The Art Shelf

Palette Knife Painting
Lisa Elley
Walter Foster
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartoknows.com
9780760382165, $22.99, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Palette-Knife-Painting-beautiful-masterpieces/dp/076= 0382166

Synopsis: Professional artist Lisa Elley works from her studio in the San F= rancisco Bay Area with the purpose of inspiring and bringing joy to people = through her art. With the publication of "Palette Knife Painting: Deep Impa= sto: Paint beautiful masterpieces using a palette knife and the impasto tec= hnique", Lisa shares her techniques with aspiring artists through easy-to-f= ollow step-by-step projects.

Using her palette knife technique, readers can learn to paint: Art inspired=
by Vincent van Gogh; Seascapes and landscapes; A Tuscan vineyard; Flower f= ields; Wet-into-wet (alla prima); With texture -- and so much more!

Also included in "Palette Knife Painting" are: Primers on the best palette = knives and paints to use; Color mixing and color theory instructions; Beaut= iful, textured artwork that seems to lift off the page .

Critique: "Palette Knife Painting: Deep Impasto" is an ideal, comprehensive=
, and thoroughly 'user friendly' DIY course of instruction for artists of a=
ll skill levels looking to learn to paint and scrape with oil paint. Also a= vailable in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), " Palette Knife Paintin=
g: Deep Impasto" is highly recommended for personal, professional, communit=
y, and art school instructional reference collections.

Editorial Note #1: Lisa Elley (www.lisaelley.com.) is an award-winning pale= tte knife artist who works from her studio in the San Francisco Bay Area. L= isa's pieces are lively, uplifting, colorful, and highly textured. Her pain= tings hang on the walls of private and corporate collectors across the Unit=
ed States, as well as around the world. In addition to selling her art thro= ugh her website and other online platforms, Lisa hosts live painting events=
, teaches workshops, designs wine labels, and more.

Editorial Note #2: It should be also be pointed out that other titles in th=
e Paint with Me series from Walter Foster (https://walterfoster.com) highli= ghts well-known artists and their work in visually appealing and instructiv=
e books.

Draw Chibi Style
Piuvvy
Quarry Books
c/o Quarto Publishing Group USA
www.quartous.com
9780760381410, $19.99, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Draw-Chibi-Style-Step-Step/dp/0760381410

Synopsis: With the publication of "Draw Chibi Style: A Beginner's Step-by-S= tep Guide for Drawing Adorable Minis - 62 Lessons: Basics, Characters, Spec= ial Effects", chibi artist Piuuvy is the ideal DIY guide to:

Chibi Essentials. The first 18 lessons teach solid drawing fundamentals tha=
t demonstrate how to draw chibi characters from the ground up and will help=
you build the skills you need to create your very own supercute characters=
..

Chibi Characters, Step by Step. Through step-by-step drawings, from rough s= ketch to finish, discover the drawing process for 44 adorable characters in=
a range of genres and themes, including a witch, a butterfly fairy, a shar=
k, a shadow knight, and an action hero, each presented in a different pose.

Critique: Whether you're just beginning to draw, trying your hand at chibi = for the first time, or looking for ideas and guidance for bringing your own=
chibi characters to life, "Draw Chibi Style: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Gui=
de for Drawing Adorable Minis - 62 Lessons: Basics, Characters, Special Eff= ects" is an ideal DIY instructional guide, 'how-to' manual, and visual refe= rence for aspiring artists and illustrator wanting to familiarize themselve=
s with this distinctive Manga Comics style of drawing. This large format pa= perback style (7.99 x 10 x 1.85 inches, 1.2 pounds) is especially recommend=
ed for personal, professional, community, and art school library collection=
s. It should be noted that "Draw Chibi Style" is also available in a digita=
l book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Chibi artist Thao Vy (aka Piuuvy) creates K-pop fanart, ani=
me and manga characters, and private commissioned portraits and icons. Base=
d in Vietnam, see more of her work at https://www.linkedin.com/in/thaovyngu= yen418, and follow her on Instagram and Twitter @piuuvy

