Turner's Apprentice: A Watercolour Masterclass

This is an excellent book be it for a professional artist or some one who just likes Turner. Beautifully produced with help from Tate Britain which holds the Turner Bequest. Written and illustrated by a properly trained artist who not only knows what he is doing but can analyse Turner’s methods. I lose patience with so many art historians who know very little about oil or watercolour technique and probably do not paint themselves - they tend to conjecture about Turner’s emotions and project too much of their faux insights onto any of his works. It does not help to follow their speculation about Turner: did he have a hangover, and falling out with his mistress or was out of sorts with the weather in the day. As a theologian I know biblical scholars often project interpretation onto a text rather than letting the text speak: a case of ‘eisegesis’ rather than ‘exegesis’. The author lets Turner’s works be they pencil sketches, watercolour flourishes or finished oils speak. He not only uses his artistic training to analyse how Turner worked but examines the mental and spiritual processes which occur when observing and drawing/painting. He draws on Ruskin who encourages all of us to look and observe closely - he was a great champion of Turner of course. I am not too familiar with Zen but the various references the author makes should not be dismissed. There come moments of breakthrough and utter simplicity At the end of a long day when you think you have achieved nothing. As a Christian priest I would recognise everything he says and might respond with Christ’s words,” “Consider the lilies of the field, how they spin not but ....” Consider in the Greek meaning take a good hard look, contemplate! We are encourage to do this and the author provides an excellent series of exercises to experiment and work out an approach.The book is beautifully produced and the format and good sized images help. There is an abundance of practical tips eg. Make lots of small images without taking too much time on them. This helps you work out ideas and test methods. I showed this book to a professional artist who exhibits in major London galleries: he bought it immediately and started working through it. We can all learn something from Turner’s Apprentice.

Fantastic insight into Turner’s process and contemporary watercolour practice.

First rate, practical guide to Turner's painting with exercises to emulate Turner's style. A beautifully produced book with quality illustrations. Definitely not painting by numbers!

This is an amazing book for any artist, not only Turner fans. There is history but then some really useful tutorials. Only halfway through but loving it....