Art
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SECRET TEACHINGS OF A COMIC BOOK MASTER: THE ART OF ALFREDO ALCALA – Heidi MacDonald and Phillip Dana Yeh
THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE I remember in the 1970’s being eager each month for the latest issue of The Savage Sword of Conan to be on bookseller’s shelf. The black and white art in this over-sized comic book typically was much more impressive than that in the smaller color comics, and a big part… Continue reading
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BLUES HANDS – Joseph A. Rosen
There is something very calming in blues music (the term means ‘melancholy’) and photographer Joseph A. Rosen has managed to capture that calmness in his book, Blues Hands. Great music tells a story as do great photos and the two together are sweet music. The photo on the cover, as depicted above, is pretty typical of… Continue reading
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IVORY VIKINGS – Nancy Marie Brown
I love it when I learn a thing or two from one of the books I’ve requested for review. I had requested this book because I enjoy Scandinavian literature and mythology and I saw a natural tie-in with this book. But I did wonder, ‘Can someone really write an entire book about some ancient chess… Continue reading
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THE MANDOLIN LESSON – Frances Taylor
I was shocked to see that this book, published a year and a half ago, has so few ratings/reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. This book deserves to be read. I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of memoirs, usually because I find that you need to be familiar with the writer to appreciate what… Continue reading
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LINE: AN ART STUDY – Edmund J. Sullivan
THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE This book got off to a very slow start for me. Initially I wondered what sort of artist with OCD might find this book enjoyable? It reads like a technical manual. But I stuck with it and found quite a few gems of wisdom within the pages. The book is… Continue reading
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PAINT IT – Mari Bolte
NON-FICTION WEEK I’ve reviewed a number of art-related books on this blog, and for good reason … I began my education as an art student and haven’t fully abandoned it, so I have a keen interest in the fine arts. This book, Paint It, by Mari Bolte, has been in my to-read queue for over… Continue reading
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ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND – Lewis Carroll
Any excuse to re-read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a good excuse for me. But this one is even better because it’s not just the classic story that is featured here, but the artwork for the story by Salvador Dali. This year of 2015 we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures… Continue reading
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INTERPLAY: AN ARTIST’S APPROACH TO SPIRITUALITY – Makram Abu-Shakra
Sometimes, I can’t imagine what possessed me to request a specific book from a publisher, and sometimes I request a book based on the description and the book turns out to be something quite different. In this case, it would be the latter. The Goodreads description calls this a “psychological memoir of a musician, artist,… Continue reading
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WIDE AWAKE IN SLUMBERLAND – Katherine Roeder
I’m a little disappointed with myself for not previously knowing who Winsor McCay was. As someone interested in art, comics, and history, I feel I’ve missed out on something, but am very glad to have become acquainted with him through Katherine Roeder’s book, Wide Awake in Slumberland. Winsor McCay is considered to be the father… Continue reading
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THE PAINTER’S SECRET GEOMETRY – Charles Bouleau
The arts are vastly under-respected. For so many people, you go to a play and you maybe think that the acting was good or the music was nice, or the costumes were pretty. You look at a painting and typically you might think it looks nice or it doesn’t. But do you ever stop to… Continue reading
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THE BRILLIANT HISTORY OF COLOR IN ART – Victoria Finlay
This is, hands down, one of the best art books I have ever read. From the stunning cover photo to the end of the acknowledgements, this book informs and entertains and is rich with illustrations. Author Victoria Finlay explores (and shares with us the results of her research) the history behind a variety of colors… Continue reading
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STEAMPUNK SOLDIERS – Philip Smith & Joseph A. McCullough
Imagine a coffee-table style book of weapons and uniforms (I don’t have to imagine too hard, I recently reviewed a book on weapons). Now imagine an art book of steampunk paintings. And now … put the two together and you have this book. The idea is really interesting. Author Philip Smith has created a strong… Continue reading

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