My final ARC book review

Darcy's ARC, or Artful Readers Club has now come to an end with our December creations.  Darcy can be found at Art and Sole.  Thanks for being such a great host for the past 12 months, Darcy.  I confess, I'm glad I saved this book review for last.

Kaleidoscope: Ideas & Projects to Spark Your Creativity

 by Suzanne Simanaitis

• ISBN-13: 9781581808797
• Publisher: F+W Media, Inc.
• Publication date: 12/28/2006
• Pages: 144
• Product dimensions: 7.98 (w) x 9.70 (h) x 0.47 (d)

I'd like to begin by saying how many good things I've heard about this book, until my friend Kathy gave it to me.  She hated it!  So of course, I was anxious to see why.  It didn't take me long to understand her dislike of it.

This is what the book looked like on my craft room table.  I thought the collaged images were quite well done and was anxious to learn ways to improve my composition skills.

It didn't take long and I realized how difficult it was to read even the first pages.  You can see in this small space I photographed, there are three different fonts and one of those fonts has two different sizes.

That continued in the table of contents.

Now I like bits of change, but this was difficult to take.  Be aware this is a close up of the TOC, which you are seeing through my viewfinder, not as it would normally look on your table or in your hand.  The font was quite small, even though I don't need glasses to read.  And the titles were quite light relative to the page numbers.

Again, the different fonts and a distracting background made reading difficult.  This was one book I was really, really, really ready to skip over.

One thing I liked was the author's take on using magazine images in collages.  You have probably noticed I also use a lot of magazine and junk mail images in my art.  I never buy images, and am not one to print them for use in my altered books.

There were over 30 artists who created art and/or wrote articles for this book.

Suddenly the background turned black and the font turned white.

Some fonts were especially hard to read, like the one chosen for "Selecting a Color Scheme," seen on the right.

Next came the red font over a green background,
 
which was somehow supposed to be associated with making a crown honoring Frida. Mother Nature (see last sentence in red above) might not be consistent, but font in books should be!  And the colors on these two pages set my teeth ajar.

When I first saw this two page spread, I thought it was created by Michelle Ward.

I thought I might learn something here, but it was just a rehash of things I had learned years before I started making collages.

I thought I should read this entry, since I need to purge a few things, too.

However, upon closer inspection, this was not so much about purging as it was about your design habits.  And the author didn't bother giving much advice about HOW to purge, only that she DID purge.

I did appreciate that she sorted by "sale, keep, and trash."  I would have skipped the sale items and donated them, since I've learned that garage sales are just not worth the cost and time involved.  Besides, you can write off the donation on your taxes, and you can never recoup your losses that come from garage sales.  Garage sales bring out the worst people who want the best bargains.  If you price something for twenty-five cents, there will be some who want it for even LESS.  I know some of you are nodding now.

Again, this was aimed at decorating more than setting up a real studio.  For example, there was no thought about the TYPE of studio appropriate for the individual.  Some people need a wet studio, some only need a small cubby with a few writing pens and tablets or journals.

Most organizers (and yes, I consider myself one) believe in zones.  If you don't have zones, you have chaos.  And the zones must make sense to you, too.  That's why I can't come into your space and set up your area to look like mine.  It would never work!

Here the artist/author used various magazine images to imagine a tranquil space or spaces.

This artist/author asked you to imagine your new space

by first creating a collage of your dream space, then showing the final project.  WOW, even my computer is newer than hers!!

This seems too ethereal (or perhaps esoteric) for the way I might envision a new dedicated art space. I suspect I really AM too literal (see #2 above) about my work spaces, since I have been known to get out my tape measure and jot down dimensions of walls, furniture, etc., on graph paper before doing anything else.

Again, this is more about decorating your space than making it functional.  It was certainly time to move on.

This gal showed, through use of her own photos, how she uses her bed to make art in the winter.

The next section was on Imagination, and it focused on board books.

Being a mixed media artist, I've created several board books.   This might be a new concept for some, but I got nothing out of it.

I've tried covering a board book with gesso before, but found you should remove the glossy paper first.  It's harder, but the book (and your art) will last longer.

I've never made a real abstract collage before, but I decided to accept the "assignment" "Home for the Soul."

By now I'm sure you can tell I did NOT like this book.  I had a hard time with the various fonts that changed as I turned the pages.  I also had trouble with contrast.  It took a lot of effort to get through this book because of that.  The small font on the decorative backgrounds made it difficult to read in many places.  I didn't bother photographing any more of the chapter that used red font on green backgrounds.  That was actually jarring for me.  I don't care how young you are or how good your eyesight, it is definitely not easy for anyone to read. I can see how my older friend Kathy had trouble with it.

