Book Description

The Jane and Arthur Mason Collection is one of the world's premier collections of lathe-turned wooden objects. Comprising more than 125 extraordinary works by 43 craft artists, the collection ranges from bowls and vessels to abstract sculptural pieces, many made from exotic or unusual woods. The artists represented include most of the major figures in the field of wood turning from 1960 to the present-such as Virginia Dotson, David Ellsworth, Ron Kent, Mark and Mel Lindquist, Ed and Philip Moulthrop, and Bob Stocksdale-men and women who have used their artistry to reveal and heighten the natural beauty of wood.

This sumptuously illustrated book, the companion volume to a traveling exhibition organized by Mark Richard Leach, director of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte, North Carolina, features illuminating essays by two leading craft experts as well as by Arthur Mason himself.

141 illustrations, 130 in full color, 9 x 11 1/2"

SUZANNE RAMLJAK, a curator of exhibitions at the American Federation of Arts and a guest curator at the American Craft Museum, writes frequently for ARTnews, Art & Antiques, and American Craft. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

MICHAEL W. MONROE is the former director of the American Craft Council and the former curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American Art. He is also the author of Abrams' The White House Collection of American Crafts. He lives in Reston, Virginia.

MARK RICHARD LEACH is director of the Mint Museum of Craft + Design in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was formerly curator of 20th-century art at the Mint Museum of Art. He lives in Matthews, North Carolina.

EXHIBITION SCHEDULE Mint Museum of Craft + Design,Charlotte, North CarolinaMay 20-Oct. 8, 2000 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

TurningLove into a Gift
The collection that the Masons have built out of a love of art, craftmanship and wood turns into a real gift to those who do not have the luxury to study these pieces first-hand.The photos of their home showsthat their attraction with creation is not limited to wood but to light,paintings and melding life with art.

The photos display the pieces sowell that some just seem to glow and brighten on the page.It makes itdifficult to look at a tree or salad bowl without imagining thepossiblities. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

Jade
From this heavy tome, you will learn how artists "let the jade speak to them" before carving wondrous works of art. The properties of jade are perfect for carving because its molecular structure is tightly bound. Jade can suffer great detail in carving without cracking or chipping.

Jade is either nephrite or jadeite. Cheaper substitutes are bowenite and serpentine, so the buyer must beware.

Keverne takes us on a jade "trip around the world" from the Pacific Rim to Mesoamerica. The latter finds are a great mystery, because no known source of jade in Central America is currently known to exist. The photographs in this book are tightly focused and glowing. Keverne continually displays his expertise in his subject. He includes an excellent index and bibliography. Like David Grimaldi's thorough book on amber (Amber: Window to the Past), this book is the authority on the subject of jade.

exceptional worldly jade book
Extremely great book on the subject of jade. Book even includes the very rare today "Wyoming Jade"...should be a book devoted to that subject.

Finally, a complete journal, .. THE jade bible.
Jade, by Roger Keverne, is a complete review of all the jades, all the deposits, all the mines, the history, (and with jade this is a long one.) the lore, the geology. Jade features a collection of articles by contributors from around the world, most members of the FRIENDS OF JADE, and all experts in their fields. Whenever I need to seek an answer, a representative photo, in short, anything in jade, here it is, in one book. If you are interested in jade, to sort out the truth from the rumors, the real from the fake..... this is THE jade book. ... Read more

Book Description

Learn how to build a better sand castle - the Sons of the Beach way! This 20-page booklet is crammed with easy-to-follow, illustrated tips and tricks that will have you building like the pros in just a couple of hours, including:

* how to successfully attain altitude with wet sand
* building structures - towers, walls and free-standing arches
* how to carve those structures into recognizable castles, characters and other things
* tips on how to make the best use of the SoB line of sand carving tools - or
* how to find and make your own set of tools
* how to make a "South Texas Snowball"
* and lots more sand castle -related stuff! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Why didn'tI have this before my vacation in Italy???
Wow! Being that it is a black and white "booklet" that almost seems like it was photocopied, I had an uncomfortable first impression. However, the low price and low "physical" quality of the book is made up in the content. No beating around the bush, this book goes straight to the issue of "how do I build a sand castle?" Like the title says, I really wish I had bought this before my trip to Italy this summer. The sand was perfect for sculpting, but I was missing all of the finer points. Although a number of people had their picture taken in front of my castle, I really wish I had read this book before the trip. Too bad I can only give 5 stars. ... Read more

