Customer Reviews

Painting the Landscape in Pastel

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a professional portrait artist who specializes in pastels so I am familiar with Albert Handell through several pastel magazines. He is a master at the western (ie:New Mexico, Arizona, etc.) landscapes with his remarkable color pallette of those regions! I don't think any pastelist paints rocks and trees better than this man. The writing style is a little elementary but the information is refreshingly straightforward, informative and easily understood. You won't find vague, ethereal wanderings from this guy! The many photos are clear and beautiful. His "step by step" sequences actually show the reader something useful and attainable.:-). This is a must have addition for the library of any pastel artist....

Albert Handell with Anita West has written the difinitive book on location painting in pastel. A visual masterpiece, each painting reproduced will excite anyone to get out on location and get to work. The text is informative and very straight forward. All of his books are keepers and this one is as well. He is the master of the medium and we should all be grateful he shares so much. Thank you Albert and Anita.

Mr. Handell generously shares his great knowlege & know how. He simplifies & organizes the pastel palette, its so easy to be a plein air painter. I strongly reccomend this book as a bible for all pastelists.

I bought Albert Handell's book because for someone painting in pastels his works have reached a level that ordinary pastel artists might think impossible. They are so rich in texture and color blend and capturing the essence of the painting. From buying the book I did not really get a handle on how he did the paintings- he probably reveals that in his workshops- but the book is a visual delight and worth it just for that. Later I did join a pastel group and people from there did go to workshops because they were inspired by Handell's works. So I found other people who thought like me about his pastels. After reading this book and looking at a picture, I only wish I could own one of his paintings one day. Breathtaking. Creative Painting for the Young Artist Anyone Can Improve Their Handwriting (CD) Relaxing Sights and Sounds of Natural Israel

(I'm not clear on the contribution by author Anita Louise West; the text is largely in the first person singular -- Handell's.) This is a decent, if short-winded, introduction to common, fundamental art concepts (color temperature, intensity, complementary colors) and a few pointers specific to the pastel medium. There is little that you cannot get elsewhere in more depth, and some puzzling statements ("A toned paper helps the artist enhance contrast in values" -- p. 20) that beg elaboration. Many of the points are theoretically demonstrated by Handell's own paintings, with a paragraph each of his discussion; but his comments often seem arbitrarily chosen, if not downright wrong for the painting in question. For example, p. 40, he states "these light green colors [of the spring outside the studio window] contrasted with and complemented ... all of the darker interior colors of the studio," but the highest-key portions of the painting are in the interior. On p. 39 a view of a pier shows a flag at half staff. Hendell states, "I purposely played down the detail of the flag," yet it is in plain sight and eye-catching. In fact, the most interesting thing about an otherwise trite scene is the flag (I would have titled the picture "Half Mast") because it adds particularity and involves the viewer ("what's going on?"). The painting is divided exactly in halves horizontally, classically a compositional no-no, so I would have liked to read the artist's discussion of this choice. In some other paintings the artist seems confused (or unconcerned) about the principal light source -- although since Wayne Thiebaud routinely gets away with this, maybe it's not a big issue. In summary, this book is a lightweight, and hopefully encouraging, introduction to a wonderful medium, but the discussion of individual paintings should be read with one's critical faculties in place. Plus, it never hurts to browse another artist's works, even if the lessons contain nearly as many "what not to do's" as "what to do's".

When I purchased the book, I thought I would find more "step by step" examples for learning to paint landscapes in pastel. The book is nicely written, but not what I expected.

I have been painting in oils for a few years and want to explore pastels. I am familiar with Handell's work and always believe you should buy a book by someone whose art takes your breath away. In that aspect, this book will not disappoint. However, for a beginner in the medium of pastels, you may want to explore a book with more demos. Am I going to keep this book in my library...you bet! Thank you Albert Handell and Anita Louise West!

Though I paint in other mediums, I am new to pastels. This book is the only one I will ever need. The pictures are beautiful and lush. The instructions and explanations are simple to understand. Would heartily recommend this book to new or experienced artists.

Absolutely loved this book. It is easy to read and understand for a novice like me. The information is precisely laid out and the opinions of not 1 but 2 artists is lovely. I really enjoyed West's imput. She is painting simply for the joy of her art!

This is a wonderful book to view and read ,great instructional info and very inspirational. Gets the juices flowing !