2 comments about Windows into the Soul: Art As Spiritual Expression.

1. I was intrigued by the title of this book and when I began reading it was even more interested in the concept. I am an artist and I try to be spiritual and pray on a daily basis, but using the Scriptures and other items in art as a way of praying really piqued my curious side. I haven't finished reading the book, nor have I started the lessons, but seeing that I can use my art as a way to have a contact with God is a new and refreshing idea.
   
   For those who are not open to certain ideas about the Christian lifestyle, don't buy this book. Mr. Sullivan challenges your ideas and tosses them out the window. Being a spiritual seeker, this book is ideal for me in my progress and growth in my faith.



2. Michael Sullivan has written an engaging book that opened my heart to seeing both art and prayer in new ways. The exercises offered are easy access points for those who don't feel creative and would hesitate to call themselves artists. At the same time, experience artists will be inspired by Sullivan's story. The beautifully written chapters offer a wonderful glimpse into the author's spiritual journey. His authenticity and passion were very inspiring.

2 comments about Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Culture : An Investigation of the Nine Best-Known Groups of Symbols.

1. I'm not a practicing Tibetan Buddhist, but I've acquired a fair amount of knowledge through osmosis: I do volunteer work for a Tibetan refugee relief organization. One slow afternoon in our shop, I picked up this book to improve my knowledge of the iconography in the graphics we sell, and was blown away. Not only has the author written a clear, readable explication of the symbolism, but the book is also a terrific introduction to fundamental Tibetan Buddhist beliefs. The average Tibetan may not be able to elucidate the intricacies of the sacred texts, or practice the stylized form of debate that forms an important part of a monk's training. But the book gives great insight into what this average Tibetan actually believes. Now I feel I have a better understanding of how the Tibetans' Buddhism has sustained them through persecution, exile, and attempts by the Chinese government to stamp out their culture. (And the Fur-Bearing Fish isn't a refugee from a Dr. Seuss book, but a symbol with profound meaning.) This is a great little book, and I recommend it enthusiastically.



2. I'm 52 years old and was fairly smug about what I had learned after 20 years or so of pretty serious reading. Then into my life, through the miracle of "amazon.comm" comes by Dagyab Rinpoche: hold on to your beliefs folks: get ready for a roller-coaster ride through Tibetan philosophy as translated from that philosophical language: German. And at the end there are instructions on how to take care of and treat the book and other books of similar nature. Scary

5 comments about Quick & Easy Banner Designs.

1. I am just starting banner making, though I am an experienced quilter. The designs are awesome, and I have trouble deciding which to make first. I have already used the alphabets on other, quilted banners, and if you photocopy them to card stock and cut them out, it makes perfect patterns.
   
   I have heard complaints about the designs being in black and white, but I think this a real advantage, as I can copy them and use colored pencil to make the suggested pattern, then copy again to make some alternative color choices. I find that if the author presents in color, I tend not to do my homework and stretch for the best choices for our congregation.
   
   Can't recommend Carol Jean's books enough!



2. The ideas here are simple, yet very appropriate for all seasons of the church year. We found this to be most helpful in preparing new banners for our space!



3. I've used this book for numerous banners. The designs are wonderful...very easy to duplicate and look beautiful. So many books only have one or two ideas that really get my attention. This one is loaded with not only great designs, but beautiful wording. It's a real favorite of mine.



4. Our team used several of the ideas in this book and they went together like clockwork. A really great book.



5. I had wanted to start a banner ministry for years. After our pastor mentioned it to me, I decided it was time to jump in and do it. I purchased this book and another by the same author. I received the books on Monday and had a banner ready by Sunday. The timesaving and money saving tips are wonderful. If I were to have tried making one on my own without this book, I would have never gotten finished. The directions are clear and easy to follow. If you have been thinking of starting a banner ministry for your church, this is the book to start with.

1 comments about The Bible: Genesis, Exodus, The Song of Solomon.

