johnsmachines

You guys could consider a new hobby, to balance your personalities, and develop the artistic side of your brains.  (can’t remember which side of the brain that is, but here is my suggestion…)

Hard cover, 120pp, from Pen and Sword Publishers.

UZBEKISTAN.  AN EXPERIENCE OF CULTURAL TREASURES TO COLOUR

This book was surprising.

I was expecting wonderful pictures of Islamic art from Bukhara, Tashkent, Samarkand and other central Asian cities of the Silk Road.  And indeed, every second page is a full page colour picture of the amazing tile work, mosaics, ornaments, paintings and fabrics from Uzbekistan.

Every other page is a fine line drawing of the corresponding colour page.  What was most surprising to me, is that this is actually a COLOURING BOOK.   The drawing pages are there to be coloured in.

SWMBO tells me this is a common adult hobby, used for relaxation and stress relief, and making beautiful artistic pictures.  Well I don’t see myself swapping steam engine making for colouring-in exercises, but horses for courses.

Whatever, this is a beautiful, large format book, and will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys the superb, stylistic, Islamic decorative arts.  If stress relieving colouring-in is your thing, well, so much the better.

Dr  John Viggers.

The right hand page is for colouring-in, probably after scanning to art paper.  (might make interesting patterns to CNC engrave too.)

ps.   No luck finding spare gears for the big lathe, but lots of suggestions from my readers.  Thanks bloggers.  I will let you know what happens.