Plein Air: Painting In The South Of France

The artist and author of this 110 page book on plein air painting was part of the design team for Chrysler for many years, and is well trained and experienced in the field of art. This book with its 40 or so watercolors, does not however, teach you how to paint per se. Some art students learn how to paint by observing the work of other painters. But in reviews of books, I hear many complain when there is a lack of actual how-to instruction. If you are looking for something more instructional in nature concerning art techniques, you may find this book disappointing. On the other hand, the area the book covers is itself, an inspiration to many artists. You may feel upon reading it, that the book is more of a photographic journal of the group the author took on a trip to the south of France, and if you are wanting to go on a painting trip with an art teacher, you would gain a good understanding of what such a trip entails. The painting groups two week itinerary, some 150 photos of Le Monastere, the inn where they stayed in Limoux, pictures of the group eating meals together, examples of the meals they ate, people painting as well as places they went on their travels, clearly show what a wonderful time they experienced. The book contains a number of watercolor photos of the region. But by far it contains three times more photographs than watercolors, of the south of France. You would have to thumb through it to determine whether the photos are ones that you would personally choose to paint. For this reason you might rather look for photos of France from photography books in your local public library, or print copyright free pictures online. You may find the book would make a wonderful gift for a friend. Or wish to contact the author for painting classes where you can gain a better understanding of painting methods.

great art book with beautiful paintings