Oil Painting Secrets from a Master by Linda Cateura:
I am annoyed by phrases like "painting secrets" or "secret techniques" (etc), because they perpetuate the myth that there are some mysterious secrets about painting that one must uncover.
The only secret is that there are no such secrets, and despite this book's title, the author admits it:
"The artist has very limited technical means at hand. Value, which may be lighter or darker, is one means. Color, which may be more or less, is another means. Edges, harder or softer, are another means. And paint quality, thicker or thinner, is another means. That is essentially it-- there's not too much to learn." -p. 128
There are, for the sake of argument, obsolete mediums and oil additives that some so-called 'masters' used, long ago, which may seem like secrets in that the modern painter is not likely to replicate them. But modern science has given us many more mediums to choose from, any number of which may approximate some of these 'secret' mediums.
Oil Painting Secrets from a Master, is a collection of studio-notes from classes with David A. Leffel. The book is organized into four sections: Artistic Thinking, The Painting Process, Basic Advice, and General Observations. The back cover reads:
"For more than two years, Linda Cateura has pursued teacher/artist David A. Leffel, notebook in hand, as he critiqued the work of students. Linda Cateura's succinct notes capture [Leffel's] insights, philosophy, painting hints, and general comments."
This is an accurate synopsis of the book, and it supplies what may have been a better title: Painting Hints & Comments from David A. Leffel.
It reads in pieces of text, blurbs that often repeat themselves, and don't flow one to the next. There are plenty of supporting images of Leffel's work, many of which appear to be step-by-step demonstrations that nearly coincide with the text. However, the image quality leaves much to be desired (several images are so blurry that they look like video screen-caps, not 'detail photographs' --as they are often presented. One such example is a note about edge quality that references specific points in an image which are, unfortunately, blurry and useless. But I don't mean to imply that all of the images are bad; about 70% of them are fine.).
My complaints about the poor quality of images and inefficient editing have nothing to do with Leffel's work. Most of Leffel's paintings are pretty sound. I was initially referred to his work by someone who compared him to Rembrandt, and while I would not make that comparison myself, Leffel's work is worth looking at. He has another book called An Artist Teaches: Reflections on the Art of Painting, which I have not read.
Overall, Oil Painting Secrets from a Master contains some useful advice that may be helpful for some second or third-year students of painting. Although the experienced painter is likely to agree with the content, they may be left with a feeling of reassurance rather than discovery. On the other hand, the beginner may find the information too abstract, and nonspecific.
"If too much canvas texture is visible through your paint, you will have a colored canvas, not a painting." -p. 40
For useful (though sometimes obvious) advice, and a nice selection of paintings by Leffel, Oil Painting Secrets from a Master is worth reading, but I continue to disagree with the title.
(09/14/08)