A rich and powerful exploration of desire, sin and redemption, by "our best chronicler of the rewards and pitfalls of present-day faith" [PHILIP PULLMAN] "A novel that probes any number of aggressive varieties of moralism, while testing the reader's own moral alertness for rigour, realism and generosity. An engrossing, three-dimensional, grown-up narrative." ROWAN WILLIAMS "An irresistibly readable, thoughtful and characteristically witty examination of the quandaries and compromises faced by the Church of England in an era of decline . . . I loved this book for its lightness of touch about serious subjects and for dialogue that glitters like clashing rapiers." MIRANDA SEYMOUR As a woman in the early 1980s, Clarissa Phipps is unable to pursue her vocation to the priesthood. Instead, she joins the BBC's religious affairs department, where she is sent to interview celebrated artist, Seward Wemlock, about the panels he is painting for an ancient Cheshire church. "A serious and important writer" ROSE TREMAIN Thirty years on, Clarissa, now rector of that same church, chances upon Brian, the chief bell-ringer and husband of her closest friend, fondling fifteen-year-old David. Dismissing David's claim that they are in love, Clarissa is obliged to act. Will she choose friendship or conscience, sympathy or her official duty of care? The fallout from that choice forces her to reflect on the original controversy over Wemlock's panels and her concerns about his relationship with the teenagers who modelled for Adam and Eve. Had she acted on the whispers that reached her at the time, how many lives - her own included - would have turned out differently? The Choice is a rich and powerful exploration of desire, sin and redemption, questioning whether it's possible, let alone prudent, to separate the art from the artist. It examines the fault lines in both religious and secular society, from the AIDS crisis and the struggle for women's ordination in the 1980s to the culture wars of today. Richly comic and deeply compassionate, The Choice is a remarkable synthesis of the sacred and profane. "At a time when British fiction has never been more timorous about tackling novels of ideas, Michael Arditti has produced one worthy of Iris Murdoch and Graham Greene. Brilliantly ambiguous, waspishly witty and thoroughly enjoyable, this is Michael Arditti's own masterpiece to date" AMANDA CRAIG

Taking a closer look at the fundamentals of the green and wild life forms that exist around us. With a photographer's eye, viewing the very things that we take for granted and easily dismiss as an abundant source of the natural world. But could this be construed as disposable? This book does not shy away from the hard realities of, or attempt to glamorise, the climate discussion. It modulates the voices, pensive, concerned, engaged or ignoring, from which is created the colours within a silent world of nature. The Colour of Silence is about mindfulness and a clear-focused look at life on Earth, contemplating the curious truth about nature. This widely respected photographer artist, Clare Newton uses her intriguing and unusual photographs to explore the wonders of nature. "Art has a vital role to play in our sense of well-being through immersion in the natural world by enhancing our awareness of the diversity of life that abounds there." The perception of the superiority of one life form over another, and in particular of humanity over the remainder of the natural world, may well have contributed in no small way to the environmental predicament that confronts us today. Alongside Newton's images, runs another narrative: Could there be a different way of perceiving nature and our human place within it with fresh eyes, untainted by past preconceptions? Can her unassuming photographer's eye help to show life as it actually is, not as we might imagine or desire it to be? Kate Humble BBC Wildlife and Science Presenter says 'A beautiful & thought provoking book.'

This unparalleled and wide-ranging book surveys the history of applied arts and industrial design from the eighteenth century to the present day, exploring the dynamic relationship between design and manufacturing, and the technological, social and commercial contexts in which this relationship has developed. In this extensively revised and expanded third edition, David Raizman addresses international questions more fully with the addition of six Global Inspiration sections that examine the contributions of non-Western traditions, rendering the very notion of a 'national' design debatable. The text also pays closer attention to issues of gender, race, and climate change, and their impact on design. With over 580 illustrations, mostly in colour, History of Modern Design is an inclusive, well-balanced introduction to a field of increasing scholarly and interdisciplinary research, and provides students in design with historical perspectives of their chosen fields of study.

