Mixed-Media Collage: An Exploration of Contemporary ... (ISBN 1592533167)

Mixed Bag of Goodies:
Definitely a grab bag of goodies: Nuts, prizes and candy (literally). After reading other reviews, I had to put in my 2 cents. Yes, some of the pieces in this book are more "crafty" than others. The cover of the book makes no claim to presenting art rather than craft. The word "art" covers more ground today than in the past & I would consider most of these pieces works of art. Duchamp's mounted urinal entitled "fountain" was considered art in its day (and probably still is). Art is in the eye of the creater and the beholder. If you're not creating or beholding, then why bother to complain. So what's the matter with the pieces presented in this book? What's the matter with craft anyway? Geez. The techniques explained might not walk you start to finish and help you achieve the exact works of art presented here. They do provide starting points for the reader to come up with their own artworks. Sorry, there are no step-by-step methods to transfering photos to lampshades. There are loads of insights into how each artist creates. I purchased this book to read each artist's "spark", their methods, and their tools. I also want to look at the beautiful photos again and again. My only complaint about this book is that there is not enough fiber art.

Disappointing:
I am not quite sure what I expected from this book. Yes, I did think there would be the same type of collage and craft but what I did not expect was the same old hats on people, heads on other bodies (refer to T.Moores stuff on the cover and inside) techniques that have been done to death to name a few negative points. It was a grave disappointment. It would seem there really has been nothing new from this area of paper arts for an awful long time. A few good points about the book is that it uses some male artists in a predominately female field. Further, the photography and lay out is very good. It also discusses faux encaustics. Sadly, I bought it and sold it in the same week.

Has a Major Focus on the Creative Process and What Inspires the Artists:
After a quick introduction to collage and collage tools, the book is divided into two sections. Section one features in-depth profiles of five artists. Each artist is interviewed and interesting questions are asked about their creative process, their inspiration and why they choose to use the materials that they do. Multiple pieces of their artwork are shown. One project is featured with stepped-out directions and photos so you can learn their technique. The five artists profiled and directions for their project are: 1. Laurinda Bedingfield: 3D collage book sculpture with photographs 2. Barbara DePirro: using acrylic gel medium to create the look of encaustic 3. Paula Grasdal: printmaking and collage 4. Sharon McCartney: mixed-media multi-paneled wall hanging 5. Teesha Moore: mixed-media journal page Section two is a gallery of two pieces of artwork from 20 different contemporary mixed-media artists. The information includes brief technique explanation, inspiration, and a list of supplies used. The strengths of this book are that there is a great variety of type of artwork represented. This is not a book of fads and trends. It was clear to me that each artist is following their own voice and making their own unique kind of art that they enjoy working with. For this reason I treasure the book, because there are other publications on the market which seem to display the `trend of the season'. This book is fresh and unique. Just seeing different types of artwork and seeing these artists using their own inner voices to guide their art (even if I personally didn't love the look of all of it) made me want to go and make some art. The book closes with some essays on the topic of the artist on the Internet. Directions on how to do photo transfers and how to do encaustic collage are provided. The book has a products resource guide, a vendor listing and a directory of all the artists featured in the book. The paper in the book is high quality glossy paper. The layout is very nice and the photographs are in full-color. This was very nicely put together. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in mixed-media collage. If you love to read about what inspires artists and about people's creative process you will really enjoy this book. On a more personal note... My personal take-away from this book is a feeling of freedom of expression and a desire to go make my own personal style of art. In the past I have felt uncomfortable when I was creating art that was not the current trend, especially after reading certain books or a certain art magazine. Also while doing mail art swaps I have been criticized for making art that is not the hot fad of the day, for using different colors or materials than some people were. I personally don't plan to copy the work of these artists even though there are stepped out directions for five projects. What each of us takes away from a book is unique and that is alright. I also really enjoy reading about what inspires artists and what their creative process is like. I smiled when I read that one artist creates while sitting on her living room floor with images all around her. I prefer more talk of the creative process and inspiration rather than the books that only feature the finished art piece yet leave me wondering, "What was the artist thinking, why did they make that?".

Wonderful book:
I have many, many books in my mixed media, collage library. This one is awesome. I go back and look at it time and time again for new inspiration.

Not just a picture book on Mixed Media:
This book is not just a collection of pictures of interesting projects, but each artist includes what inspired them, materials used and tips on creating similar works. You can get ideas from each artist to use in your own work or just enjoy getting in to the head of the artist. There are lots of different styles, techniques and ideas and they are all well illustrated with great photography. This is one book I'll be sure to keep around.