Customer Reviews

Landscape Painting Inside and Out: Capture the Vitality of Outdoor Painting in Your Studio With Oils

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Because a 5-star rating might imply perfection, I hate to give 5 stars to any book. However, while this book is not perfect, its virtues are so great (especially in comparison to most other painting-technique books) that it deserves such a high rating.

Macpherson's first book, "Fill Your Oil Paintings With Light and Color," is also excellent. With this new book, and its beautiful paintings to illustrate the text, he expands on painting landscapes. Both books are very useful.

If I were to criticize, it is that, very occasionally, the book introduces a thought that could have been more fully elaborated. And potential buyers should understand that the book does not go into great detail on how to paint specific aspects of landscapes (e.g., clouds, water, trees, etc.); and that seems to be intentional. Rather than address brushstrokes, etc., this book goes right to the heart of things, to concepts that will more fundamentally improve how one paints. (I'm talking here about concrete, practical advice, not metaphysical fluff.) Such principles can indeed be found in some other books, but this book states them more clearly, and with better illustrations, than any other book I can think of. This book keeps one's focus on what is most important to a successful painting.

In short, this is a substantial book that makes many other art books seem rather superficial, or at least unclear, by comparison. This book will probably not obviate the use of specialty books (e.g., on painting clouds)--of which there are some excellent ones--rather, this book will give you the foundation on which to better apply the advice of those other books. As you can tell, I like this book. I suspect it will be regarded a classic.

It is rare that a great painter is also a great teacher, but this book is proof positive that it can be done. Kevin has presented the artist interested in outdoor painting or how to translate the outdoor experience into studio painting, a concise & complete way of thinking as well as notes on materials and techniques. This book goes on the shelf with the other 4-5 essential manuals on the painting process...quite simply a necessary volume, beautifully illustrated.....my students will be required to buy this one! Bravo Kevin!!

Having read this author's previous book on putting color and light in your paintings, I was a little disappointed with this one---I expected more. The book was well organized, (had, once again, pages of stuff about selecting your brushes, etc.); the author set forth his view of a limited palette, and said that you needed to be excited about your painting---but I don't believe that he was excited when he wrote this. If he was, he didn't convey it well. Had a number of exercises, some reasonable, others only for the wealthy (use an entire tube of cadmium red light on your painting (That is, really thick!)

Anyway, having read through the book, I would not buy this book again --- that's the bottom line.

This is an outstanding book--full of information, helpful tips, and instruction. It is also very motivational, written by an individual who has devoted his life to art. I own over 100 instructional books on painting, and I would rate this book among a handful of my favorites.

I certainly wasn't disappointed with this publication. Kevin's enthusiasm for his craft is contageous. Everytime I pick the book up I want to dive into a new painting project. His information is timeless and pertitent to the novice as well as the seasoned pro. I really like the layout that enables me to find the information I'm looking for easily
and the over all style and look of the book is great. The full color reproductions are true to his palette (I've viewed his work in person) and give the viewer visual insight into his color mixing. This is a real keeper and I can see myself going back to this book over and over again for inspiration, information and just to look at beautiful art. Thanks Kevin

This was a gift for my dad, who is a professional artist. He requested it, and he found it triggered many ideas that he uses in his work.

A very nice presentation of perspective, and also easy to understand. The paintings are well done and are good examples of perspective principles.

This is a fabulous book. I've been trying to teach myself landscape painting and this book has been a constant reference and extremely helpful. Buy it if you like his work and style you won't be disappointed.

I read Kevin's earlier book and mentioned it previously here on Amazon and yes, I thought it was great but THIS one...this one is...is...damn...words fail me. It's just simply the best book on plein-air painting I've ever read (and I must have 30 or more on this subject alone). Kevin has outdone himself with this one. He's taken all the valuable info contained in his previous book and just added to it and added to it. I'm looking and looking but I can't find ANYTHING that he may have left out or not talked enough about.

Years ago, before he established himself as The Man when it comes to teaching people how to paint outdoors, I took a couple of workshops with him and, during the first couple of days outdoors and trying to be somewhat easy in his suggestions to improve my picky little paintings, he finally got frustrated with what I'd continued to put on the canvas and, took his thumb and WHOOSH--smeared out a laborious passage I'd painstakingly put in there and wiped off his thumb and WHOOSH, did it a second time and I'll never forget how much BETTER the painting looked after those two swoops. My biggest mistake was in not stopping right there, putting it away and saving that thing for me to look at again and again. That same mentality permeates his book; you can't help but improve your paintings if you read this book and apply the principles therein.

Another note is the two back-pages by his wife, Wanda, who was only just beginning to paint when I knew them. She can really paint now but she
maintains that being really good (which she is) is not the point, but that just getting out there and not being afraid to fail and just enjoy yourself should be a reward in itself. I found her remarks to be in good juxtaposition to Kevin's solid, on-target prose about well, "Landscape Painting Inside and Out".

Buy it. Better yet, go to his website and see if you can get into a workshop with him. You won't be disappointed.

Marvelous aid for oil painters, both amateur and professional. I found tips in it that I had forgotten over the years, and illustrations that made everything crystal clear. Brava!!! ANNA MARIE FRITZ [...]