In this exciting book, Carole uses watercolour and mixed media to create a huge variety of effects that reflect the changing moods of the landscape.
Carole offers a plethora of different ways to interpret shape, colour and interplay. There's explanation at every stage and the book is as practical as it is imaginative.
* The SAA *
A very interesting book, colourful illustrations and plenty of instructions. A different type of painting to what I am used to. I like watercolour and this has bought a different way of handling it to me. If you want to try something different this is the book for you. I tried to follow one of the exercises, quite pleased with the result but I think I need more practice!
-- Trevor Gilbert * Customer review *
Carole Robson masters the art of translating nature scenes into atmospheric, colourful, semi-abstract landscapes. The beginner, but above all the advanced painter will find many suggestions with the help of well-known painting techniques and modern materials. Forward-looking is the integration of traditional methods of paintings into digital art.
Read the full review here.
-- Nina Hartmann * Kreativreview.blogspot *
A hallmark of this work is semi-abstract landscapes in watercolour and mixed media. The latter is water-soluble media and collage. The book is well illustrated with wonderful paintings, which should offer much inspiration. Flowing media are used to capture the essence of the natural landscape. You'll find information on paint consistency; the usual watercolour techniques such as wet-in-wet and washes; pigments and their properties; colour and tools. There is also a section on 'expressive techniques'. The author states these are not new and began with Turner, but mention should also be made of Ann Blockley, who has made many of these techniques her own. I love Carole's paintings of her local landscape, although her work is very reminiscent of Ann's to a point. Yet there is much here that is Carole, and for that I am glad. She is an experimenter and is pushing the boundaries. I like the abstracts and the use of digital art too. There are three step-by-step projects: Woodland with Silver Birch; Wayside Verge and Beach At Sunset, which explore the techniques. Fabulous images and easy to use.
-- Karen Platt * www.karenplatt.co.uk *
Book titles can be a mixed blessing, but this one sums up Carole Robson's approach admirably. These are interpretations and expressions of the artist's creativity. Any messiness is entirely intentional. They're exciting, intriguing and, frankly, fun. Techniques include the usual suspects - salt, scratching out, masking fluid etc. A section on mixed media brings pastels and acrylic mediums into play. Carole's work is results-driven and those results are extraordinary. The book is written as a course, with lessons, exercises and demonstrations and this works well for the technical aspects. As for creativity, you should ideally bring your own but, if you like the idea, that shouldn't be difficult.
* The Artist, July 2019 *
Experienced artist and teacher, Carole Robson combines watercolour with other water-soluble media and collage to paint her expressive, semi-abstract landscapes. In her her book Painting Expressive Landscapes, she describes in a clear and well-illustrated text how to build up your work - from basic techniques to more innovative processes to unleash your creativity. Three detailed step-by-step projects are included, featuring a woodland scene with silver birch, a beach at sunset and a wayside verge. Much of Carole's work is influenced by the changing landscape and this book, for all abilities, will help you to see what's around you with new eyes and provide you with the techniques to bring it to life.
* Leisure Painter, May 2019 *
'If you're interested in exploring the outer reaches of the possibilities of watercolour, this is the book for you. If, at the same time, you want to keep things creative and are doing this for something more than just technical curiosity, please form an orderly queue. What's truly remarkable about Carole's work is that it's always the creative dog wagging the technical tail and not, as can so easily happen, the other way round.'
Read the full review here.
-- Henry Malt * Artbookreview.net *
Painting Expressive Landscapes is great for ideas and inspiration with mixed media, we all love a bit of gold and here is a chance to experiment. Here think, gold gutta, gold fabric paint or even gold leaf (applied with tacky textile glue). Carole Robson's ideas for incorporating gold into landscapes are fabulous and certainly encourages us all to try.
Variegated washes, the versatile brush and using a ware spray, not new ideas but certainly promote food for thought. I loved the chapter on using masking fluid, here we would think cold wax to achieve the same effects on silk. Particularly 'Woodland with Silver Birch', a fully explained demonstration, brought the use of cold wax to mind.
A thoroughly excellent book to work with in order to expand your horizons.
* International Journal of the Guild of Silk Painters, Winter 2022 *
