As the book's provocative title indicates, a woman reading was once viewed as radical. In chapters - such as: Intimate Moments and The Search for Oneself - Bollmann profiles how a woman with a book was once seen as idle or suspect and how women have gained autonomy through reading over the years. Bollmann offers intelligent and engaging commentary on each work of art in Women Who Read Are Dangerous, telling us who the subject is, her relationship to the artist, and even what she is reading. With works ranging from a 1333 Annunciation painting of the angel Gabriel speaking to the Virgin Mary, book in hand, to 20th-century works, such as a stunning photograph of Marilyn Monroe reading Ulysses, this appealing survey provides a veritable slideshow of the many iterations of a woman and her book; a compelling subject to this day. An excellent gift for graduates, teachers, or Mother's Day, this elegant book should appeal to anyone interested in art, literature, or women's history.

The Hispanic Society of America in New York is the vision of Archer M. Huntington (1870-1955). From an early age, Huntington developed an abiding love both of Hispanic culture and of museums and libraries. He resolved to devote his considerable fortune to combining these two passions, and carried out his project so resourcefully that the collections he assembled remain exceptional for their depth and richness, displaying the culture of Spain and Latin America in the broadest sense. Their scope ranges from the prehistoric era to the early 20th century, including antiquities, decorative arts, Islamic works, manuscripts and rare books as well as superb canvases by Old Masters such as El Greco, Velazquez and Goya. This handsome new publication features an introduction to Archer M. Huntington and the Hispanic Society by Patrick Lenaghan, the Society's archivist, and plates and authoritative catalogue entries on some of its greatest treasures by the Society's curators.

Coloring pages and vinyl stickers?! Artist Brita Lynn Thompson shares 40 unique and inspiring patterns that will help you flex your creative spirit and enjoy the present moment. The Dream in Color coloring book features fun patterns and motivational sayings that will brighten your mood, encourage you to seek adventure, and inspire you to live life with a sense of wonder. Coloring is also a creative form of mindfulness that will help you relax and chill out as you color each page. Each page of artwork in this book was beautifully designed so you can frame it or share it with friends. Plus 40+ bonus stickers to decorate surfaces like your laptop, water bottle, surf board, or car! Inspirational quotes include: * Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do * Make Today an Adventure * Dance Beneath the Stars Artist Brita Lynn Thompson, a.k.a. @zenspiredesigns, is known for her zenful designs and patterns. Dream in Color features: * Thick, premium quality paper * Perforated edges for easy removal and framing

Initiating readers in the fascinating and complex history of witchcraft, from the goddess mythologies of ancient cultures to the contemporary embrace of the craft by modern artists and activists, this expansive tome conjures up a breathtaking overview of an age-old tradition. Rooted in legend, folklore, and myth, the archetype of the witch has evolved from the tales of Odysseus and Circe, the Celtic seductress Cerridwen, and the myth of Hecate, fierce ruler of the moonlit night. In Witchcraft we survey her many incarnations since, as she shape-shifts through the centuries, alternately transforming into mother, nymph, and crone-seductress and destroyer. Edited by Jessica Hundley, and co-edited by author, scholar, and practitioner Pam Grossman, this enthralling visual chronicle is the first of its kind, a deep dive into the complex symbologies behind witchcraft traditions, as explored through the history of art itself. The witch has played muse to great artists throughout time, from the dark seductions of Francisco Jose de Goya and Albrecht Durer to the elegant paean to the magickal feminine as re-imagined by the Surrealist circle of Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, and Leonor Fini. The witch has spellbound through folktales and dramatic literature as well, from the poison apples of The Brothers Grimm, to the Weird Sisters gathered at their black cauldron in Shakespeare's Macbeth, to L. Frank Baum's iconic Wicked Witch of the West, cackling over the fate of Dorothy. Throughout this entrancing visual voyage, we'll also bear witness to the witch as she endures persecution and evolves into empowerment, a contemporary symbol of bold defiance and potent nonconformity. Featuring enlightening essays by modern practitioners like Kristen J. Sollee and Judika Illes, as well interviews with authors and scholars such as Madeline Miller and Juliet Diaz, Witchcraft includes a vast range of cultural traditions that embrace magick as spiritual exploration and creative catharsis. About the series The Library of Esoterica explores how centuries of artists have given form to mysticism, translating the arcane and the obscure into enduring, visionary works of art. Each subject is showcased through both modern and archival imagery culled from private collectors, libraries, and museums around the globe. The result forms an inclusive visual history, a study of our primal pull to dream and nightmare, and the creative ways we strive to connect to the divine.

Art & Fear is about the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn't get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way. Drawing on the authors' own experiences as two working artists, the book delves into the internal and external challenges to making art in the real world, and shows how they can be overcome every day. First published in 1994, Art & Fear quickly became an underground classic, and word-of-mouth has placed it among the best-selling books on artmaking and creativity. Written by artists for artists, it offers generous and wise insight into what it feels like to sit down at your easel or keyboard, in your studio or performance space, trying to do the work you need to do. Every artist, whether a beginner or a prizewinner, a student or a teacher, faces the same fears - and this book illuminates the way through them.

