In case you haven't figured it out, I'm a book-aholic. Its been pointed out to me that all chairs in my house (with the exception of the kitchen chairs- sometimes!) have a pile of books and magazines next to them. Never want to be to far from reading material and never have enough time to read as much as I would like.
Today I want to highlight an art book that is both a book for an artist in terms of philosophy and a book for anyone who enjoys looking at beautiful art. The book is Robert A. Johnson's On Becoming a Painter.
Robert A. Johnson is a member of the Oil Painters of American and Allied Artists of American. He has won numerous awards and is represented by several galleries. He has the credentials to talk about art philosophy. The book is 222 pages with 100 color images- several of them close up of brush strokes in larger paintings. As with most books full of luscious color images it is not inexpensive. The copyright is 2001. The forward is written by Senator John Warner of Virginia who has been one of Johnson's students.
The book is available on Amazon. It may be available from your local library or art organization. I have my art book collection out on Goodreads and if you live in or around Huntsville I'll be glad to loan an art book to you.
Pansies by Robert A. Johnson
14"x 18" oil painting
"While painting the vibrant, colorful pansies can be a delight- as this was- the real power of the painting comes from the high value contrast and the wide range of edges from completely lost to razor sharp."
In this book Johnson asks and answers what is takes to become a painter like those whose works hang in Museums and whose works stand the test of time. In his quest to become one of these type painters he is following the path of the old Masters- Vermeer, Rembrandt, etc. To aid in this goal, he has become a copyist at one of the Washington D.C. museums.
The extreme close-ups of some of his brush work highlight how even representation art is made up of abstract shapes.
At the same time I watched "In the Studio with Robert A. Johnson- Azaleas and Oranges". The DVD is produced by Liliedahl Video Productions. The Liliedahl videos I have watched have been consistently high quality with good lighting, close up shots, etc. The video is geared to artists as it takes a painting from start to finish.
Azaleas & Oranges
by Robert A. Johnson
Video Copyright 2007
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