Customer Reviews

Everything That Creeps: The Art of Elizabeth McGrath

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
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Everything about this book is stunning, from the die-cut cover to the book design to (of course) the works by McGrath. She's got the technical skill of Mark Ryden, the soul of Robert Williams, the detail-orientedness of Joe Coleman and the heart of a wayward Catholic girl, all of which make her one of my favorite artists.

(I think there'd have to be a cage match to decide who I like better, Cynthia von Buhler or Liz McGrath, so I'm going to relegate them to their respective coasts and call it a tie).

For some reason, I never really got into all the other artists grouped with the "lowbrow"/Juxtapoz magazine style, with the exception of those named above. However, there's this instinctual need to really scour a McGrath piece with your eyes...right down to the finest detail (again, a quality shared by Ryden, Williams & Coleman). It makes them both compelling and surprisingly intimate, despite their often gruesome subject matter.

As you turn each page of this book for the first time, it takes all your willpower to keep from flipping through it all at once! I can tell already that I'll be spending a lot of time studying each work individually, as they deserve. Hands down, the best birthday present I received this year. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed.

It seems that every artist out there has a book these days, and it's easy to let them just pass you by unnoticed. However, there is NO way of ignoring "Everything That Creeps". From it's unique design and Awsome cover to the amazingly detailed and wonderfully imaginative artwork inside, this is more than a book - it's a treasure.
Liz McGrath is one of the most innovative and original artists out there, and it's great to be able to see every detail of her twisted sculptures. After looking at this book, you'll never be the same...

This is one of those books that I stumbled upon while store-browsing and passed up, and kicked myself later for not snatching it up immediately. My shelf was lonely until it arrived in the mail. That's how cool this book is.

For the uninitiated this is a collection of photographs of mutated animal/insect sculptures and dioramas, little creatures dressed up like sailors and prostitutes, stuff of that ilk (they have a very Grand Guignol feel). They're crafted beautifully and, true to the book's title, creepily, but adorably so. Fans of the Nightmare Before Christmas characters and asthetic will probably love this stuff.

McGrath's work is downright amazing, I just wish this book were a little thicker.

I was in awe at the brilliance and originality of such artwork. Each piece is carefully hand crafted with delicacy and detail that come together to form a masterpiece. Elizabeth McGrath's art truly evokes a sense of jaw dropping wonder that has you searching for new meanings and asking the question "How did she come up with such ideas?" Her talent and originality exceeds all modern day artists that I've encountered thus far.
Check it out for yourself, artist like this are a rare kind...

-Sarah

Not for a large audience. Me, I'm disturbed so I love it. If you like Tim Burton's movies you will like this book. I wish I could do art like this but I guess my love for horror everything has not yet made me creepy enough. Elizabeth you are awesome, you rock! (or whatever the latest expression is)

I bought this book for my friend as a birthday gift. And the next day I bought another one for myself cuz the book is really fantastic! I wanna share it with my other friends who like creepy things. The details are so delicate that I could spend hours reading it. Highly recommend it!

In "Everything That Creeps" by Elizabeth McGrath you'll get a rare view into the mind of an astounding and original sculptor and artist.

There's more to be found on the web about her influences, her world and there's even a peep into her studio and her living and workspace. McGrath's art seems to draw on bits of life we might sooner keep in the background, but which fascinate us all the same...sideshows, freaks, the darkness that religion can harbor, and that ol' grim reaper. Her art can bubble with that uncomfortableness we feel when we brush up against the those gristly and grisly things that live in our dreams and nightmares but also draw us to them irresistibly.

In spite of the description above, her work breathes with a tenderness and human warmth that makes one feel protective about her pieces when you view them, almost as if you're looking into the cage of a rescued animal at a humane shelter.

McGrath has the eye of a naturalist, and though some of her work seems cobbled together from taxidermist's leftovers, she presently uses no animal parts in her art. If you appreciate the vision of artists like Edward Gorey and Tim Burton along with an original mix of old museums, funeral parlors and faded circus sideshows, this book is for you. Elizabeth McGrath is a totally original artist.

The book is beautifully printed and presented as well and makes a perfect gift for that special someone.

This book is really great for the close up photos of Elizabeth's work and gives you background information on her.

This book is great. It's full of whimsical eerie works by Elizabeth McGrath. Her work is so detailed, I find something cool and different every time I look through it!

A very inspiring book for artists with an imagination "outside of the box".