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I am 5 years old.I like this book very much.These picture are beautiful and interesting.When I go to New York I'll take this book with me as a guidebook.

While this book is designed for children, adults will love the beautiful illustrations - - the detail on them is magnificent. The author captures the essence of a wonderful city with her text and paintings. Our son is fascinated by New York City and this book is a wonderful way for him to "visit" his favorite city as often as he pleases. I wish I'd found this two years ago!

I searched for this beautiful book after seeing Ms.Jakobson's paintings featured in Country Living Magazine. I was not disappointed. I've read this informative story with its unbelievable illustrations to my class every year since then. It's like owning a private collection of her wonderful work

If you are teaching high school watercolor classes, I highly recommend Margaret Martin's book NO MORE WISHY-WASHY WATERCOLORS. There are at least 20 ideas for lesson plans within this book. You'll find useful exercises and full demonstrations on 1)Composition, 2)Value, 3)Color, 4)Creativity through Exaggeration and 5)Light. If you're looking for a required text for your students that is bold, bright, and guaranteed to impower a student's control over white paper, this is it!

I also recommend Nita Engle's book HOW TO MAKE A WATERCOLOR PAINT ITSELF for your advanced students. They will be fascinated and challenged by her many and magical techniques.

I haven't finished this terrific book. Martin is a courageous and innovative watercolor painter. I love her style and she has taught me not to be timid. My paintings all looked alike. Now they blaze with color! And it's much more fun. I am still working through it, so many lessons, so many examples. If you have 5 books on watercolor painting this has got to be one of them.

The cover of "No More Wishy-Washy Watercolor" says it all, as does the title. Look at those yellow sunflowers. They virtually POP against the purple flowers between them (yellow and purple are color wheel opposites.) That's just one trick to make your watercolor stand out that you will learn in this book.

If you love watercolor but hate that smear of pale blue, dull green and other types of landscape problems, look in here for solutions. This is a wonderful watercolor book and a real help to anyone, experienced or beginner.

Perhaps more than any other contemporary artist Norman Rockwell enjoys popular mass appeal with his warm scenes of Americana. His Saturday Evening Post covers, which he created for more than four decades, enchanted a generation, as he painted his particular visions of daily life.

His work bespeaks timeless values and tolerance, so much so that one of his ads was borrowed by an AIDS activist group to promote safe-sex awareness. What would Rockwell himself have thought of this? His son, Tom, said, "One of the things my father was associated with was tolerance. So I think it's fairly easy to know what he would have said."

The work shows important illustrations for the Saturday Evening
Post, his wedding and the Art Director's Club. Famous illustrations; such as, the New Tavern Sign are depicted.An
illustration of "A Family Tree" is presented in full color
together with other famous renditions of the artist. The Spirit
of Education and the Airplane Trip are presented in full color.
These were famous presentations in the Saturday Evening Post of
the 1930s. There is a famous Christmas illustration from 1929
and the "Dreams of Chivalry". The famous "Golden Rule" is
presented together with "The Prom Dress" and "The Outing".
This is an important work for ownership by anyone interested
in the modern artwork of the previous century.

I thought this book of Norman Rockwell's work was a fascinatining look into the typical/almost idealistic life of everyday embarrassing/comical/poignant situations which do commonly occur. The picture I enjoyed the most was "The Gossips" where upon I could imagine the tale behind the laughter and enjoy looking at the different facial expressions and that there was such a great twist to the tale. Thank you for such a great book!.

Anyone who has wondered (even remotely) about Norman Rockwell's place in the World of Art will enjoy this book. In addition to 80 beautiful color reproductions of Rockwell's paintings, there are 14 essays about the artist and his work. The authors of these essays acknowledge that Rockwell was an anachronism and, to most people in the Art World, an object of derision. But each essay argues in favor of Rockwell's importance by focusing on one or more of his unique talents.

In "the Great Art Communicator", Thomas Hoving makes a very convincing case for Rockwell as an influential American artist. Rockwell's son Peter's essay entitled "Some Comments from the Boy in the Dining Car" (referring to the painting for which he was used as the model when he was a boy) offers invaluable insights into what the artist himself thought about his work. There is also an essay by Anne Knutson that tells the fascinating story of the Saturday Evening Post, its importance in the definition of "Americanism" and how Rockwell's relationship with the editor influenced his work.

The debate about Norman Rockwell's place in the history of art will undoubtedly continue. But as Laurie Norton Moffatt sums up in her essay "The People's Painter": "The personal transformation and communication that occurs when one looks at a work of art is the artist's defining moment. Rockwell was a master of delivering that moment to his public."

In a world that is completely inundated with so many Norman Rockwell books, I thought that i would never buy another one. I'm an artist and fan of Rockwell's but quite frankly there are so many other great illustrators out there, at times i wish that fewer books were written about Rockwell and more attention was given to other less known American artists like James Montgomery Flagg, F.R. Gruger, J.C. Leyendecker, Howard Pyle and Harvey Dunn, among many others. Then this book came along. I told myself I didn't want to buy it, I already have four books on Rockwell, I certainly don't need another. Then I opened the book and saw that the quality of the prints in this book are outstanding (the best I've seen) and the text is really informative. Now I'm telling myself THIS will be the last book I buy on Rockwell. This book will give you a new appreciation for Rockwell's skill as a painter and a colorist. After seeing these painting in person for the show that this book was written for, I can say that this book does justice to Rockwell's amazing talent.

This book is comprised of articles about Norman Rockwell and his career as an illustrator with the Saturday Evening Post. Rockwell remains a controversial figure in the art world. Although his illustrations were enjoyed by millions of Americans, they were dismissed by art critics and academia as amateurish.

Rockwell portrayed Americans in their daily, mundane activities. He believed that there is beauty in the ordinary. He depicted for example, a couple obtaining a marriage license, a family going and returning from a vacation, and a barbershop quartet.

Rockwell's illustrations did intersect with the world of politics. Because the Saturday Evening Post had a large circulation, he was able to influence public opinion. He designed several covers during World War II, including Rosie the Riveter and the Four Freedoms, to honor the contributions of civilians and to remind Americans of the reason for the war.

Rockwell did not shy from controversy. As America became engulfed in the Civil Rights Movement, Rockwell depicted the ongoing legacy of racial tension. His most famous illustration in the area of civil rights is The Problem We All Live With, which depicts the traumatic effects of desegregation on whites and blacks.

In summary, Norman Rockwell must be include as a figure in American art. Although his works were harshly criticized by those in the art world, they were admired by the general public. Today, scholars have begun to acknowledge Rockwell as being an important artist.

It's difficult not to become sentimental about Odd Nerdrum's work. Of course, that's the idea. If you feel that you've wandered through the sort of strange, barren landscapes he paints, do not be surprised. Nerdrum speaks about his personal life through is obsessively re-worked paintings, some of which have been in production for over a decade.

The themes are universal and eternal -- love, loss, paternity, commerce, birth, and death ...

This is the greatest collection of Nerdrum's work thus far. My only complaint is I wish there were more drawings featured, but the details of the paintings are so beautiful that I quickly excuse the oversite.

I'm a graduate student at the New York Academy of Art, where rendering the figure in the manner of the Old Masters is paramount. Odd Nerdrum is revered among my classmates and myself as more than the greatest living painter in the world -- he truly is the "Prophet of Painting."

Odd Nerdrum is an extra-ordinary painter. He portrays himself as (and may well be) the prophet of painting. In this book we get a close look at some of his work; good detail plates allow examination of his technique. It's a beautiful book with a well written commentary on Nerdrum's life and thinking. Scattered snapshots of nerdrum at work are very enjoyable.

The first thing that strikes me about this book, aside from the paintings themselves, is the illuminating essay by Richard Vine. Mr. Vine, who also penned the essay for "Odd Nerdrum: The Drawings", is unique among those art critics who contemplate the nature of Nerdrum's work and philosophy. Not content to simply regurgitate what has been said about the work and the man, Vine delves into the images with confidently discerning warmth. The best part about Vine's locution is that he exudes integrity of approach, deftly able to ride the fence between partisan praise and aloof observation. This is an important role in the burgeoning comment-mill regarding Nerdrum where the categories seem to be either/or.

