Impressionism — its techniques as well as its practitioners past and present — continues to excite the passions of artists and art enthusiasts alike. And the influence on American art has had a long and distinguished history.

Through artistic principles developed by Charles Hawthorne, an influential American Impressionist and educator who founded the Cape Cod School of Art, the rich legacy of the Impressionist tradition was passed on to several generations of American artists. Now in paperback, Lois Griffel’s popular book, Painting the Impressionist Landscape, explores and illustrates Hawthorne’s philosophy and theories about color and light, enabling artists at every level to apply his insights to their own work.

Lois Griffel’s lifelong interest in art began at the age of five, when she first entertained neighborhood children with her drawings and paintings. She discovered early in her career that she enjoyed teaching, and attended Southern Connecticut State College in order to receive her bachelor of science degree in education. Later, while making her living as a portrait painter, Griffel enrolled at the Art Students League and the National Academy of Design in New York, where she studied with many outstanding artists, including Everett Raymond Kinstler and Harvey Dinnerstein. Her introduction in the early 1970s to Henry Hensche, Charles Hawthorne’s protégé, led to her in-depth study and practice of the Impressionist theory of painting.

As director and instructor at The Cape Cod School of Art, it gives Griffel great joy to combine her love of teaching and painting, and to share them with enthusiastic students. Griffel has had a number of one-person exhibitions throughout New England, and has been included in invitational exhibitions in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Carmel, California. She holds workshops in landscape, portrait, and figure painting throughout the northeast.

Author — Lois Griffel.

Paperback. 144 pages. 11" × 8¼" (28 cm × 21 cm).