Customer Reviews
sparkling showcase for Claire's works - lacklustre information - By: paddywack, 06 Aug 2008 
this book is a beautiful, bright & colourful reference book a real coffee table gem & delightful showcase for a wide range of Claire's bold abstract artwork - which I love.
I was seeking some outline structure to help me achieve my own approach to bold abstracts & found this to be a very poor source for practical techniques or real life studio information. The two examples provided are disappointing & lacking in detail, but then if she gave away her personal secrets we'd alll be producing similar work - so perhaps like any clever artist she has left us frustrated & wanting more. For me it was worth the money I spent because I do look at the art illustrations in it & aspire to produce bold works for myself. If you're seeking a know-how book don't bother, but it you want a quick collection of Claires work - then open your walllet...
Disappointing- It isn't about what the title says! - By: Lin Goodwin, 07 Apr 2008 
After having read the reviews on this book I ordered it & looked forward to gaining some insight into the world of abstract art & how to gain knowledge of the techniques & concepts.
What I did get was a self-indulgent book about the life & work of one artist. It may as well have been a biography. If you are a devotee of this artist you would enjoy this book, but do not buy it if you wish to learn the concepts & techniques of abstract as a subject especiallly if you want to work in this area yourself. Maybe it was my expectations at fault but I was hoping to learn more about abstract art in general & not how one person works.!
After several chapters I started to get bored. There were no examples of different abstract styles, methods or works. She does mention a few artists, but does not back this up with pictorial support... just HER work. She does not give a lot of advice on how to get started, choices of medium or any philosophy in detail, other than her own. It was repetitive, alll the time concentrating merely on the same issues of light & colour. Which she had already covered numerous times in the preceding chapters.... ok I got that... next concept please!!!
If you like her work, which is pretty good, although not as abstract as most & want to know her mind-set, buy this book. However, if you want to experiment in making your own abstract works, or learning about it, especiallly if wanting to learn techniques.... DON'T.
If I want to find out about Dali - I buy a book on Dali, if I want to learn of Picasso, I buy a book on Picasso. I followed the title & believed I had bought a book on 'ABSTRACT & COLOUR TECHNIQUES in painting' as the title suggests... & NOT a book on CLAIRE HARRIGAN. It should have been titled....' The Abstract Art of Claire Harrigan' which would have been more true & I would not have wasted my money on a book that did not meet my expectations.
Now I have to buy another book to fulfil what I expected THIS one to have done by its title.
A feast for the colour junkies - By: Colours and Cats, 11 Feb 2008 
I have to admit to being a fan of Claire Harrigan's work & also a frustrated artist. This book isn't a step by step copy your own 'semi-abstract'. There aren't chapters with lists of materials & colours like the bog standard how to books. The chapters are more like little essays & descriptions of how the artist works plus thoughts on colour, media abstraction etc. These are not dry pages however or difficult to get through as they are punctuated by numerous, glorious colour paintings to inspire any artist - just looking at the pictures makes me want to get out my tubes of paint. Take a look at some of the pages you won't be disappointed - I love the book so much I have two copies - however I am a colour junkie!
