5 comments about McCoy Pottery: Reference & Value Guide (McCoy Pottery: Collector's Reference & Value Guide).

1. This book has many nicely done photos and includes brief information concerning the individual pieces. A good thumbnail guide to McCoy pottery. I would however recommend that you purchase volums #1 & 2, unless you are well versed in McCoy, before you buy this one. I am a beginner when it comes to McCoy and I was looking for more history then I found in this volume.



2. The book had the information that I was wanting and much more. I recommend this to anyone who is interesting in collecting pottery or who is interested in being able to recognize valuable pottery pieces for resale.



3. A must have book for any true Mccoy collector. A lot of true Mccoy out there that is not marked Mccoy and the opposite which is not the real Mccoy.



4. While the book has beautiful photos, it is hard to use as a reference. Unless you know what the piece is exactly it is very difficult to locate in the book.



5. The authors are fitting and devoted source whose familiarity and love about McCoy Pottery shine through. Every collector of McCoy Pottery should and MUST have this book. This book is aimed at all levels of collectors. It has the wealth of information needed to help beginners make sense of things that may initially seem confusing. With its color photographs, lists prices, and careful organization this book will be of use to collectors and buyers in need of a general pricing guide. In light of the fact that there are so few books on McCoy Pottery I am grateful to the authors for their effort and dedication. Thank you!

2 comments about Raised in Clay: The Southern Pottery Tradition.

1. For anyone who has any interest in pottery this is a "must read" and this also incudes whoever may have an interest in US History.



2. this book is an archival wonder. the author brings us into intimate contact with the potters of a generation past. production, studio, and industrial potters alike should read and absorb the severe trials these men(and women)had to go through to make a living during a time when living wasn`t gauranteed. details such as kiln construction workshop layout and techniques make this book intresting for anyone involved in the pottery field. give it ten stars!!!

2 comments about Ceramics - Ways of Creation.

1. CERAMICS, WAYS OF CREATION is a highly informative look at 36 contemporary artists who are "pouring" ceramics, working with the wheel, and molding various kinds of clay. I don't know if these artists are the best in the world, or who could possible determine that, but all the artists depicted are working in America, and most seem to have acquired a M.F.A. and some recognition among peers and critics.

   Probably the most valuable aspect of CERAMICS is the light it sheds on the contempory ceramics work scene. The artists seem to be fairly representative of their art/craft. Porcelain and raku, organic and inorganic, poured, molded, pressed and pinched, utilitarian and nonutilitarian, spritual and irreverent, functional and disfunctional are represented.

   For example, Ray Strassberg's Holocaust vision and David MacDonald's African pots and calabashes are opposite ends of the life-death spectrum. Wayne Higby's beautiful and evocative "Lake Powell Memory-Rain" is somewhere in-between. Virginia Scotchie's "Vera's Garden" of stylized ceramic plants as big as the artist regenerate her memory of life as a child on her grandparents farm. The metaphysical "Primal Courage" of Joanne Hayakawa shows a stiff backbone (skeleton and pelvis) and Peter Pinnell brings the reader back to teatime with his wonderful teapots.

   Each section contains a short biography of the artist and discusses themes, types of clay, modeling techniques, firing temperatures, tempura, and other aspects of the creative process. The book also contains an appendix of terms. Probably not technical enough for the ceramics artist, but a wonderful book for those who are thinking of taking up the craft and want to appear semi-literate at the local art center.




2. Ceramics Ways of Creation provides a refreshing venue for currently practicing ceramic artists to explain their processes, description of materials and methods, motivations and philosophies of purpose. Ample colorful illustrations expose the substance of each artist's work. This is an "inside peek" at what makes our contemporary ceramics scene "tick". Each artist is unique but a common love of the clay medium unites them.

3 comments about Carving Facial Expressions.

1. I found this book to be very disappointing. It was not helpful to me in trying to figure out how to ACHIEVE a particular expression with chisel cuts or other tool use. In addition, the facial expressions displayed in the illustrations are not, in my opinion, very representative of the emotion or image with which it is identified.



2. I hope someday, I can carve wood like this guy!! He's amazing!! Clearly, the best book on learning facial expressions. A+++. Starting w/a diagram of the facial muscles, & how each one works, down to the different kinds of facial expressions doing all sorts of faces. This book is a MUST for any wood carvers, beginners or pros alike.



3. This is a good book for helping one carve facial expressions however it has a very limited number of examples and expressions to offer. The book is worth it for someone who is very much interested in carving, but for more information on facial expression try Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression.

2 comments about The Union at Risk: Jacksonian Democracy, States' Rights, and Nullification Crisis.

1. ~The Union at Risk: Jacksonian Democracy, States' Rights, and Nullification Crisis~ is a fairly balanced account of the Nullification Crisis of the 1820s and 1830s. Jacksonian era history is put under the microscope. It shows how the Tariff crisis sparked a fissure in the Union. Northern interests endeavored to create a spoils system, and use the Southern states as their milchcow to finance the government, as well as their internal improvement projects. Southern states like South Carolina invoked the doctrine of nullification or the Carolina Doctrine emanating from the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, and threatened to interpose their authority and effectuate the arrest of the offending federal usurpation. The crisis compelled Congress to lower the tariffs. South Carolina saved faced and nullified the Force Act.
   