Abstract Expressionists: The Women
Ellen G. Landau and Joan M. Marter
Merrell Publishers
www.merrellpublishers.com
9781858947037, $65.00

https://www.amazon.com/Abstract-Expressionists-Ellen-G-Landau/dp/1858947030

Abstract Expressionists: The Women covers a key art movement of New York an=
d San Francisco in the mid-twentieth century (now described as being the fi= rst major art movement in America to gain international status). Because ke=
y artists chosen for profile in this movement have typically been men, Elle=
n G. Landau and Joan M. Marter's survey is particularly notable in focusing=
its coverage on the many women who were also part of the exhibits and move= ment that fostered this art form. The heart of this exposure is the holding=
s in the Levett Collection, a private gathering of art by female Abstract E= xpressionists. Art history essays by Landau and Marter accompany the color = illustrations packed into this celebration, which include paintings, collag= es, and sculptures and accompany over thirty artist biographies. Any defini= tive library of American art and women's contributions should make Abstract=
Expressionists: The Women a mainstay.

Making Art in Prison: Survival and Resistance
Janie Paul
Hat & Beard Press
https://www.facebook.com/hatandbeardpress
9781955125277, $40.00, HC, 336pp

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Art-Prison-Survival-Resistance/dp/1955125279

Synopsis: The United States is the most incarcerating nation in the world. = More than two million people are locked behind bars, where they endure the = degradation and violence of a dehumanizing system. But in prisons and penit= entiaries around the country, incarcerated people have regained their digni=
ty by creating objects of beauty, meaning, and value. These powerful storie=
s and images upend the manufactured stereotypes of those living in prison, = imparting a real human dimension -- a critical step in the movement to refo=
rm incarceration.

For 27 years, Professor Janie Paul has traveled throughout Michigan to meet=
artists and select work for the project she co-founded: The Annual Exhibit= ions of Artists in Michigan Prisons, an initiative of the Prison Creative A= rts Project at the University of Michigan. Pedagogical as well as curatoria=
l, the project has provided crucial validation for the artists. The result =
is the publication of "Making Art in Prison: Survival and Resistance" which=
features more than 200 images of the prisoner's extraordinary work.

Delving deeply into the ways in which incarcerated artists create meaning t= hrough their artistic practice, Professor Paul explains how the making, sha= ring, and formation of artistic friendships within prisons can constitute a= cts of resistance against the violence and banality of prison life. Most of=
the artists did not make art before coming to prison. Their accomplishment=
s show that art making need not be a privilege of the few, but is rather a = basic human need, and in these circumstances, a necessary means of survival=
..

"Making Art in Prison: Survival and Resistance" reveals (through the eyes o=
f the artists who have lived through it) what mass incarceration looks and = feels like in the United States. It reveals the ways in which they keep the=
ir humanity intact; it invites us to reflect on our own humanity and the pr= oblem of living in a country that incarcerates more of its population than = any other nation in the world. This unique volume also invites us to look c= losely at the images and appreciate the richness of life and luminosity eme= rging from the darkest corner of our country.

Critique: Singular, seminal, original, fascinating, informative, memorable,=
"Making Art in Prison: Survival and Resistance" is an impressive large for= mat style hardcover volume (11.34 x 1.26 x 8.66 inches, 4.2 pounds) is espe= cially recommended for personal, professional, community, governmental, and=
academic library Contemporary Art History, Criminology, and Penology colle= ctions and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Janie Paul (https://stamps.umich.edu/people/janie-paul) is =
a painter, curator, and writer. She is the senior curator and co-founder, w= ith her husband Buzz Alexander, of the Exhibitions of Artists in Michigan P= risons (founded in 1996), a project of the Prison Creative Arts Project (PC= AP), which Buzz founded in 1990 at the University of Michigan. She is an Ar= thur F. Thurnau professor emerita of the Stamps School of Art & Design at t=
he University of Michigan.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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