Plein Air Painting with Oils

A super, no nonsense guide, Haidee-Jo deals with all aspects of starting out with plein air painting. The book is beautifully and liberally illustrated. The whole process, from choosing the correct equipment and paints to finding inspiration and coping with every weather condition is covered with practical advice. Exercises and examples are used throughout, based on the artists own experience and work. She even discusses the main barrier that may prevent some people engaging in plein air painting, i.e. painting in public and there is a chapter dealing with options for works which for whatever reason haven't made the grade. It is a comprehensive work filled with a wealth of knowledge and information and the artists' obvious love and enthusiasm for her subject, a must for anyone wishing to take their first steps outside. -- Anne Chalkley * Amazon Customer Review * I've looked forward to the release of this book by my favourite plein air artist Haidee-Jo Summers and it certainly doesn't disappoint. There is lots of inspiration for anyone wanting to give plein air painting a try. I know I have wanted to paint en plein air but being an amateur have not had the confidence. Haidee-Jo's book certainly encourages me to give it a go. Her book provides lots of helpful and practical advice and tips on how to go about this, from what equipment you may need and how to transport this, colour palettes and colour mixing, how to compose a painting and how to simplify subjects, how to deal with changeable weather. There are demonstrations to show her painting process from quick sketches to doing tonal washes leading to final paintings. And she provides exercises for you to try to gain more confidence such as doing timed paintings against the clock in small panels to help you learn to paint faster, and painting from memory to develop your short term visual memory, all helpful for painting outside in order to get the essential details down before your subject changes! Even though this is not a hardback book it has a sturdy glossy cover and the pages are of good quality with a plentiful number of good quality photos of Haidee-Jo's beautiful paintings to drool over and envy! She truly is the expert and advocate for plein air painting, not just of landscapes but of the everyday subjects that a lot of people would overlook, as Haidee-Jo has the knack of finding the light and shadows that bring out their beauty and creating a stunning painting. I can't recommend this book highly enough. -- Julie Geelan * Amazon Customer Review * I should first of all say that I am not an oil painter. I paint mostly in watercolour and sometimes in gouache or casein paint. However I just love this book. It is packed full with information and her beautiful paintings, and I cannot wait to 'get out there' after looking at this. It is really inspiring and packed with practical advice too. Well done Haidee-Jo, this is a winner for sure! * Customer Review * This book is full of very useful information. Beautifully illustrated to inspire the artist to get out and give plein air a go. I am an experienced painter but found lots of very useful advice within the pages. * Customer Review * Everything you need to know to help you start plein air painting. Suitable for all. Haidee-Jo offers practical advice given in her easy to read style. She has condensed her years of experience into this fabulous book and given us a chance to join her on this amazing adventure. Just brilliant! -- Charlotte Davies * Amazon Customer Review * As a regular plein air painter I found the finishing Pearls of wisdom very relatable and written with kind humour! This book appeals across the experience range, with essential information for beginners to reinforcement for the more experienced; a visual treat clearly written with examples and exercises. -- Steven James Dunster * Amazon Customer Review *