- Vader's little princess by Jeffrey Brown, Chronicle Books, 64 pages, $16.95
Zooming in on the success of Darth Vader and son, Jeffrey Brown targets the dark power of Lord Vader from the Star Wars movies again. He may strike fear into all who serve him but as a parent Brown shows he is just another frustrated father locked in a battle of wills with a teenage daughter.
From typical fights over what the young princess Leia wears to go out, to early driving lessons in a space cruiser, Vader is challenged at every turn.
This small collection of drawings will delight any Star Wars fan.
- Maddie On Things by Theron Humphrey Chronicle Books, 159 pages, $18.95
When Theron Humphrey rescued Maddie, a coonhound with a hidden talent, he had no idea how important she would become for him both personally and artistically.
Unhappy with his life as a commercial photographer in Idaho, Humphrey decided he would leave his security behind and travel for a year going from state to state with the goal of meeting one new person every day. In the fall of 2011 Humphrey and Maddie began their journey in his old Toyota pickup truck.
One day in an effort to capture how they were travelling together he picked Maddie up and put her on the roof of the truck for a photo. "She just stood there and smiled at me. Good things seem to start that way. You know, small." And so began the exploration of Maddie's exceptional balance and love of standing on things.
What started, as a single photo became a theme and the subject for this entertaining collection. As they cris-crossed the country Maddie's delightful poses move from trucks and signposts on to more unusual supports.
