Animals rule the world. Humanity is extinct...This new photographic collection from Henk van Rensbergen, the godfather of urban exploring, invokes many questions. The beauty and desolation of Abandoned Places is still present, but it is given a new dimension as animals seek and find their place in a world that once belonged to humanity. Van Rensbergen's photographs inspired the world famous biologist and bestselling author Desmond Morris. Morris' preface paints a picture about the planet after the extinction of mankind. Award-winning author Peter Verhelst contributes a short story in which he gets inside the head of the last man on earth.

If one can "see" the wind and "feel" the swell at the sight of a painting, it's probably a painting of Johannes Holst (1880- 1965). Over seven decades Holst has created more than two thousand paintings that are admired and collected all over the world. This new magnificent volume gathers more than 1,500 paintings of Johannes Holst. The text section outlines Holst's oeuvre as well as the ups and downs of his life, supplemented by top-class guest contributions

French flower painter Pierre-Joseph Redoute (1759-1840) devoted himself exclusively to capturing the diversity of flowering plants in watercolor paintings which were then published as copper engravings, with careful botanical descriptions. The darling of wealthy Parisian patrons including Napoleon's wife Josephine, he was dubbed "the Raphael of flowers," and is regarded to this day as a master of botanical illustration. This elegant catalogue brings together all engravings from Redoute's illustrations of Roses and Choix des plus belles fleurs (Selection of the Most Beautiful Flowers) and the most astounding images from The Lilies. Offering a vibrant overview of Redoute's admixture of accuracy and beauty, it is also a privileged glimpse into the magnificent gardens and greenhouses of a bygone Paris.

Secrets to Painting Beautiful Landscapes Painting the landscape can be fun and rewarding--if you make the right decisions as you paint. After all, it is the artist's greatest challenge to somehow capture a sense of it all--the grandness, the majesty, the splendor of nature--with just a few strokes of paint on a canvas. Popular art instructor Johannes Vloothuis makes the process a whole lot easier with the essential techniques, key concepts and expert advice he shares in this book. Learn straightforward strategies to make your paintings more interesting and dramatic, such as simplifying the foreground, composing with abstract shapes and harmonizing colors. Discover speci?c techniques for painting landscape elements including mountains, water, foliage, snow and more. 9 step-by-step demonstrations walk you through all the techniques necessary to create successful landscape paintings. Landscape Painting Essentials is packed with practical information. You'll make the critical shift from painting what you see to painting as an artist sees. You'll learn to strategically edit shapes, rearrange elements and enhance color. You'll gain a better understanding of what to include in your painting, what to change and what to leave out. Most importantly, you'll gain the skills necessary to turn nature's bounty of inspiration into original, stunning landscape paintings.

Classic Sketchbook: Cats shows how it's done by showing museum-quality works, then coaching you to try the techniques with the help an expert's suggestions. Whether scribbling out a quick sketch with minimal detail, or making a finished portrait where every silky hair and polished whisker stands out, the best cat artists can capture the very essence of feline-ness. How do they do it? Firsthand observation of cats will tell you a lot about the way they sit, yawn, tweak their tails, and curl up to sleep, but it won't tell you how to get those things down on paper. Classic Sketchbook: Cats is the second in a series of instructional books that began with Classic Sketchbook: Botanicals. The series shows how to draw your subjects by looking at the details of museum-quality works, then coaching you through the techniques with the help an expert's suggestions. In this case the expert is Patricia Wynne, a noted illustrator with a specialty in animals. Wynne will guide you through fur, paws, and eyes, as well as cats sleeping, playing, or pouncing. Her unique instructions places a close-up of a drawing or painting by a noted artist like Gauguin, Chardin, Gwen John, and Theodore Steinlen on the left side of the page. And on the right side of the page Patricia Wynne coaches you with detailed, step-by-step drawings, that illuminate the process.

An illustrated, comprehensive guide to botanical painting written by the Society of Botanical Artists. In this new book the Society of Botanical Artists provides a comprehensive guide to the different styles and methods of botanical painting, harvesting the talent of both Members and Distance Learning Diploma Course students around the world, past and present. Botanical Painting features techniques and materials for all levels and demonstrates how these skills can be used to develop your own expertise. There are chapters on drawing with graphite and metal point, coloured pencil, body and watercolour in plant portraiture and illustration as well as 'The Mixed Bunch'. The inclusion of the historic methods used for egg tempera and metal point, as well as the technique required for working on vellum, makes this a valuable source of advice on subjects not readily available elsewhere. An inspirational gallery of paintings at the end of the book provides a guided walk around an SBA exhibition. The book is beautifully illustrated throughout, with comprehensive critiques on the artworks and step-by-step demonstrations. It will be an invaluable and inspirational addition to the library of the more experienced botanical painter.

