The Innovative Artist

This is a truly glorious book! Packed with inspiration and rich illustrations Helen's passion for mixed media shines through on every page. As well as the demonstrations and stunning examples of finished works, the content is organised under four broad areas: The Art of the Abstract, Materials and Tools, Mixing the Media, Varnishing and Completing. Within these key areas there are pages of detailed examples, sharing inspiration, how to play with materials, and the most creative sources of mark-making; how just by looking around your home you can find so many items to use e.g. forks, pastry cutters, toy building bricks, combs, bottle tops, sponges and so much more! Helen adopts the same approach with print making, from creating stencils, to making your own stamps, again using household items. But it is the richness of colour that makes this book such a delight and the freedom of using mixed media in such innovative and delightful ways. As a source of inspiration, The Innovative Artist: Abstracts and Mixed Media is outstanding, Helen has a created a book which will encourage experimentation by artists of all ages and abilities. We absolutely loved it! Highly Recommended! -- Kaye Thorne * Escape Learn Create.co.uk * A must-have for anyone interested in creating abstract art. I am new to art and found this book invaluable. The explanations of colour, composition, design and interpretation were easy to follow and the processes and techniques of collating, stamping, mark making and creating texture have inspired me to have a go at all of these. Well worth the (very reasonable) cover price. -- Diane Hicklin * Amazon Customer Review * The Innovative Artist is a series from Search Press that aims to bring to the reader a selection of artists who are at the forefront of media or techniques. Helen Kaminsky is a first-time author whose work in abstract covers a wide variety of techniques, media and styles. Interest in abstraction has taken off in recent years and has been served by a progression of excellent books that are, however, generally basic in their approach. This is the first that starts from an avowedly higher level and assumes that its audience will have an understanding of the basic working methods. This does not mean that explanations are missing or skimped and there are plenty of examples, exercises and demonstrations that you'd expect from a publisher of instructional books. If you're serious about abstract painting, this is a book that will, in return, take you seriously and fulfil your requirements. -- Henry Malt * The Artist * Part of the Innovative Artist series, which pushes the boundaries of art, professional artist, Helen Kaminsky, explores the creative possibilities of mixed media, showing how layers of imagery and texture can add unique qualities to your work. Areas covered include collage techniques, printing methods, mark making with found objects, homemade stencils and stamps as well as a mix of wet and dry media. Demonstrations throughout the book will allow you to follow Helen's processes to achieve her glowing paintings. * Leisure Painter *