Painting Landscapes in Oils

by James Horton

I agree with this author when he says that teaching painting comprehensively from a book is impossible--there is just too much to learn. But a good primer can point a person in the right direction, and there is much that can be learned by reading about it, and then having a go.

Getting to know what you need and then getting to grips with it is vital, and there are quite a few pages devoted to this in here. These made for useful reading, and although there is quite a list of items it is made plain that you don’t need them all. It is also explained what they are all for, something frequently absent in how-to books containing these exhaustive lists. Here it is all out in the open, and is akin to being part of a class which is surely about the best thing for a practical book of this type. Preparing canvas, working out of doors, what colors you need for certain views, viewfinders, composition are all covered in the same avuncular tone, which is just what is required. The staged paintings are always useful, and there are quite a few stages to each one showing how the work progresses and again taking the mystery away. This is a useful book for beginners and improvers who want to get under the skin of a notoriously elusive subject.