E. Ashley Rooney

Featuring the work of dozens of talented artists, this richly illustrated and redesigned sequel to Fairy Homes & Gardens further spurs the imagination with images and stories of more than 50 new fairy dwellings. Fairies—those mythical sprites of folktales and daydreams—are an enduring source of fascination to humans. Designing, creating, and maintaining fairy dwellings and gardens has become popular as an artistic endeavor, family activity, or form of meditation. Published in 2014, Barbara Purchia and E. Ashley Rooney's Fairy Homes & Gardens has transported thousands of readers to the magical realm of fairy gardening. In the ensuing years, fairy homes and gardens have become much more than a fleeting trend, establishing a perennial pastime for people of all ages. A treasure trove of ideas, this inspiring follow-up features • images and stories of more than 50 new projects that encompass a wide variety of fairy dwellings—communities, cottages, houses, castles, chalets, and other serendipitous structures, • creations by more than two dozen of the most talented and innovative artists creating fairy environments, • a special chapter on fairy accessories, including furniture, doors, swings, and the other creature comforts that fairies appreciate, • an appendix spotlighting plants that are ideal for incorporation into fairy gardens, and • a foreword that tells the story of Florence Griswold Museum's wildly popular Wee Faerie Garden event. Appealing to fairy enthusiasts and nature lovers of all ages, this book provides bold inspiration to help readers embark on a creative and relaxing pursuit that takes them directly into the world of fairy magic.

In this collection of works by more than 25 contemporary ice artists, discover a fascinating art medium defined by its ephemeral nature. Merging creativity and engineering, today’s ice artist can create incredibly complex artwork, featured here in more than 150 photos. Ice sculpting's history and impact are described by champion sculptor James Stugart, including events such as the ice festival in Harbin, China. Sculpting firm owner Justin Gordon explains the tools and techniques, and Dick Brickley, former chair of the BP World Ice Arts Championships held in Fairbanks, Alaska, relates the history of this largest international competition. As sculptor Ben Firth says, "Carving ice is a good reminder that no art lasts forever; that, in the end, art is not about creating a permanent object, but about changing people."

The second book in this two-volume survey, readers are invited to reexamine the history of the West and its art through a multifaceted modern lens. More than 30 artists are included who reflect the tremendous diversity, depth, and breadth of a field steeped in history. While some follow the traditions established by Remington and Russell, others seek to break from tradition, busting myths and bringing new insights and artistic styles to the genre. They come from both sides of the Mississippi and have pedigrees that range from bona fide cowboy or Native American credentials to careers in commercial illustration. The unifying theme is a common concern for and commitment to their art and the West itself. In this volume, contemporary artists are featured whose work revolves around Native Americans. Native Americans still exist, and in many cases are thriving, as they revive or maintain their culture. Historically and even today, most imagery featuring native people suggests a lost cause or vanishing race. We hope that the art created on these pages will help reinforce the fact that Native American culture, while still threatened, is viable among many tribes.

The first in a two-volume survey, readers are invited to reexamine the history of the West and its art through a multifaceted modern lens. More than 40 artists are included who reflect the tremendous diversity, depth, and breadth of a field steeped in history. While some follow the traditions established by Remington and Russell, others seek to break from tradition, busting myths and bringing new insights and artistic styles to the genre. They come from both sides of the Mississippi and have pedigrees that range from bona fide cowboy or Native American credentials to careers in commercial illustration. The unifying theme is a common concern for and commitment to their art and the West itself. In this volume, contemporary artists are featured whose work revolves around the American cowboy. Within these pages, many different artists, some of whom have been cowboys themselves, exhibit their rendition of the wonderful world of the West.

Part performance art and part engineering, sand sculpture has become amazingly sophisticated as artists explore the boundaries of their skill with sand as a medium. Within a very short time, a sculptor can create an awesome, thought-provoking experience that will completely vanish after a few weeks. The photographs are all that’s left. Barbara Purchia and E. Ashley Rooney take you on a round-the-world tour of sandscapes showcasing a dazzling array of sculptural figures, forms, and styles. Behind-the-scenes interviews with the sand masters reveal what motivates them and how they approach their art. Todd Vander Pluym, the world's premier sand artist and president of Sand Sculptors International (SSI), shares a contemporary history of sand sculpture, and renowned international sculptor Kirk Rademaker describes how he built a new life around this ephemeral medium.The images of these art pieces will have you wanting to stick your toes in the sand!

