Flower and Pear

Flower and Pear - oil on panel

A study of "dark light".

The Gloaming

 

Red Flower - oil on panel

I have been looking for something very specific in my recent paintings. Something which I have been trying to understand for quite a while. There is a certain aspect of the light which exists between two extremes. Between the light and the darkness is an area of twilight - the dusk of the light -the gloaming. Not shadow or halftone, but a darker light.
The area of intense light which hits the surface of an object directly falls away very quickly from the highest point. Most of the remaining light sits within this twilight area. Rather than a building up of light towards a high point, It is a falling away of the light from the source into a more subtle state. Colours are more subdued -  becoming generally cooler and more muted. It is an area which at first seems quiet, but is actually full of life.

Glenmorangie

 

Glenmorangie - oil on panel