Did you know that the color of the light source determines the color of whatever you're seeing? In this photo, the light source is behind the images
and is locate at an angle to our upper right. With it being a direct light source, the warm color of the sun's rays are blending with the colors of the leaves being hit by the rays, giving us the colors we see. Notice in this overcast light how the yellow greens have cooled in hue. That's because layers of clouds are in front of the sun rays, cooling their hue. That cooler color of light is now mixing with the color of the
foliage. We experience a similar effect comparing these two photos of the same lady slipper. Where the warm light rays are hitting it, we see more red violet. Where the cool light rays are hitting it, it leans more towards violet. Notice in the
shadow areas, the change is more subtle. LOCAL COLOR VS LOCAL COLOR PLUS LIGHTThis phenomenon is highly evident on green grass under a brilliant sunset where the hue of the light is more orange. The red and yellow in the orange hue mix with the green hue of the grass, changing it towards low chroma orange. The red neutralizes the hue of the green, causing the orange to
dominate. So, when we are painting, we can't assume that green grass is always green nor that any other color is what we know it to be. Rather, we must observe the color we are
seeing. Enjoy a fun weekend seeing--really seeing--color! During my Language of Painting series, I explained the role of our visual elements. If you'd like to review those roles to better understand the behavior of elements, here are the links to each of those
discussions: Color --Value -- Shape -- Texture -- Size -- Line and Direction
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