by:
Edwards, Sybil

Publisher:
Sterling Pub Co Inc
Published:August 1, 1998
ISBN:071530688X
Format:Hardcover
Pages:160

Description: Amazon.com
Decorative folk painting is the art of applying figurative work or stylized decoration to functional everyday objects. Typically, such adornment takes the form of a fruit-and-flowers approach, but Folk Art Style extends the boundaries well beyond the traditional, offering 18 lovely projects ranging in style from hatboxes and screens inspired by medieval illumination and Elizabethan portraiture to art nouveau and art deco motifs on furniture, Edwardian and lacquerware-style trays, and a lidded wooden box painted à la Georgia O'Keefe. The introductory section provides extensive instructions on various decorative painting methods (stroke work, bold, and blended painting techniques), as well as solid groundwork on using color, preparation and finishing, pattern transfer, and practice exercises. "Folk art," says this talented author, "recognizes that everyone has latent talent," and her book bears stunning witness to her faith in this belief. --Amy Handy

From Library Journal
Using only two basic brushstrokes and stencils, Barnes has produced a good, inexpensive manual that can teach amateur crafters how to paint a variety of flowers against marbled and crackled backgrounds. Edwards, on the other hand, has produced one of the most intriguing folk art books to come along in many years. In addition to covering the usual florals and fruits, she expands the horizons of folk art style into the fine arts. In 18 projects, she explores the eclectic styles of such designers and artists as William Morris, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and Georgia O'Keeffe. Complex patterns are broken down into basic brushstrokes, and the technical methods of application to trays, tin kettles, umbrella stands, and the like are clearly demonstrated. Even collections with Greg Albert and Jennifer Long's very fine The Best of Decorative Painting (LJ 7/98) will want to acquire this standout volume in a crowded field.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.