A visual artist knows how important light is to their work.  To some artist light is completely mesmerizing.  I find light to be an incredible feature.  Think about it, without light, there is not any color.  As the day’s light fades, colors start to turn grey, but as the light shows itself the next day the colors return.  We all understand how important it is to display our work and to the display of art.

Claude Monet was one artist who was a master playing with light in his paintings.  Of course most artist work hard to bring appropriate light levels into their work.  Sometimes I do not really think about it in terms of lighting as I am working.  For me, I am in the zone and I honestly am not sure what, if anything goes through my mind at those times.  When I step back from a painting I often contemplate the light values and how they might move the eye, draw focus or make a painting sparkle.  Quite often, though, I will take a photograph which will bring the issue of light back to a focus in my studio.  Here is a photograph I took on a trip to Glacier National Park in Montana which did just that:

For me, the other thing this photograph throws out at me is texture.  There is so much going on here and without the light, the texture cannot be seen, either.  The value of the light is what shows off the texture or flattens it out.  If you have too much light, it is as difficult to see the texture as if you do not have enough.  It is truly all about balance, isn’t it?

Those of you who have been following me have seen this small “Kim painting” before.

As many of you know the light of the horizon has been important to me for quite some time.  This piece was just about that kind of light.  The light here is all about the energy waiting to burst forth into a new summer day.  The title of the painting is The Need To Move.  It is all acrylic paints.

What are your thoughts about the importance of light in creative work?  Do you think about light as you are working or as you are viewing art?  Do you think it is important and what techniques might you share about bringing light into a painting or the best way to display a painting?

I have also added some information in the pages section on the right.  I hope you will find this informative and interesting.  Please leave me a comment letting me know your thoughts and ideas.  The main reason a blog works is because it is interactive.

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