This title is the IP Book Awards 2007 Gold Medal winner for Outstanding Book of the Year - Most Original Concept. Never before seen SEM images are unique to the book. It will appeal to scientists, artists and photographers alike. The extraordinary beauty and structure of pollen grains invisible to the naked eye. This book is the result of the shared fascination of an artist and a scientist with the perfect design of organisms too small to be seen without a microscope. Pollen is ubiquitous; its tiny forms have fascinated the scientifically curious since the seventeenth century. Its tiny grains are enclosed beyond the accessible beauty of the flower until the moment of release, when they are carried by wind, water or animal vectors to achieve their purpose, which is procreation. A clear explanation of the structure and form of pollen, the remarkable events from pollination to fertilization, and the many ways in which pollen impacts unseen on our lives is interwoven with a dazzling array of original images created especially for the book.

Collected for the first time in a new translation: two of the most important and far-reaching biographies of an artist ever written, and our principal sources for the life of Velazquez. Diego Velazquez (1599-1660) is for many the greatest painter ever to have lived. His astonishing naturalism had an immediate and lasting impact on his contemporaries, inspiring both awe and fierce debate. Most of what we know about Velazquez' life and incomparably successful career comes from these two biographies. Francisco Pacheco, a second rank painter, was Velazquez' teacher and eventually father-in-law - possibly the closest relationship between a painter and his biographer in all art. This Life, part of Pacheco's theoretical work, the Art of Painting, has never been translated before, and it reveals the scale of the challenge to traditional painting presented by Velazquez' insurmountable talent. Antonio Palomino, the Spanish Vasari, was born just after Velazquez died, but knew many of the painter's friends and colleagues. His biography, precise and detailed, is an incomparable source, but like Pacheco's text, also tackles the aesthetic debate engendered by Velazquez' choice of subject matter and style. Together these biographies give an excitingly close insight into the mind and world of a great painter. The introduction by Michael Jacobs situates these biographies in the context of Spain's Golden Age, and the intellectual ferment in painting and in the theatre that lie behind Velazquez' magic. The translations are by Nina Ayala Mallory, the leading scholar of Spanish artistic biographies. The volume is richly illustrated with 30 plates illustrating the full gamut of Velazquez' work.

The third title in Christopher Hart's bestselling Master Guide to Drawing Anime series is essential for all anime artists who want to fine-tune their skills. This is the guide that all anime and manga artists--of any level--need! Chris Hart delves deep into the specifics of drawing anime characters and scenes and explores every aspect of anime forms. He reveals his secrets for composing a complete picture, and discusses rarely covered topics. Entirely new tutorials include instruction on drawing hands and feet in different gestures or positions, arranging characters within the action, and creating nuanced expressions. Fans of The Master Guide books will find this title to be invaluable in strengthening their drawing skills, while newcomers will see this as a perfect introduction to the series.

Leather never goes out of fashion - and now designer Christina Anton shows crafters how to create colourful, fun and contemporary leather jewellery. Simply follow her tutorial, which covers the basic techniques from stamping to sewing, to make her magnificently wearable art. Twenty-one beginner friendly projects, including Layered Fringe Earrings and a Geometric Cuff Bracelet, will spark your creativity and take you to the next level!

Welcome to this weird and wacky colouring challenge. There are pictures to colour in, drawings to complete, spaces to scribble in and lots of things to find in these super-detailed doodles by artist Kerby Rosanes. Featuring unique and intricate ink drawings of incredible animals, shape-shifting aliens and breathtaking scenes. Readers will have to keep their eyes peeled for hidden treasures and creatures scattered throughout the pages. Other books in the colouring series include: 9781910552148 Imagimorphia 9781910552261 Mythomorphia 9781910552865 Fantomorphia 9781910552926 Geomorphia

Religion, Renaissance, and Reformation-these three ideologies shaped the world of 16th-century portraitist Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/98-1543), a pivotal figure of the Northern Renaissance, whose skills took him to Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, and England, and garnered patrons and subjects as prestigious as Henry VIII, Thomas More, Anne of Cleves, and Reformation advocate Thomas Cromwell. This book brings together key Holbein paintings to explore his illustrious and international career as well as the courtly drama and radical religious change that informed his work. With rich illustration, we survey the masterful draftsmanship and almost supernatural ability to control details, from the textures of luxurious clothing to the ornament of a room, that secured Holbein's place as one of the greatest portraitists in Western art history. His probing eye was matched with a draftsman. Along the way, we see how he combined meticulous mimesis with an inspired amalgam of regional painterly traits, from Flemish-style realism to late medieval German composition and Italian formal grandeur. During his time in England, Holbein became official court painter to Henry VIII, producing both reformist propaganda and royalist paintings to bolster Henry's status as monarch and as the new Supreme Head of the Church following the English Reformation. His portrait of Henry from 1537 is regarded not only as a portraiture pinnacle but also as an iconic record of this transformative monarch and the Tudor dynasty. Through this turbulent period, Holbein also produced anticlerical woodcuts, and sketched and painted Lutheran merchants, visiting ambassadors, and Henry's notorious succession of wives. About the series Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features: a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

