Some Assembly Required, Too

Honestly, I may be the worst possible candidate for writing a book review. Lets be real, here- the first things that typically come to my mind when I pick up a book are ‘yum’ and ‘ooh, how pretty’. Then I rub the paper against my cheek. And that’s just for the code monkey books!

That said, it is both an honor and a treat to present you with Volume 2 of Masters: Art Quilts from Lark Crafts. This is a collection of amazing fiber artwork curated by Martha Sielman, the Executive Director of SAQA.

Lets get the easy stuff out of the way first: Lovely! As expected, since I already own Volume 1, the word yummy doesn’t even begin to do it justice. Granted, it would be tough to make an ugly book out of such beautiful art. I was a little bummed to see a few of the ‘detail’ shots that are barely tighter images than the overall shot, though. On a completely picayune note, I both love and hate the little bitty pictures of the artists. I want to avoid using a magnifying glass, but I don’t want to give up the real estate.

Martha Sielman curates like my friend Chris L. cooks. You know the menu will knock your socks off before you even see the invitation. You can smell pure joy long before you are within sight of the kitchen. And when you finally have that fork ready to launch, you are never disappointed. But it isn’t over seasoned! Martha writes just enough of a tease that you think you’ll be spending the rest of your life browsing these artists’ websites. Photography, even amazing photography, cannot always give fiber art its due – I know you’ve been there with me on this one. The best we can do in its stead is hope for a curator who knows how to explain the luscious nature of the textures and the I-just-want-to-touch-it fantasies we’ve all had when those white gloved angels aren’t around.

The next happy moment comes in getting ten pages per artist. How many art books do you have that allow you to wallow around in that much of an artist’s portfolio? The breadth of style and school is perfect. Like its predecessor, this volume is not something you will tire of browsing anytime soon. Oh, and don’t forget to ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ over the paper!