I thought it might be of interest to share some of my thinking and strategy that went into painting this piece. Here in Maine, winters are...well...rather long (sigh). It is a beautiful time of year in many ways, and I do love living in a climate that presents 4 distinct seasons. But as the short days and frigid temps march along, signs of spring help get one through the tough stretches. Hence some fresh flowers on the windowsill!
So, on this overcast, snowy day the "temperature" of the light was decidedly cool. That means that the objects this light hits directly will reflect back cooler colors. Shadows therefore should be fairly warm in temperature. In addition, the other subtle light source was from within my kitchen. So objects "living" in this light would be warmer than the outdoor light. For example, the inner wall to the left and below the window are warmer yellows and purples than objects being struck by the outdoor light source.
Blue is considered the coolest color on the color wheel, orange the warmest. The snow in the yard and the tree branches behind in the woods are the coolest objects in the scene...muted cool blues and purples, and pure white for the snow. The close side of the tangerine the warmest. The daisies were already a very cool yellow (leaning more toward a blue-er yellow rather than an orange-yellow) so I had no trouble painting the well-lit outer petals. But I struggled a bit with the color of the center of the bouquet. When I tried a warmer yellow (more orange-ey) it did not look right. After wondering why this was so, it occurred to me that even though the center of the bouquet was not in the direct daylight, the daylight was strong enough to penetrate the blossoms. In other words, the daylight was overwhelming the weaker, warmer light in my kitchen. Does this make sense?? :) So those inner daisies not directly lit my the outdoor light were still being affected by it as the light passed through the bunched-up daisies. Therefore the yellow leans much more toward blue/green than toward orange.
In addition to these issues, I also had to consider the light reflecting OFF of the objects. And so you can see that both the orange from the tangerine and the blue from the vase are subtley reflected onto the inner window frame.
If you've stuck with me through this, then bravo! There are books and books on the subject of color with regard to painting. I would recommend a few: Betty Edwards' "Color" is a classic. And James Gurney's "Color and Light" is another amazing book.
Thank you again for your interest in my work! Check out my website and sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter to stay informed of new work and upcoming shows.
Until next time - all the best,
Shelley