Book Description

Dale Chihuly turns glass into art, artists into glassmakers, children into artists, and adults into children. Elton John has called him "The Picasso of 20th-century glass" and many hail him as the Tiffany of the 21st century. He has pioneered a technically demanding new art form that blends performance art, sculpture, and environments in the creation of spectacularly colorful worlds. His uplifting art possesses the edginess that only fragile glass born from blasting hot furnaces can inspire. The Essential(tm) Dale Chihuly is the book to read if you have zero tolerance for artspeak and a lively curiosity about what has made this glass artist so popular. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Glass Art For Dummies
This book would make a wonderful coffee table book if it weren't so small. The great thing about the book is that we see 74 color plates of Chihuly's work. Chihuly is a genius who manages to create a fireworks display of color and light in glass. Unfortunately, Warmus doesn't know how to write. The book pretends to be unpretentious, but it is, in fact, simple-minded. For example, in the section Warmus calls "The Merchant of Venetians," he writes: "Chihuly is astonished by these wildly innovative and beautiful pieces from the 1920s and 1930s. Ever the savvy businessman, he knows that their rarity drives collectors to snap them up whenever they become available. He'd love to collect them, but knows they are too rare. How to do it? Eureka! He decides to pretend that he is back in the 1920s and that HE - Dale Chihuly - is creating these priceless items himself!"

If you buy this book, look at the pictures. If you decide to actually READ it, have a few strong drinks first. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Standing Soldiers, Kneeling Slaves is a history of race in America as seen through thedepiction of slavery in sculptures and monuments. Kirk Savage, an assistant professor of art history at the University of Pittsburgh, shows that blacks were seldom depicted in sculpture until after the Civil War, at which time there was a nationwide impetusto commemorate the end of the war and emancipation. Savage considers these statues and monuments to be a lost opportunity: instead of representing a new sense of race in America, the statues featured old stereotypes, the "kneeling slaves" of the title. Far more common were statues featuring ordinary soldiers. The great irony, Savage argues in this thought-provoking book, is that black soldiers--who "were most clearly representative of a national purpose," the fight for equality--were seldom represented in celebratory monuments. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

brilliant stuff
GRAPHIC DETAILED WELL DIPICTED, visionary material, compelling book draws the strengths of the courage of the african american people in the face of tragedy and despair ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Mud Pies are to make and to look at, not to eat.
Contrary to what the editorial review says, this is not a "good-natured satire". This book is both a serious and fun guide for making mud cakes and pies. Everybody can do it! The fact that the result might not be edible does not detract from the value of this little book. The illustrations are great, and the language is suited both for children and adults. If you have ever read Walter DeMaria's words on meaningless work, you will surely appreciate this book.

Notes from the Underground
So we can't all make music like the Velvet Underground but mud pies are an art form achievable by virtually every humanoid life form.Of course there's a certain ammount of finesse that comes only with time andpractice, but Cage's meticulous instructions exist as a solid framework forbeginners in this sublime craft.The illustrations are just the sort ofinspiration an amateur mud pie or cake maker needs to get those creativejuices flowing. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Homer shows you how to safely manipulate hot glass!
If you are intrigued by idea of melting glass in a torch and creating anything from little forest creatures to crystal goblets, this is the book for you. Homer lays it all out for you and gives you step by step instructions and diagrams to get you started. The projects in the book begin very simple and work there way to complex. You are led by the hand in an art that has been traditionally held secret.

This book has been used by many students to learn lampwork.
I personally know many artists across the country that have taught themselves to "sculpt" glass in the torch with the aid of this book. It is a very thorough step-by-step approach to learning lampworking of glass.

This book is about flameworking.
Title is a bit confusing. Great for those interested in flameworking. Not what I expected. ... Read more

Book Description

A lively account of the interaction between European and indigenous artists that took place during more than 300 years of Spanish and Portuguese colonial influence in Latin America (c.1492–1820). The book offers a fascinating insight into viceregal, missionary and civic architecture, as well as painting, sculpture and such ‘minor arts’ as furniture, textiles and ceramics. This is a long-awaited book on an increasingly popular subject and includes many previously unillustrated works. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

My favorite polymer clay book...
Barbara McGuire's Foundations in Polymer Clay Design is a must have for every polymer clay artist. It has exceptional information to enhance one's design knowledge and how to apply this knowledge to polymer clay artwork. The photos are stunning and best of all, show evidence of today's talented pc artists. Barbara's examples of each design concept and how they apply to working in polymer clay are valuable to the serious artist.

