Drawing
The Natural Way to Draw: A Working Plan for Art Study
by Kimon Nicolaides
The book approaches the task of learning to draw with 64 exercises designed to be studied over the course of a year. Each section builds on skills developed in the earlier sections. It encourages you to look at people and things in a different way, one which will help you to draw.
Nikolaides said, "The impulse to draw is as natural as the impulse to talk." And if you think about it, we learn the latter by a process of trial, error and endless repetition. He thinks drawing is innately connected to the art of correct observation and this is what he takes you through in his book. He also says that the sooner you make your first 5000 mistakes, the sooner you will be able to correct them!
Nikolaides says that he treats the reader exactly as if you were his student embarking on a year of art school and if you follow his how-to method, you will learn to draw.
If this hasn't put you off, then pop into the shop and pick up a copy for only $15.00 and start on your art career now. Don't end up like me (can't make a cup look much like a cup).
Springtime - long weekend - free time
Plan your own off-road adventure
4WD South: Exploring Sth Canterbury, Otago, and Southland
by Mark Wilson
Spring is here and we have a long weekend coming up (followed by the Christmas break not long after) so now is the time our thoughts turn to holidays and outings. If you've got a 4WD vehicle, then you'll be thinking of mountain ranges, rivers, lakes and spectacular back country isolation.
This book is the essential guide for planning four-wheel drive adventures and expeditions. Whether you are a novice or an experienced off-roader, you will find journeys in this book to suit you. There are over 70 clear, accurate and easy-to-follow routes. It contains recommendations for base-camp towns and information on accommodation, food supplies, fuel availability, vehicle repairs (just in case you aren't planning to do your own) and advice on equipment, camping and cooking.
Get your hands on a copy of this book and get ready to enjoy the life of an intrepid explorer. Once started, you will find yourself with the 4WD bug and addicted.to the freedom and excitement that this sort of travel can bring. Pure magic.
Taiawhio: Conversations with Contemporary Maori Artists
Contemporary Maori Artists in conversation
This book divides neatly into chapters wherein a contemporary Maori artist is showcased in conversation with one of the five editors: Huhana Smith, Oriwa Solomon, Awhina Tamarapa, Megan Tamati Quennell or John Walsh.
The conversations focus on the artists' philosophy and inspiration and the illustrations in each chapter include some of the artist's work but also pictures of that artist's studio or working environment to give the reader a deeper understanding.
This is essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary Maori visual art, which in this volume ranges across weaving, carving, painting, and sculpture to video, film and photography.
Artists include Jolene Douglas, Star Gossage, FredGraham, Lyonel Grant, Dion Hitchens, Emily Karaka, Hei Macgregor, Nathan Pohio, Baye Riddell, Natalie Robertson, Anaru Rondon, Tracey Tawhiao, Saffron Te Ratana, Kura Te Waru Rewiri, and Arnold Wilson.
We also have a great range of other material on Maori and Polynesian art both on line and in the shop so come on in and browse.
The Art of Peter Siddell
If you are not familiar with the paintings of Peter Siddell, these few attached photos will give you a very small glimpse into his world. His clear love of the traditional New Zealand wooden villa shines through in gorgeous detail in his work. He has a real talent for painting houses and other buildings in towns and yet at the same time situating them in landscapes filled with light, emotion and atmosphere.
The above are my favourite kind of Siddell paintings and I really love the emptiness which comes from there being no people in them (perhaps I'm a bit weird) but there is much more to his work than villas and bungalows. There are also portraits and more traditional-type landscapes and more. The book comes with a potted autobiography written by Peter Siddell and an essay on his work by Professor Michael Dunn. Buy the book and take time to get to know his work. These photos don't do it justice.
Peter Siddell was born in Auckland in 1935. He became a full-time artist in 1972. He was made a Distinguished Companion of hte NZ Order of Merit for services to art in 2008.
Come into the shop (or browse on line) and have a look through our huge collection of art books.
Bird Sense: What It's Like to Be a Bird
If any of that struck a chord with you, then Tim Birkhead's book will probably appeal to you. Bird Sense: What It's Like to be a Bird is a beautifully written book and explores a bird's senses and how birds interpret the world.
It will address questions such as what it's like to fly at over 100km per hour or how flamingos can sense rain falling hundreds of kilometres away or how birds' senses compare to our own. The book is divided into chapters called Seeing, Hearing, Touch, Taste, Smell (which explains the book's title) and a couple of extras dealing with emotions & magnetic sense.
It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in birds, ornithology or natural history. Come in and get a copy
Colin McCahon / December 1951 to May 1952
This is a rare facsimile reprint of the Hocken Library original. As you can see from the accompanying photos, the original was dedicated to Charles Brasch by Colin McCahon in his own handwriting in 1959.
The booklet contains 15 drawings by Colin McCahon accompanied by short pieces of handwritten text on separate pages telling the life of Jesus.
"This is a cold land. Light candles against the oncoming dark. The word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. Give us Jesus. They crucified him (dividing his clothing amongst them). He is dead. And is risen again."
It is an imperial octavo booklet with manila card covers tied with thin strips of black ribbon. It is unpaginated but contains about 22 pages, 15 of which are charcoal drawings by McCahon done between 1951 and 1952. It was originally published by the Hocken Library in 1976. If you are looking for something very special and you have money to burn (NZ$4,500.00) then this might be the unique investment you are looking for.
Cocktails
Mmmmmmm! Caipirinha. Dry martini. Champagne Napoleon. Harvey Wallbanger. Lime Shooter. Cape Codder.
Those are just a few of the delicious, lipsmackingly good cocktails you can make with the help of a cocktail handbook: you could be tempted by a Mohican, or a gimlet, a daiquiri, a rusty nail, or a pisco sour.
Whether your spirit of choice is gin, rum, whisky, vodka, brandy, tequila or bourbon, you will find plenty of appealing cocktails to whip up and clear, simple instructions on how to make them. All the basics are covered, such as useful equipment, measures, types of glasses, and the liqueurs and mixers you will need.
Whether you are going to host a sophisticated cocktail evening, invite a few friends over for a bbq, or have a relaxing gathering with friends, you will find the way to be creative and imaginative with the recipes in these books. And if you've got kids, there are loads of non-alcoholic beverages to concoct as well.
Come and have a browse through our selction.
Games, sports, and pastimes
You won't have heard the above refrains for many a decade (if ever) but you might remember skittles, tiddley-winks, Looby Loo, quoits, Old Maid and Crambo (or of course you might not).
These books on sports, games, and pastimes offer a fascinating insight into bygone times. You could study them for the history alone but they also offer the chance to revive some of the forgotten entertainments and hobbies of the past. The range of outdoor and indoor amusements covered is astounding. It's hard to imagine there could be so many.
The selection includes activities for the playground, the classroom, the gymnasium, the home, the sports field, and the general outdoors. There is everything from professional sports to ball games, word games, tricks, dominoes, animal sports, exercises, jingles, songs, races, team competitions, mechanical and arithmetical puzzles, card games, marbles and much, much more. You almost have to see them to believe.
Come and have a look at these lovely old volumes and lose yourself in another world or choose from the rest of our books on games, pastimes and hobbies. You can't fail to be enchanted.
