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|  Magical Secrets about Thinking Creatively: The Art of Etching and the Truth of Life, by Kathan Brown
Magical Secrets are ways of setting yourself up for thinking creatively, for a sudden understanding, something like a miracle. Kathan Brown learned them by helping artists of extraordinary acclaim make etchings. This book shows you how artists use the Magical Secrets in the Crown Point studio, and suggests ways to adapt their approaches to your own life.You will deeply appreciate this book is you are:An artist interested in learning by example and working in new ways,an individual who wants to be more creative in your work and life, a curious observer looking for a way to approach contemporary art, or an art lover who would like to know more about etching. DVD included!
Published by Crown Point Press/Prestel Publishing, 2006.
120 pages, with over 35 full color illustrations.
"Magical Secrets is the small embodiment of a huge effort. Once engaged, you may have a major revelation, or you may just solve a nagging mystery." -The Journal of the Mid America Print Council
"This book affords a rare glimpse into the creative thought processes of artists such as Chuck Close, John Cage, Peter Doig and Brown herself. The magical secrets of the title comprise 13 tips on how to think and work creatively. In each case, at least one artist is chosen to illustrate the point. The rich variety of tone and colour of the selected artworks help to dispel the myth that etchings can only ever be scratchy black line drawings on white paper. Various intaglio techniques are described and there is an ample glossary. The accompanying DVD is a useful supplementary aid." -Alan Smith, Printmaking Today 2006
I read this book in one sitting, but have turned back to it frequently. The poignant and refreshing artist quotes and the lessons on creativity are inspirational and relevant. I scrawled down this quote by John Cage in my notebook, As you continue, which you will do, the way to proceed will become apparent.I like its honest, composed approach to life's challenges. Magical Secrets about Thinking Creatively: The Art of Etching and the Truth of Life, is quite a hefty title to chomp into. But then again isn't there that thing in all of us that is searching around, like a chicken scratching in the sand, for that thing we are meant to do? Maybe that Laura Owens chicken perched on a bow on the cover is really some mystical sage reincarnated, and contains the wisdom of the ages in one multi-colored feather. Or maybe it's just a fancy chicken. This book will not show you nirvana but it will expand your creative approach to work and life, and may inspire you to think and do things in unique ways. It will introduce you to intaglio printmaking and explain the processes with illustrations from contemporary artists like Peter Doig, Shahzia Sikander, Dorothy Napangardi, and Richard Tuttle. Magical Secrets is the introduction to a continuing series of 5 books on intaglio printmaking processes and each successive book gives valuable, in-depth information on the techniques, tools, and processes. This book is broken down into 13 chapters, and each chapter highlights a secret or lesson on creativity drawn from the artists. They are ingredients for the reader to take and make into their own special recipe. The writing is straightforward and informative, yet casual. The author does not preach to the reader. Also, there is a helpful glossary of terms, detailed artist biographies, and a dvd of the author talking about the points she illustrates in the book. I would recommend this book to an art student, teacher, or individual who is looking to be more creative in their life or work. The design and layout is very appealing and the bright red backing with the chicken on the cover makes a great gift idea! I gave this book to my mom who is a life skills/general arts school teacher, and she used the idea of Tom Marioni's drypoint, Flying with Friends as a motivational class activity. Her students ran and jumped with paint brushes and they called it Soaring with Friends. Check out the Secrets and see for yourself. -Reviewed by Dana Zullo; October 6, 2008.
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Click on this link to visit our Magical Secrets website dedicated to printmaking techniques: http://www.magical-secrets.com/
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