This book has several wonderful easy-to-try projects that demonstrate the chapter's concept. These lessons help to satisfy the reader who is looking for practice, but may not be 'enough' for the person who is simply looking for a book of how-to projects.

McGuire's book will remain an excellent reference for the artist and one where new lessons can be learned each time the book is taken off the shelf to reread. Five Stars!!!!

A Well-Rounded Approach to Design
Barbara E.McGuire's 'Foundations in Polymer Clay Design' is a great addition to both a beginner's and a more advanced artist's library, however, note that it is not a project book. The technical aspects of the clay are briefly discussed in the first chapter. The rest of the book focuses on the aspects and elements of design. Invaluable discussions on color, line, form, movement, etc., are contained within its chapters; as well as a stunning array of polymer clay artwork captured in beautifully executed photograpy.

While you will find plenty of inspiration gazing at the gallery of work in 'Foundations', you'll find little if any discussion of the techniques used in making them. The information offered is to be used as a guideline for refining your own unique style.

Working in polymer clay is more rewarding now that I've read (and reread) this book; it has served as a muse and a mentor. My work is more professional, more diverse and visually pleasing; my practice far more organized. The absense of step-by-step instruction does not limit the reader but helps them to expand by calling upon them to apply what they have learned to their own ideas.

This title is a perfect complement to Donna Kato's 'The Art of Polymer Clay', which is overflowing with technical instruction made beginner-friendly. I highly recommend a newcomer to the medium purchase both titles.

Excellent Book
I loved this book! It was a great beginning course in color, design, balance and how to make it "look" right. I highly recommend this book

Wide selection of projects teaching design basics
This is a great polymer clay book for beginners. It is in full color & packed with many unique & inspirational artwork examples. With a wide variety of easy projects & techniques, you are sure to find one that suits your taste.

One of the great things about this book is that beginning artists get a crash course in the elements of design while creating beautiful artwork. Projects teach basic principles such as color, shape, line, texture, pattern, movement, contrast, & unity.

Step-by-step examples with b/w illustrations guide you through each of 22 different projects. Some of my favorites include blended shell beads, barrettes, an egg with flower millefiori, & a stamped wall hanging.

The section on materials & supplies is very complete including many options for surface finishing. The resource & artist lists are a great bonus. This is a wonderful look at the detail, variety & creativity possible in polymer clay.

Not typical
I pre-ordered this book and was surprised to find how much I really enjoy it. The author has collected many new artists work and approached this subject in a refreshing manner. I especially appreciate her focus using art and design terms to discribe the work and the possibilities of this medium. An inspirational book that makes sense to the artist in us all. ... Read more

Book Description

Duane Hanson (1925-1996) was a significant American sculptor known for his hyper-realistic figures. Raised on a Minnesota farm, Hanson was proud of his family's solid middle-class values. His first realistic sculptures were produced in the turbulent years of the 1960s and reflected the social and political climate of the era. By 1970, Hanson had developed his mature style of portraying American "types"--shoppers, tourists, children, workers, and businessmen. This volume discusses Hanson's artistic development, his sculptures dating between 1976 and 1995, and his contribution to American art.

Along with American artists George Segal, Edward Kienholz, and John De Andrea, Hanson influenced the current interest in hyper-realistic figuration. Hanson's sculptures have helped lead the way to the development of the late 20th-century art movement first identified as Mannequin Art and associated with artists like Paul McCarthy and John Miller, among others. ... Read more

Book Description

One of the most influential American artists of the post-war period, Donald Judd changed the course of modern sculpture. Beginning as an art critic and then a painter, Judd moved into three dimensions with the box-like structures he produced in the early 1960s, either arranged on the gallery floor or mounted on the wall. Initially constructed by hand, the sculptures were later industrially manufactured in galvanized iron, steel, plexiglass, and plywood. His use of vibrant color, polished and reflective metals, and brightly hued lacquer confounded and continues to confound expectations of what "minimalist" sculpture should look like.
This lavishly illustrated survey features 41 works from collections around the world, many of them large scale, each illustrated with full catalogue entries alongside many other major works by Judd. Contributors Nicholas Serota (Director of the Tate), Rudi Fuchs (former Director of The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam), American critics Richard Schiff and David Raskin, and British artist and critic David Batchelor explore the conflicts between previous critical interpretations of Judd and his own philosophical, political, and moral understanding of his work. Judd's critical response to the work of other artists is examined, as is the importance of color to his work, and his reaction to new man-made materials and artificially generated color in the late-20th-century environment. A section on Judd's installations at Marfa in Texas, and an extensive new chronology, compiled by Judd's assistant, Jeff Kopie, are also included. Donald Judd compromises the most thorough and up-to-date publication on Judd in print today.

