Customer Reviews

Watercolor Portraits Painted on the Streets of Los Angeles

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Watercolor Portraits by Mary Heussenstamm is a magnificent and inspiring book of beautiful watercolor portraits. I have long wanted to purchase this book, but because of its price it took me a while to actually do it. As a watercolorist myself, I truly appreciate her quick renderings and her use of color; this is true mastery and talent at work. Capturing various skin tones and facial expressions is a difficult task and she has mastered this beautifully. The book was delivered quickly and in great condition... and the lovely portraits throughout are inspiring. It's also nice to learn a bit about Ms. Heussenstamm and her technique. That part is brief... she lets her work speak for her.

The artist has mastered watercolor and human insight in this extraordinary collection. Everyone who paints or appreciates watercolor will want to own this rare volume. The artist's description of her life experience and painting techniques add immeasurably to the value of the book.

I purchased this book for my daughter, who painted hundreds of portraits in the Chicago area except in oils, and she said she can't put the book down. It is so inspiring.

I know & love Mary and her husband, however I can in all honesty recommend adding this book to your fine art library, whether you are an artist or an art collector. She captures her subjects with remarkable finesse. You, the viewer, can sense her connection with the models - she has captured the true natures of her subjects on paper, in a professional and skillful manner. And, if you can, meet her and walk with her through a crowd, as she talks about the faces that interest her. You'll understand the magic she has rendered!

Unencumbered as I am by any preconceived notions of art, and with barely a sliver of artistic ability, I feel free to give sometimes outrageous opinions about the subject. Perhaps if I knew the proper attitudes one is supposed to have regarding art and art criticism, I might be better able to know what I like in paintings, especially watercolors, of which I am a lifelong aficionado. Despite my shortcomings in the world of art, I know instinctively what I like and I ignore current trends or schools or what people say I'm supposed to like. One thing for sure, though: I know I like Mary Heussenstamm's watercolor portraits. It may be pure instinct on my part but that doesn't detract from the validity of my appreciation. "Like" is perhaps too weak a word, really, for my strong feelings. "Obsession" might be more like it. But I challenge anyone to look at Mary Heussenstamm's portraits without feeling something instinctual, something almost visceral, which is not to say that her watercolors don't appeal to the intellect as well. They certainly do to mine! I think the strongest and most lasting impression the portraits make on me is the inherent dignity and respect regarding the subjects, the people she encountered on the steeets of Los Angeles. The richness and variety of skin color--yes; the pleasing, sometimes startling facial shapes, the variation of human features--they are all there. These are nothing short of magnificent, but it is the awe, the warmth, and the affection that the artist reveals in her face-to-face encounters while she holds her one versatile brush and works with no more than seven tubes of colors that speak to me as much or even more than the mastery of technique of that most difficult of media--watercolors. I like to study one portrait at a time, sometimes even one a day, so that no person's face is lost among a host of other fascinating faces. This is just my approach to the almost 100 portraits. Others may wish to be overwhelmed by the "crowed," and an unforgettable one it is! Fifty years ago I bought a book I have never tired of: "The Family of Man." It consists of thoughtful, often joyous photographs of people throughout the world as they go about their lives. Mary Heussenstamm's people, as we see them in her paintings, are, for me, a part of that wonderful family.

Mary Heussenstamm has compiled a book of some of the most warm and loving pictures of individuals I have ever encountered. She has taken people from the streets of Los Angeles and has depicted them with loving care. Her subjects blossom, through her art, with warm personalities. The paintings are not only realistic but they are real. These are real people with personalities and they are beautifully portrayed.