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Abstract painting looks free, but the best abstract work rests on decisions about shape, value, color relationships, edges and surface. Good books help you learn those decisions and give you exercises that move you past the blank-canvas freeze. The best oil painting books for abstract art combine concepts (why an abstract composition works) with practical projects and techniques you can try with a brush and palette knife.
One honest note before the list: most well-known abstract painting books are not oil-specific. They teach principles and techniques that apply across acrylic, oil and mixed media, and many use acrylic in their demonstrations because it dries fast. Everything they teach about composition and process transfers directly to oil; you simply adapt for oil’s slower drying and the fat-over-lean rule. We cover those adaptations below.
Quick answer: For a concepts-first foundation, Vicky Perry’s Abstract Painting: Concepts and Techniques is the most theory-focused pick here, with an introduction by critic Barry Schwabsky. For hands-on projects, Rolina Van Vliet’s Painting Abstracts: Ideas, Projects and Techniques is built around exercises. To loosen up your brushwork, Patti Mollica’s How to Paint Fast, Loose and Bold targets expressive painting.
Our Top Picks at a Glance
- Abstract Painting: Concepts and Techniques (Vicky Perry) — Best for understanding abstraction
- Painting Abstracts: Ideas, Projects and Techniques (Rolina Van Vliet) — Best project-based book
- How to Paint Fast, Loose and Bold (Patti Mollica) — Best for expressive brushwork
- Painting Abstract Landscapes (Gareth Edwards and Kate Reeve-Edwards) — Best for landscape-based abstraction
- Abstract Painting: For Today’s Contemporary Artist (Kate Ashton) — Best contemporary overview
- Abstract Painting for the Absolute Beginner (Lori Rivera) — Best for complete beginners
| Product | Best For | Key Spec | Key Strength | Price Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perry: Concepts and Techniques | Theory and practice | Intro by Barry Schwabsky | Concepts-first | $ |
| Van Vliet: Painting Abstracts | Exercises | Ideas, projects, techniques | Hands-on | $$ |
| Mollica: Fast, Loose and Bold | Loosening up | Expressive techniques | Brushwork confidence | $$ |
| Edwards: Abstract Landscapes | Landscape abstraction | Two authors | Nature as a starting point | $$ |
| Ashton: Abstract Painting | Contemporary approaches | For today’s artists | Modern overview | $$ |
| Rivera: Absolute Beginner | First steps | Tools, techniques, inspiration | Beginner-friendly | $$ |
How We Chose
We have not read every page of these editions. The picks were selected from Amazon listings checked in October 2026 based on how closely each book’s title and stated subject match abstract painting instruction, the range of approaches they represent, and how widely each is reviewed by Amazon buyers. Our notes describe each book’s stated focus from its title and subtitle; use Amazon’s preview to check the teaching style and whether demonstrations use oil or acrylic.
- Relevance: abstract painting as the main subject.
- Balance of concept and practice: theory books and project books both represented.
- Skill level: from absolute beginner to experienced painters.
- Approach variety: expressive, landscape-based and contemporary.
- Transferability to oil: principles that apply regardless of medium.
Best Oil Painting Books for Abstract Art Reviewed
1. Abstract Painting: Concepts and Techniques by Vicky Perry
As the title suggests, this book pairs the ideas behind abstraction with techniques to realize them, and it includes an introduction by art critic Barry Schwabsky. A concepts-first approach is valuable because abstract painters often get stuck not on technique but on deciding what a painting is about and when it is finished.
For oil painters, a strong conceptual grounding helps with oil’s slower pace: you have time to think between sessions, and knowing what you are aiming for makes those decisions easier.
Best suited for: Painters who want to understand why abstract compositions work, not just how to make marks.
2. Painting Abstracts: Ideas, Projects and Techniques by Rolina Van Vliet
The subtitle highlights ideas, projects and techniques, which points to a practical, exercise-driven book. Project books are ideal for painters who learn best by doing: you follow a prompt, make a painting, and learn the principle along the way.
Exercises that restrict color, shape or tools translate easily to oil and are a great way to break habits.
Best suited for: Painters who want structured projects to build an abstract practice.
3. How to Paint Fast, Loose and Bold by Patti Mollica
Subtitled “Simple Techniques for Expressive Painting”, this book targets one of the most common problems for painters moving toward abstraction: tight, cautious brushwork. Learning to paint quickly and boldly frees up the gesture and confidence that abstract work needs.
Oil suits this approach well, since its buttery body and slow drying let you push and pull paint wet-into-wet.