Although the stand-alone artwork was stunning and I actually DID enjoy most of it, there was too much hodge-podge.  For example, even though each chapter began with artwork that had artist credits for the work, you had to guess who did what as they were all layered together in no specific order.  I suspect the fact it was in Zine (or article) format was part of why I wasn't happy with it. 

There was also too much angst for my taste, as well as ethereal thinking.  All that talk filled pages, but it didn't encourage me to make art.  I couldn't get through this book fast enough.  In fact, I found myself skipping entire paragraphs when the talk was less about art and more about subjective feelings. Subjective feelings are fine when talking to a good friend, but NOT so when you buy an art book.  I'm less about personal feelings and more about learning new techniques.  It was obvious I learned nothing new.

Had my art gotten stagnant or had I hit a dry spell, this book would NOT have sparked my creativity.  Had I bought this book and wanted to learn new techniques, I would have been very disappointed.  Please don't even consider buying this book, unless you want to explore your inner self awareness and see a few bits of art along the way.

But Darcy and all my ARC friends expect some type of art, especially after I took so many photos.  Below is what I made from the "assignment" "Home for the Soul."  And yes, this is my first ever true (said laughing) abstract.

On the right I represent myself in a skirt and leggings.  In the middle is my top, as disjointed as I felt after reading this book.  On the left are areas for Bleubeard to romp, hide, and play. Size of the piece is 8" X 10" (20.32 cm X 25.4 cm) and it is painted on canvas board using acrylic paint, some metallic, some not.

Thanks to all the ARC reviewers I have met over these past 12 months.  I've really learned a LOT from you, and have totally enjoyed all the art.  It's been a fun adventure and I am sure we will all cross paths again (as some of us do already).  And I want to thank Darcy for hosting this event.  I finally read 12 books I might never have gotten around to reading had she not encouraged and hosted this challenge.  I hope to see you in 2014.

Art Every Day Month: the final wrap-up

Some of you have visited every day, or nearly every day this month, so a final wrap-up is in order.

As you may recall, on Day 1, I showed both my completed October and blank November calendar pages.  In just a few hours, my November calendar will be completed and on my blog.

For Day 2, I showed a different kind of wrap-up.  I wrapped my Mexican sage into bundles so they could dry into smudge wands.

On Day 3, we in the US set our clocks back, as I did the one in my kitchen.


Days 4 and 11 were spent making nature inspired Mandalas for Mandala Monday.
I hosted four T Tuesdays, which were on Days 5, 12, 19, and 26.

On Day 6, I took you to Paris, via my 7 Continents Altered Book.

Many of you suffered along with me on my nearly daily journey of painting, inking, swiping, spritzing, masking, stenciling, cutting, and decorating file folders that were turned into Christmas gifts, which I did on Days 7, 10, 13, 14, 21, 22, and 25.

On Day 8, I joined Friday Smiles with several calendar pages I created for my desk for 2014.  Of course my model was the extremely handsome Bleubeard.

I spent Day 9 fighting wind and rain while cleaning my herb garden and preparing it for winter.  I later cleaned my "Flower Bed" over the Days 9 and 10 weekend, but only showed it as part of Day 11 Mandala Monday.

Days 1 through 14 have now been accounted for, so it's time to skip ahead.  On Day 15, I was tired of working on File Folders and did a bit of sewing scrapbook pages for a friend.

On Day 16 I started a collographic plate, which took two more days (Days 17 and 18) to present a completed project.

Day 20 arrived not too long before my dear friend Kathy did.  Since I had no time to make tangible art, I put my camera to the test and shot photos of others' art as we made our way to lunch.

After cleaning most of Day 23, I potted a pineapple top.

I followed that on Day 24 with a spread in my collage inspired altered book I called Flower Power.

Continuing my use of recycled materials, I covered some CDs on Day 27.

I celebrated Thanksgiving on Day 28, when I revisited my collage inspired altered book in order to Give Thanks.

During the month of November, I read a mystery called A Puzzle in a Pear Tree.  Per our Artful Readers Club (ARC), I reviewed the book, then made the above artwork on Day 29 as part of the review.  Note also, I used a print from my home made collographic plate as part of the art.

For my final day (Day 30), I created a small work I originally intended to be a quiltlet, but decided to turn into part of a scrappy journal cover, instead.  In case you missed it, I used some of my snow dyed fabric I created earlier this year.

Although AEDM 

is over for another year, it's never too late to make art every day, and to think about next November.

November brought me this for ARC

Just in time for Christmas, is this latest entry for Darcy's ARC, or Artful Readers Club.

