1 comments about Watercolor Problems and Solutions (Trouble Shooting Handbook).

1. Any book by Trudy Friend is great in my opinion. She show you how to use watercolour with pencils in a varity of different techniques.

2 comments about The Materials and Techniques of Medieval Painting.

1. Very interesting read if you are interested in how medieval painting was done and what methods and techniques were used. Written in a conversational format, making it a quick read.



2. The book covers a history of carriers and grounds, binding methods and vehicles, their viscosity and transparency effects, pros and cons of different binding media, glazes and varnishes. It then gives a classification of medieval pigments and details the main pigments used to produce colours on the page, wall and panel. Mixing, reaction and permanence problems with pigments, confusion of identification, and history are described. Metals are also discussed, including types of gold media and gilding methods. This is an absolutely essential book for anyone (and especially SCAdian illuminators) interested in the building blocks of medieval painting. It will give you a good grounding in the basics and help you understand the resources, techniques and mindset of medieval artists. I cannot recommend it enough. It is also an entertaining read(if occasionally unintentionally).

No comments about The Nanticoke: Portrait of a Chesapeake River.

3 comments about Painting Zoo Animals on Rocks.

1. Rock painting is so fun and she guides you step by step on how to get the cute little creatures on your rocks.
   Warning...It's addicting! :)



2. I'm very satisfied with the books i've bought.
   They are very instructive and complete.
   They teach the reader to paint rocks step by step, allowing consisting apprenticeship.



3. I love the book! I have many of her books. The new book has a beautiful cover and instructions are wonderful to follow, as usual for this artist. Great buy too!
   Karen Aschenbrener

5 comments about Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X.

1. Such an interesting book. I've always been fascinated by the Madame X painting, so when I saw this book I simply HAD to read it. It did not disappoint me at all.



2. Amazingly well researched and written. This lovely book goes into the details of how one of the most controversial portraits came to be. I was thrilled to have found this book on one of my favorite painters and one of my most favorite pieces of art. I had been enchanted by Madame X when I had seen the portrait in person. While in college, I looked at a print of the painting daily wanting to know more about the cool, mysterious, woman.
   
   This book offers insight into the world in which Madame X thrived. As you might expect she was a spoiled young woman looking to continue & improve her life of luxury via a wealthy husband. She found it, a fortunate (well, contrived) marriage to a rich older man, whom she doesn't seem to have loved, thrust her from a New Orleans socialite to the forefront of Parisian society. As an American-born, European-raised man, John Singer Sargent's Bohemian-gypsy childhood served as a rich foundation for his life as an artist. As his fame and reputation grew, his desire to run in the privileged circles of Parisian society also grew. He was taken by X's unusual beauty and translated her cool, seductive, unattainable persona to canvas. This book follows their steps and sheds light onto one of art's mysterious subjects. Bravo!



3. When I was younger, I saw this image in an art book and, without reading anything about it, decided that it was a fasion plate from the 1950's. I picked this book up because I instantly remembered the white shoulder. Davis's book puts the painting in a cultural context that greately helped me understand it. There is a black and white print of people at an outdoor cafe on the day of the Salon in which Madame X appeared. The women are covered in bustles, multiple skirts, gloves and hats. I now understand what that audience found so dangerous about her wayward strap.



4. This book is about the French-via-Creole socialite Amelie Gautreau's interaction with American-expatriate painter John Singer Sargent, an encounter that resulted in a painting that altered both of their lives. In weaving together the story of these two people, author Davis has created an engaging volume that simultaneously provides a window into 19th-century French society and a biography of the great painter Sargent.
   
   Sargent's decision to paint Gautreau's portrait with a strap hanging off her shoulder at a time when he was trying to promote his fledging portraitist career was a calculated decision to glean publicity on the heels of Manet's "Olympia." There's a saying that "any publicity is good publicity" -- true in the case of Sargent. The strength of his work outlived the short-term scandal caused by the painting, which was so disturbing to him that he soon repainted the shoulder with the strap back on (now in the collection of New York's Metropolitan Museum). Unfortunately, the scandal ruined Gautreau's life, although simply growing old probably would have had the same effect on Gautreau, whose self-worth appears to have been inextricable with popularity, appearance, and youth.
   