1. I'm not well qualified to critique the word of God so I'll limit my comments to the illustrations. Many of the illustrations are small segments cut out of larger works of art. It is difficult to appreciate the wonderful paintings of Chagall when you only see 5% of a painting. Otherwise this is a beautiful little book.

4 comments about The Art of Pastoring: Ministry Without All the Answers.

1. This book is so real!!! I MEAN REALLY REAL to life. I LOVED it and so will you...Get it for a seminarian, student, pastor, laymen, their family, etc...It is rich in wisdom and I suggest reading it over and over again as the years go by.



2. I had to read this book for a Ministry Practice and Polity seminary class, and it was probably one of the most enjoyable books that I read in my whole seminary career.

   At the most basic level, this is sort of a 'day in the life' kind of book about David Hansen's experience in the role of pastor. The book is refreshingly honest as he discusses his struggles, victories, and overall experience of being a pastor in all the different compacities. I don't plan on being a pastor myself, but I would definitly recommend this book to anyone who is feeling called in that direction, as a 'window into the life of a pastorate.'




3. I could say a lot about this book. A whole
   lot in fact. But I am just going to say this:
   if you are a pastor or a family member of a
   pastor get this book! It is rich, deep,
   honest, Christian, Christlike, and so much
   more. I am glad it came across my path
   and am thankful the author shared his life
   with us.



4. EUGENE PETERSON said: "This is the freshest and most honest book on pastoral work you're ever likely to come upon." I agree. Hansen helps us pastors consider what is essential for us to be pastors. Prayer, presence, scripture are central. Stories drawn from Hansen's contemplative fishing experiences help the reader appreciate the value of paying careful, quiet, patient attention in ministry. Not a "how to do it in X steps" book, but a book about being. This is a simple but deep book; it's hopeful and encouraging for a too busy pastor.

5 comments about State of the Arts: From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe (Turning Point Christian Worldview Series).

1. They sent me the wrong book, causing me to be unable to complete assignments for the class I was taking. Never responded to my emails.



2. 'State of the Arts' attempts to define what art is from a Christian perspective. I have no problem with this, being a long-time and devoted Christian, but I'm not sure I buy into everything Gene Veith says. His definition is largely defined by the biblical account of God's instruction to Bezalel the Old Testament artist for the Tabernacle and Temple; art in general, Veith says, must be creative, intelligent, beautiful, and exalting. I completely agree that modern 'works' such as the crucifix in [...], and the homoerotic photographs of Mapplethorpe lie outside of the purview of what art is; but should Andy Warhol's `Campbell's Soup Cans' also be excluded from the realm of what is considered art because Warhol copied the cans instead of creating them? (He created the idea that makes his statement on consumerism). I actually like modern art (with exceptions, of course) without buying into the 'worldview' any particular point of view expresses; I actually think it is critically important to be able to see into other worldviews as an aid to the evangelical aspect of my faith. That said, I completely agree with Veith's view on modern bohemianism and the cult of the artist as a sort of shaman: the elitist concept, for example, that only certain enlightened people 'get' blank canvasses and while the rest of us just thinks the emperor has no clothes (well-expressed by blank canvases, I think).
   
   This book is a worthy read because Veith at least gives the definition of art a good shot. I just think his view is a little narrow.



3. Veith takes on a large topic in a small volume and faces the limitations thus imposed. Having said that, the book meets its target of providing a brief, lucid framework as a point of reference from which the Christian can begin to explore art as a more informed consumer. Because of the necessity of describing some quite objectionable subject matter in covering the entire breadth of what masquerades as art in the post-modern world, "State of the Arts" should be read by an adult audience. A quite readable and very useful work. Recommended.



4. My 15 year old daughter is studying this book in history. Not art history, just history. I saw this book in her room and picked it up when I saw "Mapplethorpe" on the cover. My daughter is in a private Christian school so I never in a million years would have thought she'd be learning anything about this freak. I was wrong, she got to learn about Mapplethorpe's photos of men urinating into the mouths of other men. Oh, and Annie Sprinkle's performance art consisting of masturbating then letting customers examine her private parts with a flashlight. I fail to see the reasoning of such graphic descriptions disguised as "Christian" information.



