Artists Magazine - USA (2020-01 & 2020-02)

36 Artists Magazine January/February 2020

Build LESSON

STEP 1

I carefully observed this view on location and painted it

soon after returning to my studio. The photo captured

the light and shadow patterns on the snow, but not the

dramatic shimmering effects that I remembered.

STEP 2

I painted this small study, Pine Tree Shadows (oil on

panel, 8x10), back in my studio using the reference photo

soon after visiting the spot. My goal was to work out the

temperature contrasts of the light and shadow eff ects

that I’d observed fi rsthand. I created a larger painting

based on this study, as seen in the steps that follow.

STEP 3

After I blocked in the value structure, I began painting the

warm light of the sky and the cool of the snow shadows. Notice

the temperature diff erence between the warm blue-green in

the upper right of the sky and the mostly cooler blue-violets in

the shadow areas of the snow. At this stage, the color of the

sunlit snow seen in the foreground is just the warm-toned

surface of the canvas, which is a pinkish flesh hue.

STEP 4

I adjusted the warm and cool temperatures within the

tree masses, keeping the values light enough to allow

plenty of the backlighting to filter through, which

enhanced the light-filled effect I wanted.

DEFINING LIGHT AND SHADOW