Today I was amazed by a description of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema's studio at 44 Grove End Road in London. The interior was three stories high, and included a half-domed apse. Since lighting was particularly poor in London, Alma-Tadema came up with the idea of painting the dome with reflective aluminum paint. The lower walls were sided with marble and then the walls up to the apse were painted white. The effects of this silvery light are seen in his paintings such as the one below.
Silvery FavouritesMy studio is really an old dining room. It has three large west-facing windows - and they face a yellow house just ten feet away. All of that yellow light bounces onto my canvas and I can't really see true color. I have thought about how to address this issue and am considering an idea that I saw in another artist's studio. It is the use of translucent paper blinds that pull up from the bottom of the window and allow just the light from the sky to filter in. It would take advantage of the natural daylight and also block the yellow reflection from the house next door. All that remains is to implement the idea.
Little by little improving my art by addressing problems with creative solutions and determination!
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