The Color of Light

"Harmony, Yellow"
Oil on Linen, 16 x 20
(c) Lesley Powell

Most painters know that light has a color. It may be difficult to see at first, but with experience one starts to perceive the color of light, and to understand its effects. I have heard that one of the great impressionists (was it Cezanne? or maybe Monet?) used to throw a white handkerchief down on the ground before he started painting, and look at it to see what color the sunlight was at that moment. 

Why is this so important? Because the color of the light affects everything we see, and therefore everything we paint. It affects the color of the objects on which it falls, and it

affects the color of the shadows they cast. In fact, for the Impressionists, the light was often a more important subject than the objects they were painting.

I have been photographing some finished paintings. Some of the images I got are interesting illustrations of the way the color of the light affects what we see. For example, the top two photos are shots of the same painting. They were taken with the same camera and the same lens, and in exactly the same location. And yet look at the color difference! The top photo was taken in mid-morning, and it has a distinctly blue cast, due to the cool, blue color or morning light. The second photo was taken in the afternoon, and it has a much warmer cast, due to the warmer light coming from the sun later in the day. You can imagine how much this affects the painting process, and the way we see the colors of our subjects!

You can also imagine how this complicates the process of getting an accurate photograph of a painting. I have learned some tricks to balance the light, but it's always a challenge. I will conclude with two images of another painting. Can you tell which one was taken in the morning, and which in the afternoon? I bet those with keen eyes can spot the difference quite easily...

"Reflections and Rooflines"
16 x 24, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2017