Light Effect and My Dark Period

I want to talk about my “Dark Period”.  The term has nothing to do with our current crisis; it has to do with my fascination of creating a light effect on the canvas. In my earlier days I would just add more white to the spot on the canvas that I wanted to show as light and call it a day. Unfortunately I was never happy with the effect.  What I didn’t realize at the time,  was that I was ignoring the real values of the scene that created the light effect, duh!!

My journey in oils started back in the 6o’s at Sam Houston, but the journey of trying to paint light started about 10 years ago, and plateaued for about 9 years. Late last year I started in earnest to create the light effect that I really wanted.  I started by studying the beautiful works of the Spanish painter  Jaoquin Sorolla, expanding my research to Zorn and Sargent.  Since then I have been consumed with creating that spectacular light effect.  I have included my progress over the past year.  The order of my paintings on this journey thus far, starts at the bottom with ” The Shipyard” and progresses upward to my latest “Midnight Shortcut“.  The first study of Shipyard was well drawn and executed, but originally I painted the ships and equipment with much more color and a lighter value— as I imagined rather than what I really saw. Ahhhh the” light” began to dawn on me. The old problem of painting what is in your mind and not what you actually see was blocking my progress.  It takes courage to go as dark in value that you need to in order to pull off the light effect.

As you can see, I am working with different times of the day, from sunset, to a full moon lit night to midnight. The only painting above that was painted in full sunlight was the #4014. That scene, although in the middle of a bright sunshiny day, relies on the dark grays of the massive engine to contrast the bright coats of the rail workers. If I had painted the train values any lighter, or let my brain take over and painted lighter hues, the yellow of the coats would not have popped as they do.

I would like to say that the progress of getting off that light effect plateau was just my hard work and genius, but I would be less than truthful if I said that. I have to credit the coaching of my mentor. Kenn Bachkaus. I have been working with Kenn about 18 months.  We use an on-line mentoring format. I send him digital copies of the scene that I painted Plein Are  or from one of my photographs, a value sketch, an oil study and then a draft of the final painting. This new discipline is also helping me become a better critic of my own work.

Art is a language that you are always learning. You are never “done” ; you are forever a  student.

Hope each and everyone of you stays healthy and are finding some good in this time of great trial and change.

Susan