Artist Michael Lawrence has followed his own passions: dance, theatre, poetry and music transcribing his feelings into exhuberant, colorful, tender reflections. Michael has exhibited his paintings and sculptures in numerous countries and is widely collected. Film director Oliver Stone, author Ray Bradbury and movie star Kirk Douglas are amongst the collectors who own his work. Dedicated to Charles Chaplin, Loaded Brush is 415 pages featuring over 150 images details a fascinating and memorable life in art.
Draw nature your own, unique way inspired by East Asian artistic traditions. This practical book introduces the art of brush drawing to complete beginners. It explains how to recreate the serene beauty of the natural world, including the Four Noble Plants, with minimal marks. All you need is a brush, ink and paper. Learn about brush drawing through the simple exercises that this book demonstrates and discover a place to 'be' that arises through doing rather than thinking. The brush – explore mark, line and textures Inspiration from nature – draw leaves and flowers, as well as trees and landscapes Practical exercises – be guided through step-by-step instructions Contemplation – find peacefulness through the brush and the process.
A Beginner's Guide to Chinese Brush Painting teaches this ancient art form in an easy-to-understand way--no prior experience necessary! As one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world, Chinese brush painting has been used for thousands of years to create images that harness the imagination, and capture the inner spirit of a subject--be it an animal, landscape or tree. All you need for this simple, but beautiful, art form is black watercolor paint, white paper, a brush and some creativity! An introduction tells you about the history of brush painting, and also gives tips for holding your brush, achieving different shades and collecting your materials. After that, the book takes you step-by-step through more than 35 hands-on activities--including basic strokes, putting them together to create an object or scene, the importance of leaving open space and even writing some Chinese calligraphy. With the help of this book, artists of all ages can learn to paint: Bamboo stalks, branches and leaf clusters A knotted pine tree and its delicate needles A snail with a spiral shell and little body peeking out from underneath A waterfall gliding down the side of a mountain And much more! You'll find that this activity will help you learn to center your mind and thoughts, and your masterpieces will be inspiring decorations or great gifts for friends and family. Get started learning this "soft martial art!"
Oil sketches by Peter Paul Rubens—created at speed and in the heat of invention with a colorful loaded brush—convey all the spontaneity of the great Flemish painter’s creative process. This ravishing book draws from both private and public collections to present in full color 40 of Rubens’s oil sketches. Viewers will find in these informal paintings an enchanting intimacy and gain a new appreciation of Rubens’s capacity for invention and improvisation, and of his special genius for dramatic design and coloristic brilliance. The book investigates the role of the oil sketch in Rubens’s work; the development of the artist’s themes and narratives in his multiple sketches; and the history of the appreciation of his oil sketches. It also explores some of the unique aspects of his techniques and materials. By revealing the oil sketches as the most direct record of Rubens’s creative process, the book presents him as the greatest and most fluent practitioner of this vibrant and vital medium.
