The Color of Light: An Artist's Blog

I've really been enjoying snapping photos outside my home and using them for reference photos lately. The grass is tall, summer is here and I'm fortunate to be surrounded by trees and beauty.

This scene caught my attention a few days ago as I was walking around my front yard. I knew immediately it would make a good painting because of all the drama of the lights and darks, especially right in the focal area. A great way to make a statement in your painting is to contrast your lightest and darkest values at your focal point.

Here are a couple of photos of my progression of this painting.  First I sketched in the shapes with charcoal. After that I put my darks in first, then put in my lightest light and brightest brights so I have a framework. I know I won't go lighter, darker, or brighter than what I've initially put down.

Foliage and greens are some of my favorites things to paint and this piece was a joy. The bonus is that it sold within an hour of posting it.