Self Taught, Outsider, and Folk Art: A Guide to American Artists, Locations and Resources

Book Description

This is a guide to self-taught and outsider artists in the United States, also called folk artists, and to their work. Interest in this field is exploding and information on hundreds of artists and the places where their work may be viewed or purchased is provided in this book. The first part covers galleries, art centers, museums, recent major exhibitions, organizations, publications and educational opportunities. Within each category, the entries are arranged by state, and each entry contains information such as address, telephone number and contact person, as well as a description and a list of the featured artists. The second part of the book provides biographies of the artists themselves, including information on styles and techniques. This guide will prove helpful to both the curious newcomer and the serious collector. Both established and newer artists are included, and all information is current. The comprehensive index allows for easy reference.

Customer Reviews:

tops in the field.......2002-02-23

this impeccably researched book is the definitive guide to the field of self-taught/outsider/folk/ (whatever you want to call it) art...if you buy one guide, make this the one (and get the new bibliography by the same authors to go with it) this is my travel and research bible

An exceptional resource book for the collector.......2001-05-01

This book has it all. If you are looking for a particular artist, gallery, state by state list, this is the book for you. Sellen's descriptions of the artists' works are very informative. Although there are no photos, it's easy to imagine the artwork. Many of the artists can be contacted directly and even by phone in some instances. I highly recommend this publication. It has it all.

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Exquisite craftsmanship of nature's beauties

Faberge Flowers
Marilyn Pfeifer Swezey
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

The Faberg¿ Menagerie
Masterpieces of Faberge: Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation Collection
Masterpieces from the House of Fabergé
Faberge: Fantasies And Treasures
Faberge in America

ASIN: 0810949539

Book Description

The fabulous Easter eggs that Carl Fabergé created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for the Russian imperial family are legendary. Yet few know that during those same years, the renowned goldsmith and jeweler crafted exquisite flowers and fruit for his aristocratic clients throughout Europe, including the crowned heads of Russia and England. Carved from colored hardstones, set on gold stems, and embellished with jewels and enamels, these stunning pieces meticulously replicated real botanical specimens: wild roses, lilies of the valley, hawthorn flowers, and blueberries.

This beautiful volume tells for the first time the story of these tiny marvels, most of which disappeared or were sold following the Russian revolution. Today, Fabergé's existing botanical creations, such as the Wild Rose Collection of Queen Elizabeth II and the Red Currants at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, are found in museums and private collections. Fabergé Flowers combines superb photographs of these dazzling objects of fantasy with texts that illuminate the lost world of Fabergé's early collectors. AUTHOR BIO: Marilyn Pfeifer Swezey is an independent scholar of Russian decorative arts and cultural history. Alexander von Solodkoff is a historian of Russian decorative arts. Joyce Lasky Reed is the president of the Fabergé Arts Foundation of Washington, D.C., and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Customer Reviews:

Exquisite craftsmanship of nature's beauties.......2007-07-21

Just about a year ago, I went to a special exhibition in Newark, New Jersey that had artifacts from the private domain of Russia's last Tsar and his family. As I strolled among the clothing and photographs and paintings, there was one object that stood in solitary splendour in a glass case, occupying a place of honor.

The object was a bouquet of lilies of the valley, arranged in a beautifully woven basket, nestled in moss. But unlike real flowers, this was all crafted in gold, pearls and diamonds, and jade. It's so carefully made that you can see the veining in the leaves, the delicate strands of moss, and so vivid that if there was a breeze, you would swear that the arrangement would quiver.

Presented to the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna as a coronation gift, it sat on her desk until the Revolution. But it wasn't the only object that she owned that was crafted by Faberge. Every well-to-do and aristocratic home had frames, silver, and other designs created by Faberge and his firm in their homes. One of the most popular of these were the small floral arrangements, usually just one or two sprigs of a particular flower in a vase of rock crystal.

In Faberge Flowers, Marilyn Pfeifer Swezey explores these tiny treasures. Most are only a few inches high at the most, and delightful to look at. With other researchers and others that have fallen under the spell of Faberge's work, she takes a look at the works of this craftsman. Each essay is accompanied by splendid photographs of the flowers -- and a few of the famous Imperial Eggs -- which made the book worth purchasing.

One of the top researchers on Faberge, Alexander von Solodkoff, writes the first essay, cleverly disguised as the introduction, where he talks about the fondness of Russians for flowers, and the cultural significance of them, especially with their associations with spring and Easter. He also talks about the varied collectors of Faberge, both before the Russian Revolution and after.

"A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Foever:" The Faberge Flowers, by the editor of the book, Marilyn Pfeifer Swezey, goes into the history of these little objects of art. Known as "flower studies," these were also the rarest of the various objects d'art that the firm crafted. Only a hundred or so of these fragile objects are known to have survived to now, and when they rarely come to the open market, they fetch astronomical prices. Swezey discusses the materials used -- most remarkable is the actual dandelion fluff used to create the dandelion flowers, each held in place with minute wires -- along with the Art Noveau style which drew inspiration from nature. For the Russian court, it was a breath of fresh air, and reaction to the at times overbearing magnificence of the most wealthy court in Europe. Also covere are the various exhibitions that were held of the Faberge flowers as well.

