Innovative exercises are aimed at awakening the reader's artistic potential through experimental use of lines, shapes, symbols and geometry. Much of the inspiration derives from ancient cultures in the form of mandalas and totems. More recently these intuitive styles have been a basis for contemporary art pieces.
80pp, 11.75x8.25, illus. ... Paperback
Published price £9.99 -- You save £5.00 ... 50%
Sandra Forty
The appreciation of Japanese prints has come a very long way since they were produced in the 18th and 19th centuries as cheap pictures designed to appeal to a mass market. For over a century now they have been admired for their elegance - of line, style, composition, and colour. Collectors around the world vie to acquire such miniature masterpieces, some of which are produced in hugh numbers. The Japanese have been refining woodblock printing since its inception in about the eighth century and by the time of the great master ukiyo-e masters of the 18th and 19th centuries their skill had refined into an art form in its own right. Initially these were hand coloured black and white prints, but by 1765 full colour printing arrived and Japanese prints burst into startling polychrome. This could be a hugely complex process in which up to 20 or 30 printing blocks would be used. In Art of the Japanese Masters - four of the very greatest masters are showcased - Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806), Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), Toshusai Sharaku (c1770-c1825), and Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). Their work epitomises the ultimate in Japanese printmaking which was in a style known as ukiyo-e, which translates as "a picture of a floating world" - this world being pure escapism dedicated solely to leisure and the pursuit of pleasure. The three principal subject areas were of actors and theatres, courtesans and erotica, and, finally the ultimate refinement, landscapes.
96pp, 14x14. illus. ... Hardback
Published price £29.95 -- You save £13.00 ... 43%
Courtney Davis
Using step-by-step photographs and a stunning collection of his own vibrant designs, Courtney davis shows how to construct and decorate a selection of knotwork, spiral, key and zoomorphic patterns. He provides an invaluable guide for all those interested in creating their own designs, borders and motifs.
80pp, 11.5x8.5, illus. ... Paperback
Pauline Cherrett
Everything you need to get started on the gracious art of Chinese brush painting comes in Chinese Brush Painting Masterclass, a beautifully packaged gift set designed to introduce this fascinating painting technique to novice and experienced artists. A lucid instruction book guides students step by step through basic skills to more advanced techniques. The kit also includes sheets of fine-quality Chinese paper, watercolors, brushes, inkstick, inkstone, water bowl, practice sheets.
Boxed Set
Published price £12.99 -- You save £6.50 ... 50%
Betty Edwards
Millions of people have learned to draw using the methods of Dr. Betty Edwards's bestseller The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Now, much as artists progress from drawing to painting, Edwards moves from black-and-white into color. This new guide distills the enormous existing knowledge about color theory into a practical method of working with color to produce harmonious combinations. Using techniques tested and honed in her five-day intensive color workshops, Edwards provides a basic understanding of how to see color, how to use it, and-for those involved in art, painting, or design-how to mix and combine hues. Including more than 125 color images and exercises that move from simple to challenging, this volume explains how to: see what is really there rather than what you "know" in your mind about colored objects; perceive how light affects color, and how colors affect one another; manipulate hue, value, and intensity of color and transform colors into their opposites; balance color in still-life, landscape, figure, and portrait painting; understand the psychology of color; harmonize color in your surroundings. While we recognize and treasure the beautiful use of color, reproducing what we see can be a challenge. Accessibly unweaving color's complexity, this must-have primer is destined to be an instant classic. Remainder mark.
224pp, 9.5x8, illus. ... Hardback
Published price £17.99 -- You save £10.00 ... 56%
Eric Butterworth
'God is creative, and we are creative. That's the premise of Unity minister Butterworth's straightforward and inspiring guide to living a creative life. Although he uses the Genesis account as the book's organizing principle (his seven steps parallel the seven days of creation and rest), this is not a particularly Jewish or Christian book. Rather, Butterworth draws on teachings both Transcendentalist and New Age God is creativity, God is us, God is in us, etc. On the first day of creation, God said, "Let there be light," and Butterworth claims that seeking the inner light is likewise the first step in developing a creative self. He also dwells on the phrase "Let there be," suggesting that readers should take that phrase as their motto: "No suggestion of effort, no strain, no hurry... just let."' - Publisher's Weekly.
156pp, 7.5x5.5 ... Hardback
Published price £16.99 -- You save £13.00 ... 77%
Stan Herd
Herd is an unusual artist. His medium is the earth itself; his palette consists of soil, wheat, sunflowers, and corn; his brush is a tractor; and his images can be seen only from an airplane. Herd is as articulate as he is innovative, describing his motivations and inspirations within a broad cultural context. A child of the heartland influenced by the visions of the sixties, Herd recognized the value of a life lived close to the land as exemplified by American Indians, first and foremost, and by independent farmers. He was also fascinated by ancient earth designs visible only from the air, such as those found in the Nazca Desert in Peru. The combination of those inspirations induced Herd to create his first earthwork, a portrait of Kiowa chief Satanta worked into a 160-acre Kansas wheat field. As Herd describes his techniques and all the complexities involved in securing land, equipment, and assistance, we can barely take our eyes off the aerial photographs of his immense, living images. These drawings on the Great Plains, transformed by the cycle of the seasons and the vagaries of weather, arouse our awe at the earth's vitality and beauty, and our delight in humankind's ingenuity, artistic drive, and sense of adventure.
64pp, 16x11.5, illus. ... Paperback
Published price £12.95 -- You save £5.00 ... 39%
Michael Gelb
Never religious but always profoundly spiritual, Leonardo da Vinci devoted his life to seeking to understand the essence of things - a journey of discovery guided by the Seven Da Vincian Principles. Chapter by chapter, Da Vinci Decoded penetrates the mysteries of Leonardo's spirituality, and show us how we, too, can use the principles to draw closer to the divine essence within ourselves. Drawing on Leonardo's notebooks, inventions, and artworks, Michael Gelb explains the Seven Da Vincian Principles as they apply to spiritual development. Each principle is discussed in a chapter that opens with a single image created by Leonardo, and each chapter then discusses how that principle manifested in Leonardo's life, provides exercises to help put the principle into practice, and closes with another Leonardo image to inspire us while doing the practice.
224pp, 8.5x5.5 ... Hardback
Published price £12.99 -- You save £7.00 ... 54%
Betty Edwards, author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, the million-copy best-seller that proved all people can draw well just as they can read well, has decoded the secrets of the creative process to help you tap your full creative potential and apply that power to everyday problems. How does Betty Edwards do this? Through the power of drawing - power you can harness to see problems in new ways. Through simple step-by-step exercises that require no special artistic abilities, Betty Edwards will teach you how to take a new point of view, how to look at things from a different perspective, how to see the forest and the trees, in short, how to bring your visual, perceptual brainpower to bear on creative problem-solving. You will learn how the creative process progresses from stage to stage and how to move your own problem-solving through these key steps: First insight; Saturation; Incubation; Illumination (the Ah-Ha!); Verification; Whether you are a business manager, teacher, writer, technician, student, or just anybody at all, you'll find Drawing on the Artist Within the most effective program ever created for tapping your creative powers. Profusely illustrated with hundreds of instructional drawings and the work of master artists, this book is written for people with no previous experience in art. Remainder mark.
256pp, 9.25x7.5, illus. ... Paperback
Contains three each of four of Curtis's most stunning photos of native americans.
Flio of 12 postcards
Published price £4.99 -- You save £3.30 ... 66%
Bonnie Bell & David Todd
Buddhist, Hindu, and Native American cultures have long used Mandalas as tools for meditation, healing, relaxation, and guidance. The intricate patterns of the Mandalas can simultaneously draw the viewer to the center of the image and spin the viewer out of the vortex, thereby centering the soul and expanding one’s cerebral boundaries. Traditionally, mandalas are related to a specific belief system and are created by hand according to very specific geometries and color schemes. Artists David Todd and Bonnie Bell have taken the conventional Mandala to new frontiers, creating glorious visionary nature art with their own technique. Tradition-free, the GaiaStar Mandalas speak in a universal voice. While investigating the details of nature surrounding their home, such as the shape of a rock or a pattern within wood, they became inspired to photograph these intricate parts of the larger whole: Earth (or Gaia). They then began further investigating their photographs by scanning them and making patterns with the digital images. The results were magical. These GaiaStar Mandalas are visually arresting and beautiful. Certain individual Earth elements are clearly identifiable; others are obscure. Combinations of leaves, feathers, petals, quartz, wood, fungus, crystal, rocks, stones - all present a dazzling intricacy and a magnetic power. GaiaStar Mandalas gives the reader the unique chance to examine the very essence of Earth, to feel a direct connection with the planet.
