Like Monet, I focus on one location and paint the same scene over and over. Since the light effects are constantly changing, the scene is always engaging. One location that inspires me is the mission at San Juan Capistrano. As I paint this location over time and on different days and times of year, I understand it better and am more able to capture subtle nuances. These are things I would have missed had I only painted it on a single occasion.
Throughout this page, you’ll see paintings done in the same courtyard, under varying light conditions. The first painting (featured above) is a sunny afternoon where everything is bathed in brilliant sunlight. If you compare this painting to Courtyard Sun (below), you can see that the light in this morning painting is  yellower when compared to the morning light of Morning Mission Pathway (second below) which is pinker and softer. Comparing Courtyard Sun with Morning Mission Pathway, which were done at approximately the same time in the morning, you will notice that Morning Mission Pathway has more atmosphere. These subtle shifts in color indicate a shift in the light effect. Finally (third below), I painted this same scene on a gray day. Ultimately, the light/dark contrast is less and the light planes are cooler. Because the light on this type of day is cooler, the shadow planes in comparison to these cool planes look warmer. This is also the case for the sky which looks  very warm in comparison.

As a side note, when I was painting this gray day scene I overheard some artists talking near me. They were complaining that there wasn’t anything to paint and they hated this gray day light.  I was having entirely the opposite experience. Gray day light happens to be one of my favorite lights to paint. I am inspired by gray days because, although they are more difficult because of the hard-to-capture subtleties and nuances, they are nonetheless filled with color. I guess you have to paint this light repeatedly to really appreciate it. As the artists were talking, I wanted to stop and explain to these artists the beauty I saw in this gray day. The subtle gray days allow me to fully appreciate the brilliance of sunny days. The infinite variety of light effects found in nature keeps me constantly amazed, coming back to my easel again and again.

Here is a plein air sketch that I did on location in Yosemite National Park. I used this sketch to create another painting in the studio. Although my passion is to work from life, it is good discipline to try to create that same energy in the studio because you have more time to spend on design and composition.

This was done in the studio from my plein air sketch. I applied what I learned on location about the movement of the water and the color of the light.  I was not a slave to the sketch but only used it as reference.