Light in the Tree-tops

One thing I love about fall is that the sun starts setting a bit earlier, and you get a good sunset without having to wait till after 9:00. This was a late fall day, and I was headed home in the late afternoon. The Sun was already setting, and the sunlight was hitting the tops of the trees across the field, turning them a bright red against all the browns and earthy yellows. The dark greens of the evergreens helps contrast the strong reds, and balance the painting a bit. And then including the house for scale was the finishing touch. I painted all the dark browns and tureen's of the woods around the house, reserving the light of the page, and then painted a light wash of grey to help the house "pop", but not stand out in an unnatural way. Just a few shadows under the eves and for the windows, and it reads "house" without really putting an excessive amount of detail into it. That keeps the focus on the fun red colors, but gives just enough detail to help the viewer read the scene properly.

-ZR