An Astonishing Discovery by Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm
discusses how the fall of the Soviet regime in Russia has led to the discovery of the original designs and notes that were made in the creation of the flowers. She shows the finished object side by side with the designer's notes, and the details on both are what takes my breath away when I look at them. The author also goes into the decision making process and the steps in crafting the finished product, from the selection of the stones to the making of the rock crystal vases that formed the base of many of the flowers.

"His Greatest Patroness:" Queen Alexandra and Faberge's Flowers by Caroline de Guitaut talks about the largest collection of Faberge outside of Russia, and the woman who started it. The elder sister of Empress Marie, Queen Alexandra was very familiar with Faberge's work, collecting small hardstone animals as well as more than twenty-three of the floral studies. There are also notes about the others who have added to the Faberge objects in the Royal Collection today.

Faberge's London Branch and the London Ledgers by Tatiana Faberge is the shortest of the essays, just covering how Faberge opened the London branch of the firm, and how the surviving business ledgers have proved to be valuable in tracking down where many of the objects are today.

In Search of Faberge's Flowers in Russia by Valentin V. Skurlov is translated by Dudley Hagen, and talks about the collectors in Russia before the Revolution. Not only discussing the various collectors, he also mentions that having a knowledge of flowers was a sign of being educated, and that the flowers were quite an acceptable present when a piece of jewelry would be 'awkward.' Many of these objects vanished in the confusion of the Revolution, and their whereabouts are unknown. Another tidbit is that Skurlov talks about the various floral firms that supplied many of the hothouse flowers for the aristocracy -- and as models for Faberge's artisans. Using notes and ledgers, Skurlov gives a list of the various flowers purchased or given by the Romanovs, and among the photographs can be seen one creation nestled in the original case.

Faberge's Flowers: Science in the Service of Art by Mark A. Schaffer talks about his own love of Faberge (his firm A La Vieille Russe sells jewelry and often Faberge objects in New York City) and the little touches and detail that Faberge put into his designs, showing fruits and flowers in every stage.

Every photograph is annotated, and the essays have plenty of notes attached. There is an extensive index and while the book is not cheap -- the cover price is over 30$US -- it is worth it to add to any collector who is interested in Russian art, Faberge, or who simply delights in beautiful things. This is one of the best books about the Faberge workshops, and gives plenty of information that hasn't been revealed before. The photographs are what make this worth looking at -- they are very sharp, clear and evocative, each one a serene portrait of nature caught in time and craftsmanship.

Average customer rating:

FABERGE FLOWERS
Joyce Lasky Reed
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N6OJOY

Book Description

The Silent Meow

Mature, responsible, well-adjusted females know that it's natural to expect some changes as the years go by and calmly accept that "to everything there is a season." But the whimsical, womaly, and anything-but-sedate cats of Menopaws offer another approach - let down your fur, embrace the Change, and live your lives to the fullest.

This book offers two dozen solutions to common menopausal (or menopawsal) problems. Night sweats? Sleep naked! Gaining weight? Celebrate! With colorful cats illustrating every one of these helpful hints and a detailed bibliography listing slightly more sensible resources for dealing with menopause, this book is both fun and functional.

Customer Reviews:

Isn't Aging Fun.......2007-09-10

What an entertaining book. My wife and I ordered several copies for female friends who are experiencing , or who have experienced ,the joys of the female aging process.

A much needed laugh.......2002-08-18

I am a Cat lover so I was immediatly attracted to this book by the illustrations. I bought the first copy for my sister who is going through early menopause. She loved it ...I think it was the first time she was able to laugh at some of the things she was feeling. It's very well written with a great sense of humor ! I have since given this book to several friends. A great gift for someone in need of a smile !!

Great Party Gift.......2002-06-20

I bought this book a few years ago and thought it was hysterical then. Since then I continue to buy more books for friends and family because everyone needs a good laugh when they are going through "the change." This year I gave a dozen "Menopaws, The Silent Meow" books to a group of women who came to a class reunion. Not only was it a great ice-breaker... but everyone agreed is was fun and thoughtful. I recommend that all the women out there consider buying this book for their next luncheon or their class reunion. It's a real hoot!!!

A Hilarous Tail.......2002-06-20

I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I have not laughed so hard in years! This is the kind of book that you keep on the coffee table and read over and over again. I have read "Menopaws: The Silent Meow" often and it cracks me up everytime...

FORGET IT!.......2002-06-13

I noticed this book as I was browsing for information about menopause. I
purchased it thinking a good laugh would be a welcome thing! If a giggle
was had, it was solely a result of the adorable drawings. I actually winced
at a few of the comments. A definite DON'T BOTHER!

