In an outside setting, the most significant source of light is, of course, the sun.  We focus on the direction of sunlight to make a realistic, believable painting.  What about twilight scenes?  The sun is not above the horizon any more and we only feel the glow.  In a city, there may even be multiple other sources of light, in addition to the diffused light from the sky, which could really complicate the way we paint.

I challenged myself recently to make a series of city street paintings in the twilight.  This one is a narrow pedestrian street in the Old Lyon.  With shops and restaurants beginning to light up, I really liked the cozy atmosphere they create and wanted to capture that in a painting.  I must say it was good that was my number one motive.  To think which direction all the lights were going would have been enough to make me give up even trying to paint this scene!


Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 8.25 in. (on 12 x 9 in. paper)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Sold

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Click here to see other paintings: Lyon III, Lyon IV, Lyon V.