BOOK REVIEWS for THE MAGICAL EFFECTS of COLOR

1. As reviewed in CREATIVE QUILTING, May-June, 1993

Mist, shadows, luster, luminosity, highlights, reflections, transparency---Joen shows how to achieve all these dramatic illusions in fabric to enhance traditional and art quilts. What makes the opalescent effects of mother of pearl? the iridescence of hummingbirds? Joen explains these and other special effects by approaching color theory technically, as well as with intuition, emotion, and subjectivity. The breathtaking photos alone will inspire all quiltmakers to achieve new heights in color artistry.

2. As reviewed in QUILTING INTERNATIONAL, September, 1993

"Using nature as her guide, author Joen Wolfrom explores the mysteries of color, relating color theory to daily life. She describes in detail how to create visual illusions; providing instruction for creating iridescence, luminosity, luster, shadows, mist and highlights. All of these dramatic illus9ioons can be used to enhance both traditional quilts and art quilts.

Wolfrom builds the foundation for their use in both types of quilts and includes a discussion of fabric selection and quilting, explaining that the scale of prints plays an important role in the illusion of depth.

Wolfrom also discusses color personalities and the moods they evoke. Her focus is on textiles and quilting, but the principles can be applied to other creative mediums. Through suggested exercises and activities, Wolfrom encourages the reader to blend and create her own hues.

The Magical Effects of Color is beautifully illustrated with 86 color plates. It also includes numerous black and white illustrations, 10 scaled block patterns, as well as information on linear perspective and pattern drafting.

This book provides an excellent reference for quilters, both contemporary and traditional, who want to enhance their artistic creativity and gain new insight into the creation of spectacular color effects."

3. As reviewed in DOWN UNDER QUILTS, Spring 1993 (September)

This is one of the outstanding books of the year, for it covers most clearly the complex and enigmatic subject of colour theory, as well as the more practical colour practice. Joen Wolfrom looks at the subject in just the same manner as we, the humble practitioners do – that is with emotion and intuition. We usually know what we like, but few of us have the deep understanding of the mysteries of colour or a comprehension of WH we like certain things.

Joen gives us a good in-depth exposition of the colour wheel and the precise meaning of all the nuances of the scales of pure colour, tint, shade, and tone. She provides us with a good analysis of the colours of nature, which attract so many of us as examples from which we can obtain guidance. She clearly interprets such mysteries as mist, shadow, luster, luminosity, highlights, reflections, and transparencies.

This book also includes very practical guidance enabling you to use your new-found understanding in actual situation quilt-making. Joen is a most interesting person with a great depth of intellect and perception of the significant features of the art and craft of quiltmaking. We all loved her first book, “Landscapes & Illusions”. I have been talking with Jan Urquhart about this latest magnificent effort and we both agreed that we knew of no other book that was nearly as good as this one to help quilters (and other craftswomen) to understand this first prerequisite of planning and making anything. You certainly need to read, mark, learn and digest this one!

4. As reviewed in Volume 15 #4 TREADLEART, January/February 1993

Let Joen help solve the mystery of the use of color in quilts. She has a fresh approach to exploring color as she treats color not only technically, but also with intuition, emotion and subjectivity. Of course, the basics are thoroughly covered, but so are dramatic illusions such as mist, shadows, luster, luminosity, highlights, reflections, transparency and more. If you are intrigued by color or are always fine tuning your color skills, you’ll want this book. Another Houston favorite!

5. As reviewed by Lenore Parham in THE FLYING NEEDLE

“If you have shied away from books on color because of their terminology or because they seem difficult to relate to fabrics, read Joen Wolfrom’s The Magical Effects of Color. Throughout her explanations, Joen has the reader look to nature for color schemes in order to understand basic color concepts and dramatic illusions such as luminosity, luster, shadow, and transparency. She then shows how to achieve these effects in fabric, applying the ideas to traditional and art quilts. The text is liberally sprinkled with illustrations, and beautiful color plates show how others have interpret4ed the concepts. Exercises and activities are provided for further experimentation in color, plus sections on design and perspective. This book, her second on color, should appeal to a broad spectrum of needleworkers, even though it is aimed primarily at quilters."

6. As reviewed by David Page Coffin, associate editor of THREADS MAGAZINE, August/September, 19932

Joen Wolfrom’s The Magical Effects of Color certainly has many wonderful, colorful, even inspiring pictures, but this book takes a different route to the muse. The rush to make something like what we’ve seen in a picture is like the satisfaction we get from the gift of a flower: immediate, and fleeting. The pleasure offered by this potent book is more like the gift of a gardener’s knowledge: slower to take in, abut once yours, never lost, and always subject to further growth. Wolfrom sets out to give us nothing less than this by sharing in marvelously written and clearly illustrated detail the results of her own study of color. She’s a quilter, and all the works shown are quilts, but the insights, principles, and exercises she unfolds for us come straight from nature and point toward visual arts of every sort.

