Artisan Books

NEW BOOKS		Up date 8 October 2008
		Wrap, Stitch, Fold & Rivet: Making Designer Metal Jewelry Mary Hettmansperger Mary Hettmansperger describes her jewellery as rustic, altered, and organic. To create her unique designs, she uses shapes cut from metal sheeting, embellishing them with beads and found objects. She cold-connects them with weaves, ties, and wraps as well as with commercial materials like bolts and rivets, while avoiding the soldering methods used by traditional metalsmiths. The projects she presents, all with step-by-step illustrations, will teach you the techniques she uses and help you develop your own designs. Highly recommended. 128pp HC $35.00
		Color Sense: Creative Color Combinations for Crafters Susan Levin Color Sense, conveniently published in a ringbound hardcover, offers a clear and concise introduction to colour theory. Containing a colour wheel, colour swatches and pop-out templates and showcasing thousands of tried-and-true colour combinations based on recognized values of colour theory, this handy resource will allow you to find the perfect colours for every project. 200pp HC (ringbound) $25.00
		500 Handmade Books The next installment in the popular series from Lark books, 500 Handmade Books showcases examples of handmade books from around the globe, capturing the range and depth of the craft in the present day. Featuring collage, pop-up, flip, assemblages, altered books, artist books and many many more, this beautifully produced book will appeal to book lovers, papermakers, binders, collectors, and anyone who is intrigued by the possibilities of this enduring form. 420pp PB $35.00
		Cloth Dolls for Textile Artists Roy Slater A new title from Batsford publishing, Cloth Dolls for Textile Artists, is a comprehensive guide from Roy Slater, one of the world’s leading dollmakers and textile artists. Featuring full step-by-step instructions, patterns for three key doll styles (stump dolls, wire dolls and stuffed cloth dolls), and a wealth of innovative textile techniques for decorating and personalizing your doll, this lavishly illustrated book is a must-have for all those interested in the art of dollmaking. 128pp HC $50.00
		Embellish, Stitch, Felt Sheila Smith The latest book from acclaimed textile artist Sheila Smith and Batsford publishing, Embellish, Stitch, Felt covers the new dry-felting techniques and the hugely popular embellisher machines. These mess-free techniques open up a range of felt ideas for textile artists. The book includes the use of commercial ready-made needle-punch felt for fashion and design work and provides a range of decorative stitching and dyeing methods that can be used to embellish the felt. Beautifully illustrated in full colour, with clear step-by-step instructions throughout. 128pp HC $50.00
		The Art of Felt: Inspirational Designs, Textures & Surfaces Tellier-Loumagne Often thought of as a practical material, felt can be surprisingly versatile and even poetic. In this beautifully produced book, Francoise Tellier-Loumagne takes an original approach to the world of feltmaking. Finding inspiration in the natural world, Francoise takes the reader on a journey to open their eyes and realize the endless possibilities that this ancient craft offers. Illustrated with hundreds of images, this book is a treasure trove for anyone interested in original textile design. 309pp PB $75.00
		Australian Furniture: Pictorial History and Dictionary 1788 – 1938 Kevin Fahy & Andrew Simpson Australia Furniture is the most comprehensive survey of quality furniture, the marks and markers, yet undertaken in this country. The result of seven years research, this beautifully produced book, superbly illustrated with over 1000 illustrations, is an essential reference for curators, private collectors, dealers, auctioneers, investors, social and cultural historians, and anyone interested in Australian furniture in general. Boxed Hardcover $485.00
		Fabulous Felted Scarves: 20 Wearable Works of Art Chad Alice Hagen & Jorie Johnson Written by two world renown felt artists, Fabulous Felted Scarves gives you an inside look at how two very different designers approach their work. With their guidance, step-by-step photographs and using simple techniques and materials, Hagen and Johnson teach you how to fashion spectacular hand-sculpted scarves in styles ranging from understated elegance to the wonderfully outrageous. 143pp HC $35.00
		Knit Knit: Profiles & Projects from Knitting’s New Wave Sabrina Gschwandtner As the line between fine art and craft practice continues to blur, a new generation of knitters are picking up their needles with a fine art context in mind. Knit Knit chronicles this evolution, bringing together the profiles of 27 of the world’s most talented Artist/Knitters. Lavishly produced with stunning full-page photographs, each of the profiles showcase the artist’s work, outline their philosophies and contains a project especially formulated by the Artist profiled. A beautiful, inspirational and eye-opening book, and at $49.95 for a coffee-table style hardback it is a bargain. 176pp HC $49.95
		Up date 28 February 2008
		Eco Colour: Environmentally Sustainable Dyes India Flint Eco Colour, by internationally renowned dyer, costumier and artist India Flint, draws on two decades of experience and experimentation in natural dyeing techniques to present an expert, highly accessible and achievable handbook of ecologically sustainable plant dye methods using renewable resources, most of which can be found in the average home garden. Eco Colour fills a gap in the existing literature and uses an exciting range of projects to demonstrate a variety of techniques, some of them entirely new processes developed by the author. 240pp HC $59.95
		500 Handmade Dolls: Modern Explorations of the Human Form The next instalment in this popular series, 500 Handmade Dolls is a showcase of contemporary handmade dolls from around the world. Made from every conceivable material, including beads, gourds, and polymer clay, the dolls featured are contemporary and unique, ranging from representational to abstract, from skillful realism to provocative surrealism. This beautifully produced book will have dollmakers, crafters, collectors, and anyone who loves beautiful objects drooling over the amazing diversity showcased within. 396pp PB $40.00
