8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful and Enriching Experience, June 6, 2010
This review is from: Coloring Mandalas 3: Circles of the Sacred Feminine (Shambhala Pocket Classics) (Spiral-bound)
I've now worked with mandala coloring books from several author-designers. What I appreciate about this book is the call to participate in revitalizing ancient designs that she has adapted. There is something unique and mystical about witnessing my own inner urgings to create and colorize, expressed through meditative interaction with unknown ancient artists.
Each of her books follows a theme. This one strives to bring your "inner artist" or meditating-self into an encounter with sacred energy by employing designs which feature symbols and shapes attributed across cultures and centuries to The Feminine. For the interested reader she gives a 18-page, succinct but quite informative desciption of cultural and anthropological works which help explain her choices for the designs, and supplement one's own adventures through the book. There are also 11 lovely full-color, high-quality, photographic reproductions of original art (from contemporary to antique) which can serve as inspiration. These definitely add substance to the book.
Some of her mandala forms are more stylized or detailed in their internal contents (figures, animals, madonna forms, etc) than I normally seek out. However, they still challenge me and are plenty rewarding. I am personally more likely to choose abstract and spacious forms, ones which allow me to add my own texture and image without any distraction. Yet, I can image that for others there is an equally great attraction to having a more personable, human or animated form in the mandalas.
The author accommodates both wishes generously. This book has a rich diversity of designs, with and without identifiable figures. There are even blank mandalas included at the end for the user to begin completely from scratch. The quality of paper is quite good, possibly artist quality (but not clear if acid-fast). Each page is devoted front and back to a single design. Ordinary pens, crayons, gel pins and colored pencils did not transmit through to the opposite side. My felt-tipped prismatic markers did bleed through. Thus, it would be wise to place a sheet of thin cardboard or paper between the pages if you are using felt tips, highlighters, watercolors or any kind of penetrating medium.
The book is spiral-bound, making it easy to adapt for left or right-handed persons. It allows a very decent center margin. The pages are not perforated, a feature I happen to like. Thus, an individual design would need to be cut out if one wanted to gift or otherwise frame and display the original copy of their work. A touch of extra thoughtfulness and quality is that extention of the paper binding around the spiral so that it remains in good shape and the title of the book is visible on the binding if shelved.
One of the greatest problems I find with mandala coloring books lies in the complications of the copyright. This type of book can pose a uniquely confusing dilemma because when used as the author intends -- it yields a a composite work containing the contribution of both the author and the person who later invested hours of their own time, heart and soul coloring them.
Her publisher's official opening statement is: "All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, elecronic or mechanical, inlcuding photocopying, recording, or by an any information storage and retrieval system, without permisison in writing from the publisher."
Understandably this should apply to any SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF written text and to the beautifully reproduced photocopies of original commercial art for which I strongly suspect she has paid for permission to include. However, just as she has adapted ancient works and crafted them into her own design -- one that she has now copyrighted -- she clearly intends for the user to likewise adapt these by marketing this as a "coloring book". The person who invests their own time, creativity and soul-journey in doing what she intends may ultimately devote more time than she with a particular design. I feel that they likewise deserves the opportunity to display them with appropriate citation.
The original copyright phrase from Shambala may be misleading, but it implies that the person who used her line-drawings embedded within a richer color creation (just like a writer who quotes a sentence or paragraph within a larger text) cannot make even make a noncommercial copy to post here on her product page as a customer-contributed image or on their own Amazon profile page, even if they included appropriate citations/credits.
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UPDATED AS OF July 12, 2010
FORTUNATELY, I am very pleased to say, that when I emailed Susanne Fincher personally via her website, she was graciously willing to allow designs I colored to be posted as long as their origin in her books was properly cited (something which I am most happy to do). I have now asked whether that is a generalized permisison for other customers or not. I have also asked whether she or Shambala would like to post their own clarification to the product page or these review pages.
I suspect that potential customers seeing how these mandalas are colorized and embellished by a variety of persons might actually be more encouraged to purchase and try out her product. There are now a few other mandala books without these confusions/restrictions or for which the author has also agreed to readily support noncommerical uses such as this.
Everyone's Mandala Coloring Book (v. 1). Customers for whom this issue is important may want to inquire directly with the author.
I am not surprised these dilemmas arise -- increased restrictions about digital copying is natural to the publishing world. However, coloring books, pattern books for crafts, knitting, etc are unusual exceptions where a boilerplate statement doesn't fit. Thus, again, I have deeply pleased and impressed with Susanne Fincher's response. Just as I had hoped, once clarification was requested -- she has demonstrated that a professional art therapist who deeply understands the creative process and its legitimate role in healing emotional and physical distress, also understands where her own lines rightfully become background and the work produced by artist-customers becomes foreground.
I am now able to strongly recommend her book without reservation. In fact, I am spurred to explore her other volumes and website offerings.
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