The creative duo Charles Eames (1907-1978) and Ray Kaiser Eames (1912-1988) transformed the visual character of America. Though best known for their furniture, the husband and wife team were also forerunners in architecture, textile design, photography, and film. The Eameses' work defined a new, multifunctional modernity, exemplary for its integration of craft and design, as well as for the use of modern materials, notably plywood and plastics. The Eames Lounge Chair Wood, designed with molded plywood technology, became a defining furniture piece of the 20th century, while the couple's contribution to the Case Study Houses project not only made inventive use of industrial materials but also developed an adaptable floor plan of multipurpose spaces which would become a hallmark of postwar modern architecture. From the couple's earliest furniture experiments to their seminal short film Powers of Ten, this book covers all the aspects of the illustrious Eames repertoire and its revolutionary impact on middle-class American living. 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 Architecture series features: an introduction to the life and work of the architect the major works in chronological order information about the clients, architectural preconditions as well as construction problems and resolutions a list of all the selected works and a map indicating the locations of the best and most famous buildings approximately 120 illustrations (photographs, sketches, drafts, and plans)

The book represents a continuation of research begun by Cooper in Hong Kong in the early 1970s among expatriate artisan furniture makers and woodcarvers from Dongyang County, Zhejiang Province. He now sets out to investigate the fate of the same craft in the hands of the same folk under totally different socio-economic conditions in their native county in communist People's Republic of China.

Canada's furniture history includes hitherto unrecognized work of international significance in modern design. In this richly illustrated study, Virginia Wright brings such accomplishments to the fore, employing archival photographs and original documentation to trace the development of professional furniture design, design education, and design advocacy in Canada from 1920 to 1970. Chief among the milestones were the production in Ontario in the mid-1920s of moulded plywood seating for assembly halls, and the world's first moulded plastic furniture produced in prototype by the National Research Council in 1946 - three years before the more famous designs by Charles Eames in the United States.

Within a narrative framework, Wright charts the development of modern design from its first appearance in an Eaton's department store, with pieces brought from the Paris Exposition of 1925, through its stealthy entry into Canadian homes, to its establishment as a dominant style. She shows how the introduction of modern industrial materials such as steel tube, rubber, and plywood into the production of commercial and institutional furnishings, and their incorporation into modern decor, reached a wide public through exhibitions and the media. Wright also reveals the relative neglect of this facet of Canada's art history by its museums and galleries, which, after featuring new furniture made in Canada, failed to acquire any for their own permanent exhibitions or study collections.

The first account of Canada's innovative furniture design and fabrication of the period, Modern Furniture in Canada, 1920 to 1970 opens the door to a whole new field of study.

Put your wood carving skills to practical use! This must-have book features 13 projects with step-by-step instructions and photography for creative and elegant walking sticks. Including projects for both intermediate and advanced wood carvers, painting and finishing instructions are provided, as well as helpful information on types of wood used for walking stick shanks, methods for joining a head to a shank, and more. From a simple lyre-shaped thumb stick and a gent's walking stick to derby sticks with the head of a fox, eagle, Labrador retriever, black swan, and other animals, you'll enjoy putting your carving skills to the test by creating these beautifully useful walking sticks and canes. Author Paul Purnell is a self-taught wood carver for 15 years who specializes in birds, animals, and other wildlife. His carving style includes a mixture of tools, and he has carved projects for The Guild of Master Craftsman's Wood Carving and Woodworking Crafts magazines.

Joints: A Woodworker's Guide takes one of the most important and challenging aspects of woodworking and demystifies the all-important subject of choosing, designing and cutting woodworking joints. Strong, appropriate and well-fitting joints are one of the hallmarks of the skilled woodworker. Making them properly and accurately calls for good planning and marking out as well as a good degree of care in the cutting, fitting and final assembly. It is essential to approach making joints methodically, this book provides all the necessary information to ensure success. Aimed at both those new to woodworking as well as the experienced woodworker. Joints: A Woodworker's Guide is broken down into three main sections: planning and preparation, basic techniques of joint making and individual joints in detail. Areas covered include: planning the work and preparing the wood; measuring and marking; cutting and fitting, glues and assembly.