The reptiles and amphibians surrounding us are more than 17,000 species of fascinating and beautiful wildlife that many of us usually ignore. In this colorfully illustrated book, 20 artists have taken those cold-blooded animals as inspiration and transformed them into pieces of art that change the way we perceive our world. The unusual shapes, glittering colors, and perfectly adapted bodies of chameleons, turtles, snakes, frogs, and even dinosaurs offer us new ways to see and be inspired, in media ranging from fiber to glass and from paper to gold.

Wearable fiber art, whether in garment or jewelry form, is unique in that the human body breathes life, shape, and movement into the pieces. Be it a felted brooch or a dress made of book pages, wearable fiber art can provide personal expression unavailable from the world of mass production. In this volume of the acclaimed three-book series, comments from the makers, who discuss creating pieces that the wearer influences, are accompanied by more than 300 photos. Susan Taber Avila offers insights to what wearable art means and how fibers play into that combination. Margery Goldberg discusses the term in relation to jewelry. The hundreds of creations here, bridging art, design, craft, and fashion, show how fiber art that relates to the human body is in a class of its own.

Insects have captivated artists for centuries, as shown in their re-creations of them in gold, canvas, fabric, marble, wood, and other media. This book displays 39 contemporary artists’ insect-centric works, showing the extent to which insects fascinate twenty-first century artists and scientists. These American and international artists have many magical and discerning ways to approach their buggy subjects, which each artist explains in their own words. Nearly one million different described species of insects are known today. Now those colorful butterflies, iridescent beetles, little ladybugs, and lacy dragonflies can be with us permanently in many graceful arrangements and a variety of media!

Nearly 500 photos of artwork with personal insights from 78 of today's most noteworthy artists show the tremendously broad range of possibilities that working in three dimensions can offer. In conjunction with the other two books in this acclaimed series, it invites readers to re-examine fiber art through a multifaceted contemporary lens. Both established artists and emerging artists whose work is attracting notice are gathered here. Carol Milne's knitted glass and Peter Gentenaar's technique of vacuum forming and air-drying paper fibers are but a few examples of artists using new materials with traditional methods.

Connecting us to the wide variety of contemporary fiber art in wall-mounted format, this resource combines more than 600 photos with personal comments from 100 of today's established and emerging artists. In conjunction with the other two books in this acclaimed series, it invites readers to re-examine fiber art through a multifaceted contemporary lens. The creators here are pushing the boundaries of what wall-mounted fiber art is, using fibers of paper, metal, fiberglass, milkweed seeds, or high-tech polymers. Bhakti Ziek's computerized loom work and Sue Benner's textile-collage quilts are but a few of the examples of how artists expertly combine different fiber techniques in a single piece, go beyond the technical processes, and cross-pollinate mediums.

A long-overdue book documenting a state with a growing population, this richly illustrated collection of homes displays the work of 34 Texas architects whose buildings embrace their region and place. These award-winning residences vary in style, scale, budget, and site, but they are all positioned to incorporate the Texas light, landscape, and local materials. More important, they are designed and constructed to deal with the prospect of climate change, including Texas-size hurricanes, tornadoes, heat, and drought. Readers will appreciate the regional rigor of these buildings sited on the Hill Country's arid escarpments, deep in the piney woods of East Texas, and in the insufferable heat of the southern coastal plain. Being Texas proud means being place proud, yet all of the projects showcase principles that are surprisingly universal.

Nearly 600 brilliantly detailed photos capture the work of 112 glass artists and show the tremendous diversity, depth, and breadth of how this ancient medium is used in the twenty-first century. New and emerging glass artists are featured together with well-known experts, and all of them challenge the boundaries of familiar techniques. Many of these artists also teach or continue research into the capabilities of glass. Many have won major awards; still others have been the subject of media attention; and many are mentors and leaders of contemporary glass art. Their towering installations, miniscule insects, glass kimonos, and more will inspire everyone interested in appreciating, working with, or collecting glass.

28 imaginative tree houses, ranging from kids' fantasy play areas to family retreats and adult hideaways in the UK-based Blue Forest. Enter the world of fairy-tale towers, whimsical stairways, crow's nests, zip lines, and suspended rope bridges. Take pleasure in the details of hand-split oak shingles, thatched roofs, and cedar tongue-and-groove interiors. Made of sustainably sourced materials, Blue Forest's magical sanctuaries fit snugly between trees and branches—often incorporating them into the building itself—and sit lightly on the land. From a child's tree house inside a secret garden to party venues for teenagers and adults, this book details 28 imaginative tree houses, some of them accompanied by site plans and drawings. Whether the dwellings on each page are simple or designed to house a spa or home theatre, this beautiful book will inspire readers to reconsider their own garden's possibilities for relaxation and play.