112pp, 9.5x9.5, illus. ... Paperback
Published price £11.95 -- You save £6.00 ... 50%
Madeline McMurray
Personal healing and spiritual development are available through contact with “the inner artist” in everyone. The author provides exercises that require no training in art and evoke the message the inner artist can reveal. “This is a really useful book… Readers who may judge themselves to be without artistic talent will be surprised to find themselves drawing expressively and artistically.” - Betty Edwards, author of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.
96pp, 7.25x9.5, illus. ... Paperback
Published price £10.99 -- You save £6.00 ... 55%
Alka Pande
From the earliest terracotta images of the Mother Goddess to tantric diagrams, from palm-leaf paintings to celluloid depictions, from the fine details of miniature paintings to celluloid depictions, from the fine details of miniature paintings to modern art and advertising graffitti, this book covers ground that few have trod. Finding a striking continuity in the motifs used in erotic art, it grounds them in the principles that have shaped brush strokes and line drawing, curvatures and camera focuses down the centuries.
160pp, 11x9, illus. ... Hardback
Published price £25.00 -- You save £16.01 ... 64%
Judith Cornell
Mandalas - from the Sanskrit for circle - have been used for millennia in cultures worldwide as a tool for spiritual growth, creativity, and physical and emotional healing. With The Mandala Healing Kit, students join Judith Cornell, an internationally recognized expert and the best-selling author of Mandala (over 100,000 copies sold), for a powerful learn-at-home program that covers every aspect of a lifelong mandala practice. The kit includes a 96-page workbook with 24 exercises and beautiful colour illustrations; a guided audio CD of Cornell’s most effective meditations and suggestions; mandala stencils and special paper; and quality colour pencils and gel pen. Exercises cover: How to make mandalas for healing the heart and opening the wellspring of compassion you carry within; Precise techniques for using sound and colour to mend psychological fragmentation and express your hidden creative talents; How to create a "scale of light" to recognize and experience your own divine radiance, and much more. With The Mandala Healing Kit anyone can begin an exploration of this intriguing wisdom practice - for weaving the soul to a state of wholeness and connecting to the living mosaic of the universe.
Published price £24.00 -- You save £14.01 ... 58%
David Fontana
A Collection of beautiful new mandalas for meditation, all with symbolism specially designed to be accessible to anyone practising today. Embark on a voyage of self-awareness and discover peace of mind. The ideal visual aid for everyone interested in meditation, including those meditating for the first time. Remainder mark.
160pp, 9.5x9, illus. ... ISBN 1844830543 ... Hardback
Published price £16.99 -- You save £9.00 ... 53%
Lisa Tenzin-Dolma
A new collection of Mandalas inspired by nature, for meditation on the ladscapes, wildlife and flora of the natural world - with symbolic specially designed to be accessible to anyone practicing today. Embark on a voyage of discovery using 30 superb new mandalas for meditation. Bring the beauty and wonder of nature into your awareness as a reliable route to t ranquillity and enlightenment. The ideal visual aid for everyone interested in meditation, including those meditating for the first time. Remainder mark.
160pp, 9.5x9 ... ISBN 1844832295 ... Hardback
Wayne Gould
Su Doku, "the crosswords without words," come with a warning: it is seriously addictive. You don't need to be a mathematical genius to solve these puzzles; it is simply a question of logic and a little patience. Here is a collection of 100 new puzzles arranged according to difficulty, starting with the easiest and ending with the fiendishly difficult.
176pp, 7.25x5, illus. ... Paperback
Published price £5.99 -- You save £3.70 ... 62%
The name of the game is Sudoku, Japanese for - number place - but no knowledge of japanese or arithmatic is required to enjoy the game that has sparked a mania around the world. Here in one volume is all you need to get started - 150 Sudoku puzzles (and solutions) along with easy-to-follow instructions and strategies. Remainder mark.
