Enhancing the Feel of Light

"Hendrick's Head Beach"

Contrast is the name of the game in painting.  Contrast of warm and cool, smooth vs. rough, and light and dark.  And the greatest of these is value.

When you are trying to create the feeling of bright sunlight, the best thing you can do is place some really dark shapes next to the sunlit areas.

In this painting of Hendrick's Head Beach on the island of Southport, Maine, the dark shadow across the foreground wasn't really there, but to dramatize the light on the beach, I invented the shadow.  Additionally, I placed one of the boats right on the edge of the shadow to break up the fairly unbroken line formed by the shadow.  

The dark shapes in the painting also act as a frame for where the focal point is.  

The trick is to use enough paint.  Check your palette to see if you've filled the wells to the brim so you can call on more paint when immediately needed.  

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And don't forget my workshop in Boothbay Harbor, Maine Sept. 9th - 13!