How does a child grow up to become an artist? Where does the journey begin? For Neil Waldman, it began with a mother's treasured book from an art museum in Russia, a book whose soft velvet cover and shimmering golden title drew the young boy to it like a magnet. Upon opening the book for the first time, Neil came upon the work of a man who signed his paintings "Vincent." The discovery would transform the lives of all four Waldman children. Drawing and painting would soon be more than a hobby. It would become their passion, and, unexpectedly, their means of survival. Through it, Neil and his siblings would discover a secret pathway that led inward, away from the frequent outbursts of their warring parents, into the quiet lands of creativity and imagination. With more than forty fine-art reproductions of the drawings, paintings, and prints of the Waldman family artists, this is the story of four children who survived a turbulent childhood and grew up to become renowned artists, writers, and teachers.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up This portrait of Waldman as a young boy is set against the backdrop of a tempestuous marriage. The senior Waldmans fought incessantly, so the four offspring developed rich interior lives. Three found art to be a lifeboat and pursued it professionally. Their mature work, and that of other relatives, decorates the text sometimes relating directly, at other times bearing no discernible connection. Waldman's mother nurtured her firstborn's creativity, as did his grandfather, who introduced him to the van Goghs at the Metropolitan Museum and the buffalo at the zoo; these episodes reveal the serendipity that surrounds a life led by wonder and curiosity and convey how the seeds were sown for later children's books. The importance of Jewish ritual to Waldman's intellectual and moral development is also portrayed. Children might be confused when Waldman segues elsewhere or fades out. They might also find it difficult to determine the time period; he writes of both a rabbi's horse-drawn carriage and of watching TV. Nevertheless, young people familiar with his books, who need to read an autobiography, or who are interested in becoming artists themselves, may find this to be an absorbing journey. Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. Artist-writer Waldman offers an engaging, insightful story of how childhood experiences informed his career. Including his own impressionist-inspired paintings as well as the oils, etchings, and woodcuts of other family members who are visual artists (brother, sister, aunt), he starts with what must be one of his earliest memories--running away from the sound of his parents arguing--and then continues through his preschool and grade-school years as son, brother, aesthete, and playmate. The working-class Jewish home he evokes is nearly timeless, and though his frank discussion of his relationship with his parents is rather unusual in a children's biography, the book is still accessible to a middle-grade reader. Without labeling his family members as heroes or villains, Waldman clearly shows how a child comforts himself in an uncertain world. Young artists, as well as readers who wonder about the person behind the pictures they have seen, will appreciate every element of this book: well-constructed story, visual richness, and uncompromising honesty. Francisca Goldsmith
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
OUT OF THE SHADOWS: AN ARTIST'S JOURNEY,
By Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Out of the Shadows: An Artist's Journey (Hardcover)
Sometimes we find, in a book, a drama behind the drama. In Neil Waldman's new book, there are two such dramas, and fortunately, a comedy. First there is the ongoing battle between his mother and father--fights so ferocious that even behind closed doors they cause their children to tremble. Then there is the comedy of a charming, jovial, whimsical grandfather who could always be counted on for companionship, adventure, imagination and a certain sangfroid. And last, but most importantly, there is the development of the artistic sensibility. From where did it emanate? As a means of escape from their parents' tirades, surely; but the lyricism of the art, the inspiration, the children's proficiency, from where did they come? This is what Waldman has set out to explore and share with his many readers and admirers. His mother evidently loved art. She had brought with her on the boat from Russia, a treasured book from an art museum in Russia--"a book whose soft velvet cover and shimmering golden title drew the young boy to it like a magnet." It was in this book that he first discovered the work of Vincent Van Gogh, an artist whose oeuvre would be a lasting influence upon him. Suddenly, Neil knew this is what he wanted to do when he grew up. This encounter, however would transform the lives of all four Waldman children. They came from a family that already contained a talented artist, his aunt Jean Morris.
The recognition of beauty as adventure was nourished by his Grandfather Meyer, whose accent is perfectly represented in the book, and who not only took him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but also to the hidden wonders of Bronx Park, an island of beauty among the trolley cars and pavement of his East Bronx neighborhood. And finally, there is the art, itself, prodigiously represented in this book, art by all four Waldman children. When we wonder how did a well-known celebrity or accomplished person get from there to where he or she is today, this book affords us a marvelous insight. Written in an informal, conversational manner and enriched with full color reproductions, it is a worthy addition to anyone's library, but particularly as a gift. Ages 12 and up.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The story of four siblings who used art as a survival mechanism,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Out of the Shadows: An Artist's Journey (Hardcover)
How does a child evolve into an artist? Author Waldman's discovery of a mother's precious velvet art book from a Russian art museum served as the starting inspiration for him early on, introducing him to a painter whose works would change not only his life, but the lives of his siblings. Painting quickly became key to the family's survive as well as key to discovering a route away from their warring parents: here are over forty reproductions of the drawings and paintings of the Waldman family artists to accompany the story of four siblings who used art as a survival mechanism.
5.0 out of 5 stars
love that Waldman,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Out of the Shadows: An Artist's Journey (Hardcover)
My sister found this book, what a wonderful read about the creative journey of a great mind. It inspired me and backs up the notion of doing all we can to build our kid's creative processes.
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