Brush lettering--hand lettering with brush pens--and creating designs with watercolor paints guarantees you plenty of colorful creative fun! The combination of beautiful lettering with a colorful gloss and the delicacy of watercolors opens up a range of new design possibilities. Katja Haas presents various types of lettering and concentrates in particular on the special features of writing and decorating with brush pens. Ideas for feather-light blossoms, tendrils, and decorative elements, along with suggestions for special occasions, make this the perfect companion to lettering.

Presenting a study of a group of potters living in a small community in the south of Japan, this work includes a look at the problems they face in the production, marketing and aesthetic appraisal of a kind of stoneware pottery generally referred to as "mingei", or folk art. It shows how different people in an art world bring to bear different sets of values as they negotiate the meaning of "mingei" and try to decide whether a pot is "art", or mere "craft". At the same time, "Folk Art Potters of Japan" aims to reach beyond the mere study of an isolated community to trace the origins and history of "folk art" in general. By showing how a set of aesthetic ideals originating in Britain was taken to Japan, and thence back to Europe and the United States - as a result of the activities of people like William Morris, Yanagi Soetsu, Bernard Leach and Hamada Shoji - this book not only rewrites the history of contemporary western ceramics, but engages in two important discourses in contemporary anthropology: one concerned with art and aesthetics; the other with orientalism. Illustrated, and with a description of the operation of Japan's art pottery world in the afterword, "Folk Art Potters

Presenting a study of a group of potters living in a small community in the south of Japan, this work includes a look at the problems they face in the production, marketing and aesthetic appraisal of a kind of stoneware pottery generally referred to as "mingei", or folk art. It shows how different people in an art world bring to bear different sets of values as they negotiate the meaning of "mingei" and try to decide whether a pot is "art", or mere "craft". At the same time, "Folk Art Potters of Japan" aims to reach beyond the mere study of an isolated community to trace the origins and history of "folk art" in general. By showing how a set of aesthetic ideals originating in Britain was taken to Japan, and thence back to Europe and the United States - as a result of the activities of people like William Morris, Yanagi Soetsu, Bernard Leach and Hamada Shoji - this book not only rewrites the history of contemporary western ceramics, but engages in two important discourses in contemporary anthropology: one concerned with art and aesthetics; the other with orientalism. Illustrated, and with a description of the operation of Japan's art pottery world in the afterword, "Folk Art Potters

Akin to having a one-on-one carving course with a master carver, this resource-a collection of tips and tricks honed over many years-mentors newcomers and serious beginning woodcarvers alike. A comprehensive guide for those who want to learn carving, this manual provides a handful of lessons, including how to choose the best woods, safe tool handling tips, making cuts, and executing a variety of techniques. The careful step-by-step instructions that are explained in a warm conversational voice help novice crafters find quick success and encouragement as they work on a number of carving motifs and three projects for both relief and in-the-round styles. For serious beginners eager to know more about a timeless craft, this go-to reference provides an answer to every question. Introduction SECTION I: CARVING TOOLS AND SETTING UP *Technical Mastery Chapter 1: Tools of the Trade *Your Tools are Your Carving Chapter 2: Commissioning Your Carving Tools *Understanding Wood Chapter 3: Supporting Cast SECTION II: USING CARVING TOOLS *Getting to Grips Chapter 4: Handling Your Carving Tool *Thin Edge of the Wedge Chapter 5: The Outcome of the Tool SECTION III: EXERCISES *Good Habits Chapter 6: Simple Moldings *Surfaces, Lines & Junctions Chapter 7: Veiner and V-tool SECTION IV: RELIEF CARVING *Form Into Space Chapter 8: An Exercise in Setting-In *Over the Horizon Chapter 9: Low Relief *A Touch of Drama Chapter 10: High Relief *Feel the Form Chapter 11: Pierced Relief SECTION V: CARVING IN THE ROUND *Entering Choas Chapter 12: In the Round: Baseball Cap *Making It Up as You Go Along Chapter 13: In the Round: Wren

The Louvre Abu Dhabi's exciting exhibition programme explores the enduring dialogue between Eastern and Western artistic expression. Abstraction and Calligraphy brings together a rich array of works, from 10th-century ceramics from Samarkand to paintings and drawings by Kandinsky, Matisse, Miro, Twombly and other modern masters. The ways in which these artists respond to Eastern calligraphic traditions enriches our understanding of the dynamic between modern art in the West and long-established forms from Asia and the Near East.

