Let There Be Light
Just finished my latest painting and couldn’t wait to share it with you! Not gonna lie, this one took me a while – soooo many marvelous details in this scene! The wonderful elements of light and shadow made it a fun challenge! This piece is 18x24 inches and was a commission for a local client and new friend. It is based on a photo he took of a favorite scene on Lake Becky in South Carolina.
The more I paint, the more I fall in love with capturing color and light. You really do develop a better eye for both as you analyze more scenes. It’s a regular occurrence for me now to find myself trying to work out what colors and values (the darks and lights) I’m really seeing. Often it happens even with things I’m just admiring, not necessarily planning to paint. I notice so much more now than I ever did before!
Along the way I’ve learned that you can’t have light without the dark. Your eye just won’t be able to discern the beauty of light without something at least as dark nearby to contrast it with. And, you can’t be afraid of the dark. I’ve heard it said that all beginning painters are afraid of either the light or the dark. For me, it was the dark. I really had to learn to trust the colors. My early paintings often came out feeling washed out because I avoided the extremes on both sides, but especially the darks. The right colors were there, but I was often afraid to go too dark too fast with an end result of a faded look to the painting. With more experience, I’ve learned to embrace the richness of color, including deep, rich, colorful darks.
Here’s a quick video showing this painting as it progressed from an initial sketch to a finished piece. Hope you enjoy it!
I currently have art on display at a few new locations in Chapin. You can see more detail about them and upcoming exhibits on my website under SHOWS.
Please feel free to share this with anyone you think might enjoy this message or my art!
