Rent: Art Making, Collections, and Obsessions: An Intimate Exploration of the Mixed-Media Work and Collections of 35 Artists

Art Making, Collections and Obsessions is a stunning book. The photography beautifully captures not only the work of some of America's best mixed media artists working today, but also the collected objects these same artists turn to again and again in their studios for inspiration.

While I savored each page for its incredible eye candy, there were some images in the book that were so beautiful I had to make a color photocopy to hang on my inspiration board. Just seeing these images every day, catching sight of them out of the corner of my eye while I'm working, touches a creative place inside of me.

The image that haunted me is a tattered 18th century wedding dress surrounded by a flowing tea-stained curtain, a basket of straw and twigs (pg 55). The display was created by artist Ellen Kochansky, and is reminiscent of an installation one would see while visiting the Museum of Modern Art.

I also enjoy Carla Sonheim's sweet little illustrations and handmade fabric accordion books (pg 32), Cathy Rose's incredible figurative work made from found objects (pgs 45 & 102) and Nina Bagley's gorgeous altered book (pg 99) that's embellished with freeform wire wrapping, twigs and fork feet.

The other thing I really enjoy about Lynne's latest book is that she featured fine art from the first page to the last page. Many of the works in this book are pieces the artists would sell in contemporary galleries to sophisticated art collectors or museum curators. Nothing is "pretty" and perfectly packaged for a retail (consumer) market.

I truly believe Art Making, Collections & Obsessions sets a new bar for authors and publishers of "craft" books. Thanks to Lynne for having the artistic vision to see this through.

I'm a huge fan of Lynn Perella's books and I would have bought it anyway, as I always did. This time, it is a new Lynn Perella's style, who goes, I think, further in the Art, and a little less in the Craft, as it is more about collecting than making. There are beautiful and striking photos and so far, I just had the pleasure to watch the marvelous pictures which make dream any sensible artist. The colors are also more white-neutral and calm in the hues than usually, giving us the wish to touch the material as much as admiring the textures.
Forgive-me if my English is not so good, but I think you understood that I love this book, and I widely recommend it if you want to see something new and amazing.
Yael
Author of "Une Nouvelle Vie Pour Vos Objets" by Yael Bolender and JP Delpech, Didier Carpentier Publisher, written in French and sold at Amazon Canada and France.

Although I knew before purchasing this book that it was focused on the collections of different artists, because the lead person is Lynne Perrella I guess I expected it to be more artful. Although it was lovely to look at and the various collections were interesting, this book really isn't more than eye candy -- expensive eye candy. I would recommend that you go into a bookstore or library and look it over before you make this purchase.

This is a fabulous collection of some of the most noted Mixed Media Artist around. I loved every page. I know you will all love it also

This is the most inspiring art book I've seen in a long, long time. I saw it on the shelf at Borders, and vaguely remembered I'd read something somewhere about a forthcoming Perella book. I took it off the shelf and browsed through it, and got a big rush: Have To Buy!Have To Buy!Have To Buy! followed by, "Oh-h-h-h, I should wait. I've already blown my book budget for this quarter and I don't even have a discount coupon. Oh, how selfish I am even thinking about buying yet another book. Easter expenses coming up and two birthdays and dental work to pay for...etc., etc., etc.." So, I put Perella's book back on the shelf and walked away. But, then I turned around and walked back and picked it up again and looked through it some more---almost hyperventilating all the while---and...put it back on the shelf, but, in the end, I bought the book and I'm completely enamored with it. Upstairs and downstairs, and back up and back down again, I've carried it with me, keeping it close by, browsing through it over and over, each time a pleasure.

As one with a long history as an artist/maker of the odd object and collector of disjecta membra and tattered discards, the book practically sings to me. It's not a how-to book, but instead, could, I think, be aptly described as an afternoon's outing through an intimate art gallery. The photography is glorious; Perella's books always are. The text is superb, both beautifully sensitive and generously nuanced in its reportage of the artists' purposes and devotion to collecting and art making. Truly, of all the excellent art books and magazines I've bought in recent months and years, this is the most personally stimulating and inspiring of all! So inspiring, in fact, that I'm seriously contemplating unearthing my own packed-away collected treasures and either putting them on display---or better yet, making 3-dimensional mixed-media art again!