Review by Booklist Review
Shortly after his new show successfully opens, city artist Peterson is whisked off to little Beerpoele to build the centerpiece of the town's first biennial. The organizer admits as he drives him there that the other artists involved are all townsfolk. One really is a kind of artist. The others . . . mean to be helpful. Peterson decides upon a monumental installation, a garden gnome three-stories high. It gets built, though not without some grueling all-nighters. Meanwhile, sadly funny little dramas swirl around it. Evens uses a dazzling ink-and-brush technique and eschews ruled borders to tell a small story impressively and prettily. Each character's form and dialogue appear in a particular shade, and art history is tellingly referenced by, for instance, a sad-sack character resembling Munch's screamer, another accoutered like a Picasso Blue Period Pierrot, and a splash-page variation on the unicorn tapestries in the Cloisters in New York City. Evens writes as cannily as he draws, producing a deceptively nonchalant, deeply humane, and fancifully realistic comedy-drama reminiscent of the films of Jacques Rivette and Eric Rohmer.--Olson, Ray Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The contrast between creating art and building a community, and passion and pretension, is at the center of this beautiful, ink-wash Flemish import. Set in the fictional village of Beerpoele, the story reveals how Peterson, a minorly successful artist from the big city, is brought into a strange, amateur artistic community. Hoping to make their village a cultural center, the artists of Beerpoele are creating an exhibit for a biennial celebration. Peterson, dismayed at the cavalier attitude of the artists, wrangles them into creating a single big project as a team. But Peterson's leadership style soon has the other artists disillusioned with the project (though never with Peterson, whom they adore) and the impermanent nature of art is revealed in all too spectacular a fashion. Evens's abstract art breathes life into the small, quirky community-as well as city night clubs and art classes-and his washes of color are brilliant. The lettering style, using different colors of ink for different characters, helps establish unique voices. The story, however, is crowded with characters who are difficult to like, and Peterson's anti-hero nature may frustrate readers searching for a likable protagonist. (Sept.). © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
A graphic novel done entirely in watercolor celebrates the versatility and edginess of an often mild medium. The intricate visual language of overlapping figures and structures, with frequent explosions of flora, fauna, and fire, draw the reader into a deceptively straightforward story. A big-city artist participates in a small-town art show, where he meets the salt-of-the-earth show organizer, a spiral drawing psychotic, a tag along with alien eyes, and an ingenue documenting their artistic process. The artist grows impatient with the amateurs and rallies everyone to create a colossal sculpture of a garden gnome. He also has a pleasant tryst with the ingenue. At the story's core are compelling questions about the cynicism and hope that fuel the artistic process. Verdict A bold statement about the medium as message-simultaneously surreal and organic-Evens's watercolors reveal how art can be as natural as breathing and as unpredictable as a summer storm. For art lovers moonlighting as graphic novel fans and for graphic novel fans willing to dive into a foreign and lovely world of visual language.-Emilia Packard, Bloomington, IN (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
