Realists at Work: Studio Interviews and Working Methods of Ten Leading Contemporary Painters

From dust jacket notes: "'There is a sense of authenticity and immediacy which is best conveyed in an interview. Certainly it is the format which most clearly reveals the ambience of an encounter with an individual.' This comment from author John Arthur introduces us to a remarkable and informative collection of in-depth interviews with ten of America's most accomplished Realist artists - Jack Beal, William Beckman, chuck Close, Robert Cottingham, Janet Fish, Ralph Goings, Joseph Raffael, Wayne Thiebaud, James Valerio, and Neil Welliver. Each painter was interviewed in the studio because it is the natural setting in which to learn about a painter's working methods and it provided the author with the opportunity to ask specific questions about the working environment itself - the setup of the studio, its lighting, the arrangement of equipment and props. The artist reveal not only what their working methods are but how those methods - as well as their painting sensibilities - developed and changed throughout their careers. Over 150 color plates and 50 black-and-white illustrations display a rich diversity of subject matter and styles and a broad range of mediums, from oil and watercolor to printmaking. A special feature of this book is the 'work in progress' provided by each painter, which gives a close-up view of the planning and execution of an image, from start to finish...."