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39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Fine New Book, June 3, 2009
This review is from: Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists' Books (Paperback)
Dorothy Simpson Krause www.dotkrause.com has written a new book, and it is wonderful. When I learned that she had put together Book & Art: Handcrafting Artists' Books, I could hardly wait to get my hands on it, for I have admired her work since I first set eyes on it. She fuses beauty, political commitment, ingenuity, intelligence, and an expansive world view in work that is both compelling and exquisite. Her knowledge of technology, digital imaging, and exploration of new materials works in the service of work that is deeply rooted in art of all cultures and all times. In her hands and mind, language and idea are the armature of visual expression.
Book & Art; Handcrafting Artists' Books is a beauty, full of descriptions of how Ms. Krause devised her artist's books & book-based objects. Well-written and handsomely designed, it is brimming with good ideas for further exploration, and the Helpful Hints will surely pave a smoother way for those of us experimenting with new materials. To its credit, the book presumes that the reader is has an inquisitive art spirit and an independent creative impulse. It is a wide-open, intensely beautiful doorway to discovery. I think that to really run with the ideas and the possibilities, it would be good to have some experience with basic bookbinding techniques, but it is not imperative. A copy of Digital Art Studio by Karen Schminke, Dorothy Simpson Krause, and Bonny Pierce Lhotka is, of course, a natural companion.
Even if you have no plans to ever take up a bone folder, I think you will find Book & Art a rich visual experience. The full range of Dorothy Simpson Krause's work is well documented on her website, but this book takes the reader even deeper into the genesis of the books. I am grateful to her for undertaking the project and emerging with such a well-produced and accessible book.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Taking artist's book to a new realm, June 22, 2009
This review is from: Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists' Books (Paperback)
I, like many artists, have a substantial library of resource books. One of my favorite books is Digital Art Studio, co-authored by Dorothy Simpson Krause, that really paved the way for me to combine my printmaking with digital imagery and techniques. It is a resource I use often. Ms. Krause's newest book, Book +Art, will also prove to be a favorite resource for combining printmaking and layering with the book arts.
I have quite a few books on making book structures and the techniques that are good but the imagery is average. Not so with this book, the imagery is elegant, sophisticated, and visually complex. She discusses different avenues for surface design and bindings including a thermal binding, a new method for inkjet transfers, covers, scrolls,editioning, boxes,using foil over wood, sewn books, and using text and words.
Yes, some of the structures one can find in other books but as a visual learner, I like the way the techniques are expressed in photographically. The structures and the layered imagery she has used for her books is inspirational and makes one want to grab their paintbrush and go for it!
Another feature I appreciate is a text box in the technique explanation that is titled "Helpful Hints" and "Creative Explorations"- it presents some alternative methods to enhance and take a method several steps further.
This is a book that should be in a serious book artist's library.
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Have, May 25, 2009
This review is from: Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists' Books (Paperback)
I am extremely impressed with the amount of information crammed into this book. It begins with solid information on working with various surfaces, overprinting, gelatin monoprints, and inkjet transfer and then goes into a variety of art book making methods -- everything from blank and altered books through creating books using a different types of folding, binding, and sewed methods. Scrolls, boxes, and covers are also included. AND, the layout is sophisticated and the imagery and example work gorgeous.
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