89 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb All the Way Around, May 5, 2005
This review is from: Mosaic Art and Style: Designs for Living Environments (Hardcover)
It's not just that there are works from over 75 artists, or that the subject matter ranges from table tops to fountains to showers to a whole mosaic outdoor "living room" complete with a lamp, or that Locktov has tracked down artists from around the world who are so amazing you'll find yourself gasping out loud as you turn each page . . . all of which would be reason enough to buy this book. . . BUT, the photos are absolutely superb and, better yet, marvelous and multiple detail shots are provided. At last, a book on mosaics were you actually get to SEE things!
Equally important, the writing is just superb. Locktov clearly has a talent for interviewing artists and eliciting from them their very personal thoughts on their art. In just a few words, you can learn an incredible amount about an artist's motivation, inspiration, and life's work. You can then turn to the pictures of their pieces and think, "Yes! I see that!" What a gift.
So many artists. So many styles, materials, purposes, and venues. Wonderful words and images. Soulfulness and exhuberance and ART! Man, that's what I call inspiring!
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88 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Throw Out the Tile and Discover Mosaic Art!, March 4, 2005
This review is from: Mosaic Art and Style: Designs for Living Environments (Hardcover)
Through pages bursting with vivid color and inspired artistry, author Locktov makes it unmistakably clear that mosaic tiles and mosaic art are no longer the sole purview of bathrooms and kitchens. This outstanding book showcases creative mosaic art applied with skill and vision to personal and public spaces. Artists from America, Italy, Japan and New Zealand, many of
whom are enhancing their own homes and gardens, show us the vast range of possibilities and contemporary takes on this most ancient art form.
Walls, patios, furniture, musical instruments, doorways, fountains, benches, murals and objets d'art--and yes, bathrooms and kitchens--transcend the commonplace and explode the status quo of tile functionality, elevated by artistry and unusual materials into the most exciting and inspirational collection of environmental contemporary mosaics seen in years.
The first half of the book profiles selected artists, allowing readers to discover their motivations, inspiration and unique approaches to their art, while exploring the resulting work through colorful photos. The second half is the gallery, a collection of images by a multitude of artists, divided into environments, such as dining, healing, living and relaxing. The contact information for every artist in the book appears at back.
This book proves that modern mosaics can be invited into any home, indeed any space, contemporary, traditional, private or public, in a role far greater than the merely functional. Locktov demonstrates that through color, pattern and its inherent tactile qualities, mosaics can soothe or stimulate, take center stage or gently recede into the background, all the while providing the enjoyment, beauty and pleasure of art in everyday life.
Highly recommended for creative homeowners and remodelers, designers, decorators, architects and public art contractors, this book will also provide hours of reading pleasure for artists in any medium, as well as for those who appreciate out-of-the-box creativity, fulfillment of unique artistic vision and beauty in any form.
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