Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6871 in Books
• Published on: 2008-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 168 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781844483365
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Review
Artbookreview.net:This is a book of ideas for working in a purely abstract style, but also one which suggests ways of seeing and working by means of a series of exercises that introduces 65 different approaches.These exercises are the heart of the book and each one is arranged across two pages with a finished painting on the right and, on the left, notes which explain the artist's intention and the techniques used to achieve it.Abstraction is as much a state of mind and a way of seeing as anything else. It doesn't really have techniques of application that are any different to conventional painting. so what it comes down to is structure, shape and colour. As such, it's a difficult subject to teach - and an even more difficult one to teach through a book - because you either understand the mindset behind it or you don't. If you look at an abstract and think, A"my dog could do better than thatA", then it's a reasonable assumption that this is not for you. If, however, you're intrigued by the subject but don't feel you know where to start, then this book will help you a long way towards the end of the road. The simple, straightforward, approach removes pretty much all the mystique and the rigidly standardised layout means that you'll feel at home pretty quickly and won't have to spend a long time re-acclimatising yourself every time you turn a page. I've always been interested in good abstract work, but have never seen an instruction book as wonderful as yours - It's obvious that you have put a lot of love and hard work into this fabulous introduction to this exciting, challenging and always playful expression. You have inspired me to kick-start my painting after many years.-Patricia Cramer, South Africa For budding artists, or any artist stuck for ideas with an interest in abstracts, this could be the best 12.99 you spend. Rolina takes you through the techniques she uses to create inspiring art. This is not a step-by-step instruction book, but there are enough examples, ideas and stimulation here for you to get to grips with the techniques and produce your own stunning art. This compact 172 page book in glorious colour, explores many different ways of expression in art. This book gets a 10 from me - it is creative and gives the incentive to create.-KarenPlatt.co.uk

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Customer Reviews

No 'right' recipe
For me, this book is too formulaic; it is more about "getting it right" than about awakening creative inspiration. While it is true that the abstract artist needs a good grasp of design, this is not the essence of abstract art; it is a medium for expressing intangibles visually.

If you believe a 'paint by numbers' kind of approach will give you confidence to begin, by all means start with Painting Abstracts. But if you want your abstracts to sing, I would recommend working from Mary Todd Beam's book, "Celebrate Your Creative Self." (She also has a new book coming out in March of 2009.)

For me, all the examples in "Painting Abstracts" have the same emotional temperature and use exactly the same visual metaphors. To get the idea of different visual metaphors, I would recommend looking at works by artists using other mediums, especially fibre artists and ceramic artists.

What I most find missing in this book is help with awakening inspiration: in the texture of rocks and leaves and trees for example, in different moods of water. Have you ever looked at a sunset that made you gasp? No doubt we cannot all aspire to creating the same emotional impact, but it is possible to put some of that feeling into an abtract painting.

Look further than this book if you want to do more than know how to handle your medium or how to create a pleasant design.

Postscript April 20th 2009:
It is worthwhile to read Pamela Blunt's rebuttal of my review in the comments, as well as my reply. (Incidently, I gave her a 'yes' vote, even though she completely disagrees with me.) Both our comments encapsulate the two different ways of approaching abstract art. I am sure folks are more than capable of deciding which way they want to go.

Great book for learning abstracts
I really love this book about abstracts. Lots of pictures to inspire you. But even better are the exercises using specific tools and/or paints and techniques, but without an actual picture to copy. For a beginner, I found them quite challenging. I discovered painting abstracts is not as easy as it looks. I'm still learning and trying from this book.

great resource
I am a fiber artist and bought this book to help me in my abstract work. It doesn't disappoint. This book is an excellent resource on the topic.