American Rustic

An intimate look at rustic homes, cabins, architecture, and decorating in true American rustic style. Included are fresh takes on traditional log cabins, sustainable projects, artistic abodes, and places for play—all artistically photographed and discussed in exquisite prose. From a New Mexico Pueblo to a New York lake house, from humble to grand, these dream retreats will carry away your imagination. CHASE REYNOLDS EWALD has been writing about food, design, travel, and lifestyle for 25 years. A graduate of Yale and the Graduate School of Journalism at U.C. Berkeley, she is currently Senior Editor of Western Art & Architecture Magazine. She lives in Tiburon, California. AUDREY HALL’S photography has been widely published; her feature stories have appeared in The New York Times, Interiors, Luxe, Preservation, Country Living, Sunset, and the Wall Street Journal. She lives in Livingston, Montana.

Discusses the tradition of country-style wooden furniture, and describes the materials and techniques used in nailed stick, split wood mosaic, and mortise and tenon projects.

Rustic woodworking is a technique that continues to attract both novice and experienced craftspeople. Through 30 attractive projects of varying difficulty, two experts in this traditional art teach the pleasures of working with sticks, twigs, and other found wood. No experience is required to construct many of the pieces, and illustrations and color photos provide help throughout. A woven twig birdhouse, beautiful diamond rose trellis, and the perennial favorite Adirondack chair: all the projects add decorative flair to a porch or deck. Also included are tips for working with bark, and advice on painting and other finishing methods. The various combinations of natural wood textures and curves will add spark--and comfort--to any garden.

From the simple assertion that "words matter" in the study of visual art, this comprehensive but eminently readable volume gathers an extraordinary selection of words—painters and sculptors writing in their diaries, critics responding to a sensational exhibition, groups of artists issuing stylistic manifestos, and poets reflecting on particular works of art. Along with a broad array of canonical texts, Sarah Burns and John Davis have assembled an astonishing variety of unknown, little known, or undervalued documents to convey the story of American art through the many voices of its contemporary practitioners, consumers, and commentators. American Art to 1900 highlights such critically important themes as women artists, African American representation and expression, regional and itinerant artists, Native Americans and the frontier, popular culture and vernacular imagery, institutional history, and more. With its hundreds of explanatory headnotes providing essential context and guidance to readers, this book reveals the documentary riches of American art and its many intersecting histories in unprecedented breadth, depth, and detail.

From comfortable simplicity to elegant showplaces, the settings, furnishings, and decor in Rustic Artistry for the Home raise the standard for excellence in this growing field of collectible handcrafted furnishings. Ralph Kylloe gives us a priviledged look at never-before-photographed interiors and takes us along as he visits multi-million-dollar homes deep in the heart of the American wilderness. His eye is undisputedly keen on quality. Along with regional styles and past masters, the most talented new rustic furniture artists are showcased here, expanding not only the craftmanship of furniture making but also the vocabulary of rustic style in our time.

It was the war that gave birth to the United States, the world's first—and today, oldest—liberal democracy. The Revolution liberated the 13 colonies from British rule and created heroes and battles now secure in national lore: George Washington. Paul Revere. Alexander Hamilton. The Battles of Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Yorktown. But what led these heroes to upturn their lives of comfort for the dangerous pursuit of the difficult ideals of freedom and equality? What happened to them and their fellow patriots on the battlefield? Who led? Who followed? Who were the traitors? Who were the spies? This LIFE special edition goes behind the scenes to understand one of history's most important events. It captures the drama of the war through stunning imagery and a fast-paced narrative, while bringing to life the stories of the men and women who sacrificed so much for future generations.