Arts, Architecture & Design Books

What has pink feathers and long legs? Which creature carries its house on its back? Which furry forager wears a mask? Charley Harper’s I Am Wild Flash Cards teach youngsters to recognize wildlife—in the sky, in the ocean, in America’s...

An intricate tapestry of flowers, foliage, and birds, Catherine Marion’s Huia and Chrysanthemum design is alive with movement and color yet evokes a meditative garden mandala. Her intention is to remind observers of the natural beauty that can sometimes...

The distinct composition and linework of Under the Wave off Kanagawa may at first appear to focus on the power and majesty of the Pacific Ocean, but look closely and you’ll see that Katsushika Hokusai also highlights the beauty and spirituality of one of...

The 40 full-color landscape prints by Katsushika Hokusai presented here leave no doubt as to why he is considered one of the 19th century’s greatest printmakers. His depictions of nature distill a precise moment into a finely crafted composition, whether...

Katsushika Hokusai’s depictions of nature are beloved for the fine skill they required in composition, color, and line, as well as their more intangible qualities: the distillation of nature in a precise moment. His mastery is found everywhere in his...

Katsushika Hokusai’s landscapes are beloved for the fine skill they required in composition, color, and line, as well as their more intangible qualities: the distillation of nature in a precise moment. Breaking from tradition, he would sometimes outline...

Produced between 1856 and 1858 by the artist Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, a collection of woodblock prints, has had a lasting influence on Western art. The Japanese gardens in these prints inspired Claude Monet, and...

Purest of poems, a haiku contains in its 17 syllables a seasonal allusion as well as a distinct pause or shift. Cherry blossoms and swallows mean spring; red maple leaves and deer convey autumn. Nature and its ephemeral beauty—this is haiku. Japanese...

Gustave Baumann is best known for his warmly colored woodcut prints, whose restrained and modest look belies their complexity and the hard, skilled work that went into making them: Baumann’s prints often involved seven blocks. He worked in gouache and...

“Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!” growled one. “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night,” warned another. And one tempted fate: “Go ahead, make my day.” These classic lines evoke great moments and performances from...

The Impressionists were known for capturing their subjects in the moment, creating landscapes and scenes of everyday life that act as snapshots of time. Gardens were the perfect source of inspiration for the Impressionists: the vivid colors and unique...

With meticulous attention to detail and thousands of strokes from cat-hair brushes, a dynasty of Ukrainian artists is drawing worldwide attention to Petrykivka painting, an exuberant Ukrainian folk art. Featured here are four stylized paintings by Marfa...

Using a flatbed scanner as her camera, Deb Stoner captures every bit of detail in her floral still lifes, from the vibrant hues of a flower’s petals to the fine hairs of its stem. Though the plants and bugs Deb features often come from her garden, her...

A memory game for everyone! For those learning their ABCs, a challenge with each card flip—can you spot the true letter under the decoration? (To help, a booklet inside shows each basic letter.) For those already in the know, a visual delight—stunning...

Ditz (Austrian) Double Cat-Spread, 1988 Austrian artist Ditz paints house pets and farm animals, often in sweet domestic settings or grouped together like the more than 100 felines in Double Cat-Spread, reproduced here as a 1,000-piece puzzle. Maybe you...

David Galchutt’s Tropical Trio is a delightful display of avian poise and fantastic flora. Listen closely to hear the chirping conversation of the three cockatiels and the sounds of the surrounding jungle. A master of composition with a background in...

Be it a balloon ride in the mountains or a contemplative walk on the beach, many of us feel the urge to wander, to make discoveries, to find places of joy and celebration, comfort and peace. Darlene Kulig is no stranger to wanderlust, traveling the world...

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926) The Japanese Footbridge (detail), 1899 In the last decades of Monet’s life, his prized water garden and the footbridge he built over it became his most important subject. The reflective surface of the pond unified his...

Early critics dismissed Claude Monet’s paintings as hasty sketches. But in fact Monet set himself a goal that was remarkably difficult to achieve, and the evidence testifies that he succeeded brilliantly. Monet was devoted to the pursuit and capture of...

Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926) Water Lilies, ca. 1914–1917 Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926) was boundlessly inspired by the waterlily pond he created in his garden at Giverny. Throughout his last three decades of life he painted it repeatedly,...

CJ Hurley believes art should be a regular fixture in daily life. With the goal of creating living environments that celebrate family, lifestyle, and architecture, his interior designs incorporate intricately constructed natural elements. In his striking...

Undated planner you can begin using any time of year, but it’s much more than that. It’s for holding the art we appreciate close, for capturing the lists we make in our heads late at night, and for remembering the moments we want to celebrate. We set out...

A menagerie of birds and mammals of land and sea, as interpreted by best-selling artist Charley Harper, is presented here for your enjoyment. Harper’s work holds universal appeal for all ages. From his iconic cardinals and ladybugs to his rambunctious...

Charley Harper (American, 1922–2007) The Florida Keys, 1990 Big pieces for little hands make this Charley Harper bright, creature-filled floor puzzle perfect for an afternoon’s fun.

Charley Harper is famous for capturing the essence of each creature he depicted with seemingly simple geometric shapes and lines. Describing his distinctive style, which winnowed out all but the most essential details, Harper said, “When I look at a...

