Book Review: PUSH

First, my disclosure....The Publishers at Lark Crafts/Sterling Publishing sent me this book to review on my blog. They do NOT pay me for the review, other than the book(s) that they sent me for review.

PUSH

Lark Crafts/Sterling Publishing

2011

Hard Cover 176 pages $19.96

This review is of two books, PUSH Paper (ISBN13:978-1-60059-788-6 ) and PUSH Stitchery (ISBN:12:978-1-60059-787-9).  Both of these books contain the works of 30 artists that are pushing the boundaries of their art.

In Push Stitchery, the style of work ranges from very realistic needlework to modern art inspired pieces. While this in itself may not be unusual, the innovation and media used certainly is.

Direction
By
Severija
Incirauskaite
Kriauneviciene

Have you ever considered doing cross stitch on a metal shovel? No? Neither have I. But Severija Incirauskaite Kriauneviciene has. Her works on metal objects is stunning but homey.

Dad By Cayce Zavaglia

The very realistic embroidery by Cayce Zavaglia at first glance looks like a photo. You wonder, just how is this possible?

If you ever made paper cutout snowflakes or paper dolls back in elementary school, this book will show you what very talented grown ups can do with paper and a pair of scissors (and a wild imagination, not to mention talent).

Of the two books, I especially love this one. I really love the forms that took shape with the talents of these paper artists. Three dimensional forms made of paper take on the impossible.

Little Crimes By Bovey Lee

Summer Owl Tree By Helen Musselwhite

As I went through this book, many pieces made me smile with the whimsy and joyful colors. Others made me think “WOW! That is incredible” while others made me think “You gotta be kidding!! That looks IMPOSSIBLE”.  Not only were these wonderful pieces of art, but also incredible pieces of engineering and exacting precision. Since some of these cutouts were rather large in scale, it made me wonder what would happen if a mistake were made. It’s not like beadwork or stitching where you could just tear out a row of beadwork or stitches to fix the mistake. A slip of the scissors could ruin hours of work, with no going back. You just have to admire that!

Both of these books showcase works that push beyond the boundaries of what we might think of stitchery or paperwork. Seeing how these limits are knocked down will certainly get you thinking about pushing your boundaries, no matter what your chosen artwork media might be.