Painting American Folk Art

Fans of Charles Wysocki, Mary Engelbreit, Grandma Moses, and folk art in general will fall in love with this guide to painting, organized by seasons. Featuring projects that instruct artists of all skill levels how to draw and paint subjects that include quaint homes, pretty patterns, colorful gardens, picturesque farms, beautiful birds, and textured florals, this book features American-themed folk art infused with a modern twist. Beginning with an overview of what folk art is, followed by introductory topics like color, tools and materials, and drawing and painting techniques, Folk Art Fusion: Americana also includes sixteen simple step-by-step projects done in approachable and popular mediums. Rounding out the book is a gallery of folk-art pieces sure to inspire lovers of all things Americana. Simultaneously fresh and nostalgic, Folk Art Fusion: Americana draws on America’s rich artistic tradition and heritage and provides a fun, accessible take on creating beloved scenes from the heartland.

Add your own colorful touches to 30 meticulously rendered versions of well-known American folk art paintings. These works include Edward Hicks's Peaceable Kingdom of the Branch, Eunice Pinney's The Courtship, and other beloved portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. Colorists of all ages, including would-be artists and Americana enthusiasts, will revel in an engaging combination of art history and activity.

"Richly illustrated with over 260 color plates, Folk Art in American Life presents a broad sampling of the wealth and variety of American folk art from the late seventeenth century through the late twentieth century. Its scope includes objects from many diverse subject areas - from paintings to household furnishings of many kinds, to textiles, to sculpture, to environments."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This book presents watercolor renderings along with a selection of the artifacts in the Index of American Design, a visual archive of decorative, folk, and popular arts made in America from the colonial period to about 1900. Three essays explore the history, operation, and ambitions of the Index of American Design, examine folk art collecting in America during the early decades of the twentieth century, and consider the Index's role in the search for a national cultural identity in the early twentieth-century United States.

Provides an introduction to American crafts from colonial times to the present by showing examples of items used in play, the kitchen, and school from the collection of the Museum of Folk Art.

For a full list of entries, contributors, and more, visit the Encyclopedia of American Folk Art web site. This is the first comprehensive, scholarly study of a most fascinating aspect of American history and culture. Generously illustrated with both black and white and full-color photos, this A-Z encyclopedia covers every aspect of American folk art, encompassing not only painting, but also sculpture, basketry, ceramics, quilts, furniture, toys, beadwork, and more, including both famous and lesser-known genres. Containing more than 600 articles, this unique reference considers individual artists, schools, artistic, ethnic, and religious traditions, and heroes who have inspired folk art. An incomparable resource for general readers, students, and specialists, it will become essential for anyone researching American art, culture, and social history.

Drawing on the natural folk art tendencies of children, who love to collect buttons, bottle caps, shells, and Popsicle sticks to create beautiful, imperfect art, this activity guide teaches kids about the history of this organic art and offers inspiration for them to create their own masterpieces. The full breadth of American folk art is surveyed, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and textiles from the 17th century through today. Making bubblegum wrapper chains, rag dolls, bottle cap sculptures, decoupage boxes, and folk paintings are just a few of the activities designed to bring out the artist in every child. Along the way kids learn about the lives of Americans throughout history and their casual relationships to everyday art as they cut stencils, sew needlepoint samplers, draw calligraphy birds, and design quilts. Important folk artists such as the last surviving Shakers, the legendary Grandma Moses, and the Reverend Howard Finster are also explored in sidebars throughout the book.

For a full list of entries, contributors, and more, visit the Encyclopedia of American Folk Art web site. This is the first comprehensive, scholarly study of a most fascinating aspect of American history and culture. Generously illustrated with both black and white and full-color photos, this A-Z encyclopedia covers every aspect of American folk art, encompassing not only painting, but also sculpture, basketry, ceramics, quilts, furniture, toys, beadwork, and more, including both famous and lesser-known genres. Containing more than 600 articles, this unique reference considers individual artists, schools, artistic, ethnic, and religious traditions, and heroes who have inspired folk art. An incomparable resource for general readers, students, and specialists, it will become essential for anyone researching American art, culture, and social history.

"Written by a recognized authority in the field and illustrated with many specially commissioned full-color photographs, the book proudly present the spirit of the American nation as it has been expressed by generations of American craftspeople. The nation's symbols--the eagle, the flag, Uncle Sam, Liberty--and its ideals--freedom, home, religion--have been worked and reworked in many dramatic forms for more than two hundred years. Each artist has imbued his work with his generation's understanding of what the country stands for. The variety of forms of patriotic folk art is matched only by the variety of the artists. Painting and sculpture, carved weathervanes and whirligigs, ceramics, quilts and rugs, toys, painted furniture, shop signs, and religious symbols have been created by men and women of all ages and social levels, some working to earn a living, some working only for the joy of creating. Each chapter covers one symbol or ideal and shows how it has been reproduced in various forms that range from home-spun simplicity to ingenious sophistication, evoking the individuality, self-confidence, and optimism that are central to the American experience."--book jacket.

A guide to decorative folk-art painting. Information about brush techniques, materials, preparation of surfaces and pattern transfers is provided. Themes include Pennsylvania Dutch, Berger style, hearts and flowers.