NEW YORK, NY.- Written by a practicing artist, this book decodes and maps the basic elements of visual art, leading the reader to a greater understanding and appreciation. Not an art history lesson per se, this illustrated guide is rather a tool kit to make the study of art and a visit to the museum truly rewarding. An entertaining and informative read, The Joy of Art offers the reader:

• A working art vocabulary to help you identify and explain what you’re looking at

• Answers to many of the questions you may have about visual art in general

• A summary of the basic criteria to consider when looking at art

• Highlights of the primary art genres and an introduction to the artists who pursued them

• Many visual examples of aesthetic considerations and practices

• Interesting facts about your favorite artists and clues to why they made the choices they did

• A few games to test your new skills

The Joy of Art contains 150 color photographs and many interesting insights from an artist-author who takes readers behind the curtain and into the studio to uncover what actually goes into making a work of art. If you love art, this book will take your appreciation to a new level. Not only will your enjoyment of art increase, you’ll be able to clearly communicate your understanding to others.

“One way to really know someone’s true character is to visit a museum and look at art with them. With Carolyn Schlam’s The Joy of Art in hand, you will be led through a joyous discovery of art through the centuries as seen through the eyes and insights of an artist and educator who accumulatively reveals the literal and the mysterious building blocks that make art a viewing pleasure for the eyes and the soul.” —Jimmy Wright, artist, National Academician, and president of the Pastel Society of America

Carolyn Schlam is an award-winning American painter, glass artist, and author, born and raised in New York City. She studied painting with Norman Raeben, youngest son of the Yiddish writer Sholem Alecheim in Carnegie Hall Studios and glassmaking at Urban Glass in Brooklyn. She is the author of The Creative Path: A View from the Studio on the Making of Art and various illustrated books for children. Carolyn is a resident artist at Studio Channel Islands in Camarillo, California.