The works of 106 contemporary artists provide a fresh look at the artistic vibrancy of the Rocky Mountain West region of the United States. More than 600 photos of these artists' works--in sculpture, mixed media, paint, photography, and other contemporary mediums--show us a stunning variety. Each artist also offers a personal description of his or her art. A perfect gift or reference, this resource changes the way we perceive the Rocky Mountain West region and the world. A foreword by Rose Fredrick, curator of the Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, contributes insights on "Contemporary West: Myth, Truth, and What Lies Between."

This book takes you through 53 homes that reflect the growing trend for environmentally friendly houses. Resource- and energy-efficient residences are designed to be healthy, comfortable, and easy to live in, and construction of a sustainable home includes using less energy, fewer natural resources, and fewer toxic chemicals. The homes featured here meet a variety of guidelines: LEED, a point-based system with specific certification criteria; green, a construction standard based on reduction of energy use; Passive House, a design standard that can result in a super-insulated, airtight home; and natural, a type of construction using natural resources without technological intervention. More than 300 images show a wide variety of designs and styles, including cottages and beach houses, prairie and vineyard residences, prefabricated and renovated homes, and much more.

Through 349 images, celebrate America in all her glory. Whether it’s a piece to hang on a wall, to be worn, or for marketing propaganda, see how sixty-four artists have represented the American flag and other patriotic symbols in their work. The American flag is an iconic image that inspires many, but it has also become a complex and controversial symbol since Congress first adopted it on June 14, 1777. These artists share not only their work but also the inspiration behind the pieces. Whether it’s paying homage to a lost generation, remembering 9/11, or simply celebrating American pride, the various cultural and political viewpoints that define the country today are expressed through a variety of art forms—from watercolor paintings to crazy quilts, from oils to matchboxes, and from mixed media to digital. Let these images inspire you.

In the history of art, animals were the very first subject, as evidenced by the nearly 20,000 year old cave paintings at Lascaux. The human impulse to depict and capture the essence of animals underscores the importance of animals to human lives. For some artists, the evolutionary link between humans and other mammals is most compelling, and their choice of mammals as subject speaks to each artist's personal concerns. From traditional works to the fantastical, from sporting art to kitsch, the nearly 100 U.S. and international artists included hope to combine their own magic with the natural spirit of animals in their work. Over 500 of their pieces are represented here in stunning, full-color photographs. This elegant collection honors the artistic connection and age-old totemic relationship between animal and human. Herein lies the conversation between the spirit of the animal and the mind of the maker.

Printmakers today are sustained both by their traditions and by their willingness to embrace new technologies, new mediums, and innovative processes. Over 500 beautiful color images display the innovative work of 75 talented printmakers and 30 print shops. Traditional printing techniques featured include lithography, intaglio, screen print, and relief, while newer techniques include installation, digital, and fiber, among other forms of new print media. The artists speak for themselves, revealing why they create their art. Consequently, the readers will gain a deeper understanding of their world. These assembled prints reflect the talent of this time and in this place. The artists' mediums, patterns, images, and environments also capture our culture and attempt to foretell our future. This book will be a treasured resource for anyone who appreciates the printmaker's art.

Go behind-the-scenes of the art world as you tour the homes and studios of 86 international artists. Some studios are large, with lovely high ceilings and oversized skylights. Some are modest, even cramped. Some are amazingly pristine and carefully ordered with drawing spaces, painting galleries, and meditation zones. Some are a study of chaos, but in all of them the artists are inspired to create. Whether working in oils or pastels, sculpture or glass, ceramics or wood, today’s artists are as varied as their work, with studios that range from chicken coops and horse barns to entire islands and extra bedrooms. Through 321 color images, enjoy this glimpse into contemporary artists' lives.

Trees come in many forms and are shaped by a huge variety of climatic and human forces. This makes them iconic vehicles for expressing human conditions and allows for commentary on deep ecology. Artists have always been arboreal fans; some artists look at trees and see them as canvases for their particular vision. Others may decide to replicate them in their favorite medium, whether it is ceramics, fabrics, paint or glass. They combine, redesign, and transform their materials into art that changes the way we perceive the world. Their creations grab our attention and give us a promise of renewal and beauty; their work with trees, roots, and leaves creates magic and mystery for us to delight in. In this striking collection, 106 international, twenty-first century artists portray their world in sculpture, glass, paint, clay, wood and other contemporary mediums, displayed in over 500 images. As Dr. Seuss suggests in The Lorax, they "Speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues."