Elisa Gutiérrez. Picturescape
Simply Read Books  $9.95  ISBN 978-1-894965-65-1  32 pg.
Reviewed by Sarah, Age 17

Have you ever walked through an art gallery and let your mind wander? Imagined what the artist was thinking while they painted?  Or what was going to happen to the people in the picture in the next instant?  There are so many beautiful paintings that can capture your imagination in a single glance.  That is what Picturescape is all about. Picturescape is the story of a young boy and his adventures in an art gallery.  The whole story is told without any words at all.  Each page of artwork illustrates what is happening so well that a narrative is unnecessary.  

Elisa Gutiérrez, the ‘author’ of the book was inspired by her experiences leading school tours at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Picturescape includes her reproductions, and slight alterations, of the paintings of twelve well-known Canadian artists including Emily Carr, Alex Colville and David Blackwood. The artwork in the book is all collage work - different colours of paper coloured with pencils, cut out and glued back together to form incredible images with a three dimensional effect.

I thought that Picturescape was an amazing book. It tells a wonderful story without a single word.  Reading it can never be the same twice.  The artwork is fantastic, and keeps the reader glued to each page.  I liked the last few pages, which explained a little bit about each artist and their paintings that had been included in the story.

I think that Picturescape deserves five shining stars.