Painting Watercolour Outdoors, Geoff Hunt – Book Review

Let’s look at the contents page and have a quick flick through.  And, you know what, I’m already feeling good about this one.  It took me a while to work out why but I think I know now.  It’s because it’s published by Crowood.  They just always seem to publish good bocks that are packed with lots of text and very little filler.  Anyway, the contents.  We have about 40 pages of introduction and discussion of materials.  Then about 15 pages finding a subject, 15 on techniques, 20 on the weather and 35 on what I’d call timing.  Briefly, what those respective parts of the book cover are:

– Why plein air painting is so great.  What are the problems associated with it.  What gear to take with you on a painting outing – a very different angle on materials to other books that talk about the author’s favourite colours, paper, brushes, etc.  We all have the gear already; this is about what to take with us and what to leave at home.

– How to choose what to paint once you’re out there.  With some tips on composition.

– Techniques–wise, there are some high level ideas on different possible approaches, nothing groundbreaking.  It’s probably worth stating at this point that there are seven short (five–ish step) demonstrations scattered throughout the book, all based around a process of drawing, wet into wet underpainting and a couple of layers of detailed work.

– When we get to the weather, the book talks about the sun, the rain, the wind and overcast days but also covers tides and the pros and cons of plein air painting during the four different seasons.

– And we close with a couple of chapters talking about time.  Why plein air paintings need to be finished quickly and how you might change your approach to painting from the one you use in the studio.

One thing that should be very clear from all the above is that this is very much a book about plein air painting.  It does what it says on the tin.  There might be the odd tip in there that would be useful to a studio artist but there aren’t many and they’re absolutely not the main focus of the book.  There’s plenty of Geoff’s art throughout the book and it’s not just there for show and inspiration.  Every painting has a bit of text next to it with a plein air tip or story next to it, which is refreshing.  What I liked least about the book were the seven demos.  Although they were all plein air paintings and included the odd little snippet relating to them being painted outdoors, they didn’t seem as plein air focused as the rest of the book.  And the techniques issued in them were a bit repetitive.  If the seven demos were replaced with seven photos of the completed works and a plein air related caption (just as in the rest of the book) I would have been happier.

I didn’t feel that I learned much from this book, having already been out painting a few times but the book was still useful to me in that it confirmed things I was already thinking.  So it wasn’t lazy of me to pick a view on my first LAOTY wildcard appearance that I could paint from under a tree.  And it’s not just me that thinks that an outdoor watercolour kit can’t fit in a swimming bag.  All these people that talk about the advantage of watercolour being that there’s no kit to carry around.  Do they never take water with them?  Or paper?  Or an easel?  I was finding myself enjoying reading this book, just for Geoff’s humility and honesty.  He doesn’t pretend that plein air watercolour is easy.  It’s hard work, and harder work than other authors make it out to be.

OK.  After getting all that off my chest, I’m ready to give my final score.  It’s great to see a book out there on a subject that is long overdue some coverage.  Just as with most Crowood books, there’s not much filler in there and lots of advice.  The problem is that this book only reinforced what I’d already learned the hard way rather than teaching me much new stuff.  I guess, though, that for anyone new to plein air watercolour, Geoff’s tips might save them a few teething problems.  So this one won’t be getting four or five palettes.  I’m the other hand, I think this one’s well worth the money and worthy of a place on even the most experienced artist’s shelf, so it won’t be getting one or two palettes.  Which, by a process of elimination leaves it with three palettes, which I must remind you all is a good score.

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