Let It Snow

The background is made with cool greens that will provide a dark contrast to the warmth of the Farolitos along the top of the wall. “Painting Forward” I begin work on the Santa Fe building. Farolitos, or luminaries as some call them, are paper bags filled with sand that have a candle inside. It’s fun developing the shadows they cast on the ancient adobe.

Light and dark mixtures of Pthalo Blue + White are used for the bright blue door.

The crenelated shadows also fall across the door. Their edges are softer than on the wall because they’re farther away from the Farolitos.

This piece is painted on the sides of the gallery wrap canvas. I have to use a step stool to paint the top edge. It’s a good opportunity to show you my studio setup. My easel, palette and taboret are on wheels, it is very easy to move things around to accommodate any size canvas. If you’d like to see the arrangement I used in our old studio to paint a six foot by eight foot painting CLICK HERE.

The bags of the Farolitos are highlighted with a little Cadmium Yellow Medium near the bottom to give the impression of the votive candles burning inside.

Mums have survived the cold, the flowers are blocked in with mixes of Cadmium Orange + Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Orange and Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Yellow Medium.

AND…..Let it snow! The mums and entry courtyard are blanketed with the soft fluffy stuff The white snow is made cooler in the back with mixes of Ultramarine Blue + White. The foreground is made warmer using mixtures of Dioxazine Purple + White. I follow a simple rule, Cool Colors Recede, Warm Colors Come Forward, to help give depth to the painting. The blue door reflects into the snow directly below it. So I pull a brushstroke of Pthalo Blue + White into the white shadow along its base. Pure White is reserved to indicate the sun streaking across the smooth surface. Thanks for following along today. Hugs,