The Acrylic Painter

"This beautifully illustrated and clearly written book is destined to become the Bible for acrylic painters. Based on a lifetime of experience as a painter, Van Patten walks the reader through the various properties of competing brands and products of acrylic paint, brushes, additives and supports.  He describes and demonstrates a wide variety of techniques including blending, layering, feathering, rewetting, glazing, stippling, wet-into-wet and much more besides.  Van Patten also discusses a broad swath of artistic endeavors ranging from hyper-real rendering to painterly abstraction.  He introduces basic color theory and shows how knowledge of it can be used in practical situations.  Along the way the book is peppered with tips on studio practice, demonstrations, analysis of paintings, solutions for framing  and a great deal of sheer enthusiasm for both the medium and the art of painting in general. It's hard to imagine a book that could be more useful, practical, informative and inspiring for an acrylic painter."
—JOHN PARKS, painter and faculty member at the School of Visual Arts in New York, author of Universal Principles of Art

“ James Van Patten shares his world of painterly know-how as a masterchef communicates a lifetime of kitchen savvy. This book is redolent withthe taste of color, the sound of paint, the smell of canvas . . . and repletewith visual spectacle. It’s easy to consume, just follow the recipes.”
—MARILYNN GELFMAN KARP, author of In Flagrante Collecto, professor of art at New York University

“James Van Patten is an innovative and gifted technical painter whobrings decades of insight into the making of this book.”
—JAMES KIRK and MARK R. SMITH, artists and educators