Stunningly beautiful. The photography of Lois Greenfield is superbly showcased as you flip through the pages of this book.

It has been a while since I have truly been awestruck by a photographer’s work. This collection is gravity-defying. The moments that are captured through the photographer’s lens are so elegant and impactful that one cannot help but simply stare. Many times I have found myself searching for wires and apparatuses that keep the models/dancers in their desired placements as if I were searching for the secrets of a magician.

Captivated by the cover image, I quickly went to look up the photographer and the book. And let me tell you, I almost fell off my chair. Now seeing the book in front of me and being able to carefully go through it, I must say WOW.

With each page, I am greeted with a new image. A moment in time that Lois has chosen to share with those who view her work. She is sharing with us a private expression of the model/dancer that normally would be gone in a fleeting gesture. How many times have you seen a dancer glide across the stage and think about just one flick of the wrist or turn? I can honestly say that I never do. I think about the performance from beginning to end, but not about the series of actions that compile it. But now, I see all of it differently and that is because of Lois Greenfield and her photography.

If you are an art lover, a photographer, or just anyone that can appreciate the stunning beauty of these photos, I highly suggest that you buy this book. It will quickly become a treasured addition to your collection.

Artist Statement

“I’ve spent the last 40 years of my photographic career investigating movement and its expressive potential. My inspiration has always been photography’s ability to stop time and reveal what the naked eye cannot see. What intrigues me is making images that confound and confuse the viewer, but that the viewer knows, or suspects, really happened.

The ostensible subject of my photographs may be motion, but the subtext is time. A dancer’s movements illustrate the passage of time, giving it substance, materiality, and space. In my photographs, time is stopped, a split second becomes an eternity, and an ephemeral moment is solid as sculpture. My interest in photography is not to capture an image I see or even have in my mind, but to explore the potential of moments I can only begin to imagine.

I prefer to work outside the constraints of choreography, collaborating with dancers on improvised, non-repeatable, often high-risk moments. These moments are not plucked from a continuum but exist only as isolated instants. I allow the dancers to project a fluid identity for the camera and showcase a different persona in each photo, producing images that represent dreams of our constantly shifting selves. 

I am dealing in the poetics of a visual language rather than in its literalness.  I want my images to defy rational explanations. There is no “solution” to the questions posed by my photographs- they are meant to frame contradictions, present the impossible, and find coherence within chaos. All my pictures are taken as single image, in-camera photographs. I never recombine or rearrange the figures within my images. Their veracity as documents gives the photographs their mystery, and the surrealism of the imagery comes from the fact that our brains don’t register split seconds of movement."

Artist Bio:

Lois Greenfield began her career as a photojournalist but was drawn to the graphic potential of dance. She covered the experimental dance scene for the Village Voice from 1973 to the mid-’90s. In 1982, she decided to open a studio where she could not only control the lighting but could also direct the dancers in her exploration of the expressive possibilities of photographed movement. Her unique approach to photographing the human form in motion has radically redefined the genre and influenced a generation of photographers.

She has created signature images for most of the contemporary dance companies, from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to American Ballet Theatre. Many of these photos have appeared in her two bestselling books- Breaking Bounds, 1992, and Airborne 1998, both published by the Thames and Hudson LTD, UK, and Chronicle Books US.

Her latest book, Lois Greenfield: Moving Still, from the same publishers, was released in 2015, and the accompanying exhibit has been on tour within the US and to Russia, China, and Colombia.

Commercial clients have picked up on the metaphorical potential of her vision. She has created ads and campaigns for clients including Disney, Orangina, Proctor & Gamble, Pepsi, AT&T, Sony, Hanes, Raymond Weil, and Rolex.

Since her first show at New York City’s International Center of Photography in 1992, her work has been exhibited in many museums and galleries, such as the Tel Aviv Art Museum, Israel; the Venice Biennale, Italy; the Musée de l’Elysée, Switzerland; the Erarta Contemporary Art Museum, Russia; and the Southeast Museum of Photography, Florida.

Lois has been fascinated by non-traditional forms of photographic presentation. Invited to participate in “Le Printemps de Cahors” in France, she projected her images onto a 30-foot high water screen in the Lot River. Set against the night sky, the water turned her crystal sharp photographs back into ephemeral moments, making the live experience seem like a product of the imagination.