5. Veith tries to tackle a subject that has long been neglected - Christianity and art from biblical times to the postmodern era. Although he gives an acceptable overview for a 230 page paperback, there are many areas where he is just too simplistic.

   Veith attempts to create an absolute of the "Christian artist" based on the Tabernacle work of Bezalel. That may be as erroneous as creating a flat world from the scripture verse that deals with "the four corners of the earth."

   He makes quick generalized statements about non-Christian artists without being able to back them up - "Jackson Pollock's experiments in the random patterns made by paint flung onto a canvas, might exhibit some cleverness, I suppose - as in, whoever would think to do such a thing? - but no real intelligence or knowledge." Those of us who are artists, however, know better (Veith is an English professor). Pollock's work shows a remarkable amount of knowledge and mastery: The intricate rhythmic harmonies passed down from his mentor, Thomas Hart Benton; the "dance" of the western plains' indians now reproduced in an "action painting"; the understanding of how paint drips and flows (as seen in splatterings of nature); the knowledge of color harmonies; etc.

   Veith also comments on Duchamp's inability to create art with his "ready-mades" (An idea championed by Francis Schaeffer). However, this is Duchamp's point. Art not only can be the idea and conception of the artist, but also, art exists around us in all forms that generally go overlooked. Duchamp expanded the narrow vision of the Christian artist and their understanding of creativity and freedom.

   Until a writer/artist comes forward to write something of this nature, State of the Arts will have to do. Just remember to proceed with caution and don't buy the whole package.

1 comments about Architectural Regionalism: Collected Writings on Place, Identity, Modernity, and Tradition.

1. The intent of this volume was to construct a coherent history of the idea of regionalism from its many many supporting texts and ideas. It is an important collection of writing that covers the entire 20th Century intellectual history of Regionalism in Architecture and includes such authors as: Lewis Mumford, Le Corbusier, David Williams, Mary Colter, Pietro Belluschi, Christopher Alexander, Wendell Berry, Kenneth Frampton, Sigfried Giedion, Harwell Hamilton Harris, Richard Ingersoll, Benton MacKaye, John Gaw Meem, Richard Neutra, Paul Ricouer, Alan Colquhoun, Juhani Pallasmaa, among others (44 in all). Further, it considers Regionalism in an international context, particularly the developing world through the writings of Suha Ozkan (Middle East), Balkrishna Doshi (India), and Kenza Boussora (Algeria). In it are provided contextual introductions to each text and an introduction that attempts to place the discourse, as a whole in reasonable framework. The topics include: Regionalist theory, Referential Regionalism (1920s & 30s), Regional Modernism (1930s-1960s), Regional Planning, Bioregionalism, Critical Regionalism, and a set of essays that update and extend the discourse into the future via performativity theory, sustainability, and the socially-critical work of the Rural Studio.

No comments about The Sacred Gaze: Religious Visual Culture in Theory and Practice.

5 comments about Masterpieces of Illumination: The World's Most Famous Manuscripts 400 To 1600.

