WordPress changes have affected this website.  The site has been around for a long time, and it relied on some software that’s now outdated.

So, in the near future, I’ll be changing Art Books Reviews.  Until then, some of the links may not work, or there may be some odd code in some of [...]]]> Hi,

WordPress changes have affected this website.  The site has been around for a long time, and it relied on some software that’s now outdated.

So, in the near future, I’ll be changing Art Books Reviews.  Until then, some of the links may not work, or there may be some odd code in some of the reviews.  Ignore it.  It’s not anything weird, it’s just not working now.

As I upgrade the site, it’s going to be much better. In this case, progress is a good thing!

Thanks for your understanding, and I wish you a brilliantly creative day!

Cheerfully,

Aisling

Does it actually make “color sense out of color theory”?  I’m not so sure, but I’m also not sure if that matters.

Stephen Quiller has [...]]]> Color Choices – Making Color Sense Out of Color Theory, by Stephen Quiller is a visually inspiring book for painters, especially landscape and still life painters.

Does it actually make “color sense out of color theory”?  I’m not so sure, but I’m also not sure if that matters.

Stephen Quiller has created his own color wheel, and that helps to demonstrate the qualities of color.  However, if you’re new to painting or color theory, just focus on the outer wheel, not the additions towards the center.

It will probably show you how the color wheel really works.

With Quiller’s color wheel, the variations — cool to warm, and one color to the next — can make more sense than the color wheel they tried to teach you in first grade art class.

For people working with dyes, this book could be pure gold.

However, this book was (mostly) written for fine art painters.

Almost unique among art book authors, Quiller lists specific colors (by brand name) so you can work with the exact same colors he does… and hopefully achieve similar results.

I’ll admit that, though I’ve owned my (now paint-stained) copy for over ten years, I’ve never read the whole thing.  I’m a real “show me, don’t tell me” kind of person.

But that’s something Quiller does pretty well:  He’s included a variety of truly lovely paintings — in a variety of painting media — that illustrate different limited palettes (using just a few, carefully-chosen colors) and their results.

The text…? Well, if you just love listening to lectures and you can’t get enough information about color theory, you may devour every word in this book.

I just wasn’t that interested.  Maybe I will be, someday.

And frankly, for those of us who wear reading glasses, the text is fairly small to accommodate the spaces around the large, lavish and juicy examples throughout the book.  So, you’d have to really want to read the text.

I guess I’m just not a color theory enthusiast.  I want to see what colors look like, against each other.  Fortunately, Quiller has lots of examples, from monochromatic paintings to pastels to rich, crayon-box colors made more vivid with acrylics.

In fact, most of Quiller’s illustrations feature watercolors or acrylics.  If you’re working in either of those media, this book may be especially useful.

If you’re new to acrylic painting, I suggest Quiller’s Acrylic Painting Techniques, instead.  It includes an overview of his approach to color and — for some artists — that may be enough.

On the other hand, if you’re an advanced artist working in other media — including collage — Quiller’s Color Choices book may be the resource you’ve needed to explore new color combinations and approaches.

Pros

• Lots of detailed color theory: history, examples, and illustrations.
• Lavish illustrations using a wide variety of palettes and approaches to color.
• Brand names and exact color names of products make it easy to replicate Quiller’s effects.
• Very useful for teachers from middle school through university level art.  You’ll find some great inspirations for your lesson plans.

Cons

• Despite the vivid book cover, I’d categorize most of Quiller’s interior illustrations as “pretty” and “calming,” not deeply energizing.
• Text reads like a university textbook… which it might be.
• For me, much of Quiller’s work succeeds due to composition more than color, though color is often a key element.

Summary

Though my review may sound a little ho-hum, I really do keep this book within reach in my studio.

If you’ve wanted to delve deeply into color theory, this is an important book to own, if only for the unique Quiller Color Wheel that folds out.

In addition, if your goal is to paint pretty watercolors and landscapes with a sense of profound serenity and deep beauty, Quiller’s book is excellent.

[rating: 3.5]

Buy a copy at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

See larger image Color Choices: Making Color Sense Out of Color Theory (Paperback) By (author) Stephen Quiller List Price: $21.95 USD New From: $13.46 In Stock Used from: $13.72 In Stock Release date February 1, 2002.

I bought the book partly because my mother* had studied with Thieme (as she always called him) around 1935-36  in Annisquam and Rockport, Massachusetts.

However, I also [...]]]> Anthony Thieme, by Judith A. Curtis (published by the Rockport Art Association) is an inspiring tribute to one of America’s greatest landscape painters.

I bought the book partly because my mother* had studied with Thieme (as she always called him) around 1935-36  in Annisquam and Rockport, Massachusetts.

However, I also fell in love with Thieme’s use of light and shadow.

The cover of the book (above) is an example. Among many artists, Thieme was respected as the “Master of Sunlight and Shadow.”

(Note: I scanned that book cover since I couldn’t find it online.  Oh, I’d bought the book, new, but you can see from the evident wear, it’s been read often!)

The photos of Thieme’s artwork, inside this book, are rich and juicy.   For me, they’re an example of some of the best landscapes and seascapes.  His colors are authentic, and a reminder that color is a key element in any composition.

My mother always included something red — usually a cadmium red or red-orange — in every painting.  She used that area to energize and balance each painting, so the eye never lingered on one spot too long.  I’m pretty sure she learned that from Thieme.

