“Setting Sun” – Original Watercolor Landscape Painting

Description

This one really is just light and landscape.

Painting what the sun leaves behind is often what en plein air painting is all about. Usually what’s left behind is something like this – long trails of alternating light, shade and shadow.

This painting would seem to be without and obvious focal point. Yet, the impression of light is the most important part of the work, so most of the actual landscape elements are handled in a more impressionistic way than in most of my paintings.

I have to admit that it is sometimes difficult for me to get summer greens to look right in a painting.  Painting early morning or late evening makes the task easier since the long light rays warm up and add yellow to the greens.  Dropping blue-violets into the shadows creates a convincing change from warm to cool  for the shade and shadows.  The warm yellow vs. cool blue-violet contrast works pretty well and saves me having to recreate too many summer greens!