This is the ultimate resource for getting started in woodcarving! All you need to start a rewarding hobby in woodcarving is an x acto knife, some wood and this book by famed woodcarving instructor, Mary Duke Guldan. With illustrated instructions and detailed patterns, this book will guide you through every step. You can select from any of the fully detailed projects for carving: sun, dogs, cherub and others. Finishing tips are also included.

Since 2009, the artist collective SCHAUM operates in lieu of the average person, upon which the experimental set-ups for the current processes of self-optimising are imposed. In photographic series, sculptures, installations, and performances the test subjects as well as simple found objects are alienated, conceptually "abused", and fused with old-masterly allegories and Christian iconography. SCHAUM are "already on their way to a post-human variation" of the defective human being, from which eventually "an artificial creature, an artefact of itself" (Jean-Pierre Wils) shall arise. Text in English and German.

Porcelain dishes made in China for 18th- and 19th- century American families from Maine to South Carolina and west to Mississippi and California are presented with family crests, initials, names, and original decorations.

This book is a clear, lively and fun introduction to sculpting in wire. Very much aimed at beginners, there are 6 projects of increasing difficulty, aiming to teach the beginner how to sculpt in wire from the most basic starting point up through to soldering. The projects start off by learning about wire and using simply pliers, and then how to incorporate other materials such as tin, feathers and material. Finally the last project includes the use of some simple silver soldering. Clear step-by-step images show the processes involved in every project. Images of fantastic sculptures in wire by contemporary artists are scattered throughout, showing everything from hats and shoes, to life-size figures, sheep and even elephants.

Artist Bob and Roberta Smith was recently appointed by Commissions East to oversee a project in which five artists were commissioned to create site-specific projects to transform open spaces in South Essex. With sensitivity, candour and a great deal of humour, Bob Smith, and his alter ego, Roberta, ponder the nature and place of public art in today's world. "Art U Need" is a refreshing addition to the art debate, providing a unique insight into the workings of the artist's mind. Through his remarkably honest approach, Bob and Roberta Smith manages to encapsulate the larger issues surrounding the roles of funding bodies, self-expression and, of course, the public, in public art today.

This book opens a window onto a fascinating and understudied aspect of the visual, material, intellectual, and cultural history of seventeenth-century Amsterdam: the role played by its inns and taverns, specifically the doolhoven. Doolhoven were a type of labyrinth unique to early modern Amsterdam. Offering guest lodgings, these licensed public houses also housed remarkable displays of artwork in their gardens and galleries. The main attractions were inventive displays of moving mechanical figures (automata) and a famed set of waxwork portraits of the rulers of Protestant Europe. Publicized as the most innovative artworks on display in Amsterdam, the doolhoven exhibits presented the mercantile city as a global center of artistic and technological advancement. This evocative tour through the doolhoven pub gardens—where drinking, entertainment, and the acquisition of knowledge mingled in encounters with lively displays of animated artifacts—shows that the exhibits had a forceful and transformative impact on visitors, one that moved them toward Protestant reform. Deeply researched and decidedly original, The Moving Statues of Seventeenth-Century Amsterdam uncovers a wealth of information about these nearly forgotten public pleasure parks, situating them within popular culture, religious controversies, global trade relations, and intellectual debates of the seventeenth century. It will appeal in particular to scholars in art history and early modern studies.

How many women sculptors can you name? This book will help you to understand the work and lives of dozens of women sculptors - significant artists from the past as well as those working in the exciting world of sculpture today. Camille Claudel Barbara Hepworth Elisabeth Frink Niki de Saint Phalle Louise Bourgeois Ruth Asawa Rachel Whiteread Malvina Hoffman Maggi Hambling Cornelia Parker Senga Ningudi Sophie Ryder and many more... With an overview of women making sculpture from the 1800s to today, we explore the work of fifty extraordinary women artists who have forged a name for themselves in a male arena, broken rules, pushed boundaries and inspired us with their visionary creations.

Diamond jewelry has long been symbolic of political power and authority in Europe. This book focuses on the individuals who commissioned and wore extraordinarily precious diamond ornaments from the mid-14th century until the ‘democratization’ of diamonds that followed the opening of mines in South Africa in 1867. This enthralling story covers seven centuries of history, showing the way in which rulers such as Charles V of France, Queen Elizabeth I of Great Britain, Louis XIV of France and Catherine II of Russia used diamond jewelry to reinforce their power and authority. As works of art, these precious creations mirror the successive styles of each period – late Gothic naturalism, the culture of the Renaissance, Baroque splendour, Rococo elegance and the Imperial grandeur of the First and Second Napoleonic Empires. The recurring themes – religion, sentiment, heraldry, military glory, miniatures and cameo portraiture – are reinterpreted by each generation of jewelers. Like royal dress, diamond jewelry was worn to dazzle and impress – at weddings, coronations, christenings and state visits – and was presented as gifts reflecting princely generosity. Over the centuries, these displays proved remarkably successful as instruments of government, symbolizing the pride and glory of a nation. Arranged chronologically, Diamond Jewelry includes some legendary masterpieces of diamond jewelry. Written by an acknowledged expert, it offers an intriguing overview of one of the world’s most precious gems.