Learn to express yourself through color while painting on location with the in-depth tips and techniques of Working with Color, the fifth volume in the Urban Sketching Handbook series. Expert watercolorist, illustrator, instructor, and co-founder of Urban Sketchers Montreal Shari Blaukopf shares her essential color tips about color-water ratio, achieving bold color, avoiding muddy washes, painting in layers, and using wet-in-wet techniques. This essential handbook covers: supplies and materials sample color palettes color mixing using limited palettes monochrome sketches the power of complementary colors using evocative, expressive color With a focus on using watercolor with greater confidence and knowledge, the book also delves into pencil and ink and watersoluble pencils. The instructional text is enhanced with stunning watercolor illustrations by the author and other expert urban sketchers from beautiful locations around the globe. The illustrations include examples of color swatches showing value; mixing; illustrations of complementary, analogous, and neutral color schemes; and sample galleries. Working with Color is an indispensable guide for on-location artists looking to expand and strengthen their expressive use of color.

Delve inside this beautifully presented artist showcase filled with the works and useful advice from popular visual artist Pernille Orum. Pernille is well known and respected in the animation industry, having worked for clients such as Disney Publishing, Nickelodeon Jr., Mattel, DreamWorks, and she was the Lead Character Designer on Warner Brothers' DC Superhero Girls. In this colorful and vibrant, hardback art book, Pernille shares her artwork over the years, starting with some of her earliest drawings; sharing her progression through various forms of education. She also shares her workspace and favorite tools, and offers an abundance of advice to anyone wishing to break into the animation industry themselves - with tutorials on useful business concerns such as how to approach a character design, and a detailed look at the processes she uses for creating her bright, edgy drawings.With the combined content of Pernille's best works, including art that she has created especially for the book; career advice and tutorials; and a foreword from Disney Legend, John Musker (Co-Director of Moana, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid) this is undoubtedly a book that any budding animator or artist should reserve space on their bookshelf for.

Our Butterflies QuickNotes collection of full colour notecards are a selection of beautifully reprinted watercolour paintings from the very talented Becca Stadtlander. Our QuickNotes boxed notecards are full colour, collectable greeting / notecards that are blank inside and can be used to convey personal greetings, thank-yous and invitations. 20 5x4 notecards and envelopes 5 cards each of 4 images Packaged in a keepsake box with magnetic lid Measures 140 x 114 x 38mm. We choose the best images from well-known classic and contemporary fine artists, plus talented emerging illustrators and designers from around the globe.

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) was already an old man when the young poet Rainer Maria Rilke went to interview him for the first time. Rilke stayed on to work as Rodin's secretary. Intensely sensitive to art, and in particular to the irreducible power of objects, and yet able to express this awareness in prose of great lyricism and clarity, Rilke was destined to be the critic who would most naturally dramatise Rodin's work. In 1903 Rilke published this essay, a sustained and profound meditation on the unique power of Rodin's sculpture that has never been equalled. Written around a chronology of Rodin's work, it is also a very approachable introduction to some of the greatest sculpture of the nineteenth century.

Discover a whole new realm of botanical painting - the natural life forms that coexist with flowering plants, revealed in exquisite detail. Traditionally, botanical art has focused on the flowers, leaves and form of plants. They are depicted in solitary glory on a page, divorced from the life forms that live alongside them in nature. But award-winning UK botanical painter, Christina Hart-Davies, believes passionately that flowers are only part of the picture and loves to explore the different stages, related species, habitats and associated creatures that provide their setting in the wild. She looks at plants and other life forms from all angles - scientific, aesthetic and cultural - to tell The Whole Story. Showcasing examples of her most popular works, The Whole Story draws on Christina's long and parallel careers in both art and illustration. Take inspiration from her enthusiasm for the details and beauty of all aspects of the natural world and benefit from her experience as she shares techniques for painting moss and insects as well as advice on composition and lettering. This book will transform your perspective and inspire you to look beyond the flowers.

