Book excerpt: Oil paint step by step floral art, crockery and other interesting subject matter from the garden. Can a typical garden provide inspiration for oil painting? Look hard and such a haven may yield more than one may first expect. Every garden is unique in character and has something to offer: lawns, greenhouses, pots, hedges, pets, flowers, patios, trellises, sheds, children, tools, vegetables, deckchairs, furniture, trees, swings, hanging-baskets, urns, bird tables, fishponds and sunlight. Taken from my art instruction book, Oil paintings from your Garden (and which some images appear in my other Oil Painting Medic books), 18 oil painting demonstrations featuring such aforementioned subject matter can be found within. This book is divided into clear sections according to theme: shadows, nonorganic, harvest and flora. A preparatory section near the back of this book offers advice on oil painting materials and how to prepare the art surface for painting. All demonstrations have been completed with a mere 10 oil colours, 6 brush types, artboards and a few additional household materials. This section can be previewed within my other art book, Landscape Painting in Oils – 20 Step by Step Guides, as it is located at the front. Each demonstration is keyed according to 4 levels of difficulty. If the painting does not go to plan, a troubleshooting section at the back of this book can be referred to along with a glossary. Each project within the demonstration section of this book is clearly set out. You will find: An image of the finished painting, (which can be used as a visual resource during the demo). An accompanying challenge. Between 7 and 9 step by step images of how the painting was completed. A list of the oil painting materials used for the project. Corresponding instructions to each image-in-progress on how the painting was done. Tips along the way. Various oil painting techniques are explored, including scumbling, glazing, impasto and palette knife application. The aim of this book is to encourage a new way of viewing the garden. With mobile objects, the shifting light and seasons, compositions in one’s back yard are waiting to be discovered. My other oil painting demonstration book, Landscape Paintings in Oil – 20 Step by Step Guides similarly provides step by step guides. Dimensions of large edition: 10x8in and 78 pages. Available in large, small edition and Kindle.