“Let there be light” Genesis 1:3
Light is everything. You can’t paint it like you paint a tree, but you can show light’s effect on everything it touches. Leonardo Da Vince created its illusion by painting depth and perspective by contrasting dark and light pigments.
Caravaggio featured one strong light area adjacent to dark masses for emotional response. Turner used light to reveal space progression and was an all-time master in achieving light’s effect in both transparent watercolor and in oil. The art historian, Ruskin, said: “Turner paints in color but thinks in light and shade.” The Impressionists, like Claude Monet, expressed light differently but featured light as a central component. They painted the fleeting ephemeral nature of light similar to natural light. With a lighter palette, they mixed colors optically on their canvases with short and thick strokes and used complimentary warm and cool colors in shadows. The contemporary watercolorist, Thomas Schaller, is masterful in his use of left white spaces and rich shadows.
I paint in both watercolor and oil and am a bronze sculptor. In each medium I consider how to capture light. I know that watercolor light is best expressed by leaving the pure white of the paper contrasting with shapes and colors of my washes. The white areas are the initial pre-planned consideration and thus it is said that watercolors are painted light to dark. To make the white areas sparkle even more, I paint darks nearby. For luminosity in shadow, I apply complements such as blue (cool color) and orange (warm color). See how light is thus revealed in my painting Indigo Winter below.
Diffused Light
For a diffused light painting, such as rendering a foggy day, I do not leave white paper. I achieve my desired effect by painting no or minimal hard edges, mostly soft blurs of paint to mimic light coming through moisture in the atmosphere, as in River Fog, below.
Light in Oil Paintings
Oils, in contrast to watercolor, are traditionally painted dark to light. Darks may or may not be painted somewhat thinner but lighter areas are painted last and are generally more thickly applied for capturing light and texture. Although I paint white last, I think from the beginning where these areas will be placed in terms of my composition. White paint dries the slowest so there is a conservation issue and excellent reason for painting these areas last. Look over the dark and light areas of my oil paintings Shared Moment and Silver Pitcher with Pears and Goblet.
Handling Light in Sculpture
Like many artists, I prefer to paint in the early morning or in the evening as long shadows show depth, make interesting patterns in slant light.
Bronze sculpture requires different approaches to show light. After casting bronzes, they are given a patina for color and for protection from oxidation. It takes special attention to create light in bronze. I sometimes rub back and wax-protect sections to create pure bronze highlights. The skate blades of my bronze speed skater, Personal Best, and the beak, legs and feet of Blue Heron Fishing, are examples. The white chest of my Penguin and Chick provides light/dark contrast. Even for a sculpture with a solid dark patina, I utilize options to create light. I designed the wings of my Great Argus pheasant, Courting Ecstasy, using negative spaces in pattern to allow light to shine through. In every sculpture I create, I look for opportunities to create planes, i.e. two surfaces coming together at different angles, which enables side-light to strike the planes and reveal different tones of color. Even the silhouette of a sculpture is important as light from behind intensifies the silhouette for showing off the forms
Whether light is expressed as direct light, diffused light or even expressed as open negative space, it is an important tool for artists. Masterful enlivening effects of light elevates a work of art from ordinary to extraordinary.
On a Personal Note
I just completed teaching a week-long sculpture workshop at Southern Vermont Arts Center with a full roster of twelve amazing students. Here are two beautiful completed works in clay over armature. the Horse by Anna Rockwell, and Portrait by Adriana Chichester. Congratulations to all for fine work!
Thanks for reading my Newsletter. I hope it has been informative. I always welcome comments, suggestions.
Best wishes,
Elaine
Thank you so much for this beautiful exploration of light in your work!
Thank you, Hannah, for your kind words. I am glad you enjoyed this newsletter.
Thank you Elaine! It was wonderful to have you at SVAC inspiring the students in your class as well as all the visitors who came by–ages 5 to 105. I love the essay about light, especially the opportunity to think about bronze sculpture in those terms. So interesting!!
Thanks so very much, Erin. It felt wonderful to be back teaching at S.V.A.C. The talented group of students
and their diverse works, from animals to figurative to portraits and even a bas relief, made for a great learning experience for all .
I appreciate your comments about my latest newsletter on the challenging topic of light. I am glad you found it informative.
What a wonderful treatise on capturing light! I was particularly enthralled with your description of how you created Indigo Winter.
I didn’t know watercolors were painted “light to dark”. Your explanation and illustration of how that works make a lot of sense.
AND Congratulations on once again inspiring aspiring sculptors through your teaching!
Thanks so much, Susie, for your generous comments regarding my Sept-Oct newsletter on light.
I miss our shared sculpture creating days and critiques since your re-location on The West coast.
Congratulations on your recently published fine book of poetry and for sharing it with me. BRAVA!
Lovely to see your art again and read about your process. Beautiful, contemplative, and generous as always!
Thank you for sharing this thought-provoking post.
You are so thoughtful to comment on my Sept-Oct newsletter. I really appreciate your staying in touch and am always delighted to hear about the plays you are producing or acting in. I am glad you enjoy my newsletters. Thank you, Max!