mechanical questions. I truly grew to love the ingenuity of the structure. It is a series of flat canvases, it is a book, and it is a three-dimensional house/home. What's not to like?
   
   Doing a project such as this is an interesting way to create a series of related, interconnected thoughts on the subject of home, a sense of place, and nesting instincts. Structurally speaking, In This House offers the reader a multitude of approaches on how to take a concept and push the bounderies, while at the same time making one canvas relate to the other in color, style, etc.