Oakland (HELIOGRAPHICA NEWS) 4/18/06 -- (HELIOGRAPHICA NEWS) -- Oakland artist Julie Goodson-Lawes began painting forgeries as a young girl. "In the old days, painters trained themselves by copying famous artists. I skipped art school in favor of learning by mimicry as well." Her abilities as a copyist led naturally to a career as a decorative painter and muralist. "If you want a Monet covering the bathroom walls or your daughter's portrait in the style of John Singer Sargent, I'm the artist to call."
After more than a decade as a professional painter-for-hire Goodson-Lawes used her insider knowledge of painting techniques and her interest in art forgery to write a novel on the subject. She paired up with her sister Carolyn, a historian, to pen the Annie Kincaid Mystery Series under the pseudonym Hailey Lind. The first in the series, Feint of Art, is now available in stores everywhere.
Feint of Art is a humorous take on the very real world of art forgery and theft. "The stories are based on actual events and characters " this is a fascinating realm of underground talent, runaway greed, and worldwide smuggling." Interpol estimates that art crime is the third most lucrative international crime, right after drugs and arms smuggling.
Goodson-Lawes brings her insider knowledge of art forgery techniques to the books. Feint of Art's main character, Annie Kincaid, learned art forgery at the knee of her grandfather Georges, a famous and unrepentant forger. Because Annie knows how to copy art, she also understands how to recognize forgeries and uses this ability to track down stolen paintings and drawings. "Forgers need a great deal of talent to copy the "signature" of a particular artist. They also need to understand the history of art so that they don't make easily identifiable gaffes like using pigments that weren't produced until after their painting was supposedly created. Then there are other basic forgery skills that are easy for an artist to master, such as how to make paper look old and how to force cracks into varnish. There are actual "how-to" handbooks on the subject."
Throughout the book Annie's grandfather offers insights into the world of art forgery, while artistic techniques and the histories of several famous paintings are discussed. The book also includes Annie's basic recipe for faux finishing walls and furniture.
For further information visit www.haileylind.com. Feint of Art, first in the new Annie Kincaid Art Mystery Series Available in paperback, $6.99; 328pp. Signet Mystery (January 3, 2006) ISBN 0-451-21699-7.
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