May 14, 2008


(167) Light and Shadow Families
This Macpherson assignment requires analyzing newspaper photos, determining the direction of the light source, then dividing everything into either light or shadow. Everything in the light family is left as is, while everything in shadow is indicated with a black marker--
a splendid organizing tool for simplifying shapes
, and a brilliant way to remove the distracting details. It is an especially helpful tool for landscape painting when the rapidly changing light and plethora of information can seem overwhelming.
"Forget about color for the time being. If you squint your eyes way down as you look at a subject, it is easier to see the light and shadow pattern. There is a link between all the lights and a link between all the shadows"...Kevin Macpherson

2 comments:

Terry said...

What an interesting exercise. You and so many others reference Kevin MacPherson, I really am going to have to read his books!

A's da said...

These are really awesome. I know they're just exercises, but they're very cool, almost like mid-60s pop art (but w/o the irony). As A. says, "Ca' I hab one, pwease?"