A reprint of the original 1886 catalog of bronzes from the House of Barbedienne is reproduced with original selling prices in French francs and dimensions plus the line drawings which depict many of these famous works. Barbedienne was one of the foremost French foundries for the production of bronze sculptures in the latter part of the Nineteenth Century.

Celebrated goldsmith and sculptor of the Italian Renaissance, Benvenuto Cellini (1500-71) fits the conventional image of a Renaissance man: a skillful virtuoso and courtier; an artist who worked in marble, bronze, and gold; a writer and poet. However, in his life and literary oeuvre, the notorious artist aligned himself with the transgressive and oppositional voices of his day. This book, the first biographical study of Cellini available in English, uses the methodologies of New Historicism, social history, and gender and sexuality studies to situate the artist and his works in relation to a series of early modern cultural discourses and practices, including sodomy, law, honor, magic, and masculinity.

The first book to explore the fascinating career and fantasy-driven worlds created by the acclaimed Argentinean artist Adrian Villar Rojas's works concoct imaginary realms. Usually made from clay, his colossal installations are transitory and so cannot be collected, as they disappear or decay over time. His practice confronts the public with ideas of obsolescence and extinction, but also with the possibilities of humankind and its endless imagination. This is the first book to include all of Villar Rojas' most significant projects, featured in international biennials such as Venice, Documenta, Shanghai, and others.

Our homes contain us, but they are also within us. They can represent places to be ourselves, to recollect childhood memories, or to withdraw into adult spaces of intimacy; they can be sites for developing rituals, family relationships, and acting out cultural expectations. Like the personal, social, and cultural elements out of which they are constructed, homes can be not only comforting, but threatening too. The home is a rich theme running through post-war western art, and it continues to engage contemporary artists today - yet it has been the subject of relatively little critical writing. Art and the Home: Comfort, Alienation and the Everyday is the first single-authored, up-to-date book on the subject. Imogen Racz provides a theme-led discussion about how the physical experience of the dwelling space and the psychological complexities of the domestic are manifested in art, focusing mainly on sculpture, installation and object-based practice; discussing the work and ideas of artists as diverse as Louise Bourgeois, Gordon Matta-Clark, George Segal and Cornelia Parker within their artistic and cultural contexts.

Starting in the Victorian years of the 19th century, hearty oyster consumption made special, beautifully crafted "oyster plates" a necessity in fashionable homes and restaurants. This book is perfect for collectors, complete with a rarity guide and color photographs of almost 500 pieces of original dishware and unusual serving utensils. The text is filled with the history of oysters plate manufacturers from Limoges and Meissen to Wedgewood.

"The collection of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French silver at the J. Paul Getty Museum is of exceptional quality and state of preservation. Each piece is remarkable for its beauty, inventive form, skillful execution, illustrious provenance, and the renown of its maker. This volume is the first complete study of these exquisite objects, with more than 250 color photographs bringing into focus extraordinary details such as minuscule makers' marks, inscriptions, and heraldic armorials. The publication details the formation of the Museum's collection of French silver, several pieces of which were selected by J. Paul Getty himself, and discusses the regulations of the historic Parisian guild of gold- and silversmiths that set quality controls and consumer protections. Comprehensive entries catalogue a total of thirty-three pieces with descriptions, provenance, exhibition history, and technical information. The related commentaries shed light on the function of these objects and the roles they played in the daily lives of their prosperous owners. The book also includes maker biographies and a full bibliography. "

This volume tackles a pressing issue in Roman art history: that many sculptures conventionally used in our scholarship and teaching lack adequate information about their find locations. Questions of context are complex, and any theoretical and methodological reframing of Roman sculpture demands academic transparency. This volume is dedicated to privileging content and context over traditions of style and aesthetics. Through case studies, the chapters illustrate multivariate ways to contextualize ancient objects. The authors encourage Roman art historians to look beyond conventional interpretations; to reclaim from the study of Greek sculpture the Roman originals that are too often relegated to discussions of "copies" and "models"; to consider the multiple, dynamic, and shifting contexts that one sculpture could experience over the centuries of its display; and to recognize that post-antique receptions can also offer insight into interpretations of ancient viewers. The collected topics were originally presented in three conference sessions: "Grounding Roman Sculpture" (Archaeological Institute of America, 2019); "Ancient Sculpture in Context" (College Art Association, 2017); and "Ancient Sculpture in Context II: Reception" (College Art Association, 2019).

