Recommended Books
The best way to improve your painting is to just "do it". Nonetheless, there are some excellent books on the subject by masterful painters. Here are a few of my favorites.
Alla Prima - Everything I Know About Painting, Richard Schmidt
ISBN # 0-9662117-3-1
Published by Stove Prairie Press, LLC, www.richardschmid.com
Whether your goal is painting landscapes, figures, or still lifes, you would be hard-pressed to find a better book on technique and creative thinking.
Painting Better Landscapes, Margaret Kessler
ISBN # 0-8230-3576-X, published by Watson-Guptill
This book offers 15 chapters; each chapter presents a different aspect of painting designed to help beginners or experienced painters with critiques of their own work.
Problem Solving for Oil Painters, Gregg Kreutz
ISBN # 0-8230-4408-4, published by Watson-Guptill.
A great book by a terrific painter - landscapes, still lifes, and figures - that helps you with those nagging problems of composition, value, and color.
Composition of Outdoor Painting, Edgar Payne
ISBN # 0-944699-02-2, originally published by the author.
This is a short, concise book on the essentials of outdoor painting by one of the great 20th Century plein air artists, Edgar Payne. His thoughts on creativity and intention illuminate the process of composing the elements in a painting.
Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting, John F. Carlson
www.store.doverpublications.com
Originally published by this well-known American artist and teacher in 1929, the book is now available from Dover Publications. This book provides good advice on what to look for in choosing a subject to paint and unravels the mysteries of color, atmospheric conditions and other phenomena found in nature. Note that the section on materials is somewhat outdated.
Cold Wax Medium Techniques, Concepts & Conversations, Rebecca Crowell & Jerry McLaughlin
ISBN# 978-0-9972963-0-3, published by Squeegee Press.
This book deals with abstraction and, as the title suggests, it focuses on the use of cold wax medium – everything you need to know. But, one of the best chapters deals with developing your own personal voice. The authors’ advice on intention is helpful, whether you work realistically or abstractly.
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