Light

"Be At Peace"

In the February issue of Watercolor Artist there is a demo on creating backlighting by Karen Holman.
I decided to try out her techniques.  I used my own composition but her instructions and colors.

Masking of snow areas.  She also mentions masking 3 circles in the center of the composition.  I evidently did that part wrong, so if you try this, leave those out.

She uses a triad of colors, quinacridone gold, Q burnt orange, and indigo.
Wet the paper, apply Q gold in the center, then a ring of orange, then indigo.
Blend the colors by using a fine spray (bottle) of water, spraying from center out

Let the paper dry.  Mix your greens and push them under the masking where your evergreen branches are

Then, using a stiff brush spatter aureolin and Qgold, and a little indigo, spray lightly with water to blend colors

Use indigo and a little rose to create the shadows, paint in the tree trunks and branches

Remove the masking, then wet each snow shape and create shadows using cobalt blue.
This would not have been a bad painting if it was not for the circles in the center.

Be At Peace
I painted this from a photo I took up near Red Mountain Pass last winter while snow shoeing.
There is no back lighting in it, but I like the feel of it.