Customer Reviews

Painting the Spirit of Nature

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

 

 

I also frequently recommend this book to other artists, beginning or advanced. I've had this book for years, and am awed everytime I open it up. It's perfect for jumpstarting the creative juices because almost every page contains an inspiring thought, image or technique. Her photos of natural elements, together with paintings by herself and other artists shows everyone how to use nature as a springboard for creativity. You will LOVE this book!

I was lucky enough to have this artist-author as a teacher almost 2 decades ago. I no longer work in this style or medium but when I was working in it, her methods were the most marvelously freeing ones. If you feel constricted with your present results in water color, as if you must "break free" from such rigid control, Maxine is the teacher for you. The art works are totally glorious as well. Many are hers and she uses other artists' work as well. The book has art work on virtually every page. Back when I took her course, I know that her work was also selling for a lot of money to big commercial clients to put in their buildings and to some private homes as well. Thus, she had cracked the commercial barrier too. I applied her techniques in later years to acyrlics and liquid dyes as well and they worked fine there too.

I orginally saw this book in the library, and was so enthralled by it that I bought it for my reference shelf. I refer to it often to inspire new ideas, and recommend it to every artist I know. The content is so timeless it is destined to be a great reference book in any artist's library!

I have been stuck in a rut with my painting. This book has given me a new outlook on how I can express myself. The book is easy to understand and gave me detailed advise on how to accomplish my goals. I paricularly enjoyed her descriptions of her thought process involved in her paintings.

this a very good book, with examples of beautiful, unusual work from various artists, including the author. but, if you, like me, thought the watercolor on the cover is the author's work, you will be disappointed. most of the work shown is done with colored inks and acrylics, or opaque mediums. i have been inspired, but because of the cover, also misled.

I bought this book since the reviews were quite enthusiastic about it. I have more than 50 watercolor books as well as many other art books, and this is just and justly the worst of them all.

It is about experimental painting, that is true, but it is not about "the spirit of nature". Experimental or abstract painting is simply no excuse. The abstract patterns made through various techniques aren't exciting or beautiful and the techniques themselves can be found in various books where they belong - as a small sidenote. The techniques shown aren't useful at all for a watercolor artist wanting to capture nature.

The enthusiastic reviews gave me a diametrically opposite view of this book than what it was. As a "nature" book it belongs in the trashcan.

What I thought about was some loose techniques for creating texture for nature paintings, but that was not the case, it is all about totally abstractism which was not what I was after.
If you are looking for ways of creating abstact patterns, okey buy it, otherwise don't!

If you are looking for ideas and techniques this is a wonderful book. Very well done.