Book Description

Exhibit A: The calendar is back by popular demand for its seventh edition. Exhibit B: The calendar's content is undeniably funny, full of hilarious jokes, loony laws, laughable lawsuits, and excerpts from hysterical-but-true courtroom transcripts. Exhibit C: Also included are witty quotes from famous comedians, fellow barristers, movies, and such television shows as Ally McBeal and The Practice. Exhibit D: True stories submitted by readers across the country provide laughs lawyers can truly relate to. The evidence is overwhelming, and the verdict is in: The Lawyers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes 2005 Calendar is perfect for those who know and love lawyers and anyone in the legal profession, including the nearly 40,000 who graduate from law school each year and the more than 1 million practicing attorneys in the U.S.

Customer Reviews:

It doesn't kill the lawyers.......2004-07-05

As a long-time practitioner, I thought that I'd heard all of the lawyer jokes.

I once wearily took pen in hand to write to the California Bar Journal after they included a cartoon drawn by the unspeakable Wiley about a shark that refused, out of professional courtesy, to attack a lawyer.

"ANOTHER shark joke," I declared. "I haven't heard one of those in at least 24 hours."

It goes without saying that this collection of jokes, quotes, and anecdotes about the legal profession does include at least one shark joke.

It also includes the old saw about the devil daring God to sue him, "Where are you going to find a lawyer?"

But here is something that is especially praiseworthy: the famous Shakespeare quotation about killing all of the lawyers (the first thing we do) is included but included IN ITS CONTEXT.

I've heard that phrase used by working-class behemoths who never opened a work of Shakespeare in their lives and were possibly unaware of the quotation's origin.

As the editor indicates, the character who inveighs against the lawyers is a humorous villain who represents outlaw and disorder; just the sort of world that WOULD exist without lawyers. The same character inveighs against LITERACY in the same breath. He is obviously not speaking in the author's voice.

The law can be too intrusive at times, sometimes humorously so, and this book contains its share of yet-unrepealed "blue laws" that provide comic relief but that inevitably are delivered without explanation. No one ever explains WHY it's illegal to own a hippopotamus in Los Angeles or to put graffiti on someone else's cow in Texas or to gurgle in public in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It's funnier to leave the explanations to the reader's imagination.

But surely the prohibition in Montreal against watering one's garden while it's raining is a water conservation measure. Surely, the stricture in Kentucky against using reptiles during religious services is a response to the dangers posed by certain snake-handling sects. The humor is lost once the reasoning is discerned.

While this edition includes its share of lawyer-bashing jokes and homilies ("Lawyers are like physicians," says Yiddish author Sholom Aleichem. "What one says, the other contradicts"), it is clearly no more of a lawyer-bashing fest than are Larry Wilde's joke books, for example, an attack on the Jews or the Irish.

A number of the humorous observations in here are actually directed against the principals in the legal system, rather than the practitioners. No one has yet been able to discover a single instance of a lawyer putting a gun to a litigant's head and forcing him to retain counsel, and as Gore Vidal observes, "For certain people after fifty, litigation takes the place of sex".

There would be no demand for lawyers in the first place if humans were angels. One witness explains in a transcript of an actual court hearing included in this book, "The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him".

A rueful plaintiff might observe that his lawyer didn't "give" him bad advice - "I paid for it". But Daniel Webster also observes in this same volume, "Most good lawyers live well, work hard, and die poor."

The book also reveals more than the author might have intended about the profound effect that the study and practice of law has on those who engage in it.

There is a true-to-life transcript of a lawyer asking the mother of a minor child if she has been his mother for all of his life. There is another excerpt where a lawyer asks a witness what she was doing at the time that her child was conceived and yet another where a lawyer asks a threatened witness if the defendant killed him.

The uninformed among the readers are going to assume that the lawyers in question are either drunk, insane, or magnificently stupid. But those who have actually been through the wringers that are the study and practice of law will understand that these fauxes pas result from the tortuous steps that an attorney learns to take when building a "foundation". They are actually a result of too MUCH care taken during the witness's examination, not too LITTLE.

It's said that after Desiderius Erasmus published his "Praise of Folly", he became disillusioned after an associate suggested that he write another volume praising wisdom - because Erasmus thought that he had already done just that.

A similar finding can be made regarding the "attack" on the legal profession that is made in this book.

Outrageously Funny and Poignant.......2001-07-05

My book is so dog-eared it is almost twice as thick as the original! The book is replete with short exchanges that reveal human foible, skewer pomposity and give solid evidence to the all-to-common, yet painful, truth of living in a society where the law is an essential ingredient to necessary order. At times I found myself laughing out loud for minutes at a time. Other times, I had to put the book down to reflect on the truth revealed in words uttered from the mouth of laymen. If you know and love lawyers, get frustrated in legal processes or just want a riotous, light-hearted read, this book is for you.

Very funnie.......2001-03-05

this is a very funny calnder. every day you will have something to laff at!

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