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Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter
by James Gurney

This is one of the most useful books that has come out in the past 20 years. I am a big fan of James Gurney, his blog is a treasure trove of useful advice for artists, and his background in both illustration and plein air painting lends insight into methods for developing as an artist. The presentation of these ideas is top notch, and any painter would benefit from reading this book.

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Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn’t Exist
by James Gurney

This is James’ first book and it is largely concerned with the process of image making in a fantasy, science fiction or historical genre, where easy reference material may not exist. Conceptualization is truly a difficult skill to develop. Gurney offers methods for disciplining your vision, and realizing your concept in paint.

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Composition of Outdoor Painting
by Edgar Payne

This classic book is a very scholarly look at the process of landscape painting. It is not an easy read, but the information in this is absolutely worthwhile for painters interested in this subject matter.

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The Frank Reilly School of Art
by Doug Higgins

This thin book is a collection of notes from classes taught by Frank Reilly, a renown instructor at the Art Students League in New York, who influenced many, many illustrators and painters. While not a complete manual, as it focuses mostly on drawing and value, it does represent a collection of useful advice and is worth reading.

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The Art Spirit
by Robert Henri

Henri has a great amount of advice on the nature of being an artist, as well as some interesting ideas on the training of artists. This is a classic book that any serious art student should read.

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Hensche on Painting
by John W. Robichaux

This book is a collection of concepts and advice from Henry Hensche, who was a student of Charles Hawthorne, who in turn was a student of William Merrit Chase. Hensche is a colorist, and uses subtle shifts in color to model his subjects. It is an interesting approach and should be considered by the serious student of Painting.

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Hawthorne on Painting
Charles Hawthorne

This book is a collection of stories about Charles Hawthorne, put together by his wife after his death. It is an excellent resource of advice on painting as well as biographical information about Hawthorne. The disappointing element of this book is that much of the recorded critiques have no accompanying image, which leaves the reader to imagine the painting being discussed. Regardless, for a painter, this is worth reading.

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Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting

by John F. Carlson

The most disappointing thing about this classic book is that the illustrations are all black and white. Fortunately, a simple Google image search will turn up many of the paintings in the book, in color. There is a wealth of information in this book for the landscape or plein air painter.