The Greens of Summer

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Summer Shadows Oil John Hulsey

It is a common problem for plein air painters. Once the “wall of greens” develops in late spring in the Midwest, it can be a real challenge to see and paint masses of trees, shrubs and even fields. It is another one of those color perception issues which plague us as we try to work outdoors year-round. See: It’s Not Easy Seeing Green: Twelve Artists Share Their Favorites.

In our experience, using value changes alone will not help much to put depth and life into summer paintings. We have to also employ temperature changes—warms and cools, if the picture is to be successful. However, those changes can be very subtle and can happen within the same mass-tone, as in the painting here, Summer Shadows. An experienced teacher can help point out these subtleties of course, but to be able to see them for yourself, there is no better teacher than going out and “facing the music”. Our eyes and brain just have to learn to see them…