• Hardcover: 485 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786248017
• ISBN-13: 978-0786248018
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches 

This hardcover book and its colorful book jacket don't look much different from the one shown on the internet.  Unlike many previous books I've reviewed, this one is not an art book, so will not be laden down with many, many photos from the book.

It's Christmas time in Bakerhaven, CT, and the famous puzzle lady, Cora Felton has apparently been miscast as one of the eight maids-a-milking in the musical production of The 12 Days of Christmas.   As I read this puzzler (intentional pun inserted here), I started to realize this was a series, with the puzzle lady at the center of every mystery.

The puzzler started when a note in a red envelope replaced the partridge in the pear tree prop.  This was no normal puzzle, though.  It was an acrostic.  

Although the author, Parnell Hall, explained what an acrostic was, and provided 

real acrostics throughout the book, I still didn't understand what was going on, even though my name seems to be part of the above puzzle (see "N." upper right above).  Consequently, I was not surprised that Cora, who apparently is only the face of puzzle lady and doesn't really solve the puzzles, but allows her niece Sherry Carter to, was unable to solve the first puzzle.  To make matters worse, Cora was expected to solve the puzzle in front of the entire cast of the show.  Cleverly, Sherry unravels the puzzle mystery in front of the unsuspecting crowd.  

The acrostic clues threaten the "leading lady," whom everyone (including the reader) assumes is Becky Baldwin, the attention seeking star of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" play, and Sherry's rival for the affections of newspaper reporter Aaron Grant.  However, another play, a nativity set outside in the snow, also stars both Sherry and Becky, and each has been cast as the Virgin Mary.  They are not the only Virgin Marys, though, so  when one of the other Virgin Marys, Dorrie, turns up dead just in time for Sherry to discover her body and be accused of Dorrie's murder, Cora goes into sleuth mode.

Cora has a nemesis in the form of Scotland Yard's detective Jonathan Doddsworth, who is in Bakerhaven visiting his estranged family. At his daughter Maxine's (Max) request, who was also the best friend of the dead girl Dorrie, Doddsworth takes on the case, even though he has no jurisdiction in Bakerhaven.  And he soon steers the investigation in his favor by accusing Sherry of the crime, which forces the sheriff to arrest her.

From there, this cozy turns into a real puzzle.  There are so many twists and turns, especially in the end, you have no idea who the killer really is.  Even after you're told who the killer is, Cora reveals it was all a lie.  In the end, the true killer is revealed, but this is one mystery you have to read for yourself, because it's too convoluted to explain!

I had a definite plan when I started my art this month, but time, the realization the "pear" stamp I thought I owned was really a LEMON (and that is literal, not figurative), and my inability to draw even simple shapes, forced this piece to look far different than I originally intended.

I started with a 12 X 12 inch card stock weight scrapbook size page, then cut it down once I had all the images in place.

The red envelope found in the pear tree
 became the focus of attention, especially since there were three red envelopes delivered over time, and an entire package of red envelopes found by Jonathan Doddsworth at Sherry's house.  

This was not the "pear tree" I originally planned, but I found a tree I made from my collographic plate earlier this month that was on a yellow background, so I hope ARC artists will believe it is an abstract pear tree.  Of course, I realize it's a bit of a stretch.

I found a definition of an acrostic in a dictionary that actually made more sense than the one the author of the story provided.  See if this doesn't make more sense to you than the one offered by the author, above.  Wish I had seen this before I tried to make sense of Hall's explanation.  Sorry about the shadow.  It was actually from the protrusion of the camera lens.

The other filler puzzles came from my local newspaper, none of which are acrostics. 

For those of you used to how I provide tons of photos from both my book reviews and the art, this review is probably a welcome change.  

Did I like the book?  It was a quick read, although it was convoluted and lost me toward the end.  In  fact, I had to go back and reread the last chapter to "get it."  I'm not sure if I could recommend it or not.  It's part of a series, so if you are familiar with The Puzzle Lady series, you will probably find a softer puzzle lady than in the past.  From what I learned about the puzzle lady, her boozing was curtailed in this book, although her chain smoking was not.  So I'll let someone else decide how many stars this book should get!  It might be just the diversion some of you need to help you through the upcoming Christmas holiday season.

For those of you who live in the US, I hope you had a safe, joy filled Thanksgiving.  For everyone else around the world, this is Day 29 of 
AEDM and I completed my Artful Readers Club (ARC) book review and corresponding art.

For my final ARC, I will review
Kaleidoscope: Ideas & Projects to Spark Your Creativity by Suzanne Simanaitis