Daisies on Red
16 x 12
My studio has north and west facing windows, and I've always yearned for some southern exposure. In my continuing quest for sunlight, I broke down and bought a powerful spotlight from a camera shop: a professional-looking LED light called a Lightstorm Aputure. It's a huge step up from the Home Depot brooder, clamp lamps with halogen floods that I've been using. The light is very bright (equivalent to 1000W, according to the salesman) and cooler than I'm used to - something that's always deterred me from buying "daylight" bulbs as they seemed so blue - but the CRI (colour rendering index) is extremely high and so I'm not seeing a color cast to the objects that I put under it. In fact, colours are crazy rich, and it's taking some time to get used to.
Below are some of the small still life arrangements that I've painted since the big light up. Because the light is cooler, I feel like I'm learning these familiar objects all over again. The little bowl that I've painted dozens of times, took me ages this time as none of the usual mixtures described what I was seeing. And, for the first time, I'm seeing a lot of bounced color from object to object, and from the ground cloth to the objects on it. There are many new variables; I feel as if I have to recalibrate my eyes.
I haven't figured out my new color space by any stretch, and things are too chromatic at the moment, but I'm having a blast. Instead of imagining bright light and true colour, I can push a button and get it. When winter comes, it'll be summer in my studio!
Happy painting!
Green Vase in Sunlight
12 x 16
Sake Bowl
8 x 10
Apples and Oil
11 x 14