		Enclosure Andy Goldworthy In the early 1990’s Andy Goldsworthy was invited to propose a project for Cumbria, a region of outstanding natural beauty where the landscape has been moulded for centuries by agriculture and in particular by sheep-farming. His response was to repair or rebuild a swathe of Cumbrian sheepfolds, with the intention that, wherever possible the folds would still be accessible to sheep. Among the sculptures are slate works and balanced stones embedded in walls and a series of sixteen folds each containing a massive boulder rolled down from the nearby hillside. By 2006 over forty structures had been completed: it is this extraordinary project that forms the core of Enclosure. This impressive volume is testament to Goldsworthy's lifelong interest in the land, its history and its inhabitants. 168pp HC $95.00
		Vintage Furniture: Collecting and Living with Modern Design Classics Fay Sweet Highlighting the most iconic pieces from each international design movement, Vintage Furniture explores the key designers, details and materials that define the most influential collectible furniture created since the turn of the twentieth century. Providing background on the design movements of the time, as well as offering an awareness of the skills and techniques of the past, this book enables the reader to distinguish original and rare vintage furniture from later reproductions. A must have for all those interested in the field. 223pp HC $59.95
		Fashioning Fabrics: Contemporary Textiles in Fashion Sandy Black Fashioning Fabrics considers the work of fashion designers who put textile development at the centre of their practice. Taking in both the flights of fancy gracing the most exclusive catwalks in the world and emerging designers working on a much smaller scale, this stunning book explores and pays homage to the experimental, the beautiful and the extravagant in textile design. 205pp PB $75.00
		Hundertwasser: Architecture Since beginning his artistic career in the 50’s, Hundertwasser has been preoccupied with architecture in his painting. In the early 70’s he designed his first architectural models and façades. Success vindicated his vision. With greenery on the rooftops, irregularly positioned windows, gilded turrets and not a straight line in sight, Hundertwasser's architecture is unmistakable. This lavishly produced book is the first catalogue raisonné of Hundertwasser's architecture. It examines all his buildings and projects, whether realized or not, tracing them from the first sketches, through the models, to completion. Highly recommended. HC 317pp $99.00
		The World of the Book by Des Cowley & Clare Williamson Beautifully illustrated, The World of the Book is a celebration of the age-old tradition of making books, drawing upon the rare collections of the State Library of Victoria. A journey through time and across the globe, this volume features great books and publishing innovations of the past and present. It also revels in the sheer beauty of books as objects to be desired and treasured. HC 247pp $59.95
		Vintage Fashion: Collecting and Wearing Designer Classics by Forward by Zandra Rhodes An exquisite journey through the fashion of the decades, Vintage Fashion explores the key designers, silhouettes and shapes, prints and fabrics, and other details and characteristics that define influential vintage garments from the 20th Century. Providing background on the movements of the time, as well as offering an awareness of the skills and techniques of the past, the book enables the reader to distinguish original and rare vintage clothing from later reproductions and provides a shopping guide which offers pointers on sourcing and caring for original pieces, along with a glossary of fashion terms and designers. Highly recommended HC 223pp $69.95
		Art and Embroidery for Jane Hall: Reflections of Nature. Jane Hall In a unique combination of art, photography and prose, Jane Hall magically intertwines her exquisite work as a textile artists with the world that has inspired it. She presents her breathtakingly beautiful embroideries through numerous photographs and descriptions, conveying the very essense of her work: ‘to achieve works which are not simply observational, but translations of wonder as well as nature’. HC 127pp $59.95
		Art Textiles of the World: Australia Vol 2 Ed: Matthew Koumis This inspirational book is the 12th in the acclaimed series ‘Art Textiles of the World’, which profiles outstanding textile artists working across the spectrum of contemporary textile practice. Lavishly illustrated with over 100 glorious colour photographs, together with an introduction by Robyn Daw and up-to-date biographies of the artists, this book is a ‘must-have’ for anyone with a serious interest in Australian art in general, and contemporary textile art in particular. Others in the series include Scandinavia Vol 1, Scandinavia Vol 2, Japan Vol 2, Netherlands, USA, Korea, Great Britain Vol 2, Great Britain Vol 3. PB 110pp $85
		The Art of Jewelry: Paper Jewelry Marthe Le Van Ever considered the creative possibilities of fashionable paper jewellery? If so this is the book. With 35 projects covering everything from brooches to necklaces Paper Jewelry seeks to push the envelope. The projects, designed by some of the premier artists in the field, encourage you to think outside the box. No previous jewellery making experience is needed to embark on these exquisite projects. Recommended to jewellery makers and paper artist alike. HC 144pp $40.00
		Knitting Never Felt Better: The Definitive Guide to Fabulous Felting. Nicky Epstein The inimitable and incomparable Nicky Epstein follows up on the success of her three volume Edgings series with another trailblazing book. Her signature tastes and creativity are apparent throughout as she introduces the reader to the fabulous possibilities felting provides for knitters. Each technique is illustrated with before and after swatches and is accompanied by detailed, step-by-step instructions. With projects covering shawls, scarves, jackets, hats, bags and toys, to name a few, this book comes highly recommended to those interested in felted knitting. HC 176pp $40.00
		Melbourne Design Guide Ed: Viviane Stappmanns & Ewan McEoin Whether it’s a brooch, a bar or a building, this book has been carefully researched and written to give locals and travellers a sense of what is happening in Australia’s creative capital. Take a tour of Melbourne’s cutting edge architecture, discover the latest design talent, where to buy their wares and where they drink and dine. The Melbourne Design Guide is the perfect companion on a journey to this city’s thriving and diverse design scenes. PB 316pp $35
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