Charles White (American, 1918–1979) Mary McLeod Bethune, 1978 Groundbreaking educator and civic leader Mary McLeod Bethune is the statuesque central figure in Charles White’s mural for the Los Angeles Public Library. With education and learning as the...

Charles Lynn Bragg (American, b. 1952) Wonderland Cat, 1999 A green-eyed feline enchants its young human friend in this garden dreamscape. Using saturated color and playful scale, the artist gives viewers a glimpse of the not-so-natural habitat of the...

Brilliant hues blaze across hillsides, and textured clouds drift past a pink moon in the Catskill Mountains. In this abstracted Hudson Valley landscape, artist Jack Stuppin balances his deep respect for nature with an equal regard for creative intensity...

Carl Larsson with his wife, Karin Bergöö. lavished energy on remodeling and decorating their cottage in Sundborn, Sweden, which became an integral part of his paintings. Larsson’s light, bright watercolors presented their home and family in charming,...

Medieval storytelling meets 21st-century fantasy in the Surrealist art of El Gato Chimney. Inspired by everything from graffiti and steampunk to alchemy and spiritualism, the artist brings to life a mystical realm of brilliantly colored birds bearing the...

Molly Hashimoto’s vivid portrayal of the natural world offers a source of wonder and delight that reminds us to be still and engage our senses. Sharing her knowledge of birds and art through seminars in ecology centers and national parks, Hashimoto...

A leading figure in the British Arts and Crafts movement, Charles Francis Annesley Voysey (1857–1941) believed—like other Arts and Crafts practitioners—that no aspect of a house was too small to merit the architect’s attention. Even by this standard his...

Frances Broomfield (English, b. 1951) Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, 1998 Take a break amid the mighty sunflowers Vincent van Gogh famously adored. This peaceful moment, imagined by artist Frances Broomfield, evokes the impressionist’s old painting grounds in...

Painting with bold percussion and swinging riffs, Piet Mondrian brought the boogie-woogie beat to his classic, box-step style. In his art, Mondrian ascribed to the aesthetics of neoplasticism, which restricts artists to the most basic lines (straight,...

Oregon artist Siri Schillios finds inspiration in nature and then lets her imagination soar. Bright colors, fine brushwork, and charming imagery grace her bird paintings. Let The Bluebird of Happiness be your herald of joy and gratitude.

Like his oriole on the wing amidst stylized irises, CJ Hurley’s avian art lives at the intersection of the natural world and the Arts & Crafts aesthetic. Striking compositions and attention to detail define the artist’s integration of art and nature...

Tom Thomson’s love of the Canadian wilderness is masterfully depicted in each of his paintings. Working as a guide and forest ranger in Algonquin Park, Thomson meticulously studied the moods and changes of the Canadian countryside, and his art conveys...

The barn owl (Tyto alba) is one of the most widely distributed of all birds, taking top honors in that distinction among owls. Now acknowledged for its role as a predator of rodents, up until the late 20th century this large-winged, long-legged owl was...

Curlicue clouds and verdant swirls of greenery heighten the mystery and majesty of El Capitan’s sheer rock face. American artist Phyllis Shafer infuses her autumnal painting with a stylized softness counterbalancing some of Yosemite Valley’s hardest...

The world’s first underground railway, the London Underground opened its first section in 1863. Today it’s the third-busiest metro system in Europe. In 1908 Frank Pick, an early director charged with publicity for the expanding transit system, began...

Wolf Kahn (American, b. Germany, 1927–2020) Among Birches, 2015 Wolf Kahn’s luminous landscapes erase the line between representational and abstract art. His paintings are not an exact record of nature, yet a palpable sense of place remains. With this...

Alphonse Mucha (Czech, 1860–1939) Zodiac, 1896 Originally commissioned as a calendar, Alphonse Mucha’s Zodiac became one of his most popular designs, with at least nine variants. Images representing the 12 zodiac signs ring an ornately dressed woman’s...

The delightfully frightful Addams Family has tickled the dark side of the public’s funny bone for nearly 90 years. With the creation of Morticia, Gomez, Uncle Fester, and the whole quirky gang, Charles Addams put a satirical spin on the “ideal family.”...

Discover the joy of the great outdoors and the pleasures of slow travel with Kinfolk Wilderness. Whatever your pace or purpose, the stories within will provide you with a fresh perspective on what it means to be 'outdoorsy', whether that means...

Join Kinfolk on a journey off the beaten track, to islands big and small, in this collection of eighteen new travel stories. Whether it’s a tour of the otherworldly landscape of Socotra in Yemen or a hike into the old growth of a Japanese forest on...

John Derian Sticker Book, from revered designer John Derian, offers a curated collection of over 500 stickers that allow adults and children to add a touch of beauty to any surface with these beautiful images of blooming flowers, charming critters, and...

Explore the art of mindful travel with Kinfolk, the pioneers in “slow living,” their philosophy of simplicity, authenticity, intentionality and community. With nearly 450,000 copies in print, the Kinfolk series has applied this philosophy to entertaining...

A curated collection of wrapping paper sheets and matching gift tags from John Derian’s exquisite collection of 19th-century paper designs. The book includes 12 perforated wrapping paper sheets – from flowers to oceans and everything in between – that...