The story of porcelain making and decorating in Limoges, France, is a tale of artists and potters; kings and an emperor; a revolution; and the emergence of a great industry. Limoges comes to life in over 1,100 photographs of porcelain and porcelain marks made over the past 100 plus years, concentrating on pieces dating from the 1860s to the present day. Along with a discussion of the manufacturing and decorating of both fine porcelain pieces and boxes, there is a full section dedicated to Limoges companies and their manufacturing and decorating marks. Captions include price guides. A fine index turns a lovely illustrated book into a valuable reference tool. All the photos of porcelain and boxes are in color.

The Kuyu are an ethnic group who live in northern Congo-Brazzaville, on the banks of the River Congo, in a part of Equatorial Africa that has remained only marginally influenced by Moslem encroachment and Western colonialism. Kuyu art can be broadly broken down into three styles, the first two - of which there are the fewest examples - are strictly associated with the Kuyu ethnic group, while the third style, which has the largest sculptural component, includes both Kuyu and Mbochi pieces. Among these are a number of statuettes and especially wooden clubs topped with a human head (the most recent being polychrome), known as Kebe-Kebe, which were used in the dance by the same name. This ritual performance has remained faithful to its original function of giving physical expression to the Kuyu cosmogony.

"The Polymer Clay Cookbook"""celebrates favorite foods with 20 tiny, deliciously realistic food charms to make from polymer clay and fashion into unique jewelry. Styled as a cookbook for the beginning miniaturist "chef," the introductory chapters discuss the "basic ingredients" and techniques used for polymer clay and jewelry-making. The remainder of the book offers 20 "recipes" grouped by category: fruits, breakfast, lunch and dinner, sweets and snacks, and holiday foods. Each recipe has a list of "ingredients," step-by-step directions with photographs, and suggested variations. Each piece is presented as a particular finished jewelry item, such as a necklace, but readers are encouraged to adapt the piece into any type of jewelry they choose. Each chapter also includes one of the authors' own cherished recipes for real food, including Sunday Morning Cinnamon Rolls, Grandma's Pasta Sauce, Decadent Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes, and Mom's Holiday Sugar Cookies. Throughout, the authors--who are sisters--share their enthusiasm for family, sisterhood, and the tradition and feelings surrounding our favorite foods.

Celebrated goldsmith and sculptor of the Italian Renaissance, Benvenuto Cellini (1500-71) fits the conventional image of a Renaissance man: a skillful virtuoso and courtier; an artist who worked in marble, bronze, and gold; and a writer and poet. However, in his life and literary oeuvre the notorious artist, rogue, and sodomite aligned himself with the transgressive and oppositional voices of his day. This book, the first biographical study of Cellini available in English, uses the methodologies of New Historicism, social history, and gender and sexuality studies to place the artist and his cultural production in the context of contemporary discourses about sexuality, law, magic, masculinity, and honor.

Learn to create delightful wooden Santas destined to be treasured family heirlooms. With a combination of over 280 color photographs, a minimal set of carving tools, and easily followed instructions, Paul Bolinger carefully guides the reader step-by-step through rough and detail carving techniques. Camille Bolinger, Paul's wife, demonstrates the oil painting techniques used to bring the carved Santas to life. The text is followed by a gallery of the Bolingers' heirloom Santas destined to fire the imagination of every carver who sees them. Novices and old hands alike will enjoy this book.

Since the 1960s Michael Craig-Martin has developed a vocabulary of imagery based on common, everyday items. In drawings, paintings, installations, and sculptures, he has probed the relationship between objects and images, perception and reality. This book presents recent large-scale sculptures by the artist, produced with exacting draftsmanship and fabricated in powder-coated steel in vibrant shades. The elegant forms of these works appear like drawings in the air. Each three to four meters tall, they depict items ranging from the timeless as in Fork and Knife (green and purple) (2019) to the distinctly contemporary, as in Headphones (magenta) (2019). This volume was published to commemorate the first indoor presentation of the artist s sculpture, at Gagosian, London, in 2019. A beautiful plate section documents each of the works in the exhibition, and dynamic installation views highlight the artist s exploration of spatial relationships through the juxtaposition of color. An in-depth conversation with Craig-Martin by Lynn Zelevansky traces his development as an artist, addresses the centrality of drawing to his practice, and illuminates the relationship between the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional in his work.

Influenced by Gaudi's Parc Guell in Barcelona, and the mannerist park of Bomarzo, Niki de Saint Phalle decided that she wanted to make something similar; a monumental sculpture park created by a woman. In 1974, she was donated some land in Garavicchio, Tuscany, about 100 km north-west of Rome along the coast. The garden, on which planning started in 1978, contains sculptures of the symbols found on Tarot cards. It opened in 1998, after more than 20 years of work. The garden was still incomplete when Niki de Saint Phalle died. With elaborate illustrations and sensitively written texts this book presents in detail the formation of the garden and the underlying ideas.