Traditional Decorative Folk Art

The author explores three distinct genres of decorative folk painting - traditional strokework, bold painting and blending - demonstrating the brush strokes and illustrating the huge variety of finished styles which can be achieved with them. Traditional folk motifs, fine art themes, Art Deco designs, contemporary minimalism - all these and more are used as the inspiration for 20 handpainting projects.

A complete course in decorative hand painting. Covers everything from base coating to special techniques. Includes bibliographical references and index.

An exploration of painted decoration in provincial France. It is a combination of French culture and folk art, presenting the author's interpretations of traditional designs, such as flowers, figures and landscapes from the various regions of France.

Included in the examples are works from the Charleston and Old Slave Mart museums and the ironwork of Philip Simmons.

The persecution of Old World German Protestants and Anabaptists in the seventeenth century--following debilitating wars, the Reformation, and the Inquisition-- brought about significant immigration to America. Many of the immigrants, and their progeny, settled in the Appalachian frontier. Here they established a particularly old set of religious beliefs and traditions based on a strong sense of folk spirituality. They practiced astrology, numerology, and other aspects of esoteric thinking and left a legacy that may still be found in Appalachian folklore today. Based in part on the author's extensive collection of oral histories from the remote highlands of West Virginia, Signs, Cures, and Witchery; German Appalachian Folklore describes these various occult practices, symbols, and beliefs; how they evolved within New World religious contexts; how they arrived on the Appalachian frontier; and the prospects of those beliefs continuing in the contemporary world. By concentrating on these inheritances, Gerald C. Milnes draws a larger picture of the German influence on Appalachia. Much has been written about the Anglo-Celtic, Scots-Irish, and English folkways of the Appalachian people, but few studies have addressed their German cultural attributes and sensibilities. Signs, Cures, and Witchery sheds startling light on folk influences from Germany, making it a volume of tremendous value to Appalachian scholars, folklorists, and readers with an interest in Appalachian folklife and German American studies.

Throughout Massachusetts, artists carry on and revitalise deeply rooted traditions that take many expressive forms - from Native American basketry to Yankee wooden boats, Armenian lace, Chinese seals, and Irish music and dance. This illustrated volume celebrates and shares the work of a wide array of these living artists.