"This character will stick with you. By the end of the story you know her almost better than herself. She changes drasticlly from the first page to the last, but you hardly notice it. Her thoughts, feelings, and memories feel like yours. This is an amazing piece of writing--philosophical, poetic, funny...symbolic memories and backstory woven into a complex mesh of tar, honey, plastic and hair. If it is possible to fall in love with a book, you will fall in love with this one. A beautiful story! Did I mention how much I love it?" --says our intrepid bookseller e.b.

Artist's Bio...Linda Montalto was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a youth, her visits to the Museum of Modern Art brought her in contact with Abstract Expressionism and the paintings of Mark Rothko. His work so moved her that she made the decision to dedicate her life to art and the pursuit of beauty. She began her advanced studies in art on the East Coast but moved west, where she received a masters degree in art at San Jose State University under the direction of Frederick Spratt. Montalto moved to the Mediterranean coast of Spain in 1976 with her husband, who was studying the Spanish classical guitar. There, by the sea, her palette turned brighter and she began to incorporate the vibrant use of color that remains a central characteristic of her current work. She continues to be inspired and profoundly affected by her love of nature. Montalto's work has been shown in galleries throughout the San Francisco Bay area and group shows have taken her paintings across the continent.

Artist's Statement...My abstract work is usually begun without preconceptions. I attempt to let the paintings evolve naturally. When I do begin with set intentions, the creative process usually overtakes them and the influences of my environment, the landscapes I see, my private dreams and emotions appear in the work as a kind of self-discovery.These paintings use a process of layering, covering and then peeling away selected bits of color and information. There is movement of one color against another, a kind of force of motion that appears again and again in the work. At times, only an edge of previous color can be seen. I make choices to expose areas or veil them with washes of transparent color. The staining techniques create a richness of color and a lush quality resulting from the drips running over the canvas. In this current series, amoeba like characters flit about the canvas expressing change, movement and the bounty of nature.