From the beginning of human history, individuals across cultures and belief systems have looked to the sky for meaning. The movement of celestial bodies and their relation to our human lives has been the central tenant of astrology for thousands of years. The practice has both inspired reverence and worship, and deepened our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. While modern-day horoscopes may be the most familiar form of astrological knowledge, their lineage reaches back to ancient Mesopotamia. As author Andrea Richards recounts in Astrology, the second volume in TASCHEN's Library of Esoterica series, astronomy and astrology were once sister sciences: the King's Chamber of the Great Pyramid at Giza was built to align with constellations, Persian scholars oversaw some of the first observatories, and even Galileo cast horoscopes for the Medicis. But with the Enlightenment and the birth of exact science, the practice moved to places where mystery was still permitted, inspiring literature, art, and psychology, and influenced artists and thinkers such as Goethe, Byron, and Blake. Later movements like the Theosophists and the New Agers, would thrust the practice into the mainstream. Edited by Jessica Hundley, this vibrant visual history of Western astrology is the first ever compendium of its kind, exploring the symbolic meaning behind more than 400 images, from Egyptian temples and illuminated manuscripts to contemporary art from across the globe. Works by artists from Alphonese Mucha and Hilma af Klint to Arpita Singh and Manzel Bowman are sequenced to mirror the spin of the planets and the wheel of the zodiac. With wisdom from new interviews with astrologers like Robert Hand, Jessica Lanyadoo, and Mecca Woods, Astrology celebrates the stars and their mysterious influence on our everyday lives. About the series The Library of Esoterica explores how centuries of artists have given form to mysticism, translating the arcane and the obscure into enduring, visionary works of art. Each subject is showcased through both modern and archival imagery culled from private collectors, libraries, and museums around the globe. The result forms an inclusive visual history, a study of our primal pull to dream and nightmare, and the creative ways we strive to connect to the divine.

Rob Kesseler works in the liminal space between fine art, design, craft and science. He moves easily between disciplines to engage fully with the art and science of the world around us. From ceramics to furniture and drawing to photography, Up Close presents his most thought-provoking and beautiful works in a creative collage, arranged thematically, mixing images and texts that have inspired him, especially the exotic forms and luscious colours of the plant world.

Capture the wonders of nature in watercolour with this quick guide to wildlife painting, packed with techniques and inspiration. Bestselling author Hazel Soan demonstrates how to paint a variety of wildlife, from garden favourites to exotic wild beasts. With easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step exercises, it has never been easier to capture the likeness of an animal, in your chosen medium, in a few quick strokes. The book covers all the key skills you need, including techniques for speed, capturing pose and proportion, advice on painting fur, feathers, hair, hides and markings, working with colour and light, and adding background and setting, as well as further work that can be completed in the studio. From cats, big and small, birds and foxes to magnificent elephants, lions and zebras, Hazel's simple tips, practical demonstrations and beautiful paintings can be applied to any moving subject and will help you master the art of capturing animals - in watercolour, oils, pencils or pastels - in no time at all.

Francine Prose's life of Caravaggio evokes the genius of this great artist through a brilliant reading of his paintings. Caravaggio defied the aesthetic conventions of his time; his use of ordinary people, realistically portrayed-street boys, prostitutes, the poor, the aged-was a profound and revolutionary innovation that left its mark on generations of artists. His insistence on painting from nature, on rendering the emotional truth of experience, whether religious or secular, makes him an artist who speaks across the centuries to our own time. In "Caravaggio", Francine Prose presents the brief but tumultuous life of one of the greatest of all painters with passion and acute sensitivity.

The artist Mark Hearld finds his inspiration in the flora and fauna of the British countryside: a blue-eyed jay perched on an oak branch; two hares enjoying the spoils of an allotment; a mute swan standing at the frozen water's edge; and a sleek red fox prowling the fields. Hearld admires such twentieth-century artists as Edward Bawden, John Piper, Eric Ravilious and Enid Marx, and, like them, he chooses to work in a range of media - paint, print, collage, textiles and ceramics. Work Book is the first collection of Hearld's beguiling art. The works are grouped into nature-related themes introduced by Hearld, who narrates the story behind some of his creations and discusses his influences. He explains his particular love of collage, which he favours for its graphic quality and potential for strong composition. Art historian Simon Martin contributes an essay on Hearld's place in the English popular-art tradition, and also meets Hearld in his museum-like home to explore the artist's passion for collecting objects, his working methods and his startling ability to view the wonders of the natural world as if through a child's eyes.

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.'

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.

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

Machine Dazzle, to my mind, [is] a true theatrical genius who has created some of the most inventive costumes and sets I have ever seen. Hilton Als Machine Dazzle is the much in-demand designer and artist behind popular cabaret, drag, and performance stars such as Taylor Mac and transgender icon Mx. Justin Vivian Bond. For the first time, his over-the-top stage creations, made for himself and others, are collected in one volume alongside stage environments, ephemera, and photos from his fascinating career. In Machine Dazzle s world, costumes are transformative objects with world-making capacity. The artist s queer maximalism encapsulates a more is better attitude to making and creating which looks to counter elitist notions that spectacle and extravagance are vapid. For him these associations are embraced as queer for their affirmation of hybridity over purity and the rejection of hierarchies of every kind, cultural and otherwise. On the occasion of a major exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design, curator Elissa Auther brings together a rich collections of essays and reminiscences from fellow performers, historians and cultural critics that consider every aspect of Machine Dazzle s rich body of work.

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.

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."