Chiaroscuro and composition. Finding your own impressionist style.

Caribbean Kids

I'd like to focus on the play of light and shade which I used to orchestrate the way the eye travels through the picture. This is what is usually known as chiaroscuro---the free rhythm and balance of emphatic lights and shadows---to achieve some pattern and contrast in the composition.

as I painted the dark areas of the figures, I made the surrounding areas in the background lighter. This is to create space and depth (3D) by way of contrast
the black and white spots on the goats are vividly painted to dominate the warm green grass and surrounding earth colors
it's easy to become mechanical about these contrast relationships so I let some of the figure blend into the background (lost edges, minimum contrast)
to paint the daylight, I used the shadows to enhance the highlights
I modeled the forms with large tonal planes to give the picture its carrying power. This is all in the gray area between the shadows and the highlights.
I used more color to suggest light than I used white.

It is not easy to paint light and balance a composition at the same time. There are many other factors involved such as the drawing, proportion, eyeline, foreshortening, tonal values, psychological and emotional relationships, etc.

To be successful, one must focus and visualize the whole idea, develop it as it evolves, take a break and forget about the work in progress for a while---to get a fresh eye. This takes discipline and self control. It's so easy to be hypnotized J

Finding Your Own Impressionist Style

There's great temptation to want to paint impressionistically as it's one of the most fun and popular ways to paint.

The problem with this is it takes more than just mixing a lot of colors and loose brushstrokes to truly capture the fleeting qualities of nature. My take on this is early on, take the time to really learn the tonal values (these are like the notes in music).

Then understand the relationship of forms and space (light and atmosphere) by painting from life (outdoors).

Study other impressionist masters like Anders Zorn, Sorolla, Monet, Sargent, Levitan and Potthast. Each of these artists mastered tonal values with a darker palette before painting light and air in living color. For chiaroscuro, study the master---Rembrandt.

Among the French impressionists, Monet is a good example for the use of warm and cool color. The American impressionists took impressionism to another level by painting tonal landscapes and seascapes, with an emphasis on decorative design and composition. Examples are Jack Wilkinson Smith, Edgar Payne and William Wendt of the California Art Club.

My outdoor painting helped me find my own voice naturally. When confronted with Nature's challenge, one has to think on his feet---and work like the devil. Light conditions change even on the same day!

The finish is usually done in the studio for larger paintings.