Introducing Color and Light

On Thursday I traveled to New York City to visit the Book Expo, the annual convention where the publishing industry presents the fall book titles.

At the Andrews McMeel Publishing booth I signed posters for Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (224 pages, Fall 2010).

Andrews McMeel is known for their cartoon collections and gift books, but art books are something new for them. When I first presented the idea for Imaginative Realism a couple of years ago, the head of the company was a little skeptical whether there would be an audience for such a book.

Nevertheless, Andrews McMeel went all out to support the book, just as they did for Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara. The total commitment that they made was a great risk for them.

It was a risk for me, too, but I was rescued by you, my audience. In the last six months since the release of Imaginative Realism, it has reached the #1 position on Amazon.com in the categories of both art instruction and painting, and I was surprised to learn that it is already in its third printing.

So I am very appreciative to of each of you readers of the book and the blog for helping support my work in the rough waters of this economy.

The advance response for Color and Light has also been very encouraging. Here is a sampling of some of the preliminary reaction:

“This is the book I wish I had in art school”
—Dylan Cole, Concept Art Director, Avatar

“This is the text book that we’ve been searching for but until now, never existed.”
—Mark Tocchet, Chair, Illustration, University of the Arts, Philadelphia

“There has been a profound lack of a clear and comprehensive volume on color and light for the representational painter until now. James Gurney’s outstanding new book gives traditional and digital artists the means to give accurate and compelling expression to their subject matter.”
—Nathan Fowkes, concept artist for DreamWorks and teacher at the L.A. Academy of Figurative Art

“James Gurney’s new book, Color and Light, cleverly bridges the gap between artistic observation and scientific explanation. Not only does he eloquently describe all the effects of color and light an artist might encounter, but he thrills us with his striking paintings in the process.”
—Armand Cabrera, Artist

"The world we all see is a light painting. Gurney gives you the tools you need to understand and paint the light you see."

Tobey Sanford, Photographer and Author of Capturing Light

“James Gurney’s book Color and Light is a rich compendium of practical information vital to any artist concerned with depicting visual reality. With a fresh intelligence, Gurney moves from foundation principles for creating form and premixing a palette, to advanced concepts of color gamut mapping. He gives us a new look at the traditional color wheel, and essential advice for the plein-air painter. I enthusiastically recommend this book to my students.”
—Ed Ahlstrom, Professor of Painting,
Montgomery College

Andrews McMeel Publishing's page on Color and Light
Amazon's page on Imaginative Realism and customer reviews
Order Imaginative Realism signed.