   I am admittedly sympathetic to the nullifiers, particularly John C. Calhoun. I believe they have moral high ground for the simple reason the Constitution was represented to the ratifiers as giving credence to rightness of state interposition against federal usurpation. Study of the state ratifying conventions reveals this to be the case. Even in the Federalist Papers, Publius even gave states' rights as part of that bill of sale in Federalist #28 and #46. Calhoun's Disquisition and Discourse was an erudite work of political science, thoroughly rooted in the context of American republicanism. It offers prescriptive wisdom for future generations to patch up the federal polity as it unraveled over the years. We don't have a federal polity anymore, but a top-down unitary state with administrative prefects. The lesson I always figured from the whole nullification crisis pointed at the necessity of a neutral arbiter between the states and general government to adjudicate disputes over the boundaries between federal and state power. The U.S. Supreme Court never was intended to be the final arbiter over all constitutional questions, nor should it be. As Calhoun said, "The party to whom the power belongs, is the only party interested in protecting it; and to such party only, can its defence be safely trusted. To instruct it, in this case, to the party interested in absorbing it, and possessed of ample power to do so, is, as has been shown, to trust the lamb to the custody of the wolf."
   
   William A. Niskanen of the Cato Institute prudently observes: "The Constitution does not establish an adequate procedure for forcing a constitutional test of the assertion of undelegated powers by the federal government. Article V provides an adequate procedure for testing the consensus on any formal amendment proposed by Congress or a convention, but there is no procedure for forcing a constitutional test on issues for which the Supreme Court is unwilling or unable to enjoin actions by Congress, the president, or of a decision by the Court itself. In that sense, the Constitution is asymmetric: a vote by more than one-fourth of the states would block any formal amendment, but there is no corresponding procedure for any number of states to force a constitutional test by enjoining a change in the effective constitution. Niskanen adds, "The procedural solution to this asymmetry is as old as the Magna Carta and has been circulating in the backwater of American political theory since the beginning of our Republic: some proportion of the parties to a constitutional contract must be able to enjoin the actions of the government established by that contract in order to force a formal constitutional test of a unilateral assertion of powers by the larger government." Niskanen then describes his ideal nullification amendment in detail: "The constitutional reform that derives from this analysis would be to authorize some specified share of states to enjoin any federal law, regulation, or court ruling within some specified period. A specific amendment to the Constitution consistent with these principles would provide for the nullification of any federal action by the vote of more than, say, a majority of the state legislatures within one year after the date of the last vote. This amendment would provide a considerable period for both reasoned evaluation of the federal action and a continued federal abuse of its constitutional powers, but it should protect the nation against both ephemeral whim and an indefinite extension of federal powers. The primary expected effect of such an amendment would be to force a compromise that would avoid exercise of the nullification authority on most issues."
   
   Clyde Wilson has posited, "States' rights has fallen into disuse not because it is unsound in history, in constitutional law, or in democratic theory. It remains highly persuasive on all these grounds to any honest mind." I concur.



2. This is a terrific analysis of the nullification crisis. The author notes that resolution of the difficult issue was not the resounding success for President Jackson as conventional wisdom might say. There are strong chapters on the Southern view of nullification. Although the other slave states were opposed to South Carolina, they were not devoted to the use of force against the Palmetto State. The civil war could have started thirty years before Fort Sumter. Read this to find out why.

1 comments about Dinosaur Puzzles for the Scroll Saw: 30 Amazing Patterns for Kids of All Ages (Scroll Saw Project Books).

1. All of the Peterson's puzzle books are great fun; this one is no exception. It contains patterns for scroll sawyers of every ability; from simple three-piece puzzles to complicated dinosaur scenes. Great explanations of how to choose wood for, cut, and finish the puzzles, and a nice variety of dinosaurs!

1 comments about Dig Your Hands in the Dirt: A Manual For Making Art Out of Earth.

1. This is a small informative book about many great projects made out of mud. I have not tried the projects yet but am planning on getting my hands in some clay soil very soon. The descriptions, instructions and pictures are clear and easy to follow.

5 comments about Oaxacan Woodcarving: The Magic in the Trees.

1. ...I bought this book in a discount house on a whim. It has turned out to be one of the most worn books in my library. This is NOT an encyclopedia of Oaxacan woodcarvings, or a catalogue of such, which may have been to the disappointment of one of the reviewers. The writer does an OUTSTANDING job at studying this group of people and their craft/artform as an anthropological survey, that is not in the least bit dry. Great stories, and imaginative professional photography of numerous pieces. This is the book, that caused me to travel 2,000 miles and spend thousands of dollars to meet the people that the author writes about....and that is the only caveat I have towards this book; it will introduce you to a culture steeped in poignancy, depth and every bit as 'magical' as its' title suggests. 5 stars. No, 10 stars.