The patchwork is an apt metaphor for the region not only because of its colourfulness and the making of something whole out of fragments but as an attempt to make coherence out of disorder. The seeking of coherence was the exact process of putting together this book and foregrounds the process of Caribbean societies forging identity and identities out of plural and at times conflicting and contested groups that came to call the region home. Within the metaphor of the patchwork however is the question, where are the vernacular needlework artists within the visual art tradition of the Caribbean? The introduction sets out to both clarify and rectify this situation, and several common themes flow through the following essays and interviews. Themes include that that the land and colonization remain baseline issues for several Caribbean artists who stage and restage the history of conquest and empire in varying ways. That artists in the region amalgamate as part of their practice and seem to prefer an open-endedness to art making as opposed to expressing fidelity to a particular medium. That artists and scholars alike are dismantling long-held perceptions of what Caribbean art is thought to be, and are challenging boundaries in Caribbean art. These are among the issues addressed in the book as it looks at ecological concerns and questions of sustainability, how the practices of the artists and their art defy the easy categorization of the region, and the placement of women in the visual art ecology of the Caribbean. The latter is one of the most contested areas of the book. Readers should come away with the sense that questions of race, colour, and class loom large within questions of gender in the Jamaican art scene and that the book, dedicated to Sane Mae Dunkley, aims to insert vernacular needleworkers into the visual art scene in both Jamaica and the larger Caribbean. Audience will include researchers and scholars of Caribbean and African diasporic art, college students, those interested in post-colonial studies, Caribbean artists, art professionals interested in a wider, globalized view of contemporary art; students curious to know about the many phases of art production throughout the Caribbean. General readers interested in the culture of the region.

The Royal Armouries' stunning collection of arms and armour provides a unique historical perspective on visual and material culture from across the world. Both intricate and elaborate, these items are a magnificent testament to fashion, craftsmanship and engineering throughout the ages. This book is filled with gorgeous photography offering a glimpse into a world of firearms, armours, swords and helmets. It includes an insightful essay by Karen Watts, former Senior Curator at the Royal Armouries and Knight of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Wallpaper's spread across trades, class and gender is charted in this first full-length study of the material's use in Britain during the long eighteenth century. It examines the types of wallpaper that were designed and produced and the interior spaces it occupied, from the country house to the homes of prosperous townsfolk and gentry, showing that wallpaper was hung by Earls and merchants as well as by aristocratic women. Drawing on a wide range of little known examples of interior schemes and surviving wallpapers, together with unpublished evidence from archives including letters and bills, it charts wallpaper's evolution across the century from cheap textile imitation to innovative new decorative material. Wallpaper's growth is considered not in terms of chronology, but rather alongside the categories used by eighteenth-century tradesmen and consumers, from plains to flocks, from China papers to papier mache and from stucco papers to materials for creating print rooms. It ends by assessing the ways in which eighteenth-century wallpaper was used to create historicist interiors in the twentieth century. Including a wide range of illustrations, many in colour, the book will be of interest to historians of material culture and design, scholars of art and architectural history as well as practicing designers and those interested in the historic interior.

Why did the Vikings sail to England? Were they indiscriminate raiders, motivated solely by bloodlust and plunder? One narrative, the stereotypical one, might have it so. But locked away in the buried history of the British Isles are other, far richer and more nuanced, stories; and these hidden tales paint a picture very different from the ferocious pillagers of popular repute. In this book, Eleanor Parker unlocks secrets that point to more complex motivations within the marauding army that in the late-9th century voyaged to the shores of eastern England in its sleek, dragon-prowed longships. Exploring legends from forgotten medieval texts, and across the varied Anglo-Saxon regions, she depicts Vikings who came not just to raid but also to settle personal feuds, intervene in English politics and find a place to call home. Native tales reveal the links to famous Vikings like Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons, Cnut, and Havelok the Dane. Each myth shows how the legacy of the newcomers can still be traced in landscape, place-names and local history. Meticulously researched and elegantly argued, Dragon Lords uncovers the remarkable degree to which England is Viking to its core.

