'Painting the Visual Impression' review.

'Painting the Visual Impression', by Richard Whitney.
ISBN: 978-1-938394-12-6

I ordered the book from Richard Whitney's website

a couple of years ago after reading an article about him on the Sight-Size blog. After searching in vain for a Paypal button, I ended up emailing the author for a price that included postage to the UK, and after a courteous and helpful exchange we arrived at a slightly eye watering $50. (While the book is modestly priced, the postage charges from the US seem exorbitant, though when you consider the distances involved, reasonable.)

Anyway. The book arrived, neatly and safely packaged soon after I sent cash through the post. Note well: you don't have to do this. You can get the Kindle version for your newfangled electronic reader for considerably less and no postal charges, but I'm just a Luddite who prefers real books made of dead trees.

The book is a well made paperback, 9" high by 6" wide, with 95 pages, many of which carry full colour illustrations, as does the cover. Whitney's landscapes and portraits are represented, and the latter stand comparison with Renaissance examples.

And while the book is slim, the content is dense and information heavy, with a great deal of practical advice about the process of painting. This is divided into named chapters, in which the relevant information is presented as a series of aphorisms, short sentences that appear deceptively simple, but unpack into lessons as you consider them and apply them to your painting.

The overall effect is one of listening to a great painter and teacher as they look at your painting. I've learned most from previous tutors while listening to them talk about painting, and reading this book is the next best thing. As painters, we turn to instruction when we run out of ways to progress using what we already know, and this book offers new insights into a process that might have become too familiar.

Can I recommend this book? Wholeheartedly and without reservation. I've said elsewhere that books which fail to teach me get quietly relisted for sale. 'Painting the Visual Impression', on the other hand,  is going to stay in my collection and be a well thumbed addition to my library for as long as I paint.

Shift it, Artboy.

I went out early on a drawing expedition one day last week. Took a drawing I'd begun on a quarter-imperial sheet of paper clipped to an MDF board, a propelling pencil, and a brush pen filled with watered down Payne's grey.

It was sunny and just a little after sunrise when I began the drawing a couple of weeks ago, but it was overcast and drizzling that day. I spent a little while longer on the drawing and took some more reference photos, but it wasn't going anywhere, and I probably won't start a painting anytime soon. There's a colour study I might finish in the studio, but I'll hold off on the painting until I feel ready. Sometimes an idea needs to incubate until you come up with an approach.

And while I'm here, why did no one tell me about these brush pens? I bought a couple off the Ken Bromley website. They are brilliant. The concept is simple: a brush head screwed onto a reservoir into which you can put any watered down paint you like. A fountain pen with a brush nib, in other words.

I risked a second expedition after lunch, now that the plague is dying down, and worked on a sketchbook drawing with the same tools. Had to move once when an ageing couple refused to walk past me because they would get too close and might catch the Chinese EbolAIDSitis. Of course they stood there for a couple of minutes first, waiting for me to read their minds rather than saying, 'Shift it, artboy, plague avoiders coming through!' No one does quiet, seething, passive-aggressive rage like we do over here. Makes me proud to be British.

One other thing I can recommend is getting up really early - around 4am - for the good light. Every direction your head turns, there's another real life Claude to look at, and the bonus cherry on top is that there's nobody else around at that hour to spoil your fun.

Back in the Saddle

I left my day job last Tuesday. Reached retirement age on Wednesday, and got up at 4 on Thursday, to go out painting.

Wrestled with a 10x12 of a spot I'd noticed walking to work, and considering I hadn't done any plein air painting in, what, three years? It went pretty well.

I had a hard time opening some of the paint tubes. The caps had locked shut, stuck fast with paint and oil. I found out that if you use the lid of your easel like a nutcracker, you can fix that easily.

Came home, ate another breakfast, took a nap, then worked on a studio painting I hadn't touched in a while. Went well.