The Art and Craft of Papier Mache

 The Art and Craft of Papier Mache by Juliet Bawden
1990
Weight: 2 lbs
Method of Disposal: Donating

I remember discovering and falling in love with Papier Mache as a child.  I made masks, pigs out of soda bottles, animals, all sorts.  I dreamt of making a papier mache Noah's Ark, which turned into me making an ark out of popsicles sticks, which turned into an utter disaster.  The wet scraps of paper, the paste, the fun of creating something new--I loved it all.  

This is a book seemingly more geared towards adults that still hold that sense of fun and creativity in their hearts.  There are boxes, bowls, frames, hats, masks, dolls.  I have not done papier mache in ages, and I am not sure if the luster is still there for me to start again.  I am passing this book on, hoping it is there for someone else, and that this book encourages and inspires them.

Ice Cream

 Ice Cream: Contemporary Art in Culture: 10 Curators, 10 Contemporary Artists, 10 Source Artists
2007
Weight: 6.5 lbs
Method of Disposal: Donation

Goodbye 6 lb art book.  Our last 5 or so years together have been sweet, even if we spent most of that time distant and distracted with each other.  When I held you, I was curious, and my heart was filled with intrigue.  My favorite moments with you were when I flipped your pages, gently in my hands--especially that first time when I did not know anything about you yet.

In that time, the excitement has dimmed little by little and, now, the weight seems to WEIGH on me more and more and our time together seems to be coming to an end.  You lived with someone else before me, and you will live with someone else again.  When you see that new glimmer in your eye, you will feel safe again.  I hope you enjoy it, and I hope they enjoy you even more.

Thank you for the time and for opening my mind just a little more.

Timequake

Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut
1998
Weight: 8.8 oz
Method of Disposal: Lending Library

Okay.  After my previous post ranting and raving about how truly awesome and amazing and easy to read Kurt Vonnegut is and has always been, I read Timequake.  Soooooo.....not so great.  There were still many witty Vonnegut moments, snippets that made me laugh out loud, and, yes, even things I might consider tattooing on my body but, overall, not so great. 

Also, after recently talking about some of the delightful feminism I found in a couple of his other books, I was not feeling it so much in this one.  Not that he was overwhelmingly kind to men or women.  I was about done with all the penis jokes and imagery about halfway through the book.  While he is known for being blunt and fun and, so I do not fault him for this or think he does not have every right to do so, I was going to vomit if I had to hear anymore about anyone ejaculating in someone's birth canal--particularly in the instance of rape, which was clearly described as such but never called rape. 

I guess my advice to you is that you should read this if you love Vonnegut and are not too squeamish or "square" as they say, but it is absolutely not the first Vonnegut book I would recommend you pick up.

Installation Art in the New Millennium

Installation Art in the New Millennium Nicolas De Oliveira, Nicola Oxley, and Michael Petry
2004
Weight: 2 lbs
Method of Disposal: Donating

The first time I witnessed installation art was in college, and I was completely taken by it.  There was a woman named Jennifer Young at my school, and I once crawled into an installation piece of hers and my love of that form of art was sealed forever.  I wish that I was in the position to see more and enjoy more.  As it is, it is a very rare treat indeed. 

I was excited when I was first moving into this house and the person moving out left this book for me.  Now, I am moving out and trying desperately to get rid of so many of my own things and decrease the amount that I have to carry and be responsible for.  So, this book is on its way to its next owner.  Maybe they will cherish it or try to sell it on Amazon for $788 like the jerks on there right now (you can get it on Ebay for $8).  It is a cool book, and it is worth a look, but it is impossible to make a book of installation art really.  The experience of being in an art piece, actively being a part of someone's art is precious and unique.  It does not translate to paper well, but it is always worth a shot and better than nothing for people like me who are not in the art scene at all.

M.C. Escher: Works of Art

M.C. Escher: Works of Art
1994
Weight: 5.6 oz
Method of Disposal: Donated

My brother introduced me to M.C. Escher as a child, and we both loved him.  We wished we could draw like him.  We would often try to mimic him, but it was not just the talent that was lacking.  We were also lacking patience and maybe even some understanding. 

As an adult, I doubt that I would ever hang up an M.C. Escher piece in my house.  I still admire what he did, but it does not captivate me as it did as a kid.  I kept this book my brother gave me all these years.  I feel like I can let it go now.  I will always remember sitting in the attic with him, looking at it with him.  It was magic.

Slam

Slam by Various Authors (Author),‎ Cecily Von Ziegesar (Editor),‎ Tori Amos (Foreword)
2000
Weight: 4.8 oz
Method of Disposal: Donated

This book is full of cliche and over the top advice like this:

Lots of poetry by 15 year olds:

And quotes from famous folks and some really interesting moments from less famous folks:

I had fun reading it.  I would have loved to have been published in it when I was in middle/high school.  The teens in this collection were really talented for their ages.  I really enjoyed these haikus:

Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting

Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting by Edgar A. Whitney, A.N.A, A.W.S
1974
Weight: 1.6 lbs
Method of Disposal: Donating

 

When I think about being a child at my grandparent's house there are a lot of things I think about.  One of those things is meals.  My grandmother would make something--spaghetti was a typical kid favorite--and my brother and I would drink milk out of tiny glasses with stars decorating the rims.  There was a high chair in the corner with a blonde doll holding a gift in her hands.  It was the same chair I had my first birthday and first cupcake in.  On the walls were my grandfather's watercolors.  He had painted trees, and I would often find myself asking him questions about them.  He explained to me that in watercolor you did not really get the opportunity to erase and that you had to pay attention to each stroke.  I was very impressed and when I got old enough to paint I promptly decided never to do watercolor.  I bought oil paints and, though I loved the look of it, I realized it would take days to dry and by then all sorts of animal hair and dust would get stuck in the paint.  My house was not oil paint conducive so I moved to acrylics.  I have held onto this book and others like it thinking I might try my hand at watercolor one day, but I realize now that I probably won't.  I will, however, still enjoy looking at my grandfather's paintings.

The Pin-Up

The Pin-Up: A Modest History by Mark Gabor
1987
Weight: 2.8 lbs
Method of Disposal: Giving to me dear friend, Jasmin

This book was a very special gift to me from a dear college friend who inherited it after a family member died in a terrible way.  She gave me quite a few of his books, and I cherish them.  There are some I will never get rid of.  She said she knew I would take care of them.  I want to spread them out, and I hope that, if she knew, she would approve of my sharing this one, for free, with the community. 

Art of WWII

(6.3 lbs)
Art of the Third Reich by Peter Adam
1992
Weight: 2.6 lbs
Method of Disposal: Giving to Tracy

This book was put together by BBC documentary-film producer who grew up in Berlin during the time of Hitler’s Third Reich. Adam recognized a gap in art history that was often intentionally overlooked, and he decided to make this book. Statues, murals, postage stamps, propaganda posters, paintings, and more are displayed and discussed in this book. It is a great introductory book with information you may not have heard in all of the other books you have read.
This seems like a book Tracy should own since she is an artist and also has an interest in WWII. If she happens to own it already, I will be selling it on half.com for $9.50.

WWII: A Tribute in Art and Literature Edited by David Colbert
2001
Weight: 3.7 lbs
Method of Disposal: Giving to Tracy
I saw this book while I was walking to the kitchen after writing about the Art of the Third Reich and thought I should go ahead and make it a bundle for Tracy. This one’s presentation is better than the last. The pictures are large and in full color. This book does not, however, focus on art from the Third Reich. It is American art and writing. The paintings and photographs are wrapped the text of poetry, essays, and letters. You are truly drawn into another time and into a very painful war.