The images are frustratingly small and inconveniently presented, but the variety of approach among the exhibitors in the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London is wonderful.

You can always take the artist’s names to Google to search for more of their work.

The exhibition is on view to 18 September, 2011 at the National Portrait Gallery, London.

(Images above: Tim Okamura, Agita Keiri, Wlm Heldena, Alan Coulson, Istvan Nyari, Louise Pragnell, Joe Simpson, Raoof Haghighi, Nathan Ford, JJ (Jeremy) Delvine, Shona Chew, Barbara Skingle, Cayetano de Arquer Buigas, Daniel van Doom, Jan Mikula)

[Suggestion courtesy of Daniel van Benthuysen]

In my previous post about Ken Auster, a well known California painter of plein air landscapes, cityscapes, surfing scenes and restaurant interiors, I pointed out my disappointment in the frustratingly small images on his website.

In particular, I found it unfortunate because the small images don’t convey the wonderful painterly brushwork and textural qualities that I think are the most appealing aspects of his work, and I pointed readers to the larger reproductions on the sites of galleries in which he is represented, New Masters Gallery and Jones & Terwilliger Galleries.

The good news is that Auster has now collected 68 of his paintings in a new 60 page book titled Intellect and Passion.

There is a mini-website for the book that features a 14 page preview. If you mouse over the “Layout” icon in the row of icons above the preview area, and choose “Presentation View” in the drop-down, and then click on “Fullscreen”, you’ll be rewarded with pages from the book that show several of his paintings much larger than elsewhere, and you’ll begin to get a feeling for the expressive brush marks, textural surface and vibrant color that make his paintings shine.

You can also preview the book on issuu in a number of modes, including a single scrolling page.

Of course, the best way to see these images (short of seeing the originals, of course) is in print in the actual pages of the new book. The book is very nicely produced, in a wide format (12″ x 8″), and every page resonates with that vibrant, textural brushwork that I find so appealing in Auster’s work.

Ken Auster Intellect and Passion is available, signed by the author, for $35.00 USD. Contact him via email at inquiries[at]kenauster.com.