The Best of Colored Pencil 5 (No.5) [Hardcover]

Vera Curnow (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

This fifth edition of the strikingly beautiful and highly successful series presents more intriguing and inspiring works done in colored pencil. Chosen from 900 entries, the work shows artistry, sophistication and inventive use of the medium. Page after full-color page unfolds the mystery of each artist's work and sheds light on his or her inspiration, technique, and process. Florals, still lifes, portraits, animals, abstracts-all the best of each subject is included here for viewers to mull over and marvel at.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Vera Curnow is an award-winning colored pencil artist and founder of the Colored Pencil Society of America. She serves as juror for art exhibitions, conducts workshops nationwide, and has had her artwork published internationally. Curnow is the author of several Rockport titles, including Creative Colored Pencil: The Step-by-Step Guide and Showcase; Creative Color Pencil Landscapes; and Creative Color Pencil Portraits. Curnow works out of Seattle, Washington.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The colored pencil drwaings presented at the CPSA International Colored Pencil Exhibition, which was held at the modern Ellipse Art Center in Arlington, Virginia, displayed a barrage of colors, kinetic energy, innovative styles and incredible techniques that overwhelmed and inspired the hundreds of guests attending this opening. The show was an array of talent culled from approximately 900 entries by Juror M. Stephen Doherty, Editor-in-Chief of American Artist magazine. Each two-dimensional artwork of pure colored pencil brought audible responses and beckoned viewers to stop, discover, and return again and again to scrutinize the personal "imprints" made by artists from around the country...

And in the center of this whirlwind lies the heart of it all - the colored pencil artwork. This book provides you with a private tour, one in which you will be able to meditate on each work. The artists' personal comments have been included to take you beyond the visual surface and into the depths of its creation. This is art at its finest. This is colored pencil at its finest.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Rockport Publishers (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564965821
• ISBN-13: 978-1564965820
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,614,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Colored Pencil

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great coffee table book, inpirational, April 30, 2001

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best of Colored Pencil 5 (No.5) (Hardcover)

This is a beautiful coffee table book for colored pencil artists and enthusiasts. Subjects span a wide range from people to landscapes to animals and still life works. There is something here to suit almost anyone's taste. This wonderful variety truly shows off the possibilities of the medium.

Some of my favorites include Donna Basile's close-up baby face, Carol Tomasik's "Flying Fish", and an American Indian on horse titled "Me-A-Pa-Te" by Stan Pawelczyk. I also enjoyed Elizabeth Holster's "Isle Royale Portage"; this landscape could easily be mistaken for a photograph it is so vivid. I would have to say my absolute favorite is by "Wing Nuts" by Mike Russell. It's hard to describe, but it's very unique. It shows sunflowers and bees in a fantasy scene.

I really like that instead of just listing the basics about each piece, like title, size and paper used, they also include commentary from the artist who created it. This gives you insight into what the artist was thinking and adds a personal touch to the book. A Directory of artists, as well as a glossary, is also included in the back. This makes a great gift for any colored pencil artist.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Accomplished Work for a poorly understood medium, July 6, 2002

By 

T. Law "The Roving Eye" (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best of Colored Pencil 5 (No.5) (Hardcover)

The CPSA is doing good work on behalf of the colored pencil. Recently they have established an annual experimental show for those artists using the medium for more avant garde ideas. This is good for demonstrating the versatiity color pencil can offer. With this book based on the fifth annual show (the CPSA is about to have it's 10th) we see a greater depth of subject matter being handled by artists. Still...some 34 works/pages in this book are devoted to the traditional fruit/flowers crowd. Some indeed are exceptional, others not. I am, however, drawn to those artists who are doing other bolder more imaginative work. Luckily some very good examples are included in this book. I recommend you add the book to your library if you are a color pencil artist.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Juried Colored Pencil Art Works, May 28, 2000

By 

carol irvin "carol irvin" (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best of Colored Pencil 5 (No.5) (Hardcover)

This is the annual exhibition for colored pencil work and the good news is that the range of styles is getting wider. This medium has tended to attract only those artists with a photo-realistic style in the past. Now, more artists with styles not quite so realistic are becoming attracted to this medium as well. One still doesn't see the versatility that one sees in work from other media but that may well be coming. I bought this book and am enjoying studying the work within it.