Kevin Macpherson - Landscape Painting Inside and Out: Capture the Vitality of Outdoor Painting in Your Studio with Oils

So many people work in arenas that discourage creativity. In fact, society as a whole attempts to persuade us not to consider an independent creative lifestyle as a wise choice. Nevertheless I guarantee that, whatever your chosen field, art will enrich your life.

My first book, Fill Your Oil Paintings With Light and Color, has guided many beginning and struggling artists with its simple approach to picture making. For me, seeing the world through the eyes of an artist and sharing the gift of art have been most rewarding.

there is always a learning curve associated with acquiring a new skill, whether it be golf, skiing, painting or typing, as I'm finding as I write this manuscript. I believe anyone willing to go through the awkward learning curve can obtain the general knowledge necessary to get started creating art. Indeed, mastering any skill sets one up for complacency and a loss of the joy and wonder that enticed one into the field in the first place. So embrace the trials and tribulations of learning to paint. Celebrate your moments of genius, and laugh at the awful stuff that you will sometimes produce. The only things you're using up are paint, canvas and some time time you're spending enjoying the world around you.

This book will encourage you to let your intuition rule when you paint outdoors. Step-by-step demonstrations and stimulating practice exercises in the studio will prepare you for your adventures outside. You'll learn the power of a limited palette, how to use set palettes, and how color, values, shape and edges can all work together to bring your art to a new level. I encourage you to paint both outdoors and inside. Contemplative study in the solitude of your studio is important to your development into a highly skilled, passionate plein air painter. A balanced approach in which you work both indoors and outdoors will foster your growth as an artist painting with purpose.

When I wrote my first book, the term en plein air (French for in open air) was not used in the mainstream, but today it is a familiar term. Plein air painting basically means painting from life. If an inquisitive artist is prepared to ask the right questions, standing before nature will reveal all the answers. This book will teach you to ask the right questions. It will guide you comfortably through the many challenges that are inherent in plein air painting. You'll learn about the tools and the art principles needed for painting both indoors and out.