Despite my enthusiasm for the paintings in this book, my mother said, “I’m sure some of these prints were from old paintings that needed a good cleaning as they are dark.  Thieme’s work always had much clean sparkle of sunlight to them.”

Whether or not the book’s photos show the paintings as glorious as they were when painted, they’re still magnificent.

Thieme’s life story is fascinating, albeit sad.

He was born in Rotterdam, Holland in 1888, and — as a child — he was not encouraged to become an artist.  So, around age 17, he went to Dusseldorf (Germany) and studied art there for three years.  Then, Zurich (Switzerland) attracted him, and — from there — he and a companion decided to walk to Italy, painting as they traveled.

It was the beginning of a life of adventures and art.

During the following years, Thieme explored the world.  His stops included Naples (Italy), New York, Rio de Janero, and Paris.

From 1929 until 1943, he directed the Thieme Summer School of Art in Rockport, Massachusetts.  One of his favorite subjects — painted as many as 400 times — was Motif #1, and Thieme’s paintings helped to make that landmark famous.

Though Thieme felt that Rockport was his true home, he continued to travel abroad.  For him, the passage of time and the pace of modern life were challenges, made even more brutal by his personal experiences.

In May 1940, Hitler’s forces had bombed Thieme’s childhood home of Rotterdam. According to my mother, he “lost much family in those terrible years.”

Thieme tried to balance that tragic backdrop with the exhilaration of modern living.  Sometimes, fast cars weren’t enough to escape the ugliness and disappointments of encroaching modernity.

Thieme continued to paint at a remarkable pace, always finding ways around life’s obstacles and seasonal challenges, and shrugging off criticism from fellow artists. (Some called him “the puddle painter.”)

This book documents much of his originality. For me, it’s a reminder of the near endless creativity of dedicated artists.

I mean, really, he cut a hole in the floor of his car so he could stand up and paint landscapes in it, when winters were bitterly cold.

That’s an inspiring story, and just one of many in this book.

Much of the book is simply color prints of his paintings.  The commentary with them is especially helpful. Though a picture may be worth a thousand words, a few pointers here and there — about using a flat sky or an all-blue palette for distant landmarks to provide a sense of depth –  make a world of difference.

Thieme’s life and work have been overlooked by many art students who choose the more facile path and study more famous artists.

Whether or not the paintings are darker than they should be, this small book is a steady source of inspiration, and a reminder of why I paint.

Click here to find a copy of this book at Amazon.com or at Amazon.co.uk

—

*My mother was Muriel Joan Bernier (1919 – 2010), a 1940 graduate of Massachusetts College or Art. She was a protegee of Ernest Major, and a noted New England landscape and portrait painter.

Sometimes I buy a book because it’s simply delightful.  The art is very original, made with refreshing and simple materials, and the book just makes me [...]]]> Happy Voodoo Gris Gris: Over 45 Easy-To-Make Lucky Charms & Talismans, by Mademoiselle de la Brindille / Valerie Lefebvre; text by Anne-Claire Leveque.

Sometimes I buy a book because it’s simply delightful.  The art is very original, made with refreshing and simple materials, and the book just makes me smile.

This is one of those books.

Sure, some of this artwork has a Voodoo connection. The author talks about magic numbers and pious images used in art.  If that bothers you, don’t read this book.

However, if you’d love to include more art in your everyday world and whimsy delights you… this book is a must-own.

It’s also ideal if you’re working on a sacred area in  your home, or creating a personal shrine.

For me, this book is wonderful!

• I fell in love with the loops of wire and charms and flowers that comprise the very informal “Unusual center light” on pages 26 and 27.
• My cat (like the author’s) would be fascinated by the “Wishing tree” on pages 38 and 39.
• The “Garland of happiness” on page 40 is something I want over my desk… it’s a truly glorious idea!

Every project (there are 45 in this book) includes a list of supplies and step-by-step directions.  They’re not terribly detailed.

For example, “…top-stitch with the machine using turquoise thread” assumes that you have a sewing machine and know how to use it.

However, the informality of this book makes it clear that you can do the same thing with a needle and thread, and no sewing machine.

In fact, you can (and should!) improvise to create your own versions of these projects. This book is the inspiration; you make each project unique.

45 projects including shrines, household decorations, jewelry, fabric art and wearables, and painting projects.

Pros

• Lots of colorful, whimsical photos to inspire you.
• An informal writing style makes this very accessible to beginners through advanced artists (and non-artists).
• On at least every second page, I see something to gasp at and think, “Ooh, I could do something like that…”

Cons

• If Voodoo and alternative spirituality bother or offend you, there are other great books to inspire you.  Skip this one.
• Students who want every step spelled out with basic directions and lots of photos… well, this isn’t your kind of book.  It’s for free spirits whose lives are very spontaneous and unstructured.

Summary

Every time I pick up this book, I read just a page or two before I have an idea for a very cool project.  So, I’ve never actually read this entire book, even though I’ve owned it for over a year.

If words like voodoo, talismans, and magic make you shudder, avoid this book.

However, if ethnic, improvised art inspires you, this is a book you’ll display so you look at it often.  It might be on my top 10 list of favorite mixed-media arts/crafts books.

[rating: 4.5]

Available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

See larger image Happy Voodoo Gris Gris: Over 45 Easy-To-Make Lucky Charms & Talismans (Paperback) By (author) Valerie Lefebvre List Price: $16.99 USD New From: $0.09 In Stock Used from: $0.01 In Stock