Let the Light Shine
When bright light hits an object, it will bounce into the surrounding atmosphere and go beyond the object’s boundary creating an aura. This property is called halation and it is an effect artists can use to add a feeling of light to their paintings.
We see halation in everyday life but are not necessarily aware of it. Brilliant sunlight will bounce off of white buildings and our minds register that effect without being conscious of it. If you do a painting of that building and contain the light to the boundaries, the painting will never look quite right. If you are finishing a painting but it feels like something is missing, then add halation to your painting by extending the light beyond the boundaries to illuminate your composition.
The first time I became aware of this effect was in the painting of my daughter titled, “Turnaround.” The pastel slipped and the bit of light that accidentally extended from her arm to the background was the finishing touch the painting needed.
You can also see how halation was used in the still life painting, “It’s All About The Vase.” The aura is more obvious around the eggs but also occurs at other highlights in the composition. Without halation the painting would lose some of its impact.
"It's All About That Vase" with halation
Painting without halation
This is my most recent portrait commission of musician Nathan Mondry. He was at home and practicing the harpsichord. I sent instructions to his mother on how to photograph someone for a portrait and this is the pose she captured.
Hearing and touch are crucial to a musician so I knew I wanted to play up the light on those features of the portrait.
On the top of the ear, I left a little break of paint. The thin warm underpainting is showing through and added to the feeling of the light on the ear.
The hands were complicated so I did a study first to understand their form.
When I was finishing the painting, I chose a couple of small areas on the hands to illuminate. I broke the boundaries by dragging the tip of the brush into the surrounding areas. The effect was to give the hands a sense of light and movement on the keyboard.
The light rising from the hands and ear was analogous to music rising from the instrument. It was the small touch that added so much to this portrait.
Spreading light beyond the boundaries seems a good metaphor for the holiday season and the promise of a New Year. I hope your light shines brightly and spreads to those around you.
Happy Painting and Happy New Year!
Vianna