This practical introduction to botanical illustration is formed of ten graded lessons, where each teaches you new skills to build upon the last. From mushrooms to orchids to hawthorn berries and leaves; once you've completed these lessons in drawing and painting botanical subjects, you will have all the techniques you need in order to tackle far more complex arrangements. An experienced teacher of botanical illustration, Valerie Price shows even the uninitiated illustrator how to produce accurate and beautiful results, with her step-by-step instructions on how to tackle each individual project. With advice on topics including accurate drawing, measuring and recording your subject, right the way through to preparing a well-composed botanical plate, this book covers everything you need to know to get ahead in botanical illustration.

Emma Stibbon's drawings and prints depict volcanoes, tectonic plates and powerful glaciers. Includes commentary by the artist on the making and location of each image. The artist is fascinated by environments in flux. Her work often explores the impact of natural forces: the shifting tectonic plates, volcanic activity and powerful glaciers that shape and transform the Earth's surface. Stibbon has accompanied research expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, lived and worked among volcanoes in Hawai'i, and has made several visits to Stromboli, off the coast of northern Sicily, Iceland and Norway. This book presents the sketches she made during her travels. They have the immediacy that results from an artist working at speed and often in difficult circumstances. Readers will discover the unexpected visual effect of ink that has frozen on contact with the paper. The book is introduced by the artist who, informed by her discussions with vulcanologists and glaciologists, explains why she is drawn to depict nature's extremes.

The animals in Beth Cavener's work are better described as avatars, embodiments of persons or emotions that disguise her subjects. In this way she gives her subjects an expanded identity, pairing each with an animal that, to one extent or another, explains or parallels their behavior. The animal reveals the subject's primal roots and serves as the lens through which we see the evolution of the subject into a modern being. We ultimately come to understand that the human and the animal are inexorably linked together. The dynamism of Beth Cavener's figures comes from the constant shifting in our minds from human to animal. It is kinetic, releasing emotional energy caused by the disparity between what we see the animal form and what we know that this is a human portrait. Thus the fascination in Cavener's art is perpetual.

Billy Showell is a well-respected contemporary artist whose watercolour flower portraits have earned her the respect of watercolour artists all over the world. Worked to the same degree of accuracy as traditional botanical paintings, Billy's compositions are given a more contemporary twist, combining her unique eye for design with her love of flowers. In this book, 40 flower portraits are presented, arranged in alphabetical order, each one accompanied by small studies, details, step-by-step instructions and the colour mixes used to accomplish the finished work. At the start of the book there are useful sections on the materials and equipment needed and the main techniques used, including wet-into-wet, colour blending, lifting out, layering glazes, dry brushing and colour mixing, and at the end of the book Billy gives her own unique slant on composition and discusses the importance of creating a sketchbook. Whether you love to paint, or simply love flowers, this book will delight and inspire you.

A revelatory study of the importance of nature in Van Gogh's art throughout his life in Holland and France The celebrated painter Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) had a lifelong fascination with the natural world. He spent his youth in rural Holland, and the country's flat landscapes, trees, flowers, and birds would feature in his early art. After he moved to Paris, he encountered new radical thinking about art and humanity's changing relationship with nature. Later, in Provence and Auvers, he discovered unfamiliar terrain, flora, and fauna that further influenced his artistic ideas and subject matter. Van Gogh's images of such diverse environments reflect not only his immediate surroundings but also the artist's evolving engagement with nature and art. Van Gogh and Nature is an eye-opening and beautifully produced catalogue, which accompanied the best-attended special exhibition in the Clark Art Institute's history. It chronicles the artist's ongoing relationship with nature throughout his entire career. Among the featured works are Van Gogh's drawings and paintings, along with related materials that illuminate his reading, sources, and influences. Vivid color photography and explanatory texts based on new research by the authors clarify a central theme of Van Gogh's oeuvre.

Now she turns her attention to our mysterious, playful and surprisingly wise feline friends. Every page of this full colour gift book pairs a charming photograph with just the right sentiment, offering an inspiring life lesson we can learn from cats. 'Rub people the right way.' 'Be fearless...but have an escape plan.' 'Stay a little wild.' Whether they are hunting, snoozing, playfully wreaking havoc, or showering us with affection, cats have a lot to teach us about living a full life (after all, with nine lives, they have a lot of experience!). As Copeland reminds us, all we have to do is observe with an open heart and mind. Tender, funny, and warm, Really Important Stuff My Cat Has Taught Me is a loving tribute to the feline spirit.

Contemplate the Immensity

A survey of panorama paintings

Enigmatic and ambiguous in its role as both setting and subject, the landscape has been one of the most important genres in painting for centuries. This dedicated survey spans from the late Middle Ages to modern times to bring the evolution of the landscape genre to life through its most critical works, executed by groundbreaking artists as diverse as Titian and Warhol.

