My name is Jeff Yeomans, and I'm a San Diego artist and painting instructor. I want to share that I bought Mr. Payne's book about 20 years ago. Since then, I have recommended it to any artist who asks me for help understanding the essentials of painting.

I think I read it three times in the first year I had it – and I always find inspiration in the examples that effectively explain composition, values, and color. His voice is clear in his work; fortunately, he's giving us a treasure map to mine the priceless information that reveals how to make a great painting. As a teacher, if I could only have one book to use to teach my students, it would be this one.

It’s an essential and extremely valuable tool for any serious artist.

My name is Jeff Sewell. I'm a California Impressionist artist and want to discuss one of my significant influences, Edgar Payne. I'm sure many of you have heard of him and his book, The Composition of Outdoor Painting. This book has been an excellent tool for me over the last 20 years, developing my own paintings and path as an artist. The fundamentals and composition simplification are really baked into this book. It's never out of fashion. For me, composition is king in my own art. I'm not the best at drawing, and I'm not that great of a draftsman, so I really rely on composition to help bring success to my paintings. And this book has helped me really learn composition. It has helped me really learn some of the basic principles of it. And I keep going back to it and back to it, and it's fun because the more I go back to it, the more I tap myself on the shoulder and say, yeah, of course, just like Edgar Payne. Please consider adding this book to your library; I am confident you'll love it! So best to you and good luck.

Small but mighty. Wonderfully full of good info about painting or drawing a well-composed piece. The study on values is invaluable. Well worth the piddling amount it cost.

An invaluable resource for outdoor painters. Great reference good quality book.