Below are several lists of our favorite art books and my wife, Marilee's marketing business art books.
Click on the book title and additional information will be revealed.

Dale's Art Books and DVDs

As you can imagine I have been collecting art books and videos for over 43 + years. These hard and soft covers books and DVDs are like old friends that come to my rescue when needed. I hope they will also become your friends.
BOOKS
CARLSON'S GUIDE TO LANDSCAPE PAINTING
Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting
II recommend this book and make sure to read it once a year. It's one of my go-to guides for painting. Carlson was an amazing oil painter, but the painting principles he talks about in this book can also be applied to watercolor and other mediums.

I wrote a blog post reviewing John Carlson's book. Please take a few minutes to discover why this book is essential for your library.​ CLICK HERE
​Put Your Paintings in Perspective​
​Robert J Krajecki is a friend and co-teacher at the Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago . As I mentioned ito my students this is an easy to understand book on perspective. Bob offers a vast understanding of 1, 2, and 3 point perspective. This is a must have book in your library.

Here's a link to a blog post I published several years ago. BLOG
Exploring The Nature of Watercolor
​This book presents a traditional approach to painting transparent watercolors with chapters on color, pattern and materials.   Many demonstration paintings and step-by-step paintings are included.
Principles and Techniques   of Drawing and Painting
The book includes all of what I feel is important for every artist.  A lifetime of painting, study, observation and conversations with many professional artists has made this book a reality. It is divided into my "42 Rules", explained and illustrated with over 200 diagrams, drawings and paintings.
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Winslow Homer: An American Vision
Winslow Homer: An American Vision
by Phaidon Press

This is on of my all time favorite watercolorist. He always chalend himself with breaking the rules and he did.
THE LANDSCAPES - by RICHARD SCHMID 
THE LANDSCAPES - newly ENHANCED EDITION by RICHARD SCHMID 

Richard is one of most amazing living artists in the United States. I was lucky to take a workshop with him several years ago. I'm not going to kid you -- the book is pricey but worth owning.
​Light and Mood in Watercolour
The fluidity and versatility of watercolor makes it uniquely suited to capturing subtle variances of light and color. Internationally renowned watercolor artist David Curtis' comprehensive handbook offers expert guidance on harnessing the power of this medium to produce striking landscapes, portraits, and scenes. Curtis shares his methods for painting on location and in the studio, with sections devoted to selecting materials, developing ideas, choosing subjects and colors, and interpreting light effects. A generous selection of sketches, studies and finished paintings accompany in-depth instructions for each technique, along with invaluable bits of practical wisdom garnered from years of experience.
The Artists of Brown County
Here's another must have book in your studio. I refer to this book for creative inspiration when painting landscapes. I personally know Lyn Letsinger-Miller and she is a multi-talented woman who's knowledge of the Brown County art movement shines through. 

From the early 1900s through the 1940s, the scenic hill country of Brown County, Indiana, was home to a flourishing colony of artists who migrated there from urban areas of the Midwest. Now back in print, The Artists of Brown County, first published in 1994, is the classic book on the history of this remarkable art colony.
Following an introduction to "Peaceful Valley," as the area was affectionately called, chapters are devoted to 16 of the artists, including three couples: T. C. Steele, Will Vawter, Gustave Baumann, Dale Bessire, the photographer Frank M. Hohenberger, Adolph Shulz and Ada Walter Shulz, L. O. Griffith, V. J. Cariani and Marie Goth, Carl C. Graf and Genevieve Goth Graf, Edward K. Williams, Georges LaChance, C. Curry Bohm, and Glen Cooper Henshaw. Lavish color reproductions of the artists' work accompany the biographical sketches. Rachel Berenson Perry's introduction places the Brown County art colony within the broader context of American regional art.
DVDS
​Inter-Relationships of Drawing & Painting by Irving Shapiro
Mr. Irving Shapiro AWS (1927-1994) my mentor, teacher, boss, and friend. Found this DVD on Ebay. It's so nice to hear his voice during this interviewed and demonstration.
MAGAZINES

Marilee's Business Art Books and Podcasts

 I have been working on Dale and other artist's marketing for years. Here are a few books I depend on to help promote Dale, his workshops and paintings.  If you sell your work, participate in shows, or do commissions you need these tools.

I also have included a link to my favorite podcast for working artists. Enjoy. Just make sure you have a pad of paper and pen for notes!
BOOKS
I'm a big fan of having a library of reference books. No one book has the silver bullet but a collection of reference materials will give you a roadmap to marketing your artwork. 
I'd Rather Be in the Studio: The Artist's No Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion
I'm a great lover of Alyson Stanfield's book. We own several additions of her books. I have to say they are tattered, marked-up, and tons of postit notes decorating the pages. I also recommend her podcasts.
Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist
​I thought this book was full of great information for the artist. Not everything applied to Dale's kind of art medium, but I could relate to most in the book. Plain and simple facts that were easy to understand. I read this on my iPad and loved the feature where you could click on the websites of the artists that the author does Q&A's with, to see what they were all about, before you read the interview. It literally came to life for me. This is one of our 'go to' book for whatever comes our way in our artistic life. 
Art Money & Success: A complete and easy-to-follow system for the artist who wasn't born with a business mind. Learn how to find buyers, get paid ... nicely, deal with copycats and sell more art. 
By Maria Brophy. Easy to read and filled with strategies and encouragement, this must have book will help any artist gain confidence and overcome challenges when speaking about their work and marketing to their audience.
​Make More Money Selling Your Art: Proven Techniques For Turning Your Passion Into Profit 
 by Eric Rhoads 
ericrhoads.com
In 1985, Eric Rhoads purchased a floundering radio trade magazine and founded Streamline Publishing, Inc., which launched a ​number of publications which include: Plein Air Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, and Artist Advocate Magazine.

In 1999, Streamline founded a conference division with the launch of the Radio Ink Internet Conference. Today, the company produces the Fine Art Connoisseur Art Collection Management Conference, among others. Rhoads was also a founding investor in SupeRadio Networks, Inc.
Rhoads writes regular columns for his publications and is an active blogger in the radio and art industries, including Radio Ink Tank, MediaBizBlogger, Artist Marketing, and Blue Chip Gallery Marketing. He is an active speaker, consultant, and advocate in the radio, art, and technology industries, and he sits on a number of technology start-up and broadcast advisory boards.

​At age 40, Rhoads took his first art lesson, which has resulted in a lifelong learning experience in oil painting, focusing on landscapes and portraits. His work is represented at Castle Gallery and in California. He is listed in Who’s Who in American Art.
Rhoads may also be the most painted man living today: With each issue of Fine Art Connoisseur, Rhoads commissions a new portrait by a leading portrait artist and then blogs about the experiences on The Portrait Project.
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Rhoads and his wife, Laurie, are the parents of triplets; they live in Austin, TX.

