Problem Solving for Oil Painters

This book is good, but it is not about oil paint. It’s the basics of painting in any medium.

As any true artist can attest, real art does not just arrive from the soul of the artist. Rather it is more often than not the result of hard-won struggles with all sorts of problems. Art in its creation is not linear. It develops by answering questions like, "What makes form look dimensional?" "How does light flow?" "How can air be represented." If the content is too dominating and the technique too finished, the painting can look impersonal. It the artist is too dominating, to expressionistic, the painting can look self-indulgent. Gregg Kreutz in his "Problem Solving for Oil Painters" has assembled many of the questions that have occurred to him during his years as a painter. He examines the characteristics of a superior painting and shows through examples what makes one picture better than another. Some of those qualities include richness, mystery, simplicity, and focus. Kreutz appreciates individual expression and knows that each painter develops in his or her own way. He knows that painting is not a mechanical act. When it is, the end product will be unconvincing. Painting requires creativity, insight and empathy. He builds on these attributes which vary from individual to individual with the questions that painters frequently face. He answers these in a straightforward, agnostic manner that will be useful to all painters. This is an excellent book that will serve the intermediate to advanced to professional painter well. Kruetz's paintings have been represented in many juried shows, winning many high honors. The book is chock full of his work and I, for one, am glad. His work is inspirational and, with this book, he has forced me to raise the bar for my work by asking one question when I paint, "What are the attributes that can make this a better painting?" I no longer have any excuses - he provides plenty of answers.

...this book makes you think about where a painting starts, what idea drives it and how to achieve it with our chosen medium of oils. The insightfulness of the author's comments almost sounds philosophical at times, while, in fact, being extremely practical. An excellent resource for getting more quality into your painting. The author is obviously very experienced at painting with a gift for teaching, as well. There are many excellent example paintings, both positive and negative, well-reproduced on glossy paper. The book is a joy to look at (I like the author's style of painting) and very educational.This book has survived several reductions/turnovers in my home library and will no doubt survive them all. It's a keeper! Buy it now.

All I can say is, "Thank you Gregg Kreutz, for writing this book." He is an artist, speaking to colleague artists .. not to potential buyers or to the mirror, which is so very annoying. I never expected to get so much out of a book.We all have paintings left over in our studios that we don't want anyone to see. We hide them behind boards or stretched canvases with half-hearted intentions to either scrap them, or re-look at them someday. They permeate that certain something that was never resolved into our soul, forever reminding us that we are so far from perfect. Well, I've dug them out, and am actually staring at them again with new-found interest. I'm even 'enjoying' looking at them, thanks to this book, because they are finally getting resolved. Wow, do I ever recommend this book.

You won't go wrong here. This is an excellent book that explains clearly essentials that you'll need in your art work of most any style and technique. I'm taken back at the talent of the author in painting strikingly beautiful works. Some art books are good reference materials, once read I'm willing to sell off and move on to others. Then there's books like this one: a keeper. You just have to see it to appreciate it. These are excellent paintings and the author gives really valuable reasons for why the basics of oil paintings are fundamental in a down to earth, easy to understand way. This is a great buy and well worth your attention. You'll love it.

I stumbled on this book by accident in an art store library. Upon browsing through it, I realized that I was looking at something very different than the bulk of "art instruction" books available. The author is exceptionally knowledgable about the medium of oils, as well as surfaces on which to paint, but most importantly, he shows many color photos of "bad" paintings and how to correct them. He discusses, composition, lighting, unifying color, shadow color,etc. It is an education in itself. An outstanding work.