Anne Stewart O'Donnell Book order

This small collection of poems in Rosemary for Remembrance relating to the two world wars began after an emotional visit to the D-Day landing sites and surrounding areas in both France and Belgium.

Charles Francis Annesley Voysey could easily have made a career out of pattern design alone, so celebrated were his ingenious textiles and wall coverings. By the mid-1890s, however, he also was hailed as one of Britain's most innovative architects. For the small country houses that were his specialty, he rejected the lavish ornamentation and historical trappings so beloved by the Victorians, relying instead on simple, expressive forms and materials. Voysey's versatility was astonishing, encompassing all manner of furniture, cabinetry, fixtures, and floor and wall coverings. From the shape of a clothes hook to the sweep of a roofline, every form he created was informed by a strong and unorthodox spiritual philosophy that often set Voysey at odds with other designers, even as he rose to become a leading force. His wallpapers and textiles, in particular, reveal Voysey's complex personality - his lifelong love of England's flora and fauna, his belief that a reverent observation of the natural world might hasten humanity's spiritual evolution, and his unusually whimsical (and occasionally wicked) sense of humour. Today his images are as beloved as they were then. In C. F. A. Voysey: Architect, Designer, Individualist, Anne Stewart O'Donnell traces this extraordinary creative output while painting a vivid picture of Voysey's character.

Spurred on by the marketplace and welcomed by architects and designers seeking to personalize their creations, hundreds of studio tile artists and makers are successfully producing tile today throughout the United States. Among the most revered of these is Motawi Tileworks of Ann Arbor, Michigan, founded by Nawal Motawi and her brother Karim in 1992. Today Motawi Tileworks, under their combined leadership, occupies a spacious studio in a natural setting west of town, where thirty people are employed. Far more than a prosperous and expanding enterprise, Motawi has become a symbol of artistic sensibility and success in the tile industry. The key to Motawi's astounding progress lies in part in Nawal's artistic achievement-a blend of original art inspired and flavored by her interpretation of historic precedents. The result in her finished work reflects the past while being well suited to contemporary taste. The combination of color and design is striking and distinctly Motawi, clearly recognized as such throughout the country. In museum shops, high-end gift stores, and tile showrooms from coast to coast, Motawi stands out for both the quality of the design and the exquisite workmanship.