Review of 'Oil Painting Essentials' by Gregg Kreutz

Gregg Kreutz is an artist and instructor at the Art Students League of New York and has done so for over 40 years.  This is his second book and it is exceptional!  The paintings in this book are absolutely stunning! Gregg is a very talented artist.

I was excited to receive this book because as a painter, I'm fairly new to oil painting - only trying it recently for classes.  What Gregg does in this book is he believes that every artist should try all the different genre's and in doing so you get better as an artist and more skills. The book teaches mastering of portraits, figures, still life, landscapes and interiors.

There is so much amazing information in this book:  How to create depth in paintings, importance of light and shadow, structure, importance of significance of everything in the painting, values, colors. Gregg was discussing how light should be the main event of the painting - the heart of it.  Looking at his painting's, he really demonstrates it so beautifully with lots of shadows and always a light somewhere to draw the eye (usually in the center).  I also found his tips on how to create movement in a painting very helpful also.

I absolutely love how he teaches portraits, figures, still life, landscapes (plain Air and studio) and Interiors. He covers so many points for each section, often with step by step guidance.  I'm very excited to try all of these and feel very confident to do so after reading this book!

As a painter, I love learning new techniques and styles. I love Gregg's style. I would most definitely recommend this book for everyone! Even if you don't paint, it would make a great coffee table book as the paintings inside are stunning.

Please note that I was sent a copy of this book for my review.  However, this review is entirely my own.