It hit me all over again. On the way to the office on Saturday morning the low January sun was glazing the fresh inch of snow. I had to stop.
Bottom of Harold's Hill
And then again.
Top of the Hill
And many more times while most hid under their covers. I snapped pics and sketched for a half hour on the way to our painting rendezvous.
No Traffic Yet
Still, quiet, beautiful. Compositions everywhere. Sitting like cutouts against the light background. Colours abound. It is the best time of year to paint and learn. And my favourite time. If you don't paint out here at this time of year, you are working part time.
The Colours of Snow Today
The full spectrum. The full value scale. Beware the lies of the camera. Look at the values in the light. I can distinctly see four, even in the photo. Perhaps I'll use cobalt today. Yes, lemon yellow, alizarin, no, maybe permanent rose, and yes, viridian. Perfect!
The Boots
Only -9C today and little wind. But with these boots you never get cold feet. Along with a decent brimmed block heater and a few layers, your only fear is overheating. Tt is bright on a day like this. I didn't bring my umbrella, and I know better but.....
The Office
No sun glasses allowed, so suffer the blinding light. Try to cover the canvas and palette using your body. In a situation like this the glare will soon render the colours and values incorrect. Usually the painting will come out dark as seen through those little pin hole eyes.
Can't See? Hold Brush Right etc.
It is unusual to see this in a photo, but it shows how the fresh snow flakes act as mirrors making the colour of the snow a function of its surroundings holding the full spectrum. How to paint that is the question.
If You Were There
You could practice seeing the colours. And you could see how the snow in the light is in shadow - look at this......
A Mystery
Coffee Break
No comments:
Post a Comment