ArtistsNetwork.com 33Mostartistsagreethatsnowprovidesbeautifulcontrastopportunities
fora landscapepainting.What’sespeciallyidealaboutsnowisthat,
becauseofitsintensereflectivequalities,it alsoallowsforthecaptureof
shimmeringlightandcolorfulshadows.Eveninlowlight,snowcanserve
asa dynamicvehiclefordramaticshiftsincolortemperature.
Whenwerefertocolortemperatureinthewinterlandscape,we’re
generallyspeakingofwherea colorfallsonthecolorwheel—thewarm
sideorthecoolsideoranyofthesubtletiesin-between—whendefin-
ingdistinctionsbetweenlightandshadow.Thisistrueforany
landscape,butbecausesnowishighlyreflective,thenecessarytemper-
aturecontrastsoftencanappearfairlydramatic.
COLOR TEMPERATURE
Winter Whites
BARBARA JAENICKE reveals how contrasts are
the key to successful landscapes featuring snow.A quick fi eld study painted on-site (above) allowed me to capture the spectacular light and
shadow eff ects from life. I brought some very compromised reference photos back to the
studio, which aided me in referencing accurate forms for some of the landscape elements,
but I was able to refer to the fi eld study for the color temperature contrasts that I’d
observed fi rsthand for Light Dusting Along the Deschutes (left; oil on canvas, 24x30).