Presents a survey of key contemporary artists who have each embraced painting and are working within a realist tradition. Through individual interviews, discusses their methods, motives and sources, from art history to the Internet and the language of film.

Just how tough are the country's most prestigious law schools? Most alumni would answer with stories of humiliating "Socratic dialogue failures" in the classroom and all-night, caffeine-fueled cram sessions. Until now, the traditional concept of the law-school experience was the one presented in Scott Turow's One-L, published in 1977, a dark description of his first year at Harvard Law School. Twenty-four years later things have definitely changed. Turow's book became the accepted primer--and warning--for aspiring law students, giving them a glimpse of what awaited: grueling nonstop study, brutally competitive classes, endless research, and unfathomable terminology. It described a draconian prison and endless work in the company of equally obsessive, desperate fellow students. Yet, sidestepping terror and intimidation, law students (and new authors) Robert Byrnes and Jaime Marquart entered highly prestigious law schools, did things their own way, earned law degrees, and were hired by a Los Angeles law firm, turning Turow's vision upside down. In their parallel narratives--two twisted, hilarious, blighted, and glorious coming-of-age stories--Byrnes and Marquart explain how they managed to graduate while spending most of their time in the pursuit of pleasure. Byrnes went to Stanford to reinvent himself--after a false start in politics he wanted to explore the life of the mind. It took him virtually no time to discover that the law was neither particularly intriguing nor particularly challenging. He could play around the clock. When Byrnes wasn't biking he was getting drunk and smoking crack. Finding himself when he discovered the right woman, Byrnes finally moved to Los Angeles during his third year and flew upstate only to take final exams. Born and raised in a small town in Texas, Marquart had never lived outside the state before arriving at Harvard. Amazed at his own good luck, he approached school with all due diligence. Disenchantment followed shortly thereafter, and Marquart learned he needn't be intimidated by his classmates and teachers. With a mysterious and bizarre companion--another student called the Kankoos--Jaime took up traveling but devoted most of his energy (and considerable money) to gambling, counting cards in casinos around the country. Irreverent, funny, and downright shocking, Brush with the Law will inspire undergraduates to bone up for the entrance exam, while outraging lawyers and the admissions officers of their beloved alma maters. Upon realizing how easy it was to get good grades, Jaime relates: "I approached my second year with [one] goal . . . take classes that required the least amount of work and the least amount of attendance . . . To accomplish my . . . goal, I devised The System, a short instruction manual on the principles behind selecting and ditching law school classes. The System's goal was to screw off as much as possible, with few if any consequences." --from Brush with the Law

A quiet lakeside town in western New York state is the new home of Manhattan artist Chloe Abbington and the backdrop for murder in this series debut by Bailee Abbott. For Chloe Abbington, the transition from fine art painter in New York City to painting-event business owner in charming Whisper Cove is more than a little jarring. But when poison-pen journalist Fiona Gimble writes a viciously negative review of the newly opened Paint with a View, Chloe learns that critics are the same everywhere. And when she finds Fiona's body behind her shop with a painting knife in her neck, Chloe realizes that this picture-perfect town offers anything but peace and quiet. Suddenly, bustling Artisan Alley is a crime scene, and Chloe is the prime suspect. Her sister and business partner, Izzie, isn't much help--she's busy running the shop, and besides, she has secrets of her own. As shrewd Detective Barrett tries to paint her into a corner, Chloe soon finds that Fiona had plenty of enemies. The Whisper Cove Gazette columnist wielded her pen like a sword, slicing and dicing just about every shop owner in the lakeside town. With the help of her affectionate canine buddy, Max, Chloe sets out to prove that she's been framed for Fiona's murder. But she'd better learn the fine art of detection quickly, before the real killer paints the town red again. Otherwise, she may end up trading in her paint smock for an orange jumpsuit...or a green burial plot.

Dive into A Brush of Darkness, the first book in the Abby Sinclair trilogy. The man of her dreams might be the cause of her nightmares. Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as- sin incubus searching for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish, as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As she is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, Abby realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.