2. My copy of Oaxacan Woodcarving: The Magic in the Trees arrived just before my husband and I left the U.S. for a 3-month RV tour through several states of Mexico. Much of our 4 weeks in Oaxaca were spent in small villages enjoying the colorful works and the artisans who created them. We saw a wide variety of styles and themes, many of which are represented in this book. What gorgeous colors and what a sense of humor!



3. This a beautiful and colorful book about Oaxacan Woodcarvings. It illustrates their vivid history and humble beginnings by folk-artisans in Mexico.

   Latin American crafts are special because they're created by people who have a passion for life. They express it in their art with vibrant colors and whimsical expressions.

   I sincerely appreciate the work that goes into creating these figures. This book captures all of the above and more.




4. I picked this book up just recently and was rather delighted by what I found. Vicki Ragan's photos are lovely, but it is Shepard Barbash's text that is the real delight here. How many of those who buy this book will be like the lady below who, apparently without reading the text, complains that the book does not feature all her favorite artists and all the little alien figures which she is sure are the most important images coming out of Oaxaca?

   Please do buy this book, enjoy the lovely pictures, but then read the text. Barbash raises, rather subtlely, the question of whether these woodcarvings are folk art or a response to a commercial demand; he questions whether we are right to put our own "surrealist" readings on these wonderful little figures which are hardly conceived out of some sort of pychological dream matter.

   Instead he puts this work into its proper context. These wonderful, brightly colored woodcarvings are the work of individuals with their own stories, hopes and fears -- for whom the incomprehensible wealth and technology of the United States is far more surreal than anything they might produce.

   I have one of the cute little aliens the reader below speaks of. They are nice, but superficial beside the personal stories and personal expression that occasionally finds its way into this fascinating art that exists somewhere between folk and commerce.




5. This book is very informative for those interested in learning more about the artists behind the woodcarvings. However it only represents a few of the carvers and the photos while excellent quality will be a disappointment to those who may own or have seen many of the other wonderful carvings that these artists create. The photos seem to concentrate mainly on human style figures and although it does contain quite a few photos of animal figures most are those more on the conventional side. The more elaborate and colorful figures are not represented, neither are some of the more exotic animals like dragons, giraffes, and armadillos. There is nothing at all on the small `alien' monsters which are now considered the trademark emblems of this area. For those wanting a book to show friends just what these artists can do it will be a bit of a disappointment, however since it's the only book available at present there is little choice.

5 comments about Patinas for Silicon Bronze.

1. This is an excellent book for the amateur patinuer. It includes history, a list of chemicals and applicable grades, as well as easy to follow recipes for some beautiful patinas.



2. Excellent book for the professional or one just learning about patinas. Not only does it give explanation of what materials to use and how, it illustrates the result.



3. Although I've never taken any of Kipper's workshops, I know many people who have. They all tell me that he's a patina guru. I've been doing patinas for only a few years, and am by no means an expert, but I use this book like a bible. Kipper's language is clear and concise, and his recipies are understandable. You may not get the result you want on the first try, but you do have something to work from. There's some great color plates that show you examples of the recipies. I find this book invaluable and I consult it almost every day. If you are delving into the world of bronze patina you definately need this book.



4. Although I've never taken any of Kipper's workshops, I know many people who have. They all think he's a patina guru. I've been doing patinas for only a few years and I am by no means an expert, but I use Kipper's book like a bible. His language is concise and to the point, and his recipies are relatively easy to follow. You may not get the result you want on the first try, but it does give you a starting point. There are some great color plates that show the wide range of patina recipies that he includes in this book. Anyone who is delving in the world of bronze patina, needs this book. You won't be dissapointed.



5. Patrick Kipper's book is the best source to learn contemporary hot patina techniques. For the artist, it is an exellent reference of patina color. For the professional, it contains valuable chemical combinations and application techniques.

5 comments about Carving & Painting the American Kestrel (Carving & Painting).

1. I have plans on becoming a world class carver one day. If Floyd keeps putting these books out im afraid the competition will be to much for me to handle! In all seriousness its a great book! Thanks!



2. Very informative book, I would recommend it. Lots of good photos and very detailed step by step instruction. I'm using this book to teach 3 beginning students to carve birds of Prey. Floyd Scholz books have been among the best. Thanks



3. Floyd Scholz has developed into a world class carver and his books reflect that care and precision with excellent instructions.



4. GREAT BOOK FOR THE POWER CARVER. HAND CARVERS CAN ALSO USE SOME OF THE TIPS AND INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN. HIGH A++



5. This is the best of the 'Carving & Painting' series of books, and should be on the shelf of every serious bird carver. Not only does it cover carving and painting techniques, but it provides some beautiful reference photos of male and female kestrels. It also discusses wood choices, tools, patterns, and design and composition. It's a lot of information at a very reasonable price!