Blue Shadows?

In the landscape, the bounced-light blue of the sky fills the shadows where direct sunlight cannot reach. One of the greatest things about the snow is that it really showcases this element.

Alternatively, the concept of simultaneous contrast is in effect here. The warm orangey-browns and blues are complementary colors, so when I (or you) look at the warm browns that are there, the eyes and brain fill in the complementary colors where they can - in this case in the shadows.

Is this a real or imagined phenomenon? I don't know. I love the poetry of the first explanation. But the weird workings of the mind are also fascinating! I kinda hope it's a bit of both, but as an artist I view my job as one of taking reality and distilling it into something that feels more than real. The blue shadows give the feeling I'm looking for in the painting, so blue they stay.

-ZR