1. "Masterpieces of Illumination: The World's Most Beautiful Illuminated Manuscripts from 400 to 1600" is essentially a reprint of "Codices illustres: The World's Most Famous Illuminated Manuscripts 400 to 1600." The former is one of many 25th anniversary Taschen editions, and bears the series logo on its dust-jacket and bright green cover (rather than the classier illumination of the Limburg Brother's Anatomical Man that adorns the cover of the latter). "Masterpieces" is also slightly smaller (9 ¾" x 12 ½") than the original (10 ¼" x 13 ¼"). There are a few other slight differences between the two editions: different endpapers; white paper for the appendix in "Masterpieces," ivory in "Codices"; and slightly darker illustrations in Masterpieces (only noticeable if you actually compare the editions side by side). Otherwise the two editions are virtually identical.
   This is a truly wonderful book. It contains discussions and representative illuminations from 167 of the most famous and influential extant codices, books of hours, psalters, Bibles and histories from Europe and Asia (23 or the 167 are from Persia, turkey and India) during the 1200 years in which manuscript illumination flourished as an art form (and at the end of the text proper are samples from yet another 29 manuscripts). The full-color and often full-page illustrations are beautifully and accurately rendered, and the accompanying descriptions are both authoritative and unusually informative. The appendix contains artist biographies, along with a comprehensive bibliography, glossary, and index. In short, this is more than just a coffee-table book; in fact, I use it in my university course on manuscript illumination (along with Christopher De Hamel's excellent "A History of Illuminated Manuscripts," which forms the perfect companion piece to this volume.).
   At the current retail price ($29.95) this book is an absolute steal. If you only get one book on the subject of manuscript illumination, this should be the one!



2. I agree with every word written in the previous reviews: this is a stunning work and one of my most prized possessions, ranging across manuscript illumination from the very earliest known through early to late Middle Ages and Renaissance, and geographically also ranging much more widely (i.e. outside Europe) than any work I've come across.
   
   I paid £37 for it in the UK when it first came out ($75), and still thought it was an absolute bargain. So I am mystified why it is suddenly available (October 2007) at a fraction of the price: this must be being sold at a loss - or are Taschen simply offloading all unsold copies to Amazon? It might be worth Amazon specifying if this indeed the same as the original edition. You'll note that the cover picture is slighlty different from the one you get when you follow the link to the more expensive 'other editions' (even if the text content and reviews are identical).



3. Illumination has fascinated me since I was a boy. This is the best book I have seen of illuminations. The scope includes books in Greek, Latin, Old Church Slavonic, Persian, and Mayan. The printing is superb. Detailed descriptions tell who did the work, who patronized it, who owned the book, where it is now, and so forth. Great for browsing for enjoyment and as a source of inspiration. I expect this book to be a favorite for many years to come. Anybody who enjoys calligraphy and illumination would be delighted to own this book.



4. This book is worth every penny! It has fantastic HUGE pictures full of great detail. As an artist who specialises in ancient illuminated manuscripts, I value this book above all others in my personal library. So many great manuscripts are represented here. Truely high art!



5. This book deserves a seven stars score, as it is magnificent in every sense: Paper, Colour palette reproduction, basic and reliable information accompanying every depicted facsimil, and specially because of the scope of the compendium, involving manuscript examples from arabic countries as well as a XIII century mexican manuscript (The Borgia Codex currently held at the Biblioteca Vaticana) This collection shows (as rarely done by supossedly comprehensive treatises) that Mesoamerican, Chinese and Arabic cultures do also possess a very rich medieval heritage, characterised by a colourful tradition in art production. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in Medieval illumination, as well as for those modern illuminators concerned with applying only authentic medieval colours (mostly inorganic compounds) in their manuscript reproductions and finally, this book serves also as a comprehensive guide for visiting great libraries and museums all around the world where some of these manuscripts are exhibited (Do not forget to visit the Condé Museum and The Marmottan-Monet Museum in France).

3 comments about Sacred Mirrors Cards.

1. Alex Grey's art has interested me for quite some time. Wasn't really sure what I was buying but I figured "What the heck, why not?" If you like the art, and want some explanation behind it, these cards are for you. Each card has a "Poem", per say, on the back of it. It's a tour through the spiritual anatomy. I would recommend these to anyone interested in the chakras, your spirit, or just for curiosity. AND if you are a TOOL fan, check these out. A lot of albums have Alex Grey's art on them. If you like Tool, you've got to love Alex Grey.



