No comments about Exhibition 36: Mixed Media Demonstrations + Explorations.

2 comments about The Art of Handbuilt Ceramics.

1. Loved this book. It has nice pictures and good information. I am glad I have it in my collection.



2. The book was geared toward those without much working knowledge of handbuilding. The photos were very nice, and included various different ways of approaching handbuilding, so could serve to inspire someone try new approaches.

5 comments about Southwestern Pottery: Anasazi to Zuni.

1. a beautiful coffee-table book on old and modern Southwestern Pottery. I would have liked a little more on the old stuff and a little less by modern potters, but it is a minor quibble.



2. this is a beautiful book the the pictures in the book are so vivid and colorful, it would make a wonderful addition to any library or it would make a great coffee table book!



3. I was impressed with the display groupings presented and the journey of the authors beginnings of his collections and the knowledge he aquired along the way. He gave good advice to new collectors. I open it daily and alway see something I missed. It's a great book to add to your collection.



4. I'd been looking for a book like this for ages. It goes through every pueblo's pottery, describing the special characteristics of each, and talks about the important potters in each pueblo.
   
   This is very well written in an easy going, non-snobish style, instantly increasing your depth of knowledge in southwestern pottery. The photographs are excellent and plentiful, giving many diverse examples from each pueblo/region/era.
   
   Highly recommended for those new to collecting. I gave a copy to my parents in New Mexico, and even though they had been doing a bit of collecting for years, they have a much better understanding of the history of some of the pottery sitting on their shelves. They love this book.



5. This is an excellent book for both the beginner or serious student of Southwestern Pottery. It gives examples of all styles, types, and designs, making it easy for anyone to understand what makes each Pueblo's pottery unique. Perhaps not as "in depth" as some others, this book is easily the best book out there today as far as explaining and illustrating the basics. It really is an indispensable guide and reference book. The authors are regular guys rather than scholars, so it is easy and enjoyable to read, and filled with great photos of their quite amazing collections. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a place to begin learning about Southwestern Pottery.

No comments about The Pottery of Zuni Pueblo.

5 comments about Collage for the Soul: Expressing Hopes and Dreams Through Art.

1. This isn't your average Artsy Coffee Table book! At first and second glance this book was on the verge of being traded until I actually read the words! After reading the first artist's opening page, I found myself intrigued and excited to see "what's next". The author not only formatted the book in a way that helped build upon existing skills but also increasing new found skills. The contributing artists personal commentary was fun to read and the techniques they shared invaluable. Excellent book not only for the artist teaching value but also for the search for inner "soul" searching.



2. This is a terrific book for anyone interested in collage as an art as opposed to a craft. There is a wide range of work displayed, covering a number of different styles. Interspersed with the projects in the book are several discussions of such techniques and processes as using encaustics, finding symbols, using different means of transforming papers, transferring images, using collage as a medium for your memoirs, etc. There are also useful and inspiring sidebars throughout that help the artist come up with ideas and techniques they may never have thought of before.
   
   AN earlier reviewer objects to the fact that the directions for the projects are not extremely precise. I consider that one of the great strengths of the book--I am not interested in recreating the exact piece of art displayed, I want to learn new methods to interpret my own ideas. There are some books and magazines out there that tell you exactly what brand name products to use in exactly which colors. Those books are intended for a different audience. This book is meant for those who are not afraid to experiment and learn. It encourages the reader to try new processes and new approaches, rather than handing out exact formulas.
   
   Here are just some of the techniques covered in various projects: assemblage, encaustic, monotype, oil pastels, tissue-paper lamination, using foraged natural materials, making a collaged art doll, paper-pulp casting, transferring photos to different surfaces, sanding back to reveal underlayers... There is a tremendous amount to be learned from this book. It is not quite as showy as True Colors, but it serves a different purpose. True Colors, as delightful as it is, is primarily eye candy, and is limited to altered books. Collage For The SOul covers a much wider spectrum of collage work, and provides much more information on techniques for the artist.
   
   I recommend this book and Gerald Brommer's collage book as THE two to own, if you can only have two. I can hardly wait for the next collage book by the same team, which is due out soon.



