Painting Better Landscapes

Rating:
Summary: Paintings seem to come to life with color!
Review: I bought this book about 10 years ago and although I have dozens more on landscaping, none can compare with Ms. Kesslers style, colors and textures. I had the privilege of participating in one of Ms. Kessler's seminars at Pocono Pines Pennsylvania several years ago--what a treat! I wish she would write another book.

Rating:
Summary: Paintings seem to come to life with color!
Review: I had the honor of taking a workshop from Margaret Kessler in Joseph, Oregon. My eyes were opened to color as never before in my painting career. I purchased two books because I 'used' my first one until it was almost unreadable and I didn't want to be without. I teach painting and find her instructions so easy to pass to my students and easy to see when they finally 'get it'. As someone else said, if you get the book, don't loan it because you won't get it back. It is the best book to learn from, in my opinion. I only wish that she would do another book.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book!
Review: I was not sure how I would like this book but found it to be excellent! Covers aspects of landscape painting that could be overlooked. I believe this book has improved my painting skills!

Rating:
Summary: It is a good reference book on painting landscapes.
Review: I was rather careful when rating this book to be fair and, honestly, I had tried to read it over to be sure of my opinion. This was because other reviewers have such high opinions about it.

I ponder the reasons others give such good comments about this book are because:

1) The book is thorough. It covers materials, techniques, color theory, meanings of brushstrokes (for instance, each type of brush stroke carries a certain mood), and apparently a lot of how-to's and do's-dont's.

2) The work done by the author is in photographic style. She uses vivid colors in most of her paintings. Also, a lot of details were rendered in her work; one of the reasons may be because most (if not all) of her work were done from reference photos (single or combination thereof).

From an en plein air and alla prima painter's point of view, unfortunately, I find the book a little dull with full of rules and do's and dont's. Perhaps it is just a very personal thing, but when out there painting "en plein air", a lot of "vibes" and "moods" rendered onto the paintings come from the fact of "being out there with nature", not with pre-defined rules. That is also the reason that photographic style from photos is not my favorite.

Respectfully, I consider this a good reference book on painting landscapes, especially if the readers decide to use photos for his/her work. Therefore, it is given the rating above (4-star).

Rating:
Summary: Finally, a technique book that has it all!
Review: If you buy only one book on landscape painting, this is the one to have. It's a must have for the oil painter. From planning to gallery, Ms. Kessler's book is put together well and is thorough. This book will not sit on your shelf at home collecting dust. Soon, it will show signs of wear as you use it to help you render dept, tone, atmosphere, value, and color. A word of caution: Don't lend it to your friends, you'll never get it back!

Rating:
Summary: The best landscape painting book I've seen.
Review: This book is the best I've found for landscape painting. Kessler goes through all the important aspects of good painting including sound composition, depth and atmospheric perspective, color and mood, and many others. Just as importantly, I found the numerous paintings included in the book to be very inspirational. The book is well-written, enjoyable to read, and I would highly recommend for anyone who is interested in landscape painting.