"This book was started as a memoir of my mother and subsequently developed into something more like a diary, covering my recollections of a post-war childhood in Worcestershire, an art-school education and subsequent obsessions. It may be read in the light, or perhaps one should say in the shadow, of its political history." So begins an irresistible sequence of reflections by Tess Jaray RA. Whether providing insights into the mind of an artist, or recounting the eccentricities of her singular childhood, 'The Blue Cupboard' is a consistently characterful, humorous and life-affirming piece of writing. Jaray is a painter and printmaker whose work is characterised by the enigmatic interaction of forms and colours. In 2010 she published a book of her collected writings, Painting: Mysteries and Confessions (RA Publications). She has also created imagery to accompany the work of W. G. Sebald. She has artworks in many public collections, including the Tate and the British Museum, and her paving designs can be seen in Centenary Square, Birmingham, St Mary's Church, Nottingham, and the forecourt of Victoria Station. AUTHOR: Tess Jaray is a printmaker and painter. She has taught at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London. In 1995 she was made an Honorary Fellow of RIBA (Royal Institute for British Architects) for her public art projects. SELLING POINTS: . Jaray gives the reader a rare and sincere glimpse into the life of an artist . The Blue Cupboard moves from heartfelt personal experience - such as the escape of Jaray and her family from the oppressive climate of 1930s Europe to rural Worcestershire - to musings on the creation and experience of art . Jaray writes with assurance on an intriguing variety of topics, from Samuel Beckett to printing techniques, and from Amy Winehouse to urban foxes 30 colour Entertaining and provocative in equal measure, the art of Allen Jones RA was at the forefront of the British Pop Art movement in the early 1960s. Since then, his highly erotic imagery, subversive humour and exuberant use of colour have been hugely influential, not just in the art world but across fashion, graphic design, film and music. This book explores the full range of Jones's fifty-year career, from his early art-school experiments in capturing movement, through his famous and controversial 'women as furniture' sculptures, to his continuing preoccupation with the human form. AUTHOR: Natalie Ferris is a writer and critic. She has contributed to Frieze, the Guardian and the White Review and is English Editor of the Korean architecture journal Space. Marco Livingstone is an art historian and independent curator. He has contributed to numerous books and exhibition catalogues, including David Hockney: A Bigger Picture, also published by RA Publications. Sir Norman Rosenthal was Exhibitions Secretary at the Royal Academy of Arts from 1977 to 2008. He is now an independent curator. SELLING POINTS: . Allen Jones is one of the world's most controversial and celebrated pop artists . He is best known for his provocative and erotic painting and sculpture, particularly his 'Women as Furniture' series . Written by experts, the book includes a chapter exploring Jones's work from a feminist viewpoint 80 colour