In the late eighteenth century, the British took greater interest than ever before in observing and recording all aspects of the natural world. Travelers and colonists returning from far-flung lands provided dazzling accounts of such exotic creatures as elephants, baboons, and kangaroos. The engraver Thomas Bewick (1753-1828) harnessed this newfound interest by assembling the most comprehensive illustrated guide to nature of his day.

"A General History of Quadrupeds," first published in 1790, showcases Bewick's groundbreaking engraving techniques that allowed text and images to be published on the same page. From anteaters to zebras, armadillos to wolverines, this delightful volume features engravings of over four hundred animals alongside descriptions of their characteristics as scientifically understood at the time. "Quadrupeds "reaffirms Bewick's place in history as an incomparable illustrator, one whose influence on natural history and book printing still endures today.

The "Art of Drawing Animals" focuses on how to draw domesticated animals - the tamed creatures that share our lives. Written by bestselling author J.C. Amberlyn, the book features everyone's favourite animals, ranging from the most popular breeds of dogs and cats to horses and other hoofed mammals, rodents, birds and reptiles. The focus is on realistic appraoch to drawing with an emphasis on anatomy/structure; the physical details of each species; and the action, facial and body expressions that give life to drawing. The book shows each type of animal in general and then goes into the various traits that make each breed distinctive.

Kelly Ventura's floral designs are depicted in the Sprout + Bloom FlipTop Notecard Box by teNeues. Our FlipTop Notecard box notecards are full colour and large enough to convey personal greetings, thank-yous and invitations. 20 notecards - blank inside - 4 each of 5 images 20 envelopes Sturdy, reusable box with magnetic closure, ideal for keepsakes Cards measure 178 x 120 mm Box measures 191 x 135 x 42 mm

Now available in paperback! Andrew Forkner's book provides you with all you need to paint a range of birds in acrylics; taking in birds of prey, songbirds and waterbirds from all over the world. It contains information on the materials and preparation you will need to capture the delicacy and majesty of the subjects.

Thomas Cole, an internationally renowned artist, centered his art and life in Catskill, New York. From his vantage point near the village, he cast his eyes on the wonders of the Catskill Mountains and the swiftly flowing Catskill Creek. These landscapes were sources of enduring inspiration for him. Over twenty years, Cole painted one view of the Catskill Mountains at least ten times. Each work represents the mountains from the perspective of a wide river bend near Catskill, New York. No other scene commanded this much of the artist's attention. Cole's Catskill Creek paintings, which include works central to American nineteenth-century landscape art, are an integral series. In Thomas Cole's Refrain, H. Daniel Peck explores the patterns of change and permanence in the artist's depiction of a scene he knew first-hand. Peck shows how the paintings express the artist's deep attachment to place and region while illuminating his expansive imagination. Thomas Cole's Refrain shows how Cole's Catskill Creek paintings, while reflecting concepts such as the stages of life, opened a more capacious vision of experience than his narrative-driven series, such as The Voyage of Life. Relying on rich visual evidence provided by paintings, topographic maps, and contemporary photographs, Peck argues that human experience is conveyed through Cole's embedding into a stable, recurring landscape key motifs that tell stories of their own. The motifs include enigmatic human figures, mysterious architectural forms, and particular trees and plants. Peck finds significant continuities-personal and conceptual-running throughout the Catskill Creek paintings, continuities that cast new light on familiar works and bring significance to ones never before seen by many viewers.

"Nature and Its Symbols is the fifth volume in the series A Guide to Imagery, reference guides whose goal is to explain the symbols used in art. This volume includes chapters on plants, flowers, fruits, and animals of the earth, air, and water, as well as fantastical creatures such as centaurs, griffons, and dragons. The vivid illustrations, which include paintings and tapestries from some of the world's premier museums, are accompanied by texts that offer careful analyses of the artists' depictions of the natural world. Each entry discusses the symbolic significance of the particular plant, fruit, or animal portrayed, its mythic or literary origins, and the episodes or individuals associated with it. These salient points are also called out in summary form within each entry, making the information easily accessible. The reader discovers, for example, that the iris can represent Jesus or the purity of the Virgin Mary as well as the kings of France or the city of Florence. The monkey, which can be symbolic of the devil, heresy, or bad temper, is also associated with the three wise men who traveled to Bethlehem to pay homage to the infant Jesus. By bringing to life the natural world as portrayed in art, this book will surely be an indispensable resource for museum visitors, art lovers, and students.

Raphael Ritz (1829-1894) is one of the most important artists to have emerged from the Swiss canton of Valais. In the 1850s, Ritz, who later became famous as the "Raphael of the Alps," studied at the renowned Academy of Art in Dusseldorf, Germany, and perfected his technique in the genre of mountain painting, which focuses on the relationship between landscape and man. Ritz, who felt a strong connection to his roots, created landscape idylls in faraway Dusseldorf for an audience that appreciated regional peculiarities. At times with a touch of irony, he put his works at the service of a modern effort to illustrate the timeless character of everyday life. This new monograph looks at the work of the Valais-born artist beyond national borders and frames it in both the Swiss and international artistic contexts of the time. Ritz's correspondence with his father, Lorenz Justin Ritz, who was a painter as well, is also comprehensively examined for the first time: it constitutes an important testimony to his artistic self-discovery. Selected photographs by Swiss contemporary artists from the museum's collection show the Valais of today and establish a connection between Ritz's ethnographic view of his own origins and the present. Text in French and German.

A practical guide to painting nature's flora and fauna from award-winning botanical painting authors Meriel Thurstan and Rosie Martin. Recording the wildlife that surrounds us is an age-old art. The authors, in collaboration with the Eden Project, show us how to accurately and beautifully capture the natural world on canvas and make the most of the revival of this art form. Step by step, they take you through the whole process of capturing the essence of some of the most beautiful things on earth. From dinosaur skeletons and fossils to birds, butterflies and frogs. Learn how to paint the subtle scales on a fish, the iridescence of a feather or the lustre on a shell. The authors take you through the full range of skills and techniques you need to undertake natural history drawing and painting. Key techniques are explained with practical step-by-step demonstrations. Beautiful illustrations by the authors are featured throughout and will inspire you and illuminate the techniques you are learning. Painting Nature's Details is a stunning book on an art form that is fast becoming the new botanical illustration.