Be inspired by Marjolein Bastin's passion for the natural world in this unique, inspirational sketchbook. The artist keeps detailed sketchbooks of the things she encounters in nature, combining both art and words. She draws inspiration from these sketchbooks to create her fully wrought, exquisitely detailed pieces of art. This book features sketches selected by Marjolein, with facing pages showing her finished art that was inspired by the sketches. Blank pages are included after each beautiful spread for the user's own drawings and thoughts. With a durable cover, an envelope in the back for nature finds, and a bound ribbon bookmark, this sketchbook is both beautiful and useful.

Long before Hollywood brought the landscapes of the American West to movie screens, clever impresarios invented ways of simulating the experience of western travel and selling it to mass audiences. In 1851, entrepreneur John Wesley Jones hired artist William Quesenbury to join such a venture. Quesenbury and other artists traveled the overland trails through Nebraska Territory to sketch the "scenery, curiosities, and stupendous rocks" they encountered, and Jones used selected material for his "Pantoscope," a gigantic, scrolling panoramic painting. "Scenery, Curiosities, and Stupendous Rocks" gathers 71 of Quesenbury's sketches from the Jones expedition and a gold rush trip the year before. These works in pencil are illuminated by eyewitness accounts from the period, modern maps, contemporary photographs, and descriptive notes.

David Royce Murphy, Michael L. Tate, and Michael Farrell set Quesenbury's depictions, including Pikes Peak and Courthouse Rock, in historical context. Their insightful essays offer accounts of the artist's mid-century travels, the worlds of panoramic art and field exploration, and the contemporary conception of natural space. In exploring these topics, the book offers alternate conclusions about the purpose of the sketches. Jones's moving panorama opened in late 1852 under the title "Pantoscope of California, Nebraska & Kansas, Salt Lake & the Mormons" and was wildly popular on Boston and New York stages. Today, the Quesenbury sketches are all that remains of Jones's project. The sketches reproduced here, rare records of that ambitious enterprise as well as the sights en route to California gold, offer evidence of the way mid-nineteenth-century Americans envisioned the West.

A stunning portrait of the nocturnal moths of Central and South America by famed American photographer Emmet Gowin American photographer Emmet Gowin (b. 1941) is best known for his portraits of his wife, Edith, and their family, as well as for his images documenting the impact of human activity upon landscapes around the world. For the past fifteen years, he has been engaged in an equally profound project on a different scale, capturing the exquisite beauty of more than one thousand species of nocturnal moths in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, and Panama. These stunning color portraits present the insects--many of which may never have been photographed as living specimens before, and some of which may not be seen again--arrayed in typologies of twenty-five per sheet. The moths are photographed alive, in natural positions and postures, and set against a variety of backgrounds taken from the natural world and images from art history. Throughout Gowin's distinguished career, his work has addressed urgent concerns. The arresting images of Mariposas Nocturnas extend this reach, as Gowin fosters awareness for a part of nature that is generally left unobserved and calls for a greater awareness of the biodiversity and value of the tropics as a universally shared natural treasure. An essay by Gowin provides a fascinating personal history of his work with biologists and introduces both the photographic and philosophical processes behind this extraordinary project. Essential reading for audiences both in photography and natural history, this lavishly illustrated volume reminds readers that, as Terry Tempest Williams writes in her foreword, "The world is saturated with loveliness, inhabited by others far more adept at living with uncertainty than we are."