As a form, landscapes represent the topography of the natural world as much as our own; reflecting the diversity of earth's vistas, but also keen indications of developments in representational aesthetics, religious and political history, notions of the sublime and the romantic, as well as the arrival of modernity and the vast changes wrought on the environment by industrialization and urbanization.

Opening this insightful volume is an introductory essay offering a meticulous overview of the genre and its most crucial developments. Luscious double page spreads on each of the 34 featured artworks include a crisp painting reproduction and an extensive art historical analysis on the masters of the form - including such greats as Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Brueghel, El Greco, John Constable, Claude Monet, and David Hockney.

The exuberant, exhilarating photographs of dogs underwater that have become a sensation
From the water's surface, it's a simple exercise: a dog's leap, a splash, and then a wet head surfacing with a ball, triumphant.
But beneath the water is a chaotic ballet of bared teeth and bubbles, paddling paws, fur and ears billowing in the currents. From leaping Lab to diving Dachshund, the water is where a dog's distinct personality shines through; some lounge in the current, paddling slowly, but others arch their bodies to cut through the water with the focus and determination of a shark.
In more than eighty portraits, award-winning pet photographer and animal rights activist Seth Casteel captures new sides of our old friends with vibrant underwater photography that makes it impossible to look away. Each image bubbles with exuberance and life, a striking reminder that even in the most loveable and domesticated dog, there are more primal forces at work. In "Underwater Dogs," Seth Casteel gives playful and energetic testament to the rough-and-tumble joy that our dogs bring into our lives.

Capture the Rich Textures of Nature, Step by StepCapture nature's beauty as you never have before. Beloved artist and teacher Claudia Nice leads you on an inspired journey through the great outdoors. With paints in hand, she shares with you her best techniques for creating landscapes that come alive with richness, depth and textured detail. Open this guide and start painting right away. As you follow engaging, step-by-step demonstrations and exercises, you'll learn to recreate the textural elements of a range of terrains and landscapes. Chapters include: Creative clouds and skies Majestic mountains, hills and mesas Texturing trees, trunks and foliage Rugged rocks and gritty gravel Transparent textures for rivers, falls and lakes Flowers of the field In a special section, Claudia covers basic texturing techniques with mini demos using lines, dots, bruising, scribbling, spattering, blotting, printing, stamping and more. From paints and pens to sponges, leaves and facial tissue, you'll explore all kinds of fun and inventive ways to create amazing textures. And to help you put it all together, Claudia includes her masterful advice for creating compositions using reference photos, field sketches and your own creative license. Each demonstration features a large image of the completed landscape, so you can see exactly how Claudia's methods work - from start to finish.

How does the daisy express love? What did the heliotrope mean in the time of ancient Greece? Why do Christians associate the holly with Jesus? In Japan, what does the chrysanthemum embody? Why is the lily the representation of the Virgin Mary? How did the poppy end up being associated with sleep? Why was the hydrangea a symbol of betrayal for samurais? Since when does the narcissus embody vanity? This little book, illustrated with with beautiful retro-colour plates, explains in detail the symbolism held by 84 different flowers all over the world.

The first book by wildlife photographer and writer Larry Laverty, Power and Majesty features extraordinary images and informative text that capture the life of African elephants. The book focuses on these majestic animals and features stunning photographs from the most remote corners of Africa, from the savannahs and deserts to the rivers and jungles. The text introduces various elephant habitats, explores the magical qualities of elephants, and underscores the immense challenges they face for survival in a world dominated by humans. The photographs and information showcased in this book will help increase our appreciation and understanding of the African elephant's significant place in the animal kingdom, and Larry Laverty will be donating all of his profits to this worthy cause. Their abilities to love, to remember, to function as families, and to survive under some of the harshest conditions will change the way we think about elephants, with the hope that this knowledge will encourage more people to help save those who remain in the wild.

From the Zoroastrian sculpture of a 100-kilo mastiff to the portrait of a coiffured lap dog, Dogs in Art presents humanity's best friend like never before. Through a wide range of genres, fashions and cultures, from Roman mosaics to pop art, video, impressionism and photography, this book brings together more than 200 breathtaking canine images to tell the story of dogs in art from ancient times to the present. Susie Green considers the artist's often very personal motives behind their work, the vastly different cultural raison d'etres, and the reasons why these sentient, emotional beings are loved and trusted by hundreds of millions of people, including artists such as Hogarth, William Wegman and Lucien Freud. The perfect gift for the many dog lovers around the world, this beautifully illustrated volume offers a dynamic new perspective on our relationship with this much cherished animal.