I was hoping for more factual information in Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony : La Grande Vallée Suite by Lisa Rogers and illustrated by Stacy Innerst, but the spirit of the book is as if the artist herself had painted it. Only not abstract and it does have good facts, just focuses more on a poetic execution on the subject.
The main point that grabbed my attention was that I was not really aware of the artist, but I think I have seen some of their work, just did not know who to attribute to. The main focus of things is how she was inspired and inspired. How the world was seen and was her muse. It is not the best book ever, but it was very good and enjoyable to read. It might lean towards an older audience and maybe one who is interested in art, but at the same time it has an universal audience and really age range (adults would be a good audience too, even if it is a picture book).
Read via an online reader copy, the book is currently available (or soon as it is due late February 2025/early March 2025). I am not sure I will purchase copies for myself, but I do know people it would be a good gift for. It might be best for a classroom setting, however, one on one works very well as well.
As the subject is an artist, the artwork within the book has big shoes to fill. And Innerst does. A mixture of their own style, colors and use of details pays honor to Mitchell, mimicking some of their style as well as Innert’s own style. The use of color is the biggest character of the story with the boldness of colors and details. The reader experiences things on their own level and each read will be different. Extras are included.