Lois pioneered the use of live photography as an integral part of a dance performance. She collaborated from 2003 to 2007 with the Australian Dance Theatre on HELD, a dance inspired by her photography. Lois was onstage shooting the live-action and her images were projected real-time as part of the performance. This award-winning dance was performed to sold-out audiences around the world, from the Sydney Opera House to Sadler’s Wells in London, the Joyce Theater in NYC to Theatre de la Ville, Paris.

In 2014/2015 Lois was an Artist in Residence at NYU/Tisch Department of Dance and New Media. In 2015, she was honored with the Dance in Focus award given by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Dance Films Association, and in 2016 she received a lifetime achievement award from The McCallum Theatre Institute in recognition of her ground-breaking contributions to the field.

See more of her work at www.loisgreenfield.com.

About the Book:

Legendary dance photographer Lois Greenfield captures the beauty and form of the most talented dancers of our time from the world's leading dance companies. This collection—one that will be appreciated by lovers of dance or photography—surveys Greenfield's creative output across the last two decades, and includes her entry into color photography. An elegant monograph celebrating the signature gravity-defying images from one of the world's most accomplished and respected photographers, Moving Still expresses the artistic possibilities of contemporary dance reflected through an inimitable lens.

Buy the book on Amazon, Bookshop.org, and Chronicle Books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lois Greenfield is a photographer of contemporary dance based in New York City. She is the recipient of the 2015 Dance in Focus Award in recognition of her groundbreaking photography. William A. Ewing is a renowned museum director, curator, and writer on photography.

Susan Levin's book ART FROM DREAMS, MY JUNGIAN JOURNEY in COLLAGE, ASSEMBLAGE, and POETRY is a truly beautiful book. Not only does the print book have amazing images, but having the art put with the poetry gives the reader (and viewer) more of an in-depth look at what went into the creation of the art.

In the pieces that are just collages and paintings, there is a painterly quality to her work. What I mean is you can see the levels of the medium in a way that they become something else besides just a tool to convey a message. However, in the pieces that are more item/object-based, I have to say that Levin''s art reminds me of Joseph Cornell''s artwork. Many years ago I had the opportunity to see his work in person and it was magical. I had never been one who liked the collage & assemblage type of work, his pieces changed my mind about that. For those of you who don't know who Joseph Cornell is, you can check out his work on WebMuseum or on Pem.org. But I digress ...

Susan's work started out while she was a Jungian dream analyst, but in my option, the work after that (Part II) is where you really start to see more depth. Though the pieces in Part I are good, my interpretation of the work was that she was trying to figure out where to put her thoughts. The pieces seem more organized. Where in the second part of the book, I could start to feel what she was feeling. Though there is still order and process to her work, I felt as if with the Nocturne pieces, I could see the dream in more of a freeform state. These pieces such as The Break-Up and Thunderstorms are magical to me. There is a freedom in them, that I just love

About the Book:

ART FROM DREAMS, MY JUNGIAN JOURNEY in COLLAGE, ASSEMBLAGE, and POETRY celebrates artistic expression as an exploration for self-awareness. Art-making and poetry reveal to ourselves and to others the images and feelings that arise within us in dreams. The very process of creation taps into the source of our inner wisdom. Poetry itself can be accessible as a collage of named images put together in various forms to communicate to and from our innermost selves.

Find the book on Amazon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Susan Levin has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an Masters of Public Health (MPH) from Johns Hopkins University. In addition, she studied art at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. She is a working artist in Los Angeles, Ca.

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission should you purchase using those links. All opinions expressed are my own. I receive no compensation for reviews.

What I loved about this book is that Dauer gets it. I have worked for A LOT of employers as a graphic designer, an artist, & an assistant. The places that got my best work were the ones that truly embraced me as a person as well as an artist. They got to know who I was before sitting me down at my desk to typeset a 100K manuscript or design a cover for a dystopian religious-themed novel that I knew absolutely nothing about but needed to have a sniper scope on the cover. The employers that greeted me on my first day with a chat and a cup of coffee got my creativity as their reward. I felt as if I were a valued member of the team.

However, this is not the case with most of the places where I worked. The lack of a human-centered workspace is why I started my own company and have continued to work for myself for the past 10 years through VMC Art & Design. I know what it takes to get the best from myself. Because of this, I am able to grow as a creative and give my clients a more unique and artistic solution to their design needs. No. I am not doing a sales pitch here. I am just stating that a number of things that the author mentions are true and should be embraced by employers.