Inside this book you'll discover: 
  • The value of setting goals and creating routines.
  • Why marketing isn't evil and why every artist should embrace it. 
  • The "preeminence mindset" and how it will impact your art career. 
  • Why artists and works of art need a narrative. 
  • How to convey the emotional value of your art. 
  • How to pick a gallery, and why galleries in this type of location sell more. 
  • How to select print ad sizes and publications. 
  • Who you should be sending direct mail to and how often.
  • Topics you should cover on your website and in social media. 
  • The one thing you may be doing that you should NEVER do in social media.
  • How to develop your brand as an artist.
  • Techniques used by professional marketers to get more exposure for less money. 
  • How to make the most of a fine art fair.
  • The 7 things you should do to establish your position as an expert.
PODCASTS
Eric Rhoads: PleinAir Magazine publisher Eric Rhoads delves into the world of plein air painting and the outdoor painting movement, and includes a special segment for artists called the Marketing Minute.
PLEIN AIR PODCAST
Plein Air Podcast PleinAir Magazine publisher Eric Rhoads delves into the world of plein air painting and the outdoor painting movement.
Leslie Saeta offers nine+ years of weekly one-hour interviews, discussions and art business advice. Once you listen to several you will start binge listening.
​ARTIST HELPING ARTISTS
Artists Helping Artists is the #1 Art Show on Blogtalk radio! For over 9+ years Leslie Saeta discusses a specific topic that addresses how to sell more art on-line, along with guest artists, gallerists, and others sharing their knowledge of the business side of art. Leslie Saeta is an artist who paints with a palette knife to create vibrant, colorful paintings. Having spent 30 years in marketing her unique combination of talents has led to a successful career in art. Her non-traditional approach to marketing her art on the internet has created her desire to share her art marketing success with others
Art-marketing and artist career consultant Alyson B. Stanfield of ArtBizCoach.com offers motivation, inspiration, and and practical tips to help artists promote themselves in today's crowded art market.  I personally listen to listen while I go walking. The only problem with Alyson's podcasts is I have to stop every few seconds to write down another great thought. Carry post-it notes with you!
ART BIZ SUCESS PODCASTS
Looking for art career inspiration and ideas while you’re working in the studio or schlepping your art across the country? Alyson Stanfield helps you be a more productive artist, a more empowered artist, and a more successful artist.
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ART MARKETING ACTION PODCASTS 
Alyson B. Stanfield of ArtBizCoach.com has a collection of older podcasts from 2003-2010 in bite size in 5-6 minutes recordings.  Art-marketing and artist career consultant offers motivation, inspiration, and and practical tips to help artists promote themselves in today's crowded art market. This is the audio version of the Art Marketing Action newsletter.
Sergio Gomez offers s lot of art business information from his personal experiences. A Chicagoian, he has produced a serious of videos called Breakfast with Sergio.
Sergio Gomez
What We Use to Film Our Videos
Isn't it amazing 14 years ago who would have ever thought we or the rest of the world would be broadcasting on Facebook Live, YouTube. or creating online education. We are still surprised and touched when we get a note from someone in Poland, reconnect with a past American Academy of art student or hear kind words from an artist who is housebound and is excited they can take classes from me. Every day we thankful we are so blessed. 

We believe in passing on our knowledge so here some of what we use for our broadcasting. If you have something you like using for podcasts or YouTube let us know and we will share. This list will be growing so come back soon.
iPhone
We use one or two iPhone 13 PRO AND A 15 PRO MAX to film
apple computers
As you have figured we are an Apple household. Marilee learned in the early '90s on a Mac because it was and still is the industry-standard in the graphic design world. Our suggestion is to go online and read about the computers they offer apple.com. Then go down to your local Apple store and talk to one of their associates. Ask questions, take notes and figure out what you can afford.

I'm not going to kid you Apple's are pricey, The design is beautiful but more importantly, the support is amazing. Marilee's laptop was two years out of warranty so took it into the store with a problem. They ran a diagnostic check and uploaded the current operation system FOR FREE! 

Marilee says to buy the newest model, with the most hard drive and ram you cam afford.  That this should last you for many years and you what the storage space and speed. 

Our suggestion is to buy an extended warranty on your Apple devices. This extends the time you can call in to ask questions. Here's a true story: Marilee updated her operation system on her iPod. Once she did the device wouldn't start. She called Apple. After trying a few things she was instructed to ship it back to Apple. They sent her a box the next day, postage free. Off it went to California. She tracked the package online and noticed it went to California and then China. 

​Tri-Pod Mount for your smart phone
​Universal Phone Tripod Mount Adapter with Ｗireless Camera Remote, Cell Phone Holder with Adjustable Clamp for Selfie Stick Monopod Compatible with iPhone, Samsung and so on, Wrist Strap Included
TRI-Pod
We are very lucky Marilee's dad had a collection of solid tripods we inherited. The older models from the '60s or '70s are heavier and nor substantial than today's models. Our suggestion is to check out your local resale shops or garage sales before buying new.
Wireless Lavalier Microphone for iPhone/Android with Lightning/USB C(2 TX+2 RX+Charging Case), Mini Microphone with Noise Cancellation, 35H Battery, Clip on Lapel Mic for Video Recording Vlog
iMovie Vidio Editing
Apple offers o free video software to run on your Mac. It's simple no frills and easy to learn software. 
“I’ve enjoyed attending Dale’s art classes for over fifteen years now. His knowledge and skill with watercolors is exceptional. He's good at introducing students to all the basic principles; but also, to encourage them to try new things that may go beyond their comfort zone. Watching him do a demo can be almost magical. As a student I know there is always more to learn, and more magical paintings to create.”
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– Kathleen Godshall, Studio Class
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