You are more than kind. Thank you for mentioning the tessellation book
and the book-in-progress about Richard Haas.
For those of you who are interested in murals, Richard's urban murals
are phenomenal. He first finds an urban environment in need of repair
(i.e., aesthetically-challenged buildings) and then researches the
history of the area. His murals usually reflect something about the
historical aspects of the place.
His style is highly realistic. Most people walk by his murals and do
not realize that virtually every detail is painted rather than 3D.
In Fort Worth, he has three major murals and few others that off the
beaten path. One mural is the entire facade of the courthouse annex.
The actual Tarrant County Courthouse is more than a century old and is a
beautiful sandstone structure. The annex was an awful mid-20th century
thing that looked like a giant air conditioner. Richard completely
redesigned the facade of the newer structure to match the old
courthouse.
Another mural in Fort Worth is an homage to the Chisholm Trail that
passed through the city in the late 1800s. Although most viewers see
the longhorns on the side of the building, they rarely stop to see that
every architectural detail around the painted frieze is also painted.
The "stone-carved" dates, bricks, and mosaic tiles are all trompe
l'oeil.
Check out Richard's website at www.richardhaas. com to see his catalog.
Ge recently sent a copy of his new book to me. I highly recommend "The
City is My Canvas." Also, Crystal Productions will be carrying
Richard's award-winning video, "Painting the Town: The Illusionistic
Murals of Richard Haas."
From Texas,
Pam
JDecker wrote:
>
> Pam Stephens is writing a children's book about Richard Haas. It is sure to
> be a good one! For those of you doing lessons in tessellation, I highly
> recommend the book she wrote in collaboration with Jim McNeill