It’s totally unnecessary to think of yourself as an “artist” to join in Wolfrom’s journey, as she herself attests. “To a layman like myself,” she says of her early days as a quiltmaker, “there was no indication that a relationship between quiltmaking and art existed…. Quiltmaking seemed like a safe and understandable activity for someone with years of sewing experience.” Only dissatisfaction with the visual impact of her own skillfully made quilts led to Wolfrom’s eventual discovery of “nature’s clues to the mysteries of color, illusions, and design.” If you’d like your work, in any medium, to have more depth, iridescence, luminosity, and transparency, you’ll find help---and lasting inspiration---in this magnificently generous work.

7. As reviewed by Cindy Brick in QUILTER'S NEWSLETTER MAGAZINE, October, 1993

Joen Wolfrom subscribes to the Impressionists’ edict: “Paint what you observe…paint generously and unhesitatingly, for it is best not to lose the first impression.” Her color workbook is on target, but it differs from Jinny Beyer’s in its painterly approach to color design. Joen teaches about color admirably and without condescension, even for those without art training. She also suggests ways to achieve certain moods using color, as well as methods for introducing three-dimensional richness into your work. A comprehensive color quilt gallery adds to the book’s value.

8. As reviewed in CANADA QUILTS MAGAZINE, April 1993

“I Didn’t Know That!” would be a great name for this book. Wolfrom writes about color, its beauty, individuality, and using it to enhance your designs. She challenges your imagination but also offers suggestions in design and settings to give the most impact. Using traditional patterns she stretches your ideas to be more creative and inspired. Included are a great variety of pictures in vibrant color.

9. As reviewed in QUICK & EASY QUILTING, August 1993

The mysteries of color often elude some of us. Looking at quilts with color progressions that are perfect can make us unsure of our own abilities to combine colors in pleasing arrangements.

Joen Wolfrom covers the basics of color---the color wheel and color terms. She talks about color personalities---restful, soothing, joyful, warm and cool. Her non-technical approach to the subject of color is not as scary as the more clinical approach that many books have.

Realizing the importance of color choices in quiltmaking, studying about the subject could be just the push you need to expand your own fabric color palette and make quilts you only thought others could make.

10. As reviewed by Pat Morris in QUILT WORLD, March 1994

“Joen Wolfrom’s new book concentrates on color and its properties and especially the effects that can be obtained through its careful use. Even more specifically, the book deals with color and fabric along with how these can be best explited in quilts. Those looking for quick fixes and instant formulas won’t find them here.

The Magical Effects of Color is for the serious student of color and its application in quiltmaking. The author doesn’t tell you that if you use color X and color Y in a three-color quilt, the third color should automatically be color Z.

She is not seeking to make overnight color wizards of all her readers. Instead, Ms. Wolfrom does a good job of offering a careful explanation of color and how to achieve the best effects in quiltmaking by its manipulation.

The first area covered in The Magical Effects of Color is color families and color personalities and how we respond to color. The author then addresses using color naturally and discusses hues, tints, shades and tones. Color wheels are covered as arte types of color schemes such as analogous, monochromatic, etc.

A four-page color section does an excellent job of illustrating these schemes as well as some of the effects of color use. Ms. Wolfrom carefully explains the light effects, among them luminosity and luster and the illusions that can be obtained through color use.

The special value of this book for quiltmakers lies no just in the in-depth information provided, but in the further elaboration on the combination of color and fabric. The author discusses buying fabric for its color and how to build a backlog of fabric for your work.

Her advice to buy fabric “without regard to any particular project” and to “select fabrics by what appeals to you at the moment” is perhaps an unusual approach (for some quiltmakers), but it’s solid advice for anyone seeking to stockpile a wide selection for quiltmaking. The design relationship to fabric use is explored as is the quilting design.

Having provided a solid base of color information, the author talks about the use of color and design in traditional quilts and about creating your own designs. This latter subject includes a discussion of the elements of design.

Having covered the topic of color, Ms. Wolfrom provides a segment of five exercises and three activities to reinforce her approach. Five traditional quilt patterns and five additional patterns (traditional, traditional variations, and original traditional designs) are presented along with the challenge to creatively use color and values to make your own version of them. Sections on perspective and pattern drafting are included along with a bibliography and suggested reading and study list.

Especially impressive is the selection of 86 color photos of quilts. In addition to the general information on each photo, including the title, date, size, maker, and maker’s city and state, Ms. Wolfrom details the specific color effects to be noted in each quilt. This is a valuable extension of the learning experience for the readers and well demonstrations the materials covered in the text.

The Magical Effects of Color is a good source of information for those seriously interested in what color is all about and how to use it to best advantage in quiltmaking. But while appreciating the author’s expression of gratitude to deserving t4eachers in her past, many readers will have little patience with the large numbers of quilts from some of the world’s greatest artists.

However interesting in themselves, these seem to interrupt the otherwise smooth flow of information, but it is a small complaint and it’s easy to skip over the quotes and proceed with the text.

If you’re interested in learning more about color and its use, especially as it applies to quiltmaking, Joen Wolfrom’s The Magical Effects of Color should be in your quilt library.