True to Nature

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Gxn23d2_CvjspSyK4XepuzBHFftTXdLmz-I8B1_IXHEdayyPwTzPL1nvgWBrqgcxuqudBNI1ak4kpTcMOSSDhUdIdI-6NbF3yqIO668pKUVK625FAPD5LqVLWK0un5grzffIKsfCXUjm/s1600/William-Trost-Richards-Rock-Cliffs-and-Cove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Gxn23d2_CvjspSyK4XepuzBHFftTXdLmz-I8B1_IXHEdayyPwTzPL1nvgWBrqgcxuqudBNI1ak4kpTcMOSSDhUdIdI-6NbF3yqIO668pKUVK625FAPD5LqVLWK0un5grzffIKsfCXUjm/s1600/William-Trost-Richards-Rock-Cliffs-and-Cove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Gxn23d2_CvjspSyK4XepuzBHFftTXdLmz-I8B1_IXHEdayyPwTzPL1nvgWBrqgcxuqudBNI1ak4kpTcMOSSDhUdIdI-6NbF3yqIO668pKUVK625FAPD5LqVLWK0un5grzffIKsfCXUjm/s400/William-Trost-Richards-Rock-Cliffs-and-Cove.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />A<a href="http://www.amazon.com/William-Trost-Richards-Drawings-Watercolors/dp/0856676780/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287938562&sr=1-1"> new book</a> about American landscape painter William Trost Richards describes the artist’s tribulations while painting the sea from life. Richards says: <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>“I watch and watch it, try to disentangle its push and leap and recoil, make myself ready to catch the tricks of the big breakers and am always startled out of my self possession by the thunder and the rush, jump backward up the loose shingle of the beach, sure this time that I will be washed away, get soaked with spray, and am ashamed that I had missed getting the real drawing of such a splendid one, and this happens twenty times an hour and I have never got used to it.”</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEVnm16t28zIPwSRef3t5A7Ro8q-vT_td715TfcDERodybZ6YGtJ0mVxJ7IlegJsqi6V8rL9hNkhz_Gh3jUsDlrhi0Y-w8Nx34Vjn2BIV9J1KMhpa9ZF74zmD80htRtShSJRn5FbHao2-/s1600/William-Trost-Richards-Trees-and-Rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZEVnm16t28zIPwSRef3t5A7Ro8q-vT_td715TfcDERodybZ6YGtJ0mVxJ7IlegJsqi6V8rL9hNkhz_Gh3jUsDlrhi0Y-w8Nx34Vjn2BIV9J1KMhpa9ZF74zmD80htRtShSJRn5FbHao2-/s400/William-Trost-Richards-Trees-and-Rocks.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><br />The book was produced by the Cantor Arts Center of Stanford University in California, based on the sizable collection of WTR’s studies inherited by his youngest son in 1905 and donated to the museum in 1992. <br /><br />The 9.5 x 11-inch book has over 204 pages, with 250 color reproductions documenting the entire collection at Stanford. It includes his Ruskin-influenced early pencil studies of plants, his Adirondack landscapes, and his seascape studies in gouache and oil. Trost Richards was the king of gouache landscape, often working on toned paper to capture transitory atmospheric and aquatic effects.  <br /><br />The emphasis is on his small plein-air studies, which rival those of Frederic Church, Peder Monsted and Ivan Shishkin for impeccably accurate observation. Because Richards worked in this mode well after it was fashionable (he called  himself a “fogy”), he is not as well known as he deserves to be.   <br /><br /><br />---------<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/William-Trost-Richards-Drawings-Watercolors/dp/0856676780/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287938562&sr=1-1">William Trost Richards—True to Nature: Drawings, Watercolors, and Oil Sketches at Stanford University,</a> by Carole M. Osborne. <br /><a href="http://museum.stanford.edu/index.html">Cantor Arts Center’s</a> recent exhibit ended September 26.<br />Previous GJ posts on Trost Richards: "<a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/02/outer-limits-of-pencil.html">Outer Limits of the Pencil</a>," "<a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/12/trost-richards-watercolor.html">Trost Richards Watercolor</a>," "<a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/09/called-away.html">Called Away</a>,"<br />Thanks, Margaret!

True to Nature

A new book about American landscape painter William Trost Richards describes the artist’s tribulations while painting the sea from life. R...

