I use outdoor studies to train my eye to compare light and shadow values. In this desert painting, those relationships gave me a foundation I could carry into a larger studio painting, even when I decided to change the color.
Compare one value with another
The saguaros provide strong vertical shapes, and I certainly consider their design. But the point I am discussing here is the relationship between the sunlit areas and the shadows. I want those areas to relate convincingly to one another across the whole painting.
A value does not work in isolation. I judge it against the neighboring shapes and the larger arrangement. Working in front of the subject gives me a chance to practice those comparisons directly.
Bring the observation indoors
When I developed a larger painting from this small study, I pushed the color warmer. That was a studio decision, supported by the value relationships I had studied outdoors.
Mixing an exciting color would not, by itself, have solved the larger painting. The outdoor work gave me something more useful than a record of objects: an understanding of how the lights and shadows fit together. That is one of my main reasons for continuing to paint outside.
Continue with The Importance of Values and Why Values in Mountains Have to Be Close.
