Onto the stage of Vienna in the late 19th Century strides virile, charismatic painter Gustav Klimt (1862-1918). Standing center stage is a talented and independent fashion designer and businesswoman, Emilie Flöge (1874 -1952). For the next 27 years, the famous and infamous Klimt bears criticism, censure and fame with Flöge by his side. The tempestuous love and fierce friendship of this talented couple – opposites in so many ways –deepens until Klimt’s death . . . and beyond. Vienna Patterns happens during a Time and in a City never equaled for fashion, fabulous art and fascinating personalities. The story of Klimt and Flöge is very theatrical . . . very Vienna.

Whether the canvases of Gustav Klimt (1862 – 1918) celebrated the exquisite landscapes of Austria’s Attersee region or caressed the cheek of a lovely young laundress, his appreciation of his subjects was sensitive, sensual and strong. No other painter in Vienna at the close of the 19th century was as revered—and often reviled—as this outrageous artist wearing only a knowing expression and a long blue smock. One of the women who found her way onto his canvas and into his bed was Mizzi Zimmermann (the subject of this book, Dirty Linen), whom he would cherish, in his way, until his death. Mizzi, and the subjects of Book One—Vienna Patterns (Emilie Flöge) and Book Two—Diamonds and Sand (Adele Bloch-Bauer) enjoy everlasting admiration, thanks to Klimt’s brush—A Brush with Passion.

Diamonds and Sand Adele Bloch-Bauer (1882-1925) did not seek fame—but acclaimed and passionate artist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) thrust her into the public’s eye by painting two portraits that assured her lasting admiration and speculation. Both portraits were commissioned by her wealthy industrialist husband—and each illustrated different, almost contradictory views of the intellectually curious, mysterious woman. As a child, Adele escaped the rules of a repressive Vienna in the last decades of the 19th century, by conjuring a secret tunnel that gave life to her fantasies. Only when she began sitting for Klimt’s portrait of her did her fantasies slide into reality, bringing both blinding ecstasy and paralyzing guilt. Her journey is intriguing... Join her...

Georgina Artigas is an internationally known lettering artist whose passion for the pen is obvious in every piece reproduced in this full-color book. The beautiful scrolls, invitations, certificates, logos, and art pieces represent only a fraction of her life's work and demonstrate a versatility and range that few calligraphic artists achieve.

"Susan Vreeland set a high standard with Girl in Hyacinth Blue.... The Passion of Artemisia is even better.... Vreeland's unsentimental prose turns the factual Artemisia into a fictional heroine you won't soon forget." —People A true-to-life novel of one of the few female post-Renaissance painters to achieve fame during her own era against great struggle. Artemisia Gentileschi led a remarkably "modern" life. Vreeland tells Artemisia's captivating story, beginning with her public humiliation in a rape trial at the age of eighteen, and continuing through her father's betrayal, her marriage of convenience, motherhood, and growing fame as an artist. Set against the glorious backdrops of Rome, Florence, Genoa, and Naples, inhabited by historical characters such as Galileo and Cosimo de' Medici II, and filled with rich details about life as a seventeenth-century painter, Vreeland creates an inspiring story about one woman's lifelong struggle to reconcile career and family, passion and genius.

"The Calvary" is a largely autobiographical novel, in which Mirbeau romanticizes his devastating affair with a woman of dubious morals, Judith Vinmer, who appears as "Juliette Roux" in the novel. The story is narrated in the first person by the main character, the antihero Jean Mintie, who has literary ambition and the potential to become a good writer, is incapable of overcoming his sexual obsessions. Victimized by a woman and reduced to a state of humiliated impotence, he tries to transform his suffering into an impulse to create. His redemptive passion is modeled on the Passion of Christ. "The Torture Garden" begins with material stemming from articles on the 'Law of Murder' discussed in the "Frontispiece" ("The Manuscript").Clara is a sadist and hysteric, who delights in witnessing flayings, crucifixions and numerous tortures, all done in beautifully laid out and groomed gardens, and explaining the beauty of torture to her companion—the narrator. Her hysterical orgasm and resulting exhaustion is a curious exploration of pain and pleasure and made this novel a truly erotic BDSM masterpiece! "The Diary of a Chambermaid"presents itself as the diary of Mademoiselle Célestine R., the chambermaid. Her first employer fetishizes her boots, and she later discovers the elderly man dead, with one of her boots stuffed into his mouth. Later on, Célestine becomes the maid of an upper class couple, Lanlaire, and is perfectly aware that she is entangled in the power struggles of their marriage. Célestine ends by becoming a café hostess, who mistreats her servants in turn.

