A painting life

Artists, Robert Henfrey and Pete Slater have sketched and painted all over Britain and, indeed the world, sometime alone, but very often as painting companions. Here they bring us a gloriously vibrant description, both verbal and visual, of these times. ‘Pete and I have tried to meld our painting careers into an interesting and entertaining read,’ writes Bob and they have certainly succeeded. The fun starts with the cover – a pictorial quiz that invites you to find the answers to clues found on both front and back covers.

As they travel around the towns, villages and countryside – from the Dales to Austria, New Zealand and Canada to Provence and Dorset – the artists capture everything they see, annotated with memories of the day, anecdotes of the people they met, the sudden change in light or simply how they felt at the time, from lazing in the Mediterranean sun, to dodging the snowstorms. Along the way there is much to be learned from these two experienced artists, including how to work at speed, coping with unexpected interruptions and weather, using the white of the paper and finding the right spot – even if it’s in the middle of a traffic island!

Above all this is a book about friendship and the wonderful world that opens up when you decide to take up your brushes and get outside to paint.

It’s Not Just About the Painting by Bob Henfrey and Pete Slater. New Generations Publishing, (h/b) £17.99, (p/b) £11.99.