Customer Reviews

True Colors: A Palette of Collaborative Art Journals

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
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I've only thoroughly explored the first third of this book, taking my time with it to carefully savor its wonderful pages. Skimming the remainder only whets my appetite to continue and soak it all in.

The whole concept of a team of talented women working for an extended period of time to produce their art journals is fascinating, and the results are a feast for the eyes. My only slight reservation so far is the work of Ms. Moore ... "outsider" art or not, it comes across to me as careless, as if this project didn't mean as much to her as it did to the others. She admittedly doesn't "put a lot of thought" into her work, and in my opinion, it shows.

It's hard to have a favorite artist amongst this group, each has a unique style and vision that is expressed at levels of genius on some pages, and naturally, a bit more tentatively on others. Certain colors seemed to have evoked a greater emotional response than others. Sarah Fishburn seems to be the most technically accomplished and her work is truly inspirational. Lynne Perella, Nina Bagley, and Claudine Hellmuth also shine as sure-footed and confident in their artistic personas. Ms. Perella's white pages are mind-bogglingly lovely, I keep going back to look a them again and again.

The volume is produced on beautiful paper and is a credit to Somerset Studio. Obviously a labor of love for their entire staff, this book is definitely worth the price of admission.

The day you first sit down with this book you are nearly overwhelmed by the sheer sumptuousness of the color. The next day you wear your psychic sunglasses and take in the quality of the artists' work - the precision, the paper engineering, the page-by-page progression of pure art saturation.

And then, it slowly dawns on you. You are holding an honest-to-goodness work of art. A compilation, yes. But also a cohesive, thoughtfully authored and produced work of the finest short stories told via the hands of our best current multi-media artists. Artists like Sarah Fishburn (my personal fave), and Monica Riffe and Karen Michel. It is a Sotheby's catalog of women book artists/journalers. It is stories and lives amidst paint and paper and talent.

There are glimpses of memories, some containing grief as raw as fresh meat. Others encapsulating childhoods so precious we wish they had been our own. So whether you are craving a little color in your life, or you are a fan of collage/journaling, or you support contemporary women artists, buy this book. And if you cherish those rare honest glimpses into the lives of others, buy this book. Because, like me, you'll find yourself looking at this book over and over again not only for the rich artistic inspiration it will provide you, but also for the sense of connection you will feel with the artists who have shared their souls with us.

Consider this book for what it promises. Buy it for what it delivers.

The physical quality of TRUE COLORS -- from it's binding to paperweight -- is all first class. In addition, the layout is design-smart, with a good balance between copy and photos, all of which are sumptuous. Best of all, the tone is intelligent but relaxed, like a conversation with a trusted friend. Instruction is often spare (but accurate) and techniques/examples are generous to the point of overflowing. For top quality content TRUE COLORS leads the pack. (I agree with reviewer Carrie that it would've been nice to see some mid-stage, not-yet-perfect examples, but alas, that wasn't the intent of this project.)

If you have any trepidation at all about buying this book, consider the Who's Who of featured artists: Lynne Perella, Anne Bagby, Lisa Hoffman, Claudine Hellmuth, Nina Bagley, Sarah Fishburn, Karen Michel, Monica Riffe, Teesha Moore, Linn Jacobs, etc. Still not sure? Many of these artists have their own websites. Take a look. Then you'll see why TRUE COLORS is so praiseworthy.

Don't let the price of this fabulous book by Somerset Studio (also a fantastic magazine!) fool you - it's worth every penny and more. It's 288 pages are crammed full of lavish, full-color photographs of sixteen collaborative art journals, each with it's own color theme, that were passed from artist to artist to fill with their personal visions. The artwork is of the highest caliber and you will be continually amazed at the level of creativity. If this doesn't push you to higher levels with your own artwork, nothing will!

Of all the altered book/stamping/scrapbooking books I own (a jillion), and all the magazines I subscribe to (also a jillion), this is my HANDS DOWN favorite book. I look at it often - and I can't say that for the other books in my studio (okay, not a studio, just a way-overcrowded corner of the basement).

Anyway, this book is one of THE books that launched a thousand imitations (particularly in the scrapbooking world), and it is still the leader of the pack.