3. If you are buying every book on this subject, this could be among them. However, if making a choice, this should not be a priority. The projects are not inspiring, a challenge considering the fine artists composing them. They show some interesting techniques, but who wants to use them considering what we're offered as goals? I would recommend "True Colors", by Harrison," Altered Books Workshop", by Brazelton, and "Making Memory Books and Journals by Hand", (a marvelous compilation of 42 projects put together by Thunder Bay Press) as being FAR more worthwhile.



4. I was thoroughly disappointed in this book. Based on reviewer comments I hastened to buy it, and then found it uninspiring. It presented nothing new, not an iota of soul and seemed like a simple compendium of collage work with some scattered instructions that may not be sufficiently clear.



5. If you are a collage artist, you will want to purchase this book. It is not a "how to" book but a wonderful resource of images and artists you might not find anywhere else. Many different styles of collage are represented and I find something new and inspiring everytime I look at it! There are many women creating in the collage world today and not enough resources to find them...get this book and see new images and artists! The collages are shown in beautiful, full page reproductions so that you can study the details. Highly recommend!

5 comments about Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera.

1. I'm a Nick Bantock fan, through and through, so I enjoy any book that gives me insight into his creativity. If you have any urge to make epistolary art, this book will inspire and delight you. Even if you don't want to make your own postcards, you will enjoy reading what makes him tick.
   
   Another HIGHLY recommended Bantock book (even better than this one, in my opinion) is The Artful Dodger.



2. Bantock is probably best known for his "Griffin & Sabine" saga, consisting of slightly warped three-dimensional collections of fictional correspondence, and it's the sort of art he incorporated into those works that he discusses here. I'm a stamp collector myself with a special interest in heavily engraved 19th century stamps from countries and colonies most people have never heard often featuring obscure subjects. Likewise, as a professional archivist, I also have a fondness for old letters and their postmarked covers, old bureaucratic documents with seals, rubber stamps, and arcane endorsements, and antique maps of places that may no longer exist. All of this is grist to Bantock's mill and the imaginative ways in which he incorporates such elements (sometimes into collages, but not always) are perfectly fascinating. Since this isn't a manual on how to draw or paint with oils, the actual instructions are few; he simply shows you intriguing examples and says, in effect, "Here's one way you can do it." It's more a source for inspiration than a manual. But it's a neat book.



3. I love Nick Bantock. In my eyes he can do no wrong. His art is simply brilliant but like others have mentioned, this is not a real "how to" book. It does give you some things to think about and there are ideas afoot but you won't come away lots of new and exciting skills. That's ok...if you are a NB fan. His creations are worth the price of admission.



4. This book wasn't what I was hoping for in that the ideas and examples are all too similar in final product. I believe that because I am not looking for altered books genre per se, this book is not for me. I would reallly like to sell it back, otherwise I am stuck with it.



5. I enjoyed Urgent 2nd Class because it was put together by Nick Bantock, who charmed me with the Sabine series and the Artful Dodger and others too numerous to mention. His images are multilayered and artful. He does talk about how some images were made (ephemera, Bantock-designed rubber stamps) but he does not show you step by step how to accomplish any particular image. And his ephemera may not be available to the average person. He does by from dealers in Vancouver BC, giving him an advantage over those in small towns.
   This is not a shortcoming, however, if you have other books that show you the construction and layering of stuff. The beauty of Bantock lies in his imagination, his imagination. He does encourage the reader to use their own, and that's a gift.

5 comments about Electric Kiln Ceramics: A Guide to Clays and Glazes.

1. The paperback is not just a paper version of the hardback, which Amazon makes it sound like it is, but a whole different, and much better, book. The hardback (edition 2) has poor black and white photos and treats many subjects in very cursory way. The paperback has wonderfully original art in color, and is very thorough on ways of marking and glazing. I was not careful and now have a crummy 2nd edition hardback which I don't know quite what to do with.
   My 5 stars are for the paperback. I would only give 2 stars to the 2nd edition hardback.



2. For someone new to firing and glazes, this book is an excellent place to start. It explains things in simple terms, provides pictures and demystifies the process. While it doesn't provide an in-depth discussion of chemical changes and formulas or more than some basic recipes, it provided the basics I was looking for.



3. I'm still not sure we're going to invest in a ceramics kiln, but this was a very interesting book about the craft. Too much biography of famous contemporary ceramic artists (totally uninteresting - these are not names that mean anything to me, so, bleah), but otherwise interesting explanations of different types and techniques. A very worthwhile book - it will probably either galvanize you into investing in the kiln and materials, or turn you away from it, saving your money!



4. The images in this book are amazing! Every significant ceramic artists is represented. This is a must have for anyone who wants a complete guide to ceramic artists who use electric kilns. One of the best ceramic books available.



5. Contains a wealth of detailed info about electric kiln construction and usage, and about how to mix and use clays and glazes. The editor should have done a better job, because the wording is sometimes awkward and tedious, but it's still a good reference book containing very valuable information. Also has many excellent photos of finished work, as well as side essays about individual ceramists.

3 comments about Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose.

1. Robin Hopper has written a definitive book for all potters, beginners and masters alike. The chosen work for photos offers an excellent range of contemporary and classic forms for study.



2. I found Functional Pottery to be a pleasant surprise for the most part, although I was mildly disappointed by the more practical sections of the book. Roughly the first half of the book provides an interesting historical and cultural review of functional pottery, which went beyond what I had anticipated from the title and general description. A portion of the second half of the book focused on the mechanics of particular forms of functional pottery. This portion, which was my particular interest in buying the book, was a little less thorough and extensive than I had hoped. For the beginner/intermediate potter specifically interested in practical advice and detail regarding the mechanics of functional pottery forms, the material in the book, while useful, may not go far enough. I recommend this book as a general overview, keeping in mind that the scope of the book covers a broader range of topics than implied by its title, and that only sixty pages of the book are dedicated to the practical considerations and mechanics of designing and creating functional pottery.



3. This book is an excellent addition to my collection of pottery books. This book deals with the more technical side of pottery. This book is for people who have accomplished throwing but want to take it to the next level. The book covers everyhting from history of pottery, to correct proportions, and also has artist bio's. Excellent book, i rate it 12 out of 10.

2 comments about Posada's Popular Mexican Prints.

1. Posada is known mainly by its illustrations of the death, in this book appears all its work and the illustrations of the death are only a 10% of the book, the others are illustrations of the daily life, critical policy and customs of the Mexico Posada's time.
   
   The quality of the paper and the encuadernación are not very luxurious, but he is agreed with the price.
   
   
   In Spanish:
   Posada es conocido principalmente por sus ilustraciones de la muerte, en este libro aparece toda su obra y las ilustraciones de la muerte son solo un 10% del libro, las demás son ilustraciones de la vida cotidiana, crítica política y costumbres de el México de la época de posada.
   
   La calidad del papel y la encuadernación no son muy lujosas, pero es acorde con el precio.



2. The book is a comprehensive review of Posada's prints. The biographical information is straight forward and well informed.

4 comments about Collecting Lladro: Identification & Price Guide (Collecting Lladro).

1. The book was exatly what I was looking for, a very no hassel transaction which makes it a real pleasure. We have found Amazon to be a very honest company. Nothing else to say. Cheers Chris



2. As a Lladro collector of more than 25 years I found this book to be most informative. Even though I have read much about Lladro there were topics covered that were new to me. A new addition would be most welcome.



3. Good book to read about Lladro porcelains but it's pretty outdated and doesn't contain samples of the newer Lladro pieces. But then again, Lladro related books are so rare, this itself is a jewel. Majority of the pictures shown here are the 'official' photographs of piece by Lladro themselves. It would have been great to see pictures taken by the author or owner as it would give a different angle and view of the pieces. I'm an avid collector and was thrilled to see many of the older pieces and read a short history about them in this book. Perhaps the author would consider to publish a newer edition?? And also source out Lladro examples from a more varied selection of collectors. A view of how they are stored in display cabinets at individual homes would be great too, to give a more personal and homely touch to the pieces. This is a great book and I'm sure it took a lot of effort to come out with it.... I would recommend it to anyone and hope that new editions will be published in the near future.



4. For anyone who is interested in learning more about Lladró, the company, the history, the incredible artistry, "relatives" such as NAO and Zaphir, collecting and becoming better at collecting, and how to care for your collection, this book is fantastic and I highly recommend it! Peggy Whiteneck is truly an expert in this field, and has a passion for collecting Lladró that shows in every page. This second edition includes updates and new information as well as even more photos. Lladró collectors will not want to miss this!