Explore the wilds of America through the lens of one of the country's most famous photographers.The American wilderness is rugged, beautiful and, above all, diverse. In Wilderness America: A Visual Journey, acclaimed photographer Tim Fitzharris shares his most arresting shots of the country's most extraordinary landscapes. From expansive panoramas of little-known spots to intimate close-ups of America's flora and fauna, these photographs reveal a rarely seen side of America's wilderness.Large-scale photographs offer a sweeping overview of the country's major ecosystems, including: * Pacific Coast * Rocky Mountains * Southern Swamp and Lowlands * Eastern Hardwood Forests * Great Plains * Arctic Tundra * Pacific IslandsEach section is accompanied by an introduction and extensive captions that illuminate each photograph. The stunning images feature some of America's most iconic flora and fauna, from giant sequoia and Colorado columbines to the grizzly bear and the bald eagle. Tim Fitzharris has a nature column in Popular Photography & Imaging magazine. He is the author and photographer of over 30 books including Rocky Mountains: Wilderness Reflections and Big Sky: Wild West Panorama, and his work has been published worldwide in publications like Life magazine and Nature's Best Photography magazine. He lives in New Mexico.

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 Emma Stibbon 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.

In pursuit of both knowledge and delight, the craft of botanical illustration has always required not only meticulous draftsmanship but also a rigorous scientific understanding. This new edition of a TASCHEN classic celebrates the botanical tradition and talents with a selection of outstanding works from the National Library of Vienna, including many new images. From Byzantine manuscripts right through to 19th-century masterpieces, through peonies, callas, and chrysanthemums, these exquisite reproductions dazzle in their accuracy and their aesthetics. Whether in gently furled leaves, precisely textured fruits, or the sheer beauty and variety of colors, we celebrate an art form as tender as it is precise, and ever more resonant amid our growing awareness of our ecological surroundings and the preciousness of natural flora.

Another collection of exquisite watercolour paintings from well-loved artist Madeleine Floyd. In this follow-up to her bestselling book Birdsong, she turns her attention to the world of chickens, ducks and geese - some familiar, some less so. It includes a huge variety of breeds, both domestic and wild, from the statuesque Buff Orpington chicken to the magnificent Faverolle, from splendid mallards to the slightly comical Indian Runners, the familiar large white farmyard goose, and elegant swans. Each painting is accompanied by insightful, whimsical text that pinpoints what the artist loves about these wonderful creatures. The perfect present, this beautiful book is ideal for bird lovers, keepers of domestic fowl and fans of Madeleine Floyd alike.

Beasts Factual and Fantastic is the first in the Medieval Imagination series of small, affordable books that will draw on manuscript illuminations from the Middle Ages and early Renaissance. Each volume will focus on a particular theme or subject as represented by medieval artists. Often, as in the case of the imaginary beasts that readers will encounter in this volume, artists depicted that which they did not see or know, but which was nonetheless shaped by the prevailing beliefs, fears, and rudimentary science of the time. In other cases, manuscript illuminators recorded what they indeed did see--which, centuries later, reveals much about the world in which they lived. This inaugural volume features vivid and charming details from the wealth of manuscripts in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum and the British Library, along with a lively text; together both word and image provide an accessible and delightful introduction to the imagination of the medieval world. Future volumes in this series will cover such topics as costumes, portraiture, and marginalia, among others.

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 savannas 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. 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.

A mother's hug lasts for long after she lets go. There's nowhere warmer or safer than the embrace of a loving mother, and even as we grow older, our thoughts return again and again to the love we received as infants. Just like us, mums from the natural world are devoted to their little ones. From the cuddly walrus who snuggles her cubs tight in her flippers to the brave tiger who defends her precious young from all possible dangers, celebrate the wonder of mum with this little book that reminds us just how special she is.

Lucian Freud's portraits are known for their spectacular detail and unflinching gaze. Although Freud brought the same qualities to his paintings and drawings of plants, flowers, and landscapes, these are largely unknown. This elegant book shows how working with plants emboldened Freud to experiment with style and composition. Reproduced in sumptuous plates that allow readers to indulge in exquisite detail, seventy-five works - including Two Plants, Bananas, Cyclamen, The Painter's Garden, and Interior at Paddington - reveal Freud's singular approach to plant life. Readers unfamiliar with this aspect of Freud's work will find many similarities to his portraits - earthy palettes, unconventional rawness, and assiduous attention to detail. From the delicate realism of the cyclamens' petals to the bold brushstrokes that immortalize his overgrown garden, readers will appreciate Freud's ability to portray plants in new and personal ways. Comparative illustrations from throughout art history accompany essays on the history of plants in art and an appreciation of Freud's oeuvre. This monograph is a tremendous contribution to Freud's legacy, one that will enrich his admirers' discernment while also introducing his thoroughly original depictions of plants to a new audience.