The second aspect (though intimately related to my first point) that pleases me in this 400-page monolith is its validity in the context of other books on Nerdrum. It would have been very easy for the publishers to simply cover the same territory as in past volumes. Fortunately for those of us who love and study Nerdrum's work, Gyldendal chose to create a definitive text that brings readers into the Nerdrum mythos from a different angle. This book inhabits a middle ground between the approaches of the two previous major books on Nerdrum, Jan-Erik Ebbestad Hansen's 'Odd Nerdrum: Paintings' (1994) and Jan Ake Pettersson's 'Odd Nerdrum: Storyteller and Self-Revealer' (1998), the former being distant and abstract and the latter being intimate and emotional. 'Odd Nerdrum: Paintings, Sketches and Drawings' is a necessary work, filling in holes and fleshing out the aura of our favorite 'black sheep' of painting.

And those paintings (this book contains the highest quality reproductions I've seen)! One of the main reasons that I continue to buy different books on Nerdrum is that the work continues to change physically. He's constantly working and reworking. It's exciting to seek out images that seem different and then pouring over them to find the alterations. Look at the differences between the painting 'Transfiguration' in 'Odd Nerdrum: Paintings' and the updated version in 'Odd Nerdrum: Paintings, Sketches and Drawings'. The difference is amazing and that's only one example of many. But with Nerdrum there is no zero-sum game; he's always bringing more work to the table, more ideas and more realizations. This book brings out both images from the past that we haven't seen and new pictures from 2001 which, when considered together, help us to understand the transitions and developments in Odd Nerdrum's approach to life and painting.

Let me finish by saying that anyone interested in seeing Nerdrum's drawings more closely ought to track down 'Odd Nerdrum: The Drawings' (1994, New Orleans Museum of Art). This small book (65 pages) really should be reissued as it has a brilliant essay and provides a wonderful view of Nerdrum's process rarely seen. I was able to locate the book through an online out-of-print bookseller and it was worth every penny of the $62.00 I paid for it.

In any case, "Odd Nerdrum: Paintings, Sketches and Drawings" is a real treat and a first rate production. At this price the value is incredible. Very much worth the price and essential for Nerdrum followers and art students everywhere.

This book was amazing, with stunning, breathtaking paintings, and true meaningful words. I completely reccomend it, and urge you to buy it.

A friend gave me this book for my birthday-what a wonderful gift! The book is a thoughtful collection of prayers and other bits of wisdom from various spiritual traditions-everyone from Meister Eckhart to Makeba, Queen of Sheba. Accompanying the texts are the author's vibrant watercolors-paintings with so much energy and wistfulness that they provoke you as much as the "prayers." All in all, it's a life-affirming book and keeping a copy at the office (where mine stays) is a perfect way to add a few moments of stillness and mindfulness into a busy day.

Friends and family can't always be around when you need them, but a good book like this one can. It's beautifully illustrated and the inspiring texts and thoughtful prayers were obviously selected with great care for the occasions you are in need of comfort or insight the most.

The book is organized in eight different sections: upon waking, of thanksgiving, of contemplation, of god, of praise, of dying, for the middle of the night, and of renewal. Some of the most famous thinkers of our time are featured -- Rumi, Chuang-Tzu, Rilke and Leonard Cohen (yes, Cohen certainly fits in) -- as well as interfaith prayers, all complimented by Uttal's expressive watercolors.

The real joy I find in Painted Prayers is it offers words of solace for when I'm down and also words of wisdom to reflect on if I'm looking for guidance. This book in a way can respond to all the crazy and confusing times in my life; I just have to choose that right section. For instance, in times of conflict I can think of what Chuang-Tzu states in the section of contemplation: "when we understand, we are at the center of the circle, and there we sit while yes and no chase each other around the circumference."

It's nice being able to turn to Painted Prayers when my loved ones can't be around. Maybe the book doesn't have all the answers, but I know there's always something in the book that will enlighten me.

