Florida Light

Hot Day at Dock, 20 x 16 Oil on Canvas

The sunlight. It reminds me of Southern France, where the impressionists of the 1800s lived and worked. It's bright there and here, allowing many more aspects to be explored in its the depth and brightness than in the North.

The light is so different here than in Philadelphia, where I grew up. It's hard to define -- brighter, more vibrant, humid, ... In the North, colors were softer, muted. The difference in light and color can't be defined as the color names -- all places have aspects of as pure cerulean, ultramarine, and cadmium. I've used the same color palatte all over the world.

My latest painting shows the light in the heat. It's misty and cool at the same time. The light is more of a feeling than a color. I can't remember ever feeling this way growing up -- this is an afternoon that is specific to North Florida. Hot-cool, bright-misty, lonely-serene.