The Best of Pastel 2 (Vol 2) (Hardcover)

~ Pastel Society of America (Compiler), Kristina Feliciano (Editor)
Key Phrases: sanded pastel paper, hard pastels, soft pastels, Canson Mi-Tientes, New York

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The latest surge of interest in modern pastel techniques can trace its origins to the founding of the Pastel Society of America in 1972. This volume celebrates the society's 25th anniversary by collecting a portfolio of work from more than 120 contemporary pastel artists. The wide variety of styles is useful and inspiring, but each work is accompanied by only the briefest of statements from the artist and the editor. The book ends with an essay by Alden Baker, "Critiquing Your Own Work." A good choice for advanced artists, but most will get more out of books by the authors represented here, such as Paul Leveille's excellent Painting Expressive Pastel Portraits (North Light, 1998).
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

This second edition of "The Best of Pastel " continues to honor the best artists from around the world working in pastels. Selected from hundreds of entries, the 130 images presented in these pages represent the most talented artists and their works in a wide array of styles, techniques, and subjects, including landscapes, portraits, still-lifes, and abstracts.

Displays one per page, each work is reproduced in color and features artist, title, materials, dimensions, and the inspiration for the work in the artist's own words. Includes an essay by Alden Baker on how to critique your own work.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 143 pages
• Publisher: Rockport Publishers; 2nd edition edition (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564964485
• ISBN-13: 978-1564964489
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #294,891 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Pastel 2, March 28, 2000

By	M. Warner (Unicoi, Tn) - See all my reviews

Wow! What an inspiring book for pastel and all art lovers. Makes you realize the amazing amount of talent in this country with our artists. This book really gets you excited about working in pastels. You will be running to your drawing tables, with book in hand. The reproductions are beautiful full page color drawings representing countless styles all beautifully executed. Can't wait to see, "The Best of Pastel 3".

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended, February 17, 2002

By	Jennifer (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This is an incredibly beautiful book, with improvements over the first Best of Pastel: one large picture per page, and two captions for each--an artist's statement about the painting, and a few words about technique and style. The works chosen for the book are diverse, and show the artists' range and considerable skill. The only downer, in my view, is the "Critiquing Your Own Work" section at the end. Though it contains valuable information for beginning and perhaps advanced pastellists, it is written in such a snobby and condescending manner it puts a sour ending to an otherwise very sweet book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-have for Pastel Artists and Lovers, January 21, 2002

By A Customer

This volume has a good range of works, including figures (which the first volume did not), and includes explanations and background on the works. Good for ideas, techniques, and just appreciating "painting without a brush".