The eye-arresting images in this original contemporary art book feature two popular mediums, painting and photography. Although the art is inspired by the Long Island landscape, its visual appeal in artists’ interpretations of locations is universal. Paired with the dialog of the artists, the narrative becomes an intimate conversation with the reader. Combining life, loss, serendipity and art, it portrays two artists, whose conceptually similar work evolved independently until social media brought them together. Their collaboration continues to produce treasures of stunning, memorable beauty. The improbable pairing of Holly Gordon, photographer from Bay Shore, Long Island, and Ward Hooper, painter from Northport, Long Island, is a symbiotic match. Their artistic relationship is an affirmation of the human spirit in an age where most can’t seem to detach from objects. These two contemporary artists discovered a serendipitous connection to the earlier American artistic and personal alliance of Arthur Dove and Helen Torr, whose work was inspired by the same Long Island locations. The past thus joined the present, deepening Gordon and Hooper’s bond, both personally and geographically. In Gordon and Hooper’s intimate relationship there is a sense of empathy, connection, and mutual discovery that is invincible. Ward Hooper and Holly Gordon understand that the meaning of their journey extends beyond themselves. Their camaraderie and brilliant exposition beckons others to do the same and thereby reach their own heights in art and life. The transformative journey that unfolds centers on art as a positive force that ultimately unites two creative spirits. I found the imagery captivating and the text inspirational. Learning about how these two people from different art disciplines came together to help heal and enrich each others’ lives (and create wonderful imagery throughout the process) made me appreciate my life and relationships even more. The book may even encourage you to create something new, or collaborate with someone you already know...or someone who is out there waiting to be a part of your “Light's Journey.” -- Andrew Darlow, Photographer, Educator and Author ......A love story of friendship and renewal. Holly and Ward were meant to meet to discover their connection through art and nature. Two wonderful artists exploring life together through the warmth of colors, brush and lens strokes and subjects they created separately at different times and then together revealing their deep passion for life, friendship and art. --Charlee M. Miller, Executive Director, Art League of Long Island, Dix Hills, N.Y. Parallel Perspectives: The Brush/Lens Project gives us seamlessly created images that work on many levels: They pay attention to tiny details yet pulse with large swaths of vibrant color. They look like paintings — but they could be photographs, and vice versa. These are eye-arresting scenes, a visual harvest of the natural beauty that surrounds us, creating lasting sights that celebrate what talented artists have always quested for: the light. Holly Gordon finds images and builds digital layers that blend an unflinching assessment by a documentary photographer and environmentalist with a painterly sensitivity; Ward Hooper’s loose brushstrokes capture the ever-shifting light and shadow through watercolors that are as elusive as the light. Their collaboration continues to produce treasures of stunning, memorable beauty.—Annie Wilkinson Blachley’s features and cover stories have been published by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and national and regional newspapers and magazines. She is a copy editor and columnist for the Long Island Press and writes several monthly columns for Long Island Woman Magazine

[NOTE: This book covers Painter 12] As Painter reaches a milestone twentieth anniversary, The Painter Wow! Book, now in its tenth edition, continues to be an inspiration to Painter fans everywhere, novice and pros alike. Author and renowned artist Cher Threinen-Pendarvis uses her clear, instructive approach to get beginners up to speed and provides more advanced users with additional insight on a variety of cool, creative, and productive techniques. New to this edition is coverage of Painter’s latest tools and the completely redesigned interface, including new media library management, the new Navigator panel and new Clone Source panel, enhanced workspace features, new Real Wet Watercolor and Real Wet Oil painting media, Symmetry features including Kaleidoscope and Mirror painting modes, improved support for Photoshop users, and much more. This invaluable resource for professionals and artists at all levels offers: Numerous full-color images and illustrative techniques throughout, created by renowned Painter artists worldwide Insider knowledge of Painter’s tools, brushes, functions, and preferences from the creator of hundreds of Corel’s brushes Step-by-step instructions for creating artwork in a wide range of industries including commercial illustration and design, photography, fine arts, multimedia, and entertainment A CD-ROM containing stock photos, video clips, a study guide for instructors, unique custom brushes, plus papers, patterns, and other Wow! goodies built by Cher herself [NOTE: This book covers Painter 12] All of Peachpit's eBooks contain the same content as the print edition. You will find a link in the last few pages of your eBook that directs you to the media files. Helpful tips: - If you are able to search the book, search for "Where are the lesson files?" - Go to the very last page of the book and scroll backwards. - You will need a web-enabled device or computer in order to access the media files that accompany this ebook. Entering the URL supplied into a computer with web access will allow you to get to the files. - Depending on your device, it is possible that your display settings will cut off part of the URL. To make sure this is not the case, try reducing your font size and turning your device to a landscape view. This should cause the full URL to appear.

Invites young readers to touch Baroque and Renaissance paintings, including Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," Botticelli's "Birth of Venus," and Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring." On board pages.