Cornwall is one of the few English counties that has both a north and a south facing coastline, giving it an almost unrivalled variety of lighting quality. Born and raised in Newlyn, Glyn Macey is well placed to be able to understand and exploit this to the full and he freely acknowledges the influence both of place and of his illustrious predecessors.
Glyn works mainly in acrylics giving, as do many professional artists, the medium’s quick-drying properties as one of his main reasons for switching to it. In an introductory interview with the book’s editor, Vivien Minton, he also talks enthusiastically about its versatility and how it can be overpainted to give a richness of colour, especially the blues, and even a quick perusal of the illustrations will reveal that he exploits this fully and joyously.
Seascapes form by far the bulk of Glyn’s work, but he is by no means afraid to move inland and the book also includes an interesting couple of pages devoted to flowers which should have you hoping the he expands this aspect of his work in the future.
Although this is not a practical book, it will be an inspiration to anyone who wants to see what can be done with acrylics, as well as an introduction to one of the South West’s most promising new artists.
Halsgrove 2008
£34.99
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