Adventures in Paint & Pastel

Michigan winters can be met with endless gray days of no sunshine.  As an artist, continuous weeks of no sun has forced me to appreciate the flat values and muted color of tonal paintings.  My natural inclination is go for the drama of light and shadows, but I have learned over the years to see the true beauty in these subtle days.  But really, just how much beauty can one visually muster up when you haven't seen the sun in what feels like months?  It's like living out the movie "Groundhog Day"? (which by the way is one of my favorites.)  This winter has not only been exceptionally sun-less, but has been unusually cold as well, to where doing my usual "winter car paintings" have been out of the question.

Growing up in Michigan, I don't recall being affected negatively by the abundance of gray days or having S.A.D.  But as I'm getting older I do see it affecting my mood & felt the need to supplement light during these "groundhog days."  Enter the "HappyLight"!   I remember a friend telling me about her  full spectrum light.  So after researching them online, I called and asked if she liked it and if it made a difference, and she said it did.  She just happen to be going to spend most of the winter in Colorado, where the sun shines every day, and graciously lent it to me - thank you Debbie!  Now, I'm not getting any kick backs from the Verilux Company for mentioning this,  just passing on encouragement for anyone else needing some sunshine in these gray climates.  

My studio space is set up with full spectrum or color corrected lighting, but the therapeutic effect in a full spectrum light is that has a 10,000 Lux.  The 10,000 lux is the key.  I set it up in my studio (pictured) when I'm working from a still life or from the computer monitor.  I'll move it to the kitchen when I'm spending time there.  You don't want to stare right at the light,  just as you wouldn't stare at the sun, just let it shine on you.  We've all heard the saying "happy wife...happy life,"  or artists saying "happy painting" to each other.  This winter it's "HappyLight"...happy painting for me.  So far so good, but I'll save the final verdict for around the end of March or when the sun finally reappears in Michigan.   Why do I live here again?