Books Received

66 Book Reviews Basic Water Color Painting. Judith Campbell-Reed. North Light Publishers, Conn., 1982. 144 pp., iIIus. Paper. ISBN: 0-89134-091-3. Reviewed by Peggy Lecroart" The author's claim to have written a totally basic work on watercolour instruction is, I am sure, justified. Those beginners who have caught the watercolour virus will, I believe, be able to follow comfortably the lessons on sky, landscape, trees and grasses. Even if the reader, like me, falls down badly on "credit card rock" or "Splatter" techniques, he or she will not be discouraged, safe in the knowledge that the author herself took several months to master the techniques and-more importantthere is a chapter entitled "Repairing Goofs" (Chapter 13). Mrs Campbell-Reed has a talent for communicating. Her pleasant, easy style carries us confidently through the practical lessons, and her experience with beginner pupils is revealed in a good analysis of their problems (too much attention to detail, inability to grasp a volume of new material at one time, ctc.). Chapter I, "Things You Buy and Why," includes an exhaustive list of useful and unusual items, including kosher salt and a roll of toilet paper, but I should like to have been told whya l-inch aquarelle brush is a must, or why we should buy sheets of Arches 1401b paper as opposed to a pad of the samc quality. From an otherwise highly satisfactory Glossary, to flat mount is mysteriously missing and a kneaded rubber might usefully have becn included. A very nicely presented colour section (though unfortunately thc colour wheel is in black and white) is included in the Glossary. This is a pity, because we are not aware of its existence until we reach the cnd of thc book. This is a visually attractive book, full of coloured illustrations, unassuming sketches, and nice bold print, with each page uncrowded, making for easy relaxed reading. The coloured prints of paintings in "Gallery" (Chapter 10) illustrate nicely what can be done with watercolours, and the author's comments on the techniques used by each artist arc intercsting and relevant. Perhaps thc choice of paintings could have included one or two extra landscape paintings, since they would more easily relate to what has been taught in the nine preceding chapters. Although addressing an American public, Mrs Campbell-Reed's book could be thc "guide, reference, teacher and support" to all English-speaking people, as it has been to me. The bibliography, however, is purely for the U.S. consumer. In concluding this book for beginners with such chapters as "Showing Your Art" and "Pricing Your Art", Mrs Campbell-Reed gives the measure of thc confidence she puts in her teaching and in her pupils. With such courage on both sides, many of the fledglings "Out of the Nest" (Chapter 12) who read this book willsurely be taking to the air. In fact a "graded-wash sky" is the limit! Variations in Watercolor, Naomi Brotherton and Lois Marshall. Van Nostrand Reinhold, Wokingham, 1982. 144 pp., illus. Paper, £12.70, Cloth, £19.15. ISBN: 0-89134-045-9 (pb). Controlled Watercolor Painting. Leo Stoutsenberger. Van Nostrand Reinhold, Wokingham, 1981. 174 pp., iIIus. Paper, £12.70. ISBN: 0-89134-040-8. Reviewed by James W. Davis' Brotherton's Variations in Watercolor emphasizes effective design principles, including correct interpretation of perceived values, dynamic distribution of shapes and values in terms of areas of emphasis and those that are subordinate, use of asymmetry to create movement, application of 'interesting' shapes (defined as oblique configurations that interlock with surrounding spaces), variety of elements, and pleasing color relationships. The author introduces the reader to various color schemes (including complementary, split complement, triad, double complementary , analogous, semi-triad), and stresses the importance of proper planning of the compositional elements throughout the painting process, including editing methods (cropping and overpainting). Individual chapters are presented on methods for painting specific subjects (water, trees, mountains, skies, buildings, flowers). A 'gallery' section at the end of the book introduces the reader to the work of other watercolor artists, all of whom paint in a traditional manner much like that of the author. Unfortunately, this portion of the book doesn't even...