Step into the world of Cacaform Birds - a world that exists a half-pace to one side of our own, at the confluence of imagination, art and reality. Within these pages we meet the 'Glowerspite' (often dozes in a supine position; converts its tail to a head when startled) and the 'Mare-away' (who carries a small black troll on its back and rouses dreamers from night terrors), along with many more: a fantastical aviary brought to life by Zhu Yingchun's art. The book contains three parts, the first containing doctored photographs that show these birds interacting with sepia cityscapes, alternately goggled at and overlooked by the passers-by. The second introduces us to each individual species through poetic verse, while the third section must be carefully unsealed by the reader in order to reveal how the Cacaform Birds came into being. A blend of bestiary, spotter's guide and poetic anthology, this book demonstrates that art and amusement can be found everywhere, if you only care to look.

Tour the Greek islands with the artist Anne Desmet in this beautifully produced book of travel sketches. Colourful and atmospheric sketches in pen, wash and watercolour conjure up the unique feel of the Sporades. The latest in a bestselling series of artists' sketchbooks. Every page of this delightful book - meticulously reproduced from the sketchbooks that Anne Desmet has used since her first travels to Greece in the 1980s - is soaked with the sunshine of the Sporades. Desmet's drawings show the daily life of her chosen destinations and the bobbing fishing boats, shady streets and bright blue Mediterranean views that make them so appealing. Desmet commits every detail to paper, and the small-scale format emphasises her distinctive flair for capturing the relationship between extreme foreground and distance. This is a unique opportunity to explore the Greek islands, through the affectionate eyes of a meticulous artist.

A Crack In The World presents Barbara Kyne's photographs of the five acres which she and her partner share in Mariposa, California. Kyne photographs as a means of looking for clues to so---called reality, wondering what is outside of the environment that she can detect with her own limited human biology--ultimately producing a photography of nature that does not rely on the nature genre or even on the subject matter of nature for engagement or visual enjoyment, but instead examines the possibilities in the unsensed and imagined. A Crack In The World contains fresh and elegant, yet layered and technically complex, photographs made with the intention of inspiring empathy for all beings and the planet that sustains us. Essay by Susan Griffin examines the artistic and theoretical implications of this deceptively simple body of work. Barbara Kyne is an artist based in Oakland, California. Her work has been shown at SF Camerawork, Photo Center NW, the Trition Museum of Art, The Kala Institute, and the Bedford Gallery, and is featured in many contemporary photography books and publications.

Pebble-hunting is a pleasant hobby that makes little demand upon one's patience and still less upon one's physical energy. (You may even enjoy the hunt from the luxurious sloth of a deck chair). One of the true delights of the pebble-seeker is to read the stories in the stones - to determine whence and by what means they came to be there. We must always bear in mind that a pebble is a transient thing. It is in the half-way stage of a long existence . . .

This is a spirited guide to the simple pleasure of pebble spotting. Clarence Ellis is a charming, knowledgeable and witty guide to everything you didn't know there was to know about pebbles. He ruminates on what a pebble actually is, before showing us how they are formed, advising on the best pebble-spotting grounds in the UK, helping to identify individual stones, and giving tips onthe necessary kit. You'll know your chert from your schist, your onyx from your agate and will be on your guard for artificial intruders before you know it. Understanding the humble pebble makes a trip to the beach, lake-side or river bank simply that little bit more fascinating.