This illustrated book is about a remarkable collection of botanical drawings belonging to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh. The watercolors were commissioned by Alexander Gibson, an East India Company surgeon, and depict plants grown in the botanic gardens under his control in the Bombay Presidency. They are the work of an unknown Portuguese-Indian artist and were made between 1847 and 1850. The main section of the book includes colour reproductions of the 170 drawings arranged in order of the Bombay Flora, which Gibson co-authored with Nicholas Dalzell. Half the species depicted are native to western India, the other half are exotics from as far afield as Argentina and Australia. The color plates are preceded by substantial chapters on Gibson's life and work and a history of Dapuri and the other botanic gardens under his charge. An illustrated introduction tells of the author's travels in search of information about Gibson, his gardens and the drawings.

A fresh new guide to contemporary palette knife painting for beginner and experienced artists, featuring step-by-step tutorials on colour mixing, mark making, and a variety of painting techniques to create your own unique abstract, landscape, and floral paintings. Publisher's note: regrettably there were some production problems with the first printing of this title. We have recalled the affected books and new stock is now available. Author and artist, Melissa McKinnon, has designed this book to take both the beginner and experienced artist on a journey into impasto painting. She begins with an overview of the essential tools and materials you'll need to get started. Included are detailed instructions to make your own stay-wet palette and how to combine thickening mediums with acrylic paint to achieve the ideal consistency. There are simple practice exercises to get you comfortable using a palette knife, mixing colours and blending with a brush. Melissa explains how to sculpt and control the paint to create a variety of stunning textural effects. She demonstrates several mark making techniques that you can use alone or in combination to create your own expressive textured paintings, as well as an introduction to colour theory and tips on composition. Once you feel confident with the tools and paint, you'll learn how to create twelve different textured landscape, floral, and abstract paintings with step-by-step instructions. This series of paintings was designed to help you put all of the techniques and colour theory you've learned into beautiful paintings of your own. Melissa generously shares her knowledge and expert tips gained from years of experience developing her unique approach to palette knife painting. She values experimentation and is always evolving her technique. The last two projects explore alternative painting methods inviting you to take your paintings one step further by incorporating new materials and experimental techniques. Using the instructions in this book you will become equipped to take your practise further and continue to develop the skills you need to improve your artwork. This book will become a trusted resource in your studio, one that you can refer back to again and again as you grow and evolve as an artist. When speaking about the book Melissa says: "Painting with a palette knife can be intimidating even for experienced artists. My goal is to simplify the process and show you how easy and enjoyable this technique really is. Textured Art is is a deep dive into my unique painting process that I've developed over a lifetime of art making. Designed for both beginner and experienced artists, I'll teach you step-by-step everything you need to know to create colourful textured paintings of your own. I'm confident this book will become a trusted resource in your studio, one that you can refer back to again and again as you grow and evolve as an artist."

Presented in a beautiful gift format and filled with a wealth of new photography, this engaging book aims to introduce to a general audience the National Trust's vast collections - a treasure chest of history. Arranged chronologically, starting with Roman sculpture and ending with 20th-century design, it focuses on museum-quality objects as well as important examples of decorative arts, furniture, textiles, books and items with fascinating stories behind them. Selected by the National Trust's curators from more than 1.5 million objects in its collections, the featured highlights include an ancient-Egyptian obelisk; Cardinal Wolsey's purse; the first English globe; one of the earliest surviving sofas; an incredible 18th-century dolls' house; an elephant automaton; a tent made for a sultan; a dress made of beetle-wing cases; hand-written manuscripts by Beatrix Potter and Virginia Woolf; Rodin's bust of George Bernard Shaw; rare, early colour photographs of the Sutton Hoo discovery; a sculpture by Barbara Hepworth and paintings by Holbein, Rubens, van Dyck, Rembrandt, Velazquez, Reynolds, Stubbs, Burne-Jones, Monet and Sargent. Each featured object is accompanied by an illuminating, easy-to-read caption, a timeline of key moments in the Trust's history and a list of properties housing important collections items appear at the end.