(photo of cover by Carl V.)

Lost Constellations: The Art of Tara McPherson, Volume II*

-2009, Dark Horse Books
-112 pages
-4.75/5 stars

3 years ago, on St. Patty’s Day, I did a Friday Favorites post which included a brief overview of the work of Tara McPherson. You can find that post here. How apropos that Tara McPherson’s latest art collection, Lost Constellations: The Art of Tara McPherson, Volume II, should come out mere days before St. Patty’s Day. Having perused this wonderful collection twice now, I felt it was only appropriate to combine the book review with Friday Favorites and share it with you today.

From the back cover:

Loss, love, and loneliness. Altered forms and transfigured ideas. Power and vulnerability. Parallel universes of the heart and mind. Space and Time. In a few brief years, the stunning visual oeuvre of Tara McPherson has grown and evolved at thrilling speed. Expanding beyond the limits of rock poster art into the worlds of commercial illustration and fine art, her paintings, drawings, toys, sculptures, and installations have pushed her influence and authority across the breadth of creative expression and helped redefine the boundaries of pop surrealism.

(photo of detail on cover by Carl V.)

Knowing me at all and looking at the pictures featured here, it should be obvious why I am such a fan of the work of Tara McPherson. As artist Tim Biskup says in the opening line of the book’s forward:

“Stars, planets, bubbles, and girls with their hearts torn out…What’s not to love?”

(detail of Hey, We All Die Sometimes, photo of book by Carl V.)

In large part that sums it up. Not that I like girls with their hearts torn out, but I do respond to the emotional intensity of this one of many themes in Tara McPherson’s work.

(My Love For You Flows Out Like a Waterfall and Goes Nowhere, image from Tara McPherson’s website)

I mentioned in my first Friday Favorite post on Tara McPherson that her color palette has a very 1950’s feel to it, as does her representations of the science fiction elements in some of her pieces. That is another big draw for me. Pinks and reds and blues and greens (and black and white)…the various hues and tints she uses make each piece very eye-catching.

(Pencil drawing of Oops!, photo of book by Carl V.)

Throughout this volume are sketches and drawings corresponding with various paintings. I always appreciate seeing this planning process when I look at art books, the more so with McPherson’s work because her completed drawings are every bit as polished and as beautiful as the paintings she makes from them.

(Unicorn Girl, photo of book by Carl V.)

Another thing that makes this volume of art stand out is that there are several detail shots of her paintings. This was important to me because with many artists’ work I long to see it in its original form, when it is painted work that is. The reproductions of her work online and in both of her art books are wonderful, but they do not give any hint to the texture of the painted work. I love seeing that texture and it is fun that they included some examples of this in Lost Constellations.

(Mr Wiggles Gang–black, image from Tara McPherson’s website)

I find it immensely cool that Tara McPherson has truly made her work three dimensional by venturing into the world of sculpture. There are several images in this volume taken from an art installation of her work showing various sculpture pieces and they are all very fun.

(Skull Flower–Pink, photo of book by Carl V.)

Tara first broke into the art scene with her unique poster images for various bands and there are wonderful examples of her latest in this volume.

(Decemberists concert poster, photo of book by Carl V.)

Some of the groups I have heard of and enjoy and others are only familiar because of Tara’s poster work, however I can say with conviction that seeing a Tara McPherson poster would definitely tempt me in to a concert. They are enigmatic and interesting.

(Kings of Leon poster, image from Tara McPherson’s site)

These images are just a mere taste of what awaits you in the pages of this art volume. At $22.95 it is well worth the cost. And if you order through Amazon it is currently only $15.61, which is a steal!

If a book is especially well designed, I always like to point it out. This is certainly the case here. This is a very well put together volume with high quality stock pages. The cover is fun in that portions of it glow in the dark (the spine and the stars on the cover) and it is…puffy. I guess that is the only way to describe it. It certainly has a noticeable puffiness to it that makes it fun to hold. I dare you to pick up a copy and not squeeze it!

(How They Fly Away So Easily, image from Tara McPherson’s website)

Does the above image remind anyone else of Tori Amos?

My only minor complaint about this volume is that I would have liked to have read more about the work from Tara McPherson’s viewpoint. However, something that Tim Biskup wrote in the forward leads me to believe that doing so would go against the grain of what she is trying to say with her work:

“They are an autobiography of her life, and she wants them to be seen….They are pristine and delicate illustrations that are made just for you to look at. Nothing could be more palatable. But there is a hint of malevolence sifted into the composition, at times as subtle as a wink and often as direct as a literal hole through the chest in the shape of a heart. You can’t mistake the intentionality of the message, but you cannot truly know what it is about.”

(Evolution of Language, image from Tara McPherson’s site)

I hope you have enjoyed visiting, or for those who saw the first Friday Favorite, revisiting the work of Tara McPherson. Both volumes of her work: Lonely Heart and Lost Constellations are worth owning.

I would also encourage you to visit Tara McPherson’s website. You can see many more examples of her work, and in the Store section you can purchase original artwork, limited edition prints, posters, tees, and other miscellaneous items.

You can also find really fun stationary at Things From Another World.
Stickers featuring her work at Diesel Fuel Prints.
Removable, washable car decals can be found at Infectious.
And for a peak inside this book you can visit the Dark Horse website.

I look forward to Tara McPherson’s future work and in the meantime will continue to enjoy these fantastic art books.

Oh, and I almost forgot, next time you are watching the movie Juno, keep your eyes peeled during the scenes in Juno’s bedroom, as several of Tara McPherson’s images decorate her walls.

Have a great weekend everyone!

(Laughing Through the Chaos of it All, image from Tara McPherson’s site)

*In the interest of full disclosure, this volume does contain artistic nudity.