A SMALL SAMPLE FROM BOB'S GALLERY
4 Deviant Feature 2:
My second is a deviant, (and not "2nd" compared to Bob, but She has had her book printed already, so It's a question of chronological priorities as explained above... 
), that I have been +watching very happily for a while. I love photography!, especially landscapes, (not an easy thing to do well btw!) and she has earnt with honours, her place here:
Annabelle has had a prize-winning book of her Photographs published a couple of years ago, see thumbnail above, shortly after I first found her account on DA. I actually bought it recently, after two years of buying "more important" stuff like food, rent, etc...(yeah!, dumb!, I know!) It's called:
Balcons Du Sud " (Southern Vistas/ lit: Balconies of the South), and is a collaboration between her and M. Roger Beteille (who does text and geographic/agricultural observations) It's Published by Rouergue, Originally in 2011, in France.
The book is a Photographic Essay and ranks with some of my favourite Photographers, like: Cartier-Bresson, Ansell Adams,
arslanalp (also on DA), Bailey, Eisenstaedt, Brandt, Mapplethorpe and various others including Leni Riefenstahl who was a friend of a friend...
Anyway, getting back to the point: This Picture essay based in 3 regions of France, is an absolute delight, particularly as it contains one of the very best cow pictures I have ever seen! , (others include the cow on the "Atom Heart Mother "album by Pink Floyd, I used to live just round the corner from Granchester Meadows in Cambridge), as well as everything from vast majestic panoramas to exquisitely textured and detailed observations of people, animals, stone buildings and other elements found in nature. If I could only use one word, I would call this volume: "Elemental" I haven't yet had time to read the commentaries - a delight I shall savour with a little glass or two of anis I think.... My French is fairly good so I won't, hopefully, need to resort to my fr/eng dictionary much... yes a real one! made of paper! gasp! old school! So any of you peeps out there who like landscape photography, nature and textures who fancy an armchair voyage of sublime light, colour and sensitivity: look no further!
OK, now, just to introduce a little humour into the proceedings, go take a look at the "Critique that I did of one of her Photographs... under my critiquing pseudonym: I am normally a fairly busy little peep, so imagine what I must think of her work to put this together... enough said!
OK, here is where you can find her book/personal non-DA webspace:
Annabelle's DA gallery:
annabelle-chabert.deviantart.c…Annabelle's TrekEarth (aka: LAPIAZ) gallery (in French)
www.trekearth.com/members/LAPI…:
Annabelle's Amazing, Award-Winning, Book:
www.amazon.co.uk/Balcons-sud-C… so that's one of your "Special Present choices sorted, lets have a look now at her gallery on DA!
A SMALL SAMPLE FROM ANNABELLE'S GALLERY
5
Group Feature:
THE ART HISTORY PROJECT
I've chosen to feature this group instead of my usual "Art-Genre-related " one because I believe in it's wonderful premise:
"TO SHARE, INSPIRE AND INFORM ON EVERY ASPECT OF ART THROUGHOUT HISTORY"
(btw: my "definition"; I'm guessing: No lack of ambition then...
)
As soon as I found this Project / Group,
I was impressed and taken aback at the sheer size
of the task that the team, including:
Project Lead
+2 aides:
&
+2 lovely Community Volunteers:
&
the organisers of this brilliant initiative,
have taken upon themselves!.
Although this is probably one of the smaller group features I've done, (without the obvious "all-singing all dancing" Art examples exhibiting technical and conceptual mastery of the highest order in the picture section; there is actually a quality more precious ...
What is within this group is no mere competent set of articles, in the form of authoritative overviews and critiques of "Art", (although these enviable qualities are present in abundance), which, while laudable in the very best sense for the light thrown upon this or that genre of art; or random niches occupied by a Degas, Heath-Robinson, Caza, Rodin, Leibowitz, Bacon or Leonardo; but a collection of odes on the various subjects in the guise of articles, written with a loving eye by those who have, to a greater or lesser degree, had a relationship over time with something which, if not exactly love at first sight, was a profound attractor to the author ...and has kept them in their thrall long enough for them to gain some serious insight.
This insight, coupled with the gift of being willing and able, for free, to write an article upon their beloved subject for the benefit of us all.; plus, naturally, to aid those who are just starting on their exploration of art, as well as new insights for those of us familiar with many of the subjects covered... So! let's raise our hats ...with due decorum, whistle like a demented fan at tea in the park... or simply clap like a purple-rinsed Aunt Agatha at a performance of La Boheme at La Scala; .. for this wonderful group and all those lovely deviants participating with their articles!!
Last words: Please help out in any way if you are able to?
You are on DeviantART reading this, right!, so you gotta love this group!
(if not...er...what exactly did you say you were doing here?....
), OK let's give this group some love, (they are so worth it!), and: bookmark/+watch/ fav ....some of the articles you particularly like or use for whatever reason!
Perhaps consider, also, giving the group some publicity in your journal or a widget on your profile page; or even joining in with a few words and piccy's on your favourite subject(s) (oh yush! I am contributing articles too!
Thank you! for reading this!
Please consider contributing... but only! if it's not a job or "mere task" for you to add to an already full schedule
Above all: enjoy!
1: 
It is, after all, truly, madly and deeply, a labour of love..... 
