Snow Fields Summer, 18x20

It's the colors in the shadows.....

.....that most intrigue me.  Back lit things appear to exude more life.  The shadow in the mountain and foreground, even though darker, have more luminosity to them.

The scientific reason is that, having little or no white pigment, they have greater transparency and the underlying board, like in watercolor, reflects through the paint.  In the sunlit areas opacity from the pigments, white especially, traps the light and prevents that 'see-into' effect.

If you look at natures shadows, from a face to a forest, they look like they have transparency about them.  Rembrandt, even with his limited palette, played the transparent/opaque thing to the hilt.

I think I'm getting better at this 'paint from photos' thing.  When glancing at the photograph I find myself continually asking 'what would I see if I were really standing there'?  You know, breeze in the air, sun on the face....bugs on the arms.   It helps.
This photo source was generously loaned to me by Tim Deibler.

'Spring Training for Painters' begins April 15th!  I'm planning on having fun!