Readers will know Bob Ross (1942-1995) as the gentle, afro'd painter of happy trees on PBS. And while the Florida-born artist is reviled or ignored by the elite art world and scholarly art educators, he continues to be embraced around the globe as a healer and painter, even decades after his death. In Happy Clouds, Happy Trees, the authors thoughtfully explore how the Bob Ross phenomenon grew into a juggernaut. Although his sincerity in embracing democracy, gift economies, conservation, and self-help may have left him previously denigrated as a subject of rigorous scholarship, this book uses contemporary art theory to explore the sophistication of Bob Ross's vision as an artist. It traces the ways in which his many fans have worshiped, emulated, and parodied him and his work. His technique allowed him to paint over 35,000 paintings in his lifetime, mostly of mountains and trees in landscapes heavily influenced by his time in the Air Force and stationed in Alaska. The authors address issues of amateur art, sentimentality, imitation, boredom, seduction, and democratic practices in the art world. They fully examine Ross as a painter, teacher, healer, media star, performer, magician, and networker. In-depth comparisons are made to Andy Warhol and Thomas Kinkade, and mention is made of his life in relation to Joseph Beuys, Elvis Presley, St. Francis of Assisi, Carl Rogers, and many other creative personalities. In the end, Happy Clouds, Happy Trees presents Ross as a gift giver, someone who freely teaches the act of painting to anyone who believes in Ross's vision that "this is your world."

Software-based technologies deeply saturate our everyday lives. Consequently, they also influence the ways we see and mediate the world. In fact, the ease and flexibility software provides implies a shift in control. Digital media mediates itself, turning software into a co-author. Yet, the potentials of such a co-authorship are still largely constrained by conventions stemming from the need to run strips of celluloid through a projector. This book demonstrates how software can retrain filmmakers' visions of the world – from branching trees to the shifting contours of clouds. It does so by ethnographically studying one particular technology, the Korsakow System. The result is a methodology for interrogating established software regimes; a task increasingly in need of anthropological attention.

A tree stands on a hill by a river. As the sky changes, so does the tree, its branches filling with clouds, stars, snow, birds, mists, and the golden spring sun. One tree can mean many things. Thomas Locker's lyrical text records the changes in the tree's world just as simply as a child might observe them, and his magnificent paintings crystallize the natural phenomena that embellish the tree on each page. Questions at the bottom of each page lead to a unique discussion in the back of the book, where art and science are intertwined, and further depth is added to the wonder of Sky Tree.

Here, Jacobus discusses objects and attributes that test our perceptions and preoccupy both Romantic poetry and modern philosophy. John Clare, John Constable, W.G. Sebald, and Gerhard Richter make appearances around the central figure of William Wordsworth as Jacobus explores trees, rocks, clouds, and sleep in their work.

Three Gringos while searching for gold in the mountains of Mexico get caught-up in an incrdible situation of greed and manipulation. The story, made into a movie directed by John Houston in 1948 starring Humphrey Bogart is a classic. Traven a German anarcharist who escaped from his homeland during World War I is considered one of the best, as well as mysterious, political fiction novelist of the 20th Century. A Colledtor's Edition.

In Between Earth and Sky, a rich tapestry of personal stories, information, and illustrations, world-renowned canopy biologist Nalini M. Nadkarni becomes our captivating guide to the leafy wilderness above our heads. Through her luminous narrative, we embark on a multifaceted exploration of trees that reveals the profound connections we have with them, the dazzling array of things they can provide us, and the powerful lessons they teach us.

A book focused solely on Andean Cloud Forests (ACF) has never been published. ACF are high biodiversity ecosystems in the Neotropics with a large proportion of endemic species, and are important for the hydrology of entire regions. They provide water for large parts of the Amazon basin, for example. Here I take advantage of my many years working in ACF in Ecuador, to edit this book that contains the following sections: (1) ACF over space and time, (2) Hydrology, (3) Light and the Carbon cycle, (4) Soil, litter, fungi and nutrient cycling, (5) Plants, (6) Animals, and (7) Human impacts and management. Under this premise, international experts contributed chapters that consist of reviews of what is known about their topic, of what research they have done, and of what needs to be done in the future. This work is suitable for graduate students, professors, scientists, and researcher-oriented managers.

Over the years, Japanese gardeners have fine-tuned a distinctive set of pruning techniques that coax out the essential characters of their garden trees, or niwaki. In this highly practical book, Western gardeners are encouraged to draw upon the techniques and sculpt their own garden trees to unique effect. After first discussing the principles that underpin the techniques, the author offers in-depth guidelines for shaping pines, azaleas, conifers, broadleaved evergreens, bamboos and deciduous trees. Throughout the text, step-by-step illustrations accompany the instructions, while abundant photographs and anecdotes bring the ideas surrounding niwaki vividly to life.

Queen Gurjana and Stell King Yirdim rule the "House of Trees". And although the elves live forever, it is time to prepare for the handover of power. Thajo has been striving for the throne since a young age. The king slumbers within him and he sees himself riding into battle with sword and steed before his warriors. In the distant future, he wants to be a just regent with a wise queen at his side. Tharandil is certain that he wants to become a saddle and bridle maker. Gurjana and Yirdim observe his inclination towards a trade with a grin; if he wants to take up a profession, then he should do so. The king's sons have the same claim to the crowns; if they agree now, there will be no jockeying for places in the throne room later, unless the gods decide otherwise ...

Compares and contrasts the features of different types of trees.