208pp, 7.5x5.25, illus. ... Paperback
Published price £6.99 -- You save £4.30 ... 62%
Sudoku is a wordless spin on the crossword puzzle that really stretches the mind. Easy to learn but hard to master, its reached epidemic levels of popularity. Here are 150 new puzzles (and solutions) to improve your skills. And if you haven't tried Sudoku yet, you'll also find instructions, tips and strategies for how to play. Remainder mark.
208pp, 7.25x5.25, illus. ... Paperback
Ellen Langer
Bestselling author and Harvard psychologist Ellen J. Langer is convinced that creativity is not a rare gift, but is actually an integral part of everyone's makeup. Why then do so many of us merely dream of painting someday - or writing or making music? Langer here describes experiments designed to study mindfulness and its relation to creativity, shares the implications of the results, and reveals myriad insights into creativity.
288pp, 8.5x6 ... Hardback
Published price £14.99 -- You save £9.00 ... 60%
Sums, the Fiendish New Japanese Puzzles
Containing a year’s supply of Sudokus and some fantastic new Japanese puzzles, Penguin Sudoku 2006 presents 365 brainteasers, ranging from easy to mind-bogglingly difficult. It provides a daily fix for the hardened Sudoku fan and sets an addictive challenge for novices. Remainder mark.
448pp, 8x5 ... Paperback
The linking of spirituality and sexuality is as old as the human race itself. Evidence from many different cultures suggests that we have always found in the visual expression of sex a means of symbolizing the great conflicting forces of the universe. From creation myths to explanations of the heavens, from the delicate rendering of the Taoist artists of the sexual act as a symbol of cosmic balance to the brutal assertions of male power in Celtic statuary, this engaging book leads us through a multiplicity of beliefs and religions to a better understanding of the world's greatest mysteries.
80pp, 5x5, illus. ... Hardback
Published price £5.99 -- You save £3.49 ... 58%
Michael Freeman & Alistair Shearer
A photographic tour of the greatest natural and manmade spiritual sites in Asia. More than anything else, long-distance travel in the late twentieth century has opened the eyes of millions of people in the West to the rich cultural heritage of the Asian countries, and to the ability of their great belief systems to regenerate, refresh, and renew. Whether the focus is the original animist beliefs of the far-distant past or the vitality of present-day Hinduism and Buddhism, the sacred site, natural or manmade - mountain, valley, temple, or shrine--is a place of central importance, where heavenly and earthly energies most perfectly intersect. Through the amazing odyssey undertaken by the master photographer Michael Freeman across thousands of miles of the Indian subcontinent and eastern Asia, the extraordinary numinous power of these sacred places is captured with a force that has never been so well expressed. Here are the greatest natural sites, from the Sagaing hills of Myanmar to the sacred mountain, Agung, in Bali. Here, too, are the great temple complexes, Angkor and Borobudur, and the intimate Shintoist shrines of Japan. The photographs are organized as journeys that reflect the historical spread of Eastern religions, yet each will feel to the reader like a personal quest. 200 color photographs.
208pp, 11x10, illus. ... Hardback
Published price £24.95 -- You save £12.96 ... 52%
Michael Willis
With a wealth of specially commissioned artworks and magnificent full-color photographs, Tibet is a superb pictorial record of one of the world's most fascinating cultures. It reveals the broad repertoire of Tibetan symbols and motifs and presents the art of Tibet, from its most monumental temples to its most exquisitely detailed statues of Buddhas, deities, and saints.
144pp, 10x10½, illus. ... Hardback
Published price £17.95 -- You save £9.00 ... 50%
Sylvie Crossman & Jean-Pierre Barou
The mandala is one of the most powerful expressions of Buddhism's unified view of the cosmos. It represents the integration of human and divine realms, the microcosm and macrocosm. It is at one and the same time an artistic creation, a transformative creative process, a support for meditation, a pictorial representation of doctrine and a map to initiation. To reach a better understanding of the potent symbolism and spiritual practice the mandala comprises, this work brings together the contributions of a number of leading scholars, each approaching the subject from a different vantage point. Essays explore the development of the mandala within the context of Tibetan Buddhism and Tantra Yoga, the symbolism of the mandala and the process of its construction, and the mandala's significance in the life and work of Carl Jung.
96pp, 12x9.5, illus. ... Hardback
Published price £18.99 --You save £8.00 ... 42%
