Art Book Review

Altered Surfaces: Using Acrylic Paints With Gels, Mediums, Grounds & Pastes by Chris Cozen

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
From my review on Amazon. If you are an artist interested in the enormous range of possibilities of acrylic paints, this is the book for you! Even if you are experienced with acrylics, you are guaranteed to learn new things from this book. As a part of Golden Acrylic Colors' Working Artists program, Chris Cozen has an astonishing knowledge of acrylic paint and how it behaves.


This deceptively slender volume is packed with information, while still containting enough basic information that a beginner could easily start with this book. As the title suggests, there is a lot of information about acrylic mediums and grounds (sorely lacking in many other books), including some of the new products released recently by Golden. Molding paste, crackle paste, pumice gel, fiber paste, clear tar gel and glass bead gel are just a few of the items she covers. She also describes how to achieve the look of encaustics with acrylic products, something I plan to try soon!


This is one of the best sources of information for artists interested in expanding their horizons with acrylic paints. Not a substitute for a class from this inspiring teacher, but a good reference guide and source of ideas.
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Book Review: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Rating: 5 of 5 stars
OK, maybe "It was amazing" (as Goodreads defines 5 stars) is an exaggeration, but I enjoyed this book enough to re-read it, which doesn't happen often. This is the first book I've read in the genre of "contemporary supernatural [romance]".

I greatly enjoyed the book. The "rules" for the supernatural beings (primarily werewolves, but others are included) are believable and consistent, with social rules, and stuff like that.

Lots of action, enough romance to be exciting and keep you guessing (it's not the primary reason for the story).

The characters are believable and well-defined. She does well with the narrative first person form of the book. I've since read everything else I could find by her and she has become one of my favorite authors.

Highly recommended.
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