   The author is to be commended for trusting her intuition in following a very small detail -- the dress in Sargent's painting -- and finding the mystery behind it, revealing in the process a fascinating story. In so doing, she has created a marvelous glimpse into the art and society of late 19th-century France, as well as an easily-read biography of Sargent, certainly one of our most complex and greatest 19th-century American painters. I have always loved Sargent's work but have never read a biography of him, and was glad to have the opportunity to do so in such an interesting context. A very good read and interesting book.



5. In a brief, readable book, Davis does a good job giving us an overview of Gilded Age Paris, the social changes between Sargent Madame X's debut and paintings of Mrs. Gatreua just a few years later.
   
   She also gives us some nice background into lives of some of Sargents subjects, and the fraternal band of painters at the time. The only thing I would take with a grain of salt is her 'was he gay theories' some of the examples of drawings she uses to speculate into this show a lack of understanding about the artistic process. I know several professional painters who read the book and liked it but laughed at her 'proof' - the drawing over of a young many with a similar silhouette as Madame X - this is done all the time by artists, sometimes your subject 'turns into' another.

No comments about The Botanical Palette: Color for the Botanical Painter.

4 comments about Paintings in The National Gallery, London.

1. Context: I'm not an academic or a scholar; I'm a regular guy who likes visiting museums when I travel and I wanted to do a little researach before I left. This book worked well for my daughter and I to determine which parts of the museum deserved the most time (on a short trip) and to get a better understanding of the works. I'm not qualified to evaluate it from an academic perspective, but as a layman it was exactly what we needed.



2. I have numerous large books of this ("Paintings of the")type and this one has delighted me most. The many reproductions in this book are stunning - large, sharp and vivid is the rule rather than the exception. If you own the books on the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, and Hermitage you'll love this because it outshines them.
   
   Many thanks to the reviewer who mentioned that Bulfinch published this. I just noticed that Bulfinch also publishes Eisler's Masterworks in Berlin which also outshines the books above and is another favorite of mine. It's time to check my wishlist for Bulfinch publications and up their priority.



3. Excellent quality book. The pictures are very well presented and the texts are very precise.



4. Without question, a must-have for any serious art lover. The quality of the text and illustrations are first-rate as is expected from the arguably finest art book publisher of our time. As essential to any library as "Paintings in the Vatican" and "Paintings in the Uffizi and Pitti." Keep them coming, Bulfinch!

4 comments about Painting Duck Decoys: 24 Full-Color Plates and Complete Instructions.

1. this book was a waste of money! The pictures looked like cartoons and the instructions were non existant! The only instructions were in the last few pages and they were very vague. Like, details may be added now. That doesn't help much. Needs details like feather patterns abd brush strokes for feathers. I might as well have thrown $10.00 out the window.



2. The book is inexpensive and provides basic images of several duck species. However, it provides painting instructions only for mallards. For example, the book lists the primary paint colors for the other species, but it doesn't offer any information as to which of these colors are to be mixed to obtain the colors depicted in the images. This was a problem when I needed to repaint by Woodie dekes.



3. If you're looking for a super-accurate detail-oriented definitive authority on duck plumage, you won't find it in "Painting Duck Decoys..." The 24 color plates within could've been done by any budding high school art student. If not crude, they are at best poor approximations, not terribly useful for anyone concerned with painting decoys realistically. Perhaps the proportions of the ducks depicted will be of use to some. But most serious artists will undoubtedly find much more accurate information in books featuring photographs rather than the amateurish paintings in "Painting Duck Decoys..."



