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How COULD it be boring?

Artists always say that painting a Summer landscape is boring, compared to the other times of the year. The winter bare branches of the trees are far more interesting (and difficult!) to paint, from the heavy trunks right up to the fine lace effect of the tiny twigs. Snow and frost add another dimension all together and make the image far more dramatic. Spring is good to paint, because of the bright verdant new greens of the first foliage of the season. And of course Autumn is the best because of the beautiful depth of jewel like colours of the dying leaves, the yellows, golds, oranges and reds of their last effort before they fall to the ground and become the browns and russets of fallen leaves rotting into the soil below. Summer is considered the most boring. Because there is too MUCH green. Its ALL green, everywhere you look in the countryside. No particularly interesting contrasting colours to see.

But I disagree.

Because at this time of the year there is the light.

Beautiful golden light bathing everything in its glow.

And because there is light, there is shadow too.

Lovely deep purple shadows.

And when you put those two together, you see some fabulous effects. Tiny dots of light filtering through the canopy of leaves above, shaping the trunk of a tree, casting shadows across paths and roadways. And dark purple shadows contrasting with them to accentuate the light and accentuate the pretty scene. It’s so atmoshperic, I love it! All the greens take on another life, a new dimension, an explosion of colours, lights and darks, its like the contrast and brightness light has been turned up. and I find it SOOOO inspirational. I want to draw everything I see!!!!