On the Nightstand

I just received my copy of Richard Schmid's updated Alla Prima three days ago, and I'm already in love with it.  The revised book is noticeably bigger than the original, with many images of Schmid's work I had not seen before, and with many new demonstrations not included in the previous edition.  The text too has been expanded, with additional information included by Schmid in answer to questions readers have posed over the past 15 years the original was in print.  Since Schmid's classic book was such a valuable annual read - even for artists who do not work in style similar to his - this one can only be great too.  How can it not?  It's the same great instruction, but with even MORE PICTURES!

Alla Prima II is available directly from Stove Prairie Press for $125 (hardcover), or $85 (softcover). There is also an autographed collector's edition which includes a signed and numbered lithograph for $325. 

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I am not a pastelist, but this book has tempted me to explore the medium more.  It's intelligently organized with practical information and some great step-by-step sequences by the talented Eagle.  I particularly liked the sections dealing with the history of pastel painting.

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Artist Darren Rousar, who has previously written books on sight-size drawing and memory drawing, compiled this volume from two earlier books which are now in the public domain.  Both Asher B. Durand's "Letters on Landscape Painting," and Birge Harrison's "Landscape Painting" are available as separately reprinted books, with a combined price tag of $25, but here you can get both great books for under $14.

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So many books, so little time!  This book by British expert on late 19th century French art, Richard Thomson, offers a heady look at the popularity of Naturalist art and its role in politics.  I hope to be able to explore this book in depth soon.

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"Lavishly illustrated with beautiful pictures" is a description which is easily used too often, but in the case of this book, there couldn't be a better phrase for summing up the contents.  This is a gorgeous book which catalogs Mary Whyte's career from the late 1960s to the present, including some of her mid-career illustration work.  Whether or not you are a watercolorist, you will find Whyte's images, with their dramatic lighting and superb compositions, inspirational.

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In this book, David Galenson explores the two different types of creative individuals:  conceptual innovators who make early breakthroughs in life, and experimental innovators who make their major contributions to art much later in life.  I expect the book also deals with the societal shift since the 1960s which puts too much emphasis on the young, and ignores the creative output of older artists.  I look forward to reading this book.  

Malcolm Gladwell, whom I quoted in a previous post on talent, is apparently at work on a book of his own dealing with this same subject.

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This book is the second volume about American painting techniques written by conservators Lance Mayer and Gay Myers.  Artists covered include Whistler, Inness, Sargent, Benton, and Sloan.  The book promises to be good, though I wish it had perhaps stopped at the Armory Show, and had instead devoted those pages covering 1913 to 1945 to more turn-of-the-century art (of course, that may just be my bias).

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"For Love of Painting" is the only biography on Sir Gerald Kelly, a skilled artist and former President of the Royal Academy who saved several institutions from financial ruin after World War II by using TV and radio to entice more people to visit their local art museums.  The author, Derek Hudson, published this book within two years of Kelly's death in 1973, rightly predicting that if the artist was not memorialized quickly, the fickle art world would forget this great man.

This book sits on my nightstand waiting for me to read it a second time in preparation for a post on the artist.

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Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry was a successul French painter who gained fame for his mural decorations.  I picked up the book in an effort to trace relationships in technique between teachers and their pupils during the latter half of the 19th century.  Unfortunately, my French is still poor, so I have to slog through translating the book as I go.  

The images are nice, but the book is over-priced in the U.S..  If you are interested in the book, it is best to look for it from European sellers;  even with the cost of shipping, the book would be much cheaper if purchased that way.

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I cannot even remember where I came across this book, but I remember being drawn to the publication's tagline:  "You derive more benefit out of Campana's practical instruction books than out of any bulky publications costing two or three dollars." At quick glance, the instruction seems very basic and formulaic, but I do have to admire author D.M. Campana's business moxie;  he seems to have had his own little art business empire with more than three dozen training manuals, and a series of art prints which students could purchase for copying purposes.  Apparently, he also offered a correspondence course in picture painting for the price of $16.75 (this was 1935) that included "a complete set of oil colors, brushes, 6 canvases, polished wood box, 6 models in full colors, 6 criticisms, knife, palette, book of instruction and all." 

I haven't been able to bring myself to read this one yet.

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Author Mark David Gottsegen was the chair of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) international subcommittee on artists' paints and materials, and this book, revised in 2006, is likely the most comprehensive and up-to-date volume on artist supplies and safety available.  Gottsegen was passionate about the topic, and made a significant contribution to the arts with his tireless efforts into research and testing the basic ingredients that we use in our studios on a daily basis.  Sadly, Gottsegen passed away last week;  he will certainly be missed. 

Be sure to also check out the website of AMIEN (the Art Materials Information and Education Network), a group which Gottsegen founded, where he and other experts in artists' materials answer technical questions and share their research and discoveries.