4. I am excited to see this book being offered at Amazon.com I became familiar with Anthony Hillman's book when I began painting my own decoys and had trouble finding any refrence material at hobby shops, craft stores or sportsman shops but my wife called our local library and found this book and it has been a God send. People have been very impressed with my refurbished decoys! So were the ducks! Although I am finnished painting my decoys, I am going to buy a copy for my collection! It is a piece of art in it self, The illustrations are crisp, clear and precise. The instructions are freindly enough for a beginner! I want to thank the author, Anthony Hillman for sharing his knowlege in his book. I have looked at all the hunting catalogs and have found that with the help of Anthony's book, my decoys look more realistic and I have saved money that I would have forked out for at least 4 dozen new decoys.

3 comments about Hans Hofmann: Revised and Expanded.

1. I knew this would be a great book when I ordered it but when I received it I was overwhelmed by its quality, a slip-in hard cover and beautifully bound hard cover book inside.
   It containes a large number of high quality colour plates (possibly all his work), and an excellent description of Hans Hofmann's thought processes in the introduction by Sam Hunter and as a bonus, 5 essays written by Hans Hofmann. A real asset for any artist who has an interest in the development and progression of abstract painting from the 1920's to 60's.



2. This is the finest Hofmann book I have seen.
   
   The combination of hue clarity, nuance, and sharp focus of the plates acurately recreates the space of the paintings and really lets them sing.
   
   The brush and knifework, even the weave of the canvases are all crystal clear in the reproductions.
   
   This solidly constructed book is a work of art in itself.



3. This book deserves 7 stars. The plates are superlative, and the coloration is excellent. Coloration is a problem that plagues most books about Hofmann (among others). His use of reds and magentas can be difficult to reproduce with proper balance. Frequently, the results are that the plates appear somewhat anemic or the reds take on an exaggerated neon character that is hard on the eyes. Here, then, is a feast for the Hofmann enthusiast with nearly 300 pictures, practically all of them in exquisite color. This is an experience second only to actually viewing a Hofmann exhibit first hand. In my opinion, the plates alone make this book a worthy acquisition. But there's more.

   Other particulars making this book a great addition to any bookshelf dedicated to Modern Art are five essays by Hofmann on art: "Plastic Creation", "The Search for the Real in Visual Arts", "The Resurrection of the Plastic Arts", "The Color Problem in Pure Painting" and "Sculpture". This is not to mention an excellent Introduction by Sam Hunter and wonderful essays by Tina Dickey and Frank Stella. Of course, there are the requisite features of a monograph: a brief (perhaps a little too brief, but who can complain at this point) chronology of Hofmann's life, and a selected list of exhibitions. Add to all of the above the attractive binding, a sturdy and handsome slipcase (which is what is pictured above), and what you have is a unique and appealing presentation of Hans Hofmann, his life, his work, his thoughts and his place in Twentieth Century Art.

   This book is enthusiastically recommended.

2 comments about The Flower Painters Essential Handbook: How to Paint 50 Beautiful Flowers in Watercolor.

1. A wonderful addition to my art bookshelf. I found The Flower Painter's Essential Handbook easy to follow, well illustrated in full color throughout and detailed.



2. This is an excellent book to learn watercolor flower painting with, and I love the loose, relaxed style of the 50 flowers you will learn to draw and paint. It is different from some other watercolor books I already own, and fills a nice gap in learning to vary painting styles.
   
   I really like it for it's simplicity and loose relaxing style, while at the same time, presenting about 50 different types of flowers to paint in a step-by-step fashion. It's a great book. It has drawing instructions for each flower, pointing out the details and things such as a folded or twisted petal, and how the bud attaches to the stem. Arrows explaining where the light and shadows fall and how to paint that are easy to follow. The palette for each painting is between 3 to 6 colors, which I also found nice. The washes and layering are also taught in an easy to follow manner.
   
   The book is almost completely devoted to 50 two-page exercises on painting 50 different flowers from letter A to W, and does not spend much time on presenting such things as color theory. I really like this book and recommend it to anyone who wants to learn and practice flowers in watercolors.