Understanding Light in the Landscape Part II

Summer Evening, Montclair, New Jersey Oil George Inness

Painting en plein air is a challenging, exciting, sometimes frustrating occupation for most of us. On a nice, sunny, clear day, the job of analyzing the shapes, colors and values in front of us accurately, and then recreating that inspiration in paint is intense work. To add to the challenge, paint cannot match the vast value spectrum of sunlight, which requires the painter to find a way to reduce the apparent values into a manageable range. And just when we get a handle on where we think we’re headed with a painting, we notice that the light has changed, and we’d be wise to stop for the day! On any day with moving clouds or changing weather, the task can be even more daunting. Getting good at the job can take many years of trial and error unless one has a bit of a system to go by. While there is no substitute for working from life, it is also important to understand the science behind how light affects our visua…