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Steel Bashaw

A new illustrated fantasy story presents the fruit of 15 years of effort by Serbian/Dutch artist Petar Meseldžija.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Py0Mn43hyphenhyphenraETRtES97E_i7j4w4hXvPZ9RJisxyTIAMwBkHpgina85gvPGPJCNQhMTjDaogbljBcGMzz3xIXzUWJnCtHrucHbA6AUXElQpaWS9bg4S5X7-kR0n7I7ZK-w9KSYrfMx5Dc/s1600/Steel_Bashaw.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518285595978333026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Py0Mn43hyphenhyphenraETRtES97E_i7j4w4hXvPZ9RJisxyTIAMwBkHpgina85gvPGPJCNQhMTjDaogbljBcGMzz3xIXzUWJnCtHrucHbA6AUXElQpaWS9bg4S5X7-kR0n7I7ZK-w9KSYrfMx5Dc/s400/Steel_Bashaw.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 284px;" /></a>The folktale, called “The Legend of Steel Bashaw,” presents heroes, maidens, horses, and dragons—all fairly familiar stuff—but Meseldžija puts a new spin on it. He uses thick-paint impressionism, based on his plein air studies, to convey mossy forests and gnarly creatures.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMw_hTbxvP2mShgxoQ94ThsF0ONUudYmoV-4kLHgnUv_2q4lGsf1-2dx3LvOainBfcwsflvB5dkxnTFr83bkerLGHYYTTDqSPGeJYCkhyphenhyphenyaVQbvJBTEokiWQbjk5nPoYDz3iafy8tVMRT2/s1600/Steel-Bashaw.vsm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518285593556341970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMw_hTbxvP2mShgxoQ94ThsF0ONUudYmoV-4kLHgnUv_2q4lGsf1-2dx3LvOainBfcwsflvB5dkxnTFr83bkerLGHYYTTDqSPGeJYCkhyphenhyphenyaVQbvJBTEokiWQbjk5nPoYDz3iafy8tVMRT2/s400/Steel-Bashaw.vsm.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 279px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>The scene of the two giants hunched over the fire of their cave kitchen is worth the $19.95 price tag. In a “making-of” afterword section, the artist shows his development sketches for the grotesque monsters. He says he “searched for inspiration among old people, beggars, drunkards, and even the mentally handicapped.”<br />------<br />More from<a href="http://www.fleskpublications.com/publications/petar-meseldzija/"> Flesk Publications</a><br /><a href="http://www.petarmeseldzijaart.com/">Petar Meseldžija.</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Legend-Steel-Bashaw-Petar-Meseldzija/dp/193386530X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284826214&sr=1-1">Amazon listing</a><br /><a href="http://www.linesandcolors.com/2008/11/18/petar-meseldzija/">Lines and Colors post. </a>

Steel Bashaw

A new illustrated fantasy story presents the fruit of 15 years of effort by Serbian/Dutch artist Petar Meseldžija. The folktale, called “The...

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Al Williamson Archives

Flesk Publishing has just brought out a new book on the rough drawings and unfinished works of comic artist Al Williamson (1931-2010). The 64-page softcover volume gives a look at the development process of a recent master of adventure comics.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vKacyj4_YLaZsUPteo1ERNbx2j0uisIInXCHKCshSnsuTlElKDLHdUV0vSZ8DO2o79qjR0Jm8efX3V70YRqYEv7Tc2A3rGLPlS8p_Yujhqn3vUxohhlTLC7q3zX3ODqi03zJaaSiDI2V/s1600/al-williamson-archives.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511591277373686210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vKacyj4_YLaZsUPteo1ERNbx2j0uisIInXCHKCshSnsuTlElKDLHdUV0vSZ8DO2o79qjR0Jm8efX3V70YRqYEv7Tc2A3rGLPlS8p_Yujhqn3vUxohhlTLC7q3zX3ODqi03zJaaSiDI2V/s320/al-williamson-archives.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 256px;" /></a><br />The sketchbook pages and tissue paper overlays are reproduced in color, bringing out every nuance of texture and tone. Subjects in this first volume of a series shows science fiction themes: dinosaurs, warriors, maidens, spacemen, monsters, and ornate cities and jungles. <br /><br />Many of the samples are rough explorations an pose or an idea. Others are comic pages that are penciled and partially inked, which gives a good sense of the process Williamson used.<br />----------<br /><a href="http://www.fleskpublications.com/publications/al-williamson/">Al Williamson book at Flesk Publishing</a><br /><a href="http://budsartbooks.com/prod.cfm/pc/AWA01/cid/43">Bud's Art Books</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Williamson">Al Williamson on Wikipedia</a>

Al Williamson Archives

Flesk Publishing has just brought out a new book on the rough drawings and unfinished works of comic artist Al Williamson (1931-2010). The 6...

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Stout’s Hallucinations

Flesk Publishing has just released a new collection of artwork by William Stout called “Hallucinations.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxqscLjiDC7nXwFUTzPHUnF_HazdCVGeelkbeY9BecDmsB6TgwuouGLwpTRPepkHMRWagjFEZTNQGJUhEigV7CiHxmLWjCxGCD0jzI2xmwjrlhVR0noGzvgdaFzfuFerlumRZAQPD1zt8/s1600/Stout.Hallucinations.Flesk.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493831459631028882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjxqscLjiDC7nXwFUTzPHUnF_HazdCVGeelkbeY9BecDmsB6TgwuouGLwpTRPepkHMRWagjFEZTNQGJUhEigV7CiHxmLWjCxGCD0jzI2xmwjrlhVR0noGzvgdaFzfuFerlumRZAQPD1zt8/s400/Stout.Hallucinations.Flesk.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 276px;" /></a>This is the first of two 48-page softbound collections of Stout’s watercolor and ink artwork. The subjects include dragons, genies, and witches, as well as scenes from Oz and Aesop. The penwork is ornate, intricate, and sometimes whimsical, with smaller details and subordinate characters adding levels of fascination to the pictures. <br /><br />In the introduction, Stout credits the inspiration that he draws from the early 20th century children’s book illustrators, especially Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham, John Bauer, and William Heath Robinson. <br /><br />This is the first of a two related volumes. The next one will feature women and wonders, and will be called “Inspirations.” <br /><br />There is also a signed hardbound edition, limited to 500 copies, which is almost sold out. <br /><a href="http://www.fleskpublications.com/"><br />Flesk Publications </a><br /><a href="http://www.williamstout.com/">William Stout official site.</a>

Stout’s Hallucinations

Flesk Publishing has just released a new collection of artwork by William Stout called “Hallucinations.” This is the first of two 48-page so...

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