A handy illustrated guide to identifying pebbles is included on the reverse of the book jacket.

This beautiful mix of art and science offers a breathtaking look at the way that contemporary scientific discoveries are changing our understanding of plants and plant evolution. 136 botanical paintings from the Shirley Sherwood Collection, by 84 artists, cover 50 orders of plants in 118 families, and a total of 133 species, providing a sweeping overview of the evolution of plants on earth. The paintings display a sampling of the living world from fungi to daisies, including algae, mosses, ferns, conifers and flowering plants, arranged in the most up to date evolutionary sequence, determined by recent DNA analysis. The text places each artist's observations in the context of modern plant classification, providing readers with a new understanding of the complex interrelationships between plant species, and enhancing their appreciation of the botanical artist's ability to portray the delicate beauty of nature.

Trained as a fine artist, Richard Billingham took up photography whilst an art student as a way to inspire his paintings. In 1996, his book "Ray's a Laugh" brought him to the attention of the photography and art worlds. The photographs focused on Ray, Billingham's alcoholic father, and trod a delicate path between voyeurism, social commentary, and intense self-exposure. Over recent years, Billingham has photographed increasingly within the landscape and this new book brings together this work for the first time. The images are contemplative and thoughtful and reflect his primary concern for the 'making' of an image. Billingham first exhibited in 1995 at the Anthony Reynolds Gallery, London, who still represent him. His work has received significant international acclaim - in 1997 he won the Citibank Photography Prize and his work was one of the talking points of 'Sensation', the exhibition of Contemporary British Art from the Saatchi Collection. He was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2001.

Master Impressionism with an art-instruction classic. Impressionism has inspired generations of American artists. And no one has done more for the cause of American Impressionism than Charles Hawthorne, the founder of the Cape Cod School of Art. In Painting the Impressionist Landscape, author and artist Lois Griffel explores Hawthorne's theories about color and light in depth. Griffel, the longtime director of the school Hawthorne founded, teaches his philosophy like no other painter can, with inspiring step-by-step painting lessons and illuminating text. A true classic of art instruction, Painting the Impressionist Landscape has sold more than 30,000 copies in hardcover in the fifteen years since it was first published. Now a new generation of painters can bring impressionism into their work with this convenient and affordable paperback edition.

Hugh Morton has seldom been seen in his adult life without a camera around his neck. Much to the benefit of his beloved home state, he has crisscrossed North Carolina, from highlands to lowlands, recording nearly every step along the way. While many of his photographs of the state's people, places, and events were collected in Hugh Morton's ""North Carolina"", this new book showcases a generous collection of his signature wildlife and nature photography and includes a few of the photographer's favorite pictures of people and events that were not included in the first volume. The scenic and nature photographs are organized geographically, from the mountains to the coast. Revealing Morton's curiosity about and love of the natural world, photographs feature woodland creatures, waterfalls, beaches, and more. Some images will be familiar to those who live or travel in North Carolina. Many of the photographs here have been recovered from deep within Morton's personal archive, bringing to print some long-hidden treasures. Consisting of 162 photographs, this collection is a rich and rewarding display of North Carolina's natural bounty as it has evolved before the eyes of one of the state's most popular photographers.

John James Audubon is arguably America's most widely recognized and collected artist. His Birds of America has been reproduced often, beginning with the double elephant folio printed by Havill in England, followed by a much smaller "Octavo" edition printed in Philadelphia and sold by subscription. After Audubon's death, his family arranged with the New York printer Julius Bien to produce another elephant folio edition, this time by the new chromolithographic process. It too would be sold by subscription, but the venture, begun in 1858, was brought to an abrupt end by the Civil War. Only 150 plates were produced, and the number remaining today is slight; they are among the rarest and most sought after Audubon prints. Bound in cloth with a full cloth slipcase, this beautifully produced book is the first complete reproduction of Bien chromolithographs and will become the centerpiece of any bird lover's library.