Capturing Radiant Light & Color

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(in Oils and Soft Pastels)
by Susan Sarback

This is an updated version of Susan's earlier book. I would put her firmly in the same impressionist camp as Lois Griffel. So, if you liked the Cape Cod school approach, you will enjoy the examples and explanations in this book. As it is a second edition, it definitely has well thought out text (and really good production values you expect in a North Light book.)

There is a nice mix of oil and pastel demonstrations. It is another book that makes me think about working in pastels, but I am not quite up to the dust breathing, yet. There is a lot of inspiration in this book.

Painting the Impressionist Landscape

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By Lois Griffel

This is the REAL "How to Paint like an Impressionist". If you look around the net you will find a lot of praise for this book. Any praise you see is well deserved. If you love the broken color and light effects of the Impressionists, you will love this book. I think the most inspiring part of the book is Lois' painting style. Her work is featured, of course, and I really like it.

The book teaches the techniques of Henry Hensche at The Cape Cod School of Art. It stresses the fundamentals of painting block studies to learn how to see color. There are also a good number of other demonstrations on full landscapes. The book also has some history and some basics sprinkled in the text. It is all presented with the clear stong opinions consistent with producing this style. Highly recommended even if this is not your main style. It may make you get your painting knife out!

Landscape Meditations

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By Elizabeth Mowry

Kevin MacPherson's series paintings reminded me of Landscape Meditations. Mowry's main theme in this book is the concept of landscape series paintings. This whole concept was certainly originated by my favorite painter, Claude Monet and he gets his share of credit from Mowry, too. She presents a history of theme painting and a well thought out trip through various themes that can be the subject of a series.

Subtitled "An Artist's Guide to Exploring Themes in Landscape Painting", the book itself is a beautiful collection of Mowry's and other's paintings. Her works are impressionistic pastels of light and landscape. Now, my medium is certainly not pastel, but I love this book and found its content inspiring. I hope to explore my own landscape meditations in the future.

Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light and Color

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By Kevin MacPherson

Kevin produced a popular book that stressed plein air work with pochade boxes in 1997. That was about when the plein air revival started and it is still going strong. Kevin has some great advice as well as good instruction. He covers working with a limited palette in several examples of color mixing. There is also good instruction on the process of creating a painting. He includes a strong recommendation to create 100 picture “starts” as important method to growth. Still life gets its own section as well as useful advice on working in plein air.

MacPherson is an inspiring artist with interesting projects. His paintings are beautiful and rendered with only 4 colors. His book “Reflections on a Pond” is from a project and exhibition from painting a New Mexico alpine pond over several years and includes paintings done on every day of the year. I love this idea as I am a real sucker for reflections and I am a huge fan of series paintings "a la Monet".

Soon to be published is “Landscape Painting – Inside & Out” which I am eagerly awaiting. It must cover more on studio and plein air; I bet.