It's all about the yellows here and everything in this canvas is there to support the effect.

Being an artist is akin to being a movie director because you get to set the scene just the way you want. The yellow trees are a prime example because the light source is not exactly specified. Since it's all about the yellows, I opted out of that concern. It's entirely possible that the light can shine on the stand of trees this way or it may be that the trees are somehow generating light on their own. Either way, it is still just about those luminescent, yellow trees.

All of the glow is in the trees, not in the sky or back hill and even the yellow reflection is a bit more subdued. Everything is supporting that etherial, yellow light by being darker or a different color. Can you make a yellow glow on it's own? That would be very difficult, but it you use a number of supporting colors, tones and shapes then you have a chance. I reordered all of those elements about a dozen times before this final, glowing effect emerged.

I began this oil over the top of a previous one I had given up on and it felt GREAT to paint it out with this new start. Since the previous painting had more design elements and apparently more ways to fail, I decided to try a simpler idea for this one, something with a singular theme, like it's all about.....

That was a very helpful strategy and it was a pleasure to work through this one. Now I'm back to the studio where there are seven more oils in progress, patiently waiting. I'll shelve the yellow paints for a bit and explore some other colorful schemes.