Essays by Rudi Fuchs, David Batchelor, John Jervis, Richard Schiff, Nicholas Serota and David Raskin.

Hardcover, 9.5 x 12.25 in./288 pgs / 100 color and 30 b & w. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The One to Have
If you only buy one Donald Judd book in your lifetime, this may be the one to have. Beautifully designed and produced, with gorgeous full-bleed color reproductions, it is comprehensive in covering all the major aspects of his production (prints possibly excepted), including early paintings, the transition to sculpture, the late work, and the work on major art environments, i.e. Marfa and Spring Street. Most effectively, it groups major aspects of Judd's work into categories (stacks, linear wall pieces, series of boxes, etc.) clearly laying out his initial concepts, their evolution over time, and their relationships to other categories of work. In my brief time with this book, I have already come away with a much greater understanding of Judd's oeuvre and ways of thinking, thanks largely to the wonderfully didactic quality of the entire enterprise. I am assuming Nicolas Serota, the director of the Tate Modern and the book's editor, is largely responsible for this. Of the several intriguing essays, I have only thoroughly read the one by David Batchelor, a British Judd-ologist who addresses the issue of color. It alone is worth the price of the book, tracing aspects of the work back to initially wan late-nineteenth century attempts at the artistic representation of machinery, and then bringing us forward to Judd's thorough (albeit fascinatingly undocumented) familiarity with the technology and varieties of contemporary car paints (apparently his selection of [always impure] colors referenced specific automobiles, i.e. 1958 Ford Galaxy Celeste Green). The essay is full of wonderful observations such as Batchelor's equation of traditional brushes with organic nature, actual embodiments of their classical subject matter, that had to ultimately be abandoned by Judd (and of course others) in his search for artistic tools reflective of mechanization and urban modernity. Furthermore, Batchelor illustrates how the tools may have changed but Judd's concern with color, texture, and composition remained rooted in art-historical and even painterly considerations. Judd vehemently rejected the minimalist label, such label in Batchelor's view having contributed to critics' failure to recognize the sophisticated color and sensuality of the works. And finally, we are led to consider how the works may be as much about problems of painting and even (gasp) allusion and representation as about problems of sculpture. Great stuff. ... Read more

Book Description

Joseph Cornell (1903-1972), the American assemblage artist, was a quirky but passionate collector of bric-a-brac who used trinkets, scraps of paper, paint, and lots of glue to arrange imaginative worlds inside glass-front wooden boxes and frames. While evoking the Victorian era and childhood pastimes, Cornell developed a collage technique that radically transformed the way art could be made--and seen--for generations to come. ... Read more

Book Description

It's official! The only comprehensive casino chip price guide in the field, featuring chips from the major gaming cities and riverboats in the U.S, is now in its bigger, better second edition! This attractive guide features an easy-to-use system that identifies and grades over 15,000 chips for rarity, condition, and price, complemented by color photos of more than $1,000,000 in rare chips, and nostagic postcard snapshots of dozens of casinos. Also new to this edition are thorough listings of Commemorative Limited Edition chips for Las Vegas and elsewhere. Professional advice on collecting and interesting insider information make this book your best resource for this fascinating hobby. Its convenient size and durable binding are ideal for the heavy use it will receive. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Most Complete and Accurate Book of its Kind!
This is an outstanding guide for the beginner as well as the advanced collector. It features outstanding color pictures of some of the rarest chips in the hobby and its completeness and thoroughness is second to none. The hobby of casino chip collecting is just in its infancy and compared to many hobbies, its combination of history, beauty and true scarcity will certainly propel its popularity and values to new heights over the next few years. A great book to carry with you while antiquing or searching flea markets! Who knows, maybe YOU will find the next $10,000 chip!!

Unbelievable source of valuable information
This is by far the ultimate source of information on the exciting casino chip collectible hobby. This is not merely a price guide like most of the other books on casino chips that i have seen, but a remarkable full color display of the rarest chips i have seen. In addition, the history of some of the casinos and the use of casino chips over the last century is delightfully represented. The best part about the book is the invaluable Grading System set up by the authors. This unprecedented system is of utmost importance for any serious chip collector. Aside from all of this, just seeing all the full-colored pictures of the actual casino chips makes this book one that should be on everyone's book shelf.

