Savor sunsets and sunrises differently than a photographer.
Impressionistic watercolor and oil landscapes capture twilight tree shadows uniquely, yet both are influenced by nature's Golden and Magic hour.
Need a bit of GOLDEN hour?
Golden hour is the time of day before the sun sinks into the horizon, or pokes its head out early morning.
Whereas, the MAGIC hour is the moments shortly before sunrise or after sunset. These barely daylight hours are redder and softer, often casting fabulous shadows.
I first learned of these terms when I met my husband, Larry, in North Dakota, who was a commercial photographer at the time.
My then-young sons found humor in his photographic terms. I found humor in the boys' shenanigans when they cut a hole in a blanket so they and their friends could spy on Larry and me, thinking the blanket would camouflage them!
I quoted the boys in my second chapter book for kids: Trouble Out West.
"I should have realized something was up when I heard the word kiss.” Outside, huddled together, Mom and Larry are chatting. The summer sun here in Medora is low on the horizon, sinking like a big orange fireball.
“This is golden hour,” Larry says. “It’s when the sun kisses the horizon.”
“Are they going to kiss, again?” Joey asks. It’s like the word “kiss” makes us boys kind of brain dead."
As an artist, I'm inspired by these intriguing times of light,
but what I find most challenging is how different paint medias capture the light in different ways.
Below, a watercolor, with its transparent nature, allows the white crisp paper to seep through almost letting the golden-hour light glow!
However, the thick opaque texture of oils captures the light's beauty in a denser, yet rich style.
Nature is the true beauty of landscapes!
Take a moment to savor some golden or magic hour light!