This book is wonderful gift for children ages 2 and up. Age 2 children (like my son) will enjoy counting the apples on the A page, for example. Some of the art includes complex scenes that school-age children may enjoy losing themselves in. The book helps teach children about art and the alphabet in an intelligent, non-cutesy fashion. Each letter has a two-page layout: one page is: "[Letter] is for [one word]" in large type, and the second page is four different artistic intrepretations of that word, like: an Egyptian mural, a Japanese woodblock print, a Renaissance canvas, and nineteenth century French painting. What a refreshing change from cartoonish, character-based children's books!

I love this book. I read it to my 21 month old and he loves it! There is 4 differnt pictures on each letter and subject. Four different apples. We talk about how each one is different and how everyone sees an "apple" differently. "B" four boat shows for different kinds of boats. Definatly stimulating for baby.

As a parent, teacher and art lover, I'm always looking for quality art books for children. This book delivers beautifully. Both simple and elegant, it reinforces letter sounds and gives a mini "I Spy" with four paintings for each letter, as the above review describes. It is even careful to give the short sound for vowels; for example, U is for "umbrella," not "unicorn." This is an important distinction for very young children who will most likely learn the short sound first in school. Meanwhile, your child's eye is becoming increasingly comfortable viewing different styles of visual art, as each letter's object is offered in varying styles. Highly recommended - a great gift, too. Let's give our kids the gift of art appreciation!

Let me be honest with you, folks. This book is good for beginners who start painting (realist art) in oil, for several reasons: 1) It introduces the heart and soul of realist painting (as opposed to "modern art", which is covered in its own chapter), as well as (briefly) demonstrating an approach to paint in oil. 2) It discusses important elements in drawing and painting (tone, form, and value), the importance of accuracy in drawing and painting. 3) It discusses other issues such as composition, color, design. 4) It demonstrates how to paint a head from life with black and white plates to show the painting progress. 5) It comments BRIEFLY some of the old masters' works. However, this part is rather brief, in my opinion. 6) It covers colors and materials to some extent. It is, overall, a good start for beginners who need to get their feet wet in this field. However, do not expect to be able to paint the way the old masters did with just the information coming from this book.

This book, originally published in 1924, is one of the best books I have ever read on the subject. The author's insight into not only technique, but the artist's mindset is truely a treasure. This book is a must read for any serious painter, as well for any serious artist.

This book is a treasure. I have checked it out of the library several times already and now have finally decided to buy it. I have yet to find a better guide to traditonal painting techniques. In a world of modern techniques based on 20th century aesthetics, this is the book for those of us who follow a different path. If you want to paint like Velasquez, Titian, or Nerdrum, this is the place to start.

THE PAINTING BALLERINA combines humor with fantasy with dreams coming true. An animator should pick up this book. It's perfect for a short children's film.

"The Painting Ballerina" is a beautifully crafted book and a vividly told story of friendship and discovery that will excite the imagination of the young reader.

A GIRL, A DUCK, AND A RABBIT MEET UNDER UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES AND SHARE EXPERIENCES THAT BOND THEM TOGETHER AS TRUE FRIENDS. "THE PAINTING BALLERINA" TELLS A STORY THAT HOLDS YOUR INTEREST AND LEAVES YOU FEELING HAPPY.

This book is the answer to a watercolorist's questions about value and color. Susanna provides demonstrations and clear, precise instructions and information. You can easily teach yourself to arrange, photograph and paint crystal vases and flowers using this book. It provides very clear,useful and practical information about composition, backgrounds, and shadows. It is a basic handbook that every artist show use as a reference every day.

This is more then painting crystal and flowers. Any artist in should have it as a reference. There is information on setting up still life, photographing setups,and composition errors. There is a chapter values in which you make your own value chart. Then you hole-punch the value chart which helps to see values in your painting or setup. I have over 250 art technique books. I thought I knew everything. YOU MUST GET THIS BOOK.

This is more then painting Crystal and Flowers. Any artist in any medium should have it as a reference. There is information on setting up still life, photographing settings,and composition errors. There is a chapter values in which you make your own value chart. Then you hole-punch the value chart which helps to see values in your painting or setup. I have over 250 art technique books. I thought I knew everything. YOU MUST GET THIS BOOK.