Best suited for: Painters whose work feels tight and who want more energy and spontaneity.
4. Painting Abstract Landscapes by Gareth Edwards and Kate Reeve-Edwards
Landscape is one of the most natural bridges into abstraction. Horizons, fields, water and sky simplify readily into bands of color and texture. This book, by two authors, focuses on that path.
For landscape oil painters curious about abstraction, it offers a familiar starting point rather than a leap into pure non-objective work.
Best suited for: Landscape painters moving toward abstraction.
5. Abstract Painting: For Today’s Contemporary Artist by Kate Ashton
The title positions this as a guide to abstract painting for contemporary artists, suggesting a focus on current approaches rather than historical movements.
It is a sensible pick if you want to see how abstraction is practiced today and to find directions that fit your own interests.
Best suited for: Painters who want a modern overview of abstract approaches.
6. Abstract Painting for the Absolute Beginner by Lori Rivera
The subtitle promises tools, techniques and inspiration for absolute beginners, so it suits painters starting from zero. Beginner books usually cover materials, basic mark-making and simple compositions before more advanced ideas.
Two listings for this title appeared in our data at different prices, so check the current listing before buying.
Best suited for: Complete beginners who want a gentle introduction.
Main Approaches to Abstract Painting
Knowing the broad approaches helps you choose books and find a direction. Most abstract painters move between several of these.
Abstraction from nature. Starting with something real, such as a landscape, still life or figure, and simplifying it into shapes, colors and rhythms. It is the gentlest route for painters coming from representational work, and many contemporary landscape painters work this way.
Gestural or expressive abstraction. The energy of the mark is the subject: sweeping brushstrokes, drips, scraped passages and visible process. Oil’s body and slow drying make it ideal for pushing paint around wet-into-wet.
Geometric abstraction. Hard-edged shapes, planned compositions and flat color. Masking tape, careful mixing and patience with drying times matter here, especially in oil.
Color field. Large areas of color whose relationships carry the emotion of the work. Thin, layered applications and attention to edges between fields are key.
Textural and layered abstraction. Surfaces built up with impasto, cold wax, scraping and sanding, where the history of the painting shows through. This approach is especially popular in contemporary oil and cold wax practice.
Materials Checklist for Abstract Oil Painting
- A limited set of oil colors: warm and cool primaries, white, and an earth color
- Large flat and filbert brushes, plus a few cheap brushes for rough work
- Two or three palette knives in different shapes
- Scrapers, squeegees or old plastic cards for broad marks
- Odorless mineral spirits for lean early layers and cleaning
- A medium for later layers, such as a glazing medium, impasto medium or cold wax
- Rigid panels or canvas, including some cheap surfaces for experiments
- Rags or paper towels for wiping back and texture
- A sketchbook for thumbnails and color notes
A Reading and Practice Plan
Books work best when they lead directly to painting. A simple plan: read one chapter or project, paint it the same week, then paint a second version where you change one variable, such as color, scale or tool. After a month, look back at the second versions; they usually show more of your own voice than the first attempts.
Keep a notebook of what worked: color combinations, compositions and mark-making you want to return to. Over time this becomes your own reference, often more useful than any book. Pair a concepts book with a project book so you are always balancing thinking and doing, and add an expressive or landscape-focused book when you want to push in a particular direction.
Finally, look at real abstract paintings as often as you can, in galleries, museums and online collections. Books explain principles, but seeing scale, surface and color in person teaches things a printed page cannot.
Adapting Abstract Techniques to Oil
Plan for drying time
Oil stays workable for hours to days. That is an advantage for blending and scraping back, but layered abstract work needs drying time between sessions. Work on several canvases in rotation.
Follow fat over lean
Thin early layers with solvent and add more oil or medium as you build. Heavy, oily underlayers beneath lean top layers can crack.
Use palette knives and scrapers
Many abstract effects, such as scraped layers, sgraffito and broad flat planes, come from knives, squeegees and old cards rather than brushes. Oil’s body holds those marks well.
Try mediums for texture or flow
Impasto mediums add body for thick, sculptural marks; cold wax medium creates matte, layered, scraped surfaces popular in contemporary abstraction; glazing mediums create luminous transparent layers.
Work wet-into-wet for energy
Alla prima abstraction captures gesture. Mix big piles of color and commit to strokes.
Use a limited palette
Restricting to three or four colors plus white helps you focus on value, shape and edge, the core of abstract composition. It also makes it far easier to keep color harmony across a series of paintings, which matters if you plan to exhibit or sell abstract work as a body of work.