2. I thought these cards would be more inspirational and have messages worth pondering. The poetry is second-rate, at best. It is not really poetry at all, but rather ramblings and explanations of what the art is supposed to be. Poetry is supposed to speak to your five senses, not sit flat and hard to read. The art on some cards is exceptional, but on other cards, it looks like the pictures in my anatomy textbook. I'm very disappointed in these cards, and I really feel as if I wasted my money.



3. "The Sacred Mirrors are a journey through our physical, socio-political, and spiritual anatomy." - Alex Grey
   
   Arguably best known for his "X-ray" paintings, transcendental artist Alex Grey melds the anatomically correct with the visionary in the Sacred Mirrors Cards. The twenty-three cards in this boxed set are intended to lead viewers through the process of theosis. That is, we may draw closer to God by contemplating the iconic archetypes portrayed on the cards and by seeing others, the world and ourselves as reflections of the Divine.
   
   Intending to remind us of the pure wonder that can accompany our Earth journey, Grey says, "My life is committed to making artwork that wakes people up to the miracle of Life". From skeleton to viscera, nerves to auric fields, Spirit infuses the "mundane" mechanics of the body as surely as the magnificent emanation of love and community.
   
   At 8 ¼ X 4 ¾ inches, the Sacred Mirrors Cards are quite large, depicting colorful imagery on one side and poetic meditations on the other. For example, on the back of the card depicting the lymphatic system, Grey writes:
   
   "Lymph, holy water of life,
   Bathing every cell
   With nutritional healing plasma.
   Mysterious cleansing cousin
   Of the cardiovascular.
   Nodes that swell when inflamed,
   Pick up the pieces of the circulatory system.
   Take away and destroy invading predators.
   Purify, recycle and regenerate white blood cells,
   Lymphocytes, my defending militia.
   Immunize me.
   Keep me safely healthy and whole,
   My guardians of the realm.
   On a micro-level border patrol
   Thou are the decided of what is and is not me."
   
   Six of the twenty-three cards show nude males and females from Caucasian, Asian, and African ancestry. The poetry is basically the same on all six, except towards the end where Grey offers a comment about the specific image.
   
   My favorite image from the Sacred Mirrors Cards is of Sophia, where all seeing, all knowing eyes bejewel her pink etheric gown. The Earth lies where her heart would be, doubling as the "brain" for a gestating baby. A luminescent halo encircles futuristic glyphs, while her third eye is wide open in a penetrating stare. The only thing that mars this otherwise glorious painting (in my opinion), is the disturbing image of Kali copulating with a reclining male (soon to be dead by her knife?). On the other side is baby suckling at a woman's breast, so I get the point of life and death being on the same continuum but...
   
   The Sacred Mirrors Cards are indeed unusual, and would likely be enjoyed by fans of both Alex Grey and Ken Wilber. However, I find some of the imagery a bit gruesome and Grey's sentiments a bit "top heavy"--an analytical, rational approach to spirituality. This is, of course, a legitimate portrayal and path to Spirit, for All That Is does indeed lie within muscle, bone, and blood--the latter being our very (earthly) life force.
   
   But, alas, contemplating organs and guts aren't my particular cup of tea. And, to be fair, that doesn't comprise *all* of the images in this set of cards. For example, the Spiritual Energy System is an arresting portrayal of the chakra system "sprouting jets of psycho gism". A European-looking Jesus makes an appearance, as does a thousand armed, eleven-headed Buddhist deity.
   
   "Is it just me?" I wondered. I appreciate that the human body is a magnificent machine--a vehicle for spirit to be appreciated--but I didn't feel particularly inspired. So I asked my husband, who enjoys some of Grey's art (especially Oversoul), to give me his impression of the Sacred Mirrors Cards. He expressed the same sentiments that I had felt, so it wasn't "just me" after all. We both agreed, however, that some of the poetry conveyed brilliant insights into the human body and its connection to the Infinite.
   
   So if you love Grey's art and vision--and books like Transfigurations--then you'll likely enjoy this unusual meditative offering.
   
   (To see 6 images from the Sacred Mirrors Cards, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)