My non-artist friends and family are gauges for my strangeness and eccentricity who are quick to point out my red line levels when the going gets weird, especially last week during the snow and subzero temperatures when I constantly went outside from sunup to sundown taking pics of the white winter landscape that is not common here in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina.   Walking back inside with a plein air painting after an afternoon high of 23 degrees and talking about all of the cast drama really tilted the needle with double eye rolls.

Sure people love to take snow pics and most agree on its beauty, but I admit I took it to a whole new level rambling one night at dinner about warmth, values, phthalo blue shadows, the snow not really white but gray, etc etc.   “It’s not snow, it’s just another cooler high value blanket on the ground with dramatic blue shadows.”  Yep, that’s some weird you-know-what for the non-painter to digest over a steak and beer, and coupled with my declaration that the rising sun creates more drama over snow, my  guest inquired about what I've been smoking and where he can get some. 

Drama is a friend to the landscape artist, and for those who share my island of hue, temperature, value and shapes, agree it’s sought after rather than avoided. I’m talking about visual drama created by less intense light - not Hallmark Channel drama.  Drama within the landscape is best found in the early morning with the rising sun casting long soothing warm shadows over the subject matter creating a dreamier composition than if the sun were completely overhead providing little if any shadow and unloading very intense light. I admit that I like midday sun if painting a street scene while the sun illuminates car hoods and pedestrians’ heads and shoulders.  For all other scenes, I like drama, and when all of a sudden the whole landscape is transformed by subzero temperatures and wintry precipitation into an ice crystalized wonderland, the artistic arrows are aimed even closer to the early sun that has turned its drama knob to 11 over the slightly peach colored creamy fields and trees with long crisp violet blue shadows.  It’s like when all the right weather patterns line up and gift big peeling glassy waves to the surfer - it’s time to paddle out and get it while you can.

The lesson learned is no matter the weather, temperature or season, the artist who disciplines herself to get out there before the sun rises on somewhat of a routine basis will reap the crop of good dramatic composition to paint from.  Every color known to humankind can be seen in the sky - especially early in the morning.  No sunrise is the same as the sun doesn’t rise in the same place every day - nor does it wait around either.