From the glittering ballrooms of Regency England to the sapphire waters of the Mediterranean, the dazzling finale of Gaelen Foley’s Spice trilogy unfurls the passionate tale of a rebel princess and the powerful warrior destined to become her champion. Princess Sophia was only a child when Napoleon conquered the island paradise ruled by her father. Raised in England and now twenty-one, she means to claim the throne that is rightfully hers and bring peace to her war-torn land. But an ambush by enemies forces Sophia into hiding outside London. Disguising herself as a peasant girl until she can safely return, she meets Major Gabriel Knight, a wounded warrior whose brush with death has utterly changed him. Heir to a great fortune, and a master swordsman, Gabriel has given up his worldly possessions and laid down his arms. Sophia is fascinated by his brooding magnetism, and Gabriel, lured by her fiery beauty and healed by her touch, is drawn back inexorably toward the world of the living. But when Sophia’s royal destiny is revealed, Gabriel knows he must take up his sword again, whatever the cost, to protect his princess from those who would destroy her. And as longing blossoms into passion, Gabriel discovers the one cause that is truly worth fighting for. . . .

Essays by popular children's authors reveal the books that shaped their personal and literary lives, explaining how the stories they loved influenced them creatively, politically, and intellectually.

Artist and founder of The Painting School Sara Woster invites readers into the vibrant world of painting as a creative practice powerful enough to transform our lives. Sara Woster is a painter, teacher, and art evangelist. She believes in art as a form of mindfulness, a ritual for healing, and an outlet for self-expression. In Painting Can Save Your Life, Woster welcomes readers into this transformative art form, inviting them to pick up a brush and discover how painting can help you see the world in a whole new way. Weaving soup-to-nuts instruction on how to paint—from choosing the right materials to painting the human body—with her own story of discovering a passion for painting, this book includes: simple and easy techniques for painters of all skill levels playful and challenging painting exercises tips on how to build a creative community using art insights on how to use painting to cultivate a sense of calm in a stressful world Part how-to-paint, part sheer inspiration, Painting Can Save Your Life is a wise and inspiring guide to the power of painting.

"A tale of passion, betrayal, and courage set in the Carolinas during the Revolutionary War - an unforgettable love story seamlessly interwoven with both real and fictitious characters." "Beyond All Reason" Book I - "Awakening Passion" A powerful saga of courage and passion, set in the South duringthe Revolutionary War, unites Kathryn MacLean, sister of arebel militia leader, and Colonel Jason Tarrington, a maliciousBritish Green Dragoon - two dynamic individuals abruptlythrown together, their destinies forever entwined by a life-changingtwist of fate. Conflict, betrayal, and loyalties tornasunder drive Kathryn and her brother to opposite sides in anugly war - her enduring passion for the "wrong "man and his cause, pitting her against all she had once held dear. Driven relentlesslyto succeed in a bloody war they will ultimately lose, can Jasonand Kathryn survive? For theirs is a love "Beyond All Reason." "Beyond All Odds" Book II - "Rebuilding Shattered Lives" As the acrid smoke clears after the battle at Guilford Courthouse, NC, Lieutenant Jackson, a British Dragoon, finds himself miraculously still amongst the living. Scanning the endless bodies scattered across the oozing red mud, he discovers devastating personal loss. But grieving must wait. He has a sacred promise to fulfill: save an innocent child from becoming a pawn in this ugly war - for she would be considered a 'valuable prize' by either side. It was "her notorious parents "who had led many an English victory in the South. "Beyond The Horizon" Book III - "Life Comes Full Circle" The Revolutionary War has been declared over, but to the citizens of Charleston struggling to forget past humiliation suffered under Lord Cornwallis, ongoing British presence is a bitter reminder. The Tarringtons, just arrived from England and embroiled in a dangerous mission of their own, must not be recognized. The success of their crucial undertaking depends on that. Once accomplished, they intend to start life over, but who to trust and where to go? Perhaps their answer lies in the vast forests of the Carolinas where endless possibilities exist. But danger lurks on all sides: devious strangers, former dragoons - even "family." Share Kathryn and Jason's tale of enduring passion and courage as their life unfolds and comes full circle.