Robin Hopper’s Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose (2011) reads at first like a how‑to manual, but under the guise of practical instruction lies a quietly profound meditation on the very nature of utility, beauty, and the relationship between maker, object, and user. Hopper—a potter whose career spanned continents and whose teaching influenced generations of … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose by Robin Hopper
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Andy Warhol, 1928-1987: Commerce Into Art by Klaus Honnef
Klaus Honnef’s Andy Warhol, 1928–1987: Commerce into Art offers a meticulous and richly contextualized account of one of the twentieth century’s most enigmatic figures. Far more than a mere chronology of Warhol’s life, Honnef presents a compelling argument that the artist’s genius lay in the seamless fusion of commercial practice and avant-garde sensibility—a synthesis that … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Andy Warhol, 1928-1987: Commerce Into Art by Klaus Honnef
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Frida Kahlo: The Paintings by Hayden Herrera
Hayden Herrera’s Frida Kahlo: The Paintings stands as both a sumptuous visual compendium and a rigorous critical study, weaving together biographical narrative, art-historical inquiry, and cultural commentary. Where many surveys of Kahlo’s oeuvre risk reducing her work to superficial symbols of martyrdom or kitsch, Herrera insists on treating each canvas as a complex text—one that demands close … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Frida Kahlo: The Paintings by Hayden Herrera
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Raku: Bold Explorations of a Dynamic Ceramics Technique, Edited by Ray Hemachandra
Ray Hemachandra’s 500 Raku: Bold Explorations of a Dynamic Ceramics Technique is more than a visual catalogue—it is a philosophical document. As part of the “500 Series” published by Lark Books, this volume continues the series’ tradition of curatorial excellence, presenting a collection of works that not only celebrate a specific craft but also probe the limits … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Raku: Bold Explorations of a Dynamic Ceramics Technique, Edited by Ray Hemachandra
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Vases: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Form by Ray Hemachandra
Ray Hemachandra’s 500 Vases: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Form situates the humble vase at the intersection of functional craft and high art. By juxtaposing a broad array of contemporary practitioners—from established maestros to emerging voices—Hemachandra underscores the vase’s enduring capacity to inspire innovation. As a reference work, it collects photographic documentation of five hundred distinct forms … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – 500 Vases: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Form by Ray Hemachandra
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull’s J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator (1995) offers a magisterial exploration of Tolkien’s visual creativity, positioning his artwork not as ancillary curiosities but as integral expressions of his mythopoetic vision. Rather than treating the illustrations as mere complements to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Hammond and Scull frame Tolkien’s art as an … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Ceramics for Beginners: Animals & Figures by Susan Halls
Susan Halls’s Ceramics for Beginners: Animals & Figures positions itself at the intersection of pedagogical clarity and sculptural imagination. Aimed squarely at novices, this volume nevertheless aspires—even at the introductory level—to cultivate both technical facility and aesthetic sensibility in its readers. As a literary scholar might probe a text for subtext, narrative arc, and ideological underpinnings, so … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Ceramics for Beginners: Animals & Figures by Susan Halls
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Art Forms in Nature by Ernst Haeckel
Ernst Haeckel’s Art Forms in Nature (original German title: Kunstformen der Natur, first published between 1899 and 1904) stands at a fascinating crossroads of science, art, and philosophy. Though often referenced primarily for its breathtaking lithographs of organisms—radiolarians, diatoms, jellyfish, and countless other invertebrates—Haeckel’s work extends far beyond mere naturalistic illustration. He fashioned a visual and intellectual manifesto … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Art Forms in Nature by Ernst Haeckel
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Craft Perception and Practice: A Canadian Discourse, Vol. 2, edited by Paula Gustafson
Craft Perception and Practice: A Canadian Discourse, Vol. 2, edited by Paula Gustafson, represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of Canadian craft scholarship. Published by Ronsdale Press in 2005, this volume collects twenty-two essays and critical commentaries by nineteen independent critics, curators, professional artists, art historians, and studio art instructors. By bringing together voices … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Craft Perception and Practice: A Canadian Discourse, Vol. 2, edited by Paula Gustafson
The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Craft Perception and Practice: A Canadian Discourse, Vol. 1, edited by Paula Gustafson
Paula Gustafson’s Craft Perception and Practice: A Canadian Discourse, Vol. 1 is an ambitious, multifaceted exploration that positions Canadian craft not merely as an artisanal pursuit but as a site of critical inquiry and cultural negotiation. Gustafson—long known for her incisive editorial work in Artichoke magazine—assembles a slate of voices that interrogate craft’s epistemological foundations, its links … Continue reading The Adaptable Educator’s Book Review – Craft Perception and Practice: A Canadian Discourse, Vol. 1, edited by Paula Gustafson
The New Renaissance Mindset 