If I may be so bold as to offer a suggestion. Read this book. If you are a business owner, manager, and/or creative director, read this book. If you are an artist, graphic designer, and/or future creative employee, read this book. You may learn from it. You may even find out new ways to enhance your business by doing as much as possible to cultivate a creative culture.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

We create human-centered interactions and experiences in our field. Empathetic purpose drives our every decision. Mobile First? In reality, it’s humans first. This same mentality, turned inward, forms the cornerstone of something amazing: a creative culture.

Designers and front-enders have a unique advantage in solving the cultural problems in business that are sucking the life out of us. Several, in fact. The principles discussed in this book derive from the perspectives and skillsets we already use daily: empathy, objectivity and, yes, ample creativity.

Find the book at Amazon.

About the Author: Justin graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago at a time when the job title “Web Designer” was an ethereal mystery to our moms and dads. Through bloodshot tunnel vision, he’s drawn from career experiences across agency side, client side, design studio, and pure tech to foster healthy, dynamic, supportive creative cultures.

Book Details:

Paperback: 102 pages
Publisher: Lead Hand Books (June 13, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692840672
ISBN-13: 978-0692840672

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission should you purchase using those links. All opinions expressed are my own. I receive no compensation for reviews.

As the years pass, the medieval history professor and the girl from Jitter Beans will continue, with wild passion and tenderness, to love so very happily ever after.

Flowers, lovebirds, Paris, cupcakes...all embellish the pages of this beautiful coloring book inspired by Nina Lane's bestselling Spiral of Bliss series and hand-drawn by artist Victoria Colotta. This is the book Olivia West creates when she draws pictures of "things that make her happy." A visual expression of hope and love, the Spiral of Bliss coloring book features intricate pen-and-ink illustrations waiting for you to bring them to colorful life.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Buy the Book on Amazon!

Proceeds from the sale of A Spiral of Bliss Coloring Book will be donated to the following breast cancer organizations: The Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition, Hope Chest for Breast Cancer, and The Metastatic Breast Cancer Network

Colored pencils and crayons rather than ink are recommended for coloring this book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR NINA LANE:

New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances and spicy erotica. Originally from California, she holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she's that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

Victoria Colotta is an artist, author, and award winning graphic designer for her work at VMC Art & Design. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. It is here that she truly embraced her love of drawing. If she is not in her office, you will find her spending time with her crazy dog Lizzy, hanging out with her family, or testing out a new recipe.

Susan Levin's book ART FROM DREAMS, MY JUNGIAN JOURNEY in COLLAGE, ASSEMBLAGE, and POETRY is a truly beautiful book. Not only does print book have amazing images, but having the art put with the poetry gives the reader (and viewer) more of an in depth look at what went into the creation of the art.

In the pieces that are just collage and painting, there is painterly quality to her work. What I mean is you can see the the levels of the medium in a way that they become something else besides just a tool to convey a message. However, in the pieces that are more item/object based, I have to say that Levin''s art reminds me of Joseph Cornell''s artwork. Many years ago I had the opportunity to see his work in person and it was magical. I had never been one who liked the collage & assemblage type of work, his pieces changed my mind on that. For those of you who don''t know who Joseph Cornell is, you can check out his work on WebMuseum or on Pem.org. But I digress ...

Susan's work started out while she was a Jungian dream analyst, but in my option, the work after that (Part II) is where you really start to see more depth. Though the pieces in Part I are good, my interpretation of the work was that she was trying to figure out where to put her thoughts. The pieces seem more organized. Where in the second part of the book, I could start to feel what she was feeling. Though there is still order and process to her work, I felt as if with the Nocturne pieces, I could see the dream in more of a freeform state. These pieces such as The Break-Up and Thunderstorms are magical to me. There is a freedom in them, that I just love

About the Book:

ART FROM DREAMS, MY JUNGIAN JOURNEY in COLLAGE, ASSEMBLAGE, and POETRY celebrates artistic expression as an exploration for self-awareness. Art-making and poetry reveal to ourselves and to others the images and feelings that arise within us in dreams. The very process of creation taps into the source of our inner wisdom. Poetry itself can be accessible as a collage of named images put together in various forms to communicate to and from our innermost selves.

Find the book on Amazon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Susan Levin has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an Masters of Public Health (MPH) from Johns Hopkins University. In addition, she studied art at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. She is a working artist in Los Angeles, Ca.

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission should you purchase using those links. All opinions expressed are my own. I receive no compensation for reviews.