People judge you by your bookshelf, so help out your friends and family members by expanding the art sections of their home libraries this holiday season. Here’s a list of new items, perfect for gifting, from local booksellers, Last Gasp and Park Life.
For the knitters: Expand their horizons with a stunning, minimalist book, The Collected Knitting of Loes Veenstra (Het Verzameld Breiwerk van Loes Veenstra). This dedicated knitter made over 500 sweaters since 1955 and kept them in boxes. They have never been worn, and are now documented, individually, by artist Christien Meindertsma in this chunky little paperback that I used like a flipbook to watch happy sweaters of all shapes and colors dance across the pages.
For the misfits: Paging through Elizabeth McGrath’s new monograph, Incurable Disorder, is like riding a rickety antique carnival ride through a haunted house of forgotten toys that have come to life and are desperate to play with you. Her oeuvre includes sculptural works laden with meaningful stories that convey acceptance of all circus freaks. Besides delighting in an in-depth look at her work over the years, it’s inspiring to see how McGrath’s use of materials has unfolded, especially with the introduction of crystals. Go the extra mile when gifting this book by having McGrath autograph it at one of her upcoming signings: Loved to Death on December 18 and Cakeland on December 21, 2013.
For the intense: Laurie Lipton’s drawings are pretty much unreal. The level of detail is sickening. People will stare at her work for long periods of time, mouths agape, wondering if she really drew that. At the same time, viewers’ minds are blown with the content: intense dancing skeletons, faces being poked and prodded, robot dolls, cannibalism and scary babies are just a few of Lipton’s subjects, and she puppeteers them through insane situations. There is no relaxed Lipton drawing, and that’s what makes her superhuman. I can only look at The Drawings of Laurie Lipton in short spurts before I have to stick the book in the freezer. Then I occasionally take it out for a few more peeks and scary thrills. Lipton also has upcoming Bay Area book signings December 12-14, 2013.