A TRUE MASTERPIECE! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A valuable historical perspective but of limited use today
This book presents an interesting dichotomy: on the one hand it is a seminal publication on sculpting and animal anatomy, on the other is is hopelessly out of date rendering some of the information within of questionable value.

Originally published in 1911 (!) Lanteri was a teacher to Rodin, amongst others, and there is a touching letter from him reproduced at the start. I think one should remember reading this the perspective of the writer - a sculptor of the French 19th century style, moreover a sculptor of monuments from this period - which almost by definition demand a fairly clinical approach. The resulting pieces are of undoubted skill, and I personally am a great admirer of this school of representation, but many will find them a bit sterile I suspect.

The book is subdivided into 18 chapters, beginning with introductory remarks on the symbolism of sculptural representations of animals in disparate cultures. The second chapter is over eight pages of text discussing the horse, mentioning breeds, characteristics and other points with comment on form and movement. Chapter III is on the sculpting of a quarter-scale model of a horse, with supporting diagrams and sequential photos. The next chapter is short, concerning proportions and the next is even shorter, on refinement of the model. Chapter VI is titled "Some Special Points" and here we get to the meat (literally!) with over 30 pages of clear anatomical diagrams showing the muscles and skeleton of the horse in plan and side views. Chapter VII is on general principles with quotes from a number of "men of great artistic value" and includes four views of a sculpted anatomical study of the horse showing stunning mastery of form and detail. The next five chapters essentially deal with scaling up the model to full size using a laborious but obviously workable technique called pointing and chapter XIII is on pointing a relief. Chapter XIV discusses sculptural representation of other animals and XV through XVIII deal with sculpting the lion and then the bull, again with detailed anatomical drawings. The final three-part section, on casting in plaster, rounds out the book and here it really shows its age as I believe that modern materials like casting rubbers and alginates have almost completely done away with destructive casting methods (where the original and then the mould are both destroyed to make the final plaster).

The bulk of the information contained within this books is in the text and herein lies another problem: this is a translation from French into English (and Edwardian English to boot) and the text although it has a certain charm can come across as dry, even aloof. Even when the information is of value, and there is a great deal of importance here, it will be difficult in this day and age for the casual reader to sift through and I have a suspicion that without some formal art training, or at least a fair knowledge of anatomy and/or sculpting techniques, it will prove impenetrable.

In summary, for the serious student interested in monumental sculpture, particularly in this historical context, this is a must-have but for the casual reader and those seeking a how-to on sculpting animals I'd give this a skip. For those interested there is a companion book on sculpting the human figure. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

graphic tome
This is a thorough little book depicting the progression or regression of Judd's graphically stunning woodblock prints. There are also some nice photograph's of galleries and studios at his epicenter, Marfa, TX. Also included is a too short essay by Judd on symmetry. It's not a trip to Marfa, but if you like Donald Judd you should have this book. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

More brazed than welded
I bought this book to get technique and how-to ideas and found it gave extensive how-to directions for HIS method of build-up brazed sculpture using oxy/acet torches. His instructions on building basic structures, frameworks, melting/dribbling on brazing rod to fill-in/surface the framework, and mounting/finishing your sculpture are well done. BUT, it only gave (very) limited technique ideas on other metal sculpture techniques. If you are interested in using electric based welding techniques to build steel, stainless or alum sculptures, you may want to look elsewhere.

Visual learners beware
I purchased this book with the intent of learning to weld as a sculptor. What I found was a book that tried to be several things at once and mostly confused me. There is a dearth of technical info that goes into lengthy explanations of welding techiniques. But the illustrations in support of it are somewhat simplistic and even sometimes counter to the written explanation. There are also several 'projects' which are intended to help the student progress from simple to complex. But the projects seem to make great leaps forward in complexity without sufficient explanation. I get the feeling this would be a great course supplemental in the hands of a skilled instructor, but for a novice or even intermediate seeking self-education I would not recommend it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Engrossing tale of how our Nationa Memorial came to be.
Smith writes an engrossing tale about how Doane Robinson decided it would be a good idea to have sculptures created in the Needles of the Black Hills to bring in tourists, and how eccentric carver Gutzon Borglum took his idea over.It is amazing that Mount Rushmore ever was carved, with everyone being most concerned about getting it done their way, and no one paying enough attention to whether or not there was enough money to get it done. ... Read more