Abstract Oil Techniques Explained
Scraping back. Pull a palette knife or squeegee across wet or half-dry paint to remove part of a layer, revealing colors underneath. It creates soft, veiled passages and a sense of history in the surface.
Sgraffito. Scratch lines into wet paint with the end of a brush, a skewer or a knife to expose the layer below. It adds drawing-like energy to a painterly surface.
Impasto. Apply paint thickly with a knife or stiff brush so it stands up from the surface. In oil, impasto medium helps thick passages hold their shape and dry more evenly.
Glazing. Lay thin, transparent color over a dry layer to shift its hue or deepen it. Glazes give abstract paintings luminous depth.
Wiping out. Use a rag dampened with solvent to lift paint and create light areas or soft edges, especially in early, lean layers.
Cold wax layering. Mix oil paint with cold wax medium for a matte, buttery paste that can be spread, scraped and built up in many thin layers.
Try each technique on a small panel first. A sheet of test panels becomes a personal reference you can consult whenever you are planning a new painting.
Abstract Composition Principles to Study
- Value structure: a strong pattern of lights and darks holds an abstract painting together.
- Shape variety: mix large, medium and small shapes.
- Edge contrast: combine hard, soft and lost edges.
- Color temperature: warm and cool relationships create depth without perspective.
- Rhythm and repetition: repeated marks or colors guide the eye.
- Focal area: even non-objective work benefits from a place for the eye to rest.
- Negative space: quiet areas give active passages room to breathe.
Exercises to Try Alongside Any Book
- Paint the same simple composition three times using different value patterns.
- Make a painting using only a palette knife.
- Abstract a photo of a landscape into five shapes and three values.
- Paint a series of small panels in one session, each in 15 minutes.
- Scrape back a dry layer and repaint, letting earlier marks show through.
- Limit yourself to two colors and white for a whole painting.
Representational subjects can be good starting points for abstraction. Fog is already half-abstract; see how to paint fog in oil. Grass and foliage simplify into rhythm and texture, as in oil painting grass, and the spirals and subtle color of a seashell in oil make a lovely subject to abstract.
Buying Guide: How to Choose Abstract Painting Books
Decide between concept and practice
If you feel stuck about what to paint, choose a concepts book. If you feel stuck about how to start, choose a project book.
Match the level
Beginners benefit from materials and basics; experienced painters benefit more from ideas and composition.
Check the medium in demonstrations
Preview pages to see whether demos use acrylic or oil. Principles transfer, but techniques may need adapting.
Look for exercises
Books with prompts and projects lead to more painting and faster progress, because they remove the hardest step: deciding what to paint next.
Consider your direction
Landscape-based, expressive and contemporary approaches each suit different painters.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Thinking abstract means random. Strong abstraction relies on design decisions.
- Ignoring values. Without value contrast, abstract paintings look muddy.
- Overworking. Oil invites endless adjustment; know when to stop.
- Breaking fat over lean. Layered oil abstraction can crack.
- Only reading. Books help most when you paint the exercises.
- Copying a style exactly. Use books to find your own direction.
FAQs
Are there abstract painting books specifically for oil?
Most popular abstract books are medium-agnostic or use acrylic in demonstrations. Their principles apply fully to oil; adapt techniques for drying time and fat over lean.
What should a beginner read first for abstract painting?
A beginner-focused book covering materials and basic exercises, such as Abstract Painting for the Absolute Beginner, then a concepts book once you are painting regularly.
Can you do abstract painting with oil paint?
Yes. Oil’s slow drying and rich body suit blending, scraping, impasto and layered abstraction.
How do I start an abstract painting?
Begin with a limited palette and a simple value plan, make bold marks, then respond to what appears on the canvas.
What tools are useful for abstract oil painting?
Palette knives, large flat brushes, scrapers, rags and mediums such as impasto or cold wax.
How do I know when an abstract painting is finished?
When adding anything would weaken it. Step back, turn the canvas, and leave it for a day before deciding.
Final Recommendation
If you want to understand abstraction deeply, start with Vicky Perry’s Abstract Painting: Concepts and Techniques. If you prefer learning through projects, Rolina Van Vliet’s Painting Abstracts is the hands-on choice, and Patti Mollica’s How to Paint Fast, Loose and Bold will help if your work feels tight.
Landscape painters should look at Painting Abstract Landscapes, contemporary-minded painters at Kate Ashton’s overview, and complete beginners at Lori Rivera’s introduction. Whichever you choose, apply the lessons in oil with attention to drying time and fat over lean.
