The paintings I like best are those that look like paintings. They are not trying to be photographs. Integral to this is the brush mark. The American painter Emile Gruppe was a great exponent of brush work and even wrote a book on the subject "Brush work for the oil painter". It's an inspiring volume with mouth watering illustrations containing images showing the full range of the capabilities of oil paint from thin and transparent to rich and buttery. These characteristics make an image all the more engaging. The transition from reality to paint can not be anything other than fascinating and something which the artist is able to share with the viewer. The accompanying illustration (the detail of a coastal scene in Cornwall) provided opportunities for dots of pure unmixed colour where the brush work itself is as important as the colour.