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| Capturing the Moment in Oils | 
 enlarge | Authors: David Curtis, Robin Capon
Publisher: Batsford
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $13.49
You Save: $11.46 (46%)
Buy New/Used from $13.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  (3 reviews)
Sales Rank: 64000
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 10.9 x 8.8 x 0.8
ISBN: 0713490071
Dewey Decimal Number: 751.45
EAN: 9780713490077
ASIN: 0713490071
Publication Date: May 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
From award-winning painter David Curtis comes a fabulous on-the-page oil painting course, with all the techniques needed to work outdoors?in every type of weather?as well as in the studio. Through finished pieces and stage-by-stage examples, students learn how to capture the subtle effects of light and mood and achieve expressive, original results. There?s expert guidance on choosing materials, mastering different styles, selecting ideas, creating a good composition, and using color and tone. Curtis pays special attention to drawing skills and interpreting the qualities of light, while his wonderfully evocative landscapes, coastal scenes, interiors, and figure compositions provide inspiration.
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| Customer Reviews:
 An amazing book. May 27, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I first saw this book in the library and was so impressed with it that I just had to purchase a copy for myself. David Curtis has a truly wonderful ability to paint beach scenes with such startling clarity that I enjoy looking at them all so much. His work with oils is brilliant and this book has to be in any painter's collection.
 The long and short of it November 5, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Capturing the Moment in Oils....by David Curtis is a lush, lovely book depicting the painter's beautifully executed oils. Certainly he knows his stuff when it comes to painting, but this book, unlike his previous one, is woefully short on showing the painting process and long on descriptions of place and thinking. I was truly disappointed that there weren't demonstrations and sequential photos of at least a few of the paintings in progress. Buyers should know that this is more of a coffee table book than a treatise for the artist.
VERY INSPIRING, but more a practical guide than a typical art instruction book May 7, 2007
31 out of 31 found this review helpful
I admire Mr. Curtis mastery of outdoor painting, and it wasn't long before I decided to get this book. Strong compositional sense and an incredible ability to convey the light and mood of the subject in a realistic yet painterly manner would define his style. He paints "on the spot" but may occasionally complete a painting in the studio, while still retaining a spontaneous quality.
With the title "Capturing the Moment in Oils" one would expect a book about alla prima painting and indeed, the instruction has a lot to do with different plein-air settings and the "one-hit" brushstroke approach (with no subsequent modification) that Curtis shares with other Masters like Richard Schmid. The downside is that the author doesn't go much into detail about the fundamentals (values, edges, color...well, mileage is important too) that are needed to get this "one-hit brushstroke" right. And you must be warned: this book has little information about how a beginner can get started, nor does it feature any picture of the artist materials or him while painting. Just his paintings, mostly landscapes and seascapes ones, which IMO gives the book a nice sober look. It's quite short of step-by-steps too. If you rely on the product description from the publisher, you may be in for a surprise.
The text still has a lot of useful and interesting insights; it features a nice discussion about how to start a painting and it even deals with glazing, which the artist considers as an additional tool to succeed in achieving the results you're aiming for. I do enjoy benefiting from Curtis expert guidance and read about his own ways of approaching things; you just need to know that the instruction is not as focused and thorough as it could have been...no big deal; still very useful as I said before. Overall, this is a good practical guide about David Curtis equipment and how he uses it in the course of a painting. In fact, this book reminds me a lot of his watercolor book, which I also recommend nonetheless for its gorgeous gallery of moody watercolors.
To sum up, I would say that the Art generously displayed in this book is masterful and highly inspirational but if you are completely new to painting, you may need a more thorough basic instruction. Anyway, the book is very pleasant to flip through and is worth buying solely for the artwork. It is a great addition to the serious landscape painter library.
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