What I love most about this book is its coherent completeness. Most artist/altered journal books show just the BEST pages from many books, so you never really get a sense of how any single artists book gels, of how the artistic vision plays out.

THIS book is different! You get to see 15 (or is it 12) artist books in their entirety! You can look at each thematic book and get a sense of how many different ways the theme (in the case of True Colors the theme of each book is a specific color) can be interpreted. Or, you can track each artists' work in each of the 15 books to get a more complete sense of their artistic style and vision.

There is so much to learn here. Study the construction of each of the 15 beautiful books - simple, complex, they are all divine. Turn to any page and study the use of color, of paint, the use of embellishments, the building of a unified theme. It is really amazing and so inspiring. (Note, however, that this is NOT a how-to book, and techniques are not provided.)

Worth every penny. It will give you countless hours of pleasure and inspiration.

If you've ever wanted to be a fly on the wall of someone's art studio, this book is about as close to that experience as you can get without actually becoming a fly. It's packed with beautiful pages of artwork by 15 accomplished artists and the text shares their personal thoughts about each other's work, what they were going for in different journals, the experience of collaborative art, and the transformative power of color. A back section shares a slew of techniques, but you'll really want this book for inspiration. Flipping the pages, experiencing the myriad colors, textures and ideas that are there will soon have you itching to break out your art supplies.

I had borrowed a friend's copy of this book, and got my own copy for my birthday. It is one of my very favorite art books, and each time I look at it, I see something new. The color photographs on every page and the quality of the images and paper make this a great buy at any price. There are no instructions to replicate the journals that are each done with a separate color theme. The journals were created by a gifted group of collage artists as the books circulated from one to the other. The journals became treasures of expression, and "True Colors" makes them accessible to all of us!

Lovely artists' books from a collaboration of 15 artists, each of whom starts a book on a color or combination, does her pages, sends each book on in a round robin. The resulting book "True Colors" is glorious if a bit worked, and I personally would have enjoyed more straightforward photo documentation. Much texture in the original works, which doesn't translate well to glossy pages. Perhaps because the same 15 artists contribute and all are influenced by each other's works, there's an overwrought sameness after a while, though individual pages pop out surprisingly. A thoughtful final section discusses various techniques. Altogether a luscious treat; but remember to create and don't compare.

Sometimes you just need a little eye-candy to get your creative juices going, and this is the place to find it!

As the publisher said, "Fifteen amazing artists wanted to see what they could each do with a single color scheme. Each artist created a book for her chosen palette, and then all the artists contributed pages for each others' journals. The finished works overflow with page after page of techniques and mediums, including stamping, painting, sketching, fabric art, metalwork, transfers and layered texturing--a wide spectrum of artistry and skill."

Imagine having an art pal send you regular mailings of samples of her work. With each package, you'd find new inspiration for your own art. Well, that's what the "True Colors" artists did. Over a span of months they passed the journals back and forth across the country, filling them with interpretations of each color and building on the creativity of the pages that were already done.

The inspiration here works on several levels--visual, of course, but also spiritual and philosophical. There is a lot to think about in the words and concepts these women have woven into their interpretations of color.

If you are NOT a paint-by-number type, this is the book for you. It gives you what you need to get your own muse into gear. You can do it! And a gander at "True Colors" will remind you why you WANT to do it.

The contributors include Lynne Perella, Claudine Helmuth, Nina Bagley, Judi Riesch, and other amazingly talented artists.

True Colors introduced me to the world of art journals, and I've been hooked ever since. It's simply breathtaking! The book displays a batch of books created by top-notch collage artists. Each book has a color scheme ("Sepia," "Yellow-Green & Violet," etc.) and each artist created a page in each book. When they were through with their pages, they mailed the book to the next artist. With page after page of full-color pictures of the work, along with commentary from the artists as well as some tips for beginning your own art journaling projects, you could spend hours on end lost in this book. It gave me so many ideas and I continue to look back on it over and over again for inspiration. Hands down, this is the best book in the field of art journaling I've found yet. Whether you are a collage artist or have never heard of art journaling in your life and are just a fan of art in general, this book is a must buy!