Showcasing marbled paper, paste paper, fold-and-dye papers, and more, this book reveals a little-known arts phenomenon from its grass roots in the 1960s to artistic heights in the following decades Pattern and Flow chronicles the flourishing of American decorated paper arts beginning in the 1960s and extending to the 2000s, with an ongoing legacy today. As knowledge and skills were shared across a grass-roots community in the 1960s, decorated paper became increasingly popular, with centers for the study of the book and paper arts emerging across the United States, and artists developing new, innovative styles of paper. The book begins with an introductory essay outlining the history of decorated paper arts in America up to the 1960s, followed by a chronological narrative, which surveys the development of the field and introduces the artists working from the 1960s to the 2000s, and an illustrated reference section with essential biographical and professional information for each artist. Designed to be an immersive experience, Pattern and Flow conveys the vivid visual world of American decorated paper, celebrating the variety and variations that are key features of the art. Stunning illustrations show designs with intricate, tessellated patterns and others that flow with forms and waves that seem liquid; some explore subtle, muted tones, while others are explosive in their use of brilliant colors. Distributed for the Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Exhibition Schedule: Grolier Club, New York (January 17-April 8, 2023)

Marquetry is a technique where different natural colors of wood veneers are carefully cut to fit precisely together, creating a spectacular design in a single sheet or picture. In the mid 16th century, Italian craftsmen began using marquetry as a furniture decorating art. Using a technique called the double-bevel cut, the novice to advanced woodworker is led through a fully illustrated step-by-step process from the design to the finish. Hundreds of color photographs demonstrate in detail how to saw your own veneers out of solid wood planks, the tools and materials required, using the scroll saw and the fret saw, choosing woods for color and grain, design tips, shading with hot sand, and finishing. Four patterns ranging from simple to challenging projects are included as is an extended gallery of finished works to inspire the marquetarian in you.

This book, in it sixth edition, has evolved over the years into a complete guide to the metalcasting of sculpture. Potratz (Ironwain) has taken his years of knowledge gained practicing and teaching his craft and is now sharing it all in this easy-to-use book. Contents include: Introduction to Metal Casting, Recommended Tools and Equipment, Safety, Pattern Making, Sprueing and Venting Wax, Intro to Molding, Melting and Pouring Metal, Chasing, and Patina of Metals. Includes a comprehensive bibliography; an appendix filled with useful conversions, charts, recipes, and cupola/cupolette furnace building specs; detailed index; and much more.

In this inventive interpretation of the popular colouring book concept, Islamic design expert Eric Broug helps readers to create their own patterns, based on compositions from across the Islamic world. The book opens up the world of intricate Islamic patterns, allowing artists, designers and doodlers alike to learn about these works of art as they produce their own. With 48 Islamic geometric compositions from around the world to choose from, artists at all skill levels will relish the myriad opportunities to replicate these intricate patterns or create their own. The workbook's clever design invites the pattern-maker to consider a composition in the book, take a corresponding loose leaf from the back of the book and figure out which sections of lines to trace to make the composition. Readers will have the unique satisfaction of making patterns appear where previously none were visible. Compositions - including a mix of more familiar geometric compositions and those that have scarcely been documented - are categorized by region and have various levels of complexity, making it possible for beginners to get started and artists or designers to develop their skills.

Silversmithing for Jewellery Makers is a lusciously illustrated book that offers an authoritative, inspirational insight into the art and craft of silver jewellery making for today's artisan. Now updated with new information, project inspiration and profiles of renowned jewellers, this remains the go-to book on silver jewellery making. Covering all the main skills, treatments and techniques, this comprehensive guide leaves nothing out. From soldering to engraving, every technique is explained with a detailed overview, followed by a carefully-illustrated step-by-step tutorial. Traditional techniques such as filigree are examined alongside contemporary designs and profiles of world-renowned jewellers, updated in this edition to also feature Cynthia Eid, Regine Schwarzer and Ute Decker. A treasure trove of useful tips and information, the book also includes extensive sections on materials, tools and health and safety. An invaluable resource for professionals, a must-have guide for beginners and a unique source of inspiration for all levels of jewellery makers and designers, this book guarantees a strong position on the backlist.

Thousands of novice turners have learned to turn with Richard Raffan because he can explain the complex and sometimes confusing steps in turning in a clear and understandable way. This book will continue this long tradition with a collection of appealing new woodturning projects - candlesticks, a lamp and shade, sets of plates and bowls, even a turned duck call. The projects range from simple to complex, and Raffan provides complete instructions with step-by